Bill Clinton left the presidency in the same way that he entered it — surrounded by scandal and controversy.

Making off with tens of thousands of dollars of White House furniture was loutish, but the pardon of Marc Rich fit a pattern of Clinton's poor judgment and character that was often evidenced in the eight years that Bill and Hillary tarnished the White House.

In 1981, Rich, who was already a billionaire at the time, was accused of what was then the largest tax fraud in American history: $100 million in connection with his business of buying and selling oil on the international market. The worst abuse occurred after 52 American hostages were taken in Iran in 1979.

Americans then were barred from doing any business with Iran — it was considered trading with the enemy — but Rich did, anyway, making $200 million through his Swiss company. Until last week's pardon of Rich, England, Germany and France were all prepared to arrest Rich for the United States.

The FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service now have removed him from the list of America's most wanted fugitives — the only time anyone in law enforcement can recall a top-10 fugitive being removed from the list because of a presidential pardon. Perhaps former President Clinton (it is so wonderful to put those three words together) believes that there should be a separate system of justice for the wealthy and the poor.

After all, Rich's ex-wife pleaded with Slick Willie to pardon Rich and wrote letters to the president on his behalf. The catch that made this situation different from others is that she had contributed more than a million dollars to the Democratic National Committee and several hundred thousands of dollars to the Clinton Library in Arkansas.

The pardon of Rich fits a pattern of irresponsibility and disregard for the country that Slick Willie exhibited throughout his eight years in office.

Bill Clinton is an amazingly smart man and a brilliant politician, but he suffered one major fault — a complete lack of integrity. And integrity is the most important characteristic of a good leader. It is necessary to analyze the Clintonian method of leadership, so we can better evaluate the characteristics of future candidates in an attempt to avoid suffering through another Clinton-like president. First, Bill Clinton had no principles to govern his decision making. He drifted from position to position based upon the polling data he thought most advantageous to him. Clinton lacked core convictions, bent too quickly to political pressure and always tried to have it both ways. Unlike Ronald Reagan, who had core beliefs about his distaste for large government and his hate for communism, Clinton had no core substance. True leadership is not about polling and being popular; it is about having a vision and mobilizing others to follow you.

But more importantly, Bill Clinton was devoid of a sense of a proper sense of right and wrong. Looking the American people in the eye and completely lying about the Monica Lewinsky affair was the defining moment of his presidency and will be the most remembered point of the Bill Clinton presidency. The vision of a cold, angry man wagging his finger, attempting to shirk his responsibility to his country by saving his skin is forever etched in the minds of millions of Americans.

The affair with an intern just a few years older than his teenage daughter was disgusting and immoral, but it fit in with a pattern of harassment against women and unethical decision making.

A president must have moral authority to govern. He must be true to his word and, at times, thoughtfully reflect on what is right and wrong to make wise decisions. He should be an example for children to emulate, not a national moral pariah. How many parents would want their kid to be like Bill Clinton? It's a disgrace that a generation of young people had to grow up with Bill Clinton as president. Oral sex in the Oval Office and fooling around with a cigar are the most memorable occurrences that most young people take away from Clinton's eight years in office.

Aside from the amazing economic prosperity that he was always willing to take credit for, Bill Clinton had very few legislative accomplishments. He was so abrasive and disliked not only by Republicans, but by members of his own party that he could never form a coalition to get things passed. And Bill Clinton and Al Gore took campaign fundraising to a new low as they rented out the Lincoln Bedroom like a Motel 6 and engaged in fundraising activities with China that very well might have severely damaged our national security.

The impeachment of Bill Clinton by the House of Representatives in December of 1999 was an act that gave me great respect for the Republican Party. Instead of looking to the polls to dictate to them the popular political response, the party stood for principle and the law. All the while we were told by the Democrats and the media that the Republicans would pay the ultimate price in the 2000 elections for causing the nation to go through the impeachment ordeal.

So along came November and, well, the Democrats were in for a surprise. Bill Clinton's heir apparent was going to bury the bumbler from Texas in the same way Ronald Reagan's heir apparent, Papa Bush, buried Michael Dukakis in 1988. Political science experts told us the economic prosperity would ring in a Democratic landslide in 2000. But that's not what happened, and the nation is so much better off because of it. Al Gore had an Achilles heel too large — Bill Clinton and his legacy of immoral behavior, improper conduct and lack of leadership. Even three Florida recounts would not produce the result the Democrats were after.

President Bush has his work cut out for him because he must begin to raise the bar for the presidency that Bill Clinton did such a good job of lowering. Bush must lead with conviction, trusting his conscience and not his pollster. And he must maintain his moral authority, so young Americans can have a president to respect and emulate. Finally, he must work to heal the partisan divide that Bill Clinton's presidency deepened. Good luck, President Bush — the task is daunting.