Whether you miss him or wish he were exiled to a faraway planet, former President Bill Clinton continues to evoke strong emotions everywhere he goes. Last week, he and his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, made Time magazine's 100 most influential people list.

For most of the past three years, Clinton has kept a low profile, living in Chappaqua, N.Y., and working in Harlem, writing his memoirs.

However, he still continues to rake in millions of dollars each year through public speaking.

After much diligent work sifting through papers and choosing the correct words to describe accurately each moment of the presidency, Clinton's memoirs appear to be nearing completion. Some suspect the timing has been manipulated to coincide with the presidential election.

The reasons may not be so simple. Some former Clinton staffers, such as George Stephanopoulous and Dick Morris, are claiming that if Clinton released his book, it would be a way to take the spotlight away from presidential hopeful John Kerry.

This idea makes no sense whatsoever. The memoirs will probably be as close to Democratic propaganda as one could find. When Clinton goes on television to discuss his book, he will undoubtedly spotlight all the good that his administration did for the United States.

The Kerry campaign and other Democrats should respect the former president and trust his judgment. His actions caused the Democrats to be restored as a force to reckon with in the federal government. He hasn't steered them wrong yet.

Clinton has every right to publish his memoirs at a time of his choosing, and no Democrat should complain that it will hurt the party's election chances. Clinton likely has a part in their being elected to office, and they should show him more respect.