President Clinton gave his infamous speech he titled “I have Sinned” at the Prayer Breakfast. In this speech, he addressed the issue of having a sexual relationship with a woman named Monica Lewinsky and apologized for his actions. The nature of his first speech seemed more of “self-defense” rather than the apology the American people wanted to hear (59). In the attempt to have a successful speech, President Bill Clinton had to have a remorseful, yet confident attitude that did not come across insensitive.
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I believe that in his speech, he was truly sincere and meant his apology. The beginning when President Clinton said, “I do not think there is a fancy way to say that I have sinned,” clearly shows the content of this speech will be different from the first. However, Clinton giving his speech in front of an audience presents the idea of it being more personal. In the first speech, known as the “Map Room Speech”, there was never a real apology; Clinton seemed to say the American people should apologize to him, rather than him apologizing to the people (59).
This confused many people and the state of the speech seemed doomed. Clinton asked for forgiveness, in his breakfast prayer speech, early on. “I have asked all for their forgiveness”. Also, he spoke about the steps he could take to make things right again. When he states, “First, I will instruct my lawyers to mount a vigorous defense, using all available appropriate arguments. But legal language must not obscure the fact that I have done wrong,” lets the people know he is dealing with the legal matter of the subject, but he is not going to hide that he has done wrong.
In addition, he spoke about how the young can look at him as a role model for learning and growing from their mistakes (60). In his speech Clinton says, “The children of this country can learn in a profound way that integrity is important and selfishness is wrong,” this statement shows that Clinton knows what he did was wrong, and is learning from his error of judgment. President Clinton spoke very religiously in his speech, and brings up asking for God’s help many times.
Clinton said, “I must have God’s help to be the person I want to be,” exposed a more personal view on the president. When he spoke to the audience on the subject of genuine repentance, he stated, “I have repented,” and he will try to use his “broken spirit” for the greater good. At this point, President Clinton presented his true feelings about the matter and seemed genuinely sorry for his actions. He asked for the people of the United States to help pray for God to know his heart, and to help him move forward.
As you can see, his words are rather sorrowful and are truly meaningful. He understands his actions where wrong, and he has come to terms with the consequences he must undergo. Clinton shows he will not give up on the country, and he asked the people not to give up on him. Everyone makes mistakes, and they always deserve a second chance. He has apologized, repented, and asked for the people of the countries prayers. While we will never know what was truly in President Clinton’s heart on September 11, 1998, all we can do is trust his word, and do what he said; pray for his heart.
