After all the dust from the Whitewater and Monica fiascoes had settled, it appeared that Bill Clinton was primed to leave office in a positive light. Public opinion polls were good, the economy was fantastic and he and his newly elected-to-Senate wife were off to live happily ever after in New York.

But now you can add another blemish to his track record — one that leaves an inexcusable impression on the end of his term.

Probably in an attempt to steal some of the spotlight from President Bush's inauguration, he issued 176 pardons and clemency orders on his final day in office, including one to Mark Rich, a billionaire fugitive.

The practice is nothing new, and previous presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush had their fair share of controversial pardons.

But Clinton's pardon of Rich just might take the cake with Republicans and Democrats alike are crying foul.

Rich is one of the world's richest men. He has lived in exile in Switzerland for 17 years. The pardon erases more than 50 counts of wire fraud, racketeering, mammoth income tax evasion and trading oil with Iran during a U.S. trade embargo.

When considering Rich's pardon, Clinton, he only consulted Rich's lawyer, Jack Quinn, and did not even contact Rich's prosecutor in New York, Mary Jo White, for the other side of the story.

What could cause such a blatantly ignorant and illegal move, you ask?

Money, of course — more specifically, lots of it donated to the Democratic Party by Rich's ex-wife and good friend of the Clintons, Denise, who has been pushing for his pardon.

Next week, two congressional hearings are scheduled to investigate the controversial move. While the pardon can't be revoked, a change in the law might occur so that future (and present) presidents can't continue this streak.

To say the least, the pardon was a stupid move on Clinton's part. If he had any future political ambitions, they may have been quashed by this error in judgment. He took advantage of his power to do something for personal gain on the last day of his eight-year presidency.

Clinton's abuse of the presidential pardoning power sets an awful precedent.

It's basically telling criminals with money to spend a lot of it to help finance someone's election so that he can pardon them if he makes it to the Oval Office. It is perpetuating the age-old conception that "money talks."

The House Government Reform Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee should definitely consider new guidelines. No one should be above the law, even if the person happens to be the president's friend or, especially, a major campaign contributor.

At least Clinton has done his part to unite the two parties — now no one can say that only Republicans give breaks to the wealthy.