A SPECIAL FLIP-FLOP

摘要

The political flip-flop is a time-honored—or at least time-dishonored—practice in public life, meaning it's been with us since the days of, oh, say, Brutus. What's more there are occasions when a sudden, stark change of position, which is what a flip-flop is, can be the prudent, practical and even statesmanlike thing to do. So Bill Clinton would be within his rights to wonder why there was such a firestorm a week or so ago—one that continues to smolder—when he was found to be giving speeches strongly conveying the idea that he had now flip-flopped on his own 1993 deficit-reduction package.