Clinton just wants to be left alone: Or at least, that's what he says he wants
By Jon Friedman, CBS.MarketWatch.com Last Update: 10:11 PM ET Feb 27, 2001
NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Former President Bill Clinton insists he wants to be left alone.
"I want you guys to let me be a private citizen," he told reporters Tuesday with a big smile. But judging from what I saw, his statement seems hard to believe.
Hours before President Bush made his first appearance as commander-in-chief, addressing Congress and the American people Tuesday night, Clinton delivered a serious, interesting 55-minute-long speech in New York, at a hotel ballroom filled with hundreds of investment bankers and journalists. ...
Clinton showed his most affable and winning style after he completed his prepared remarks .... He then happily spent another 45 minutes answering more questions, signing autographs and posing for pictures.
He looked more like a rock star than a president. It was quite a spectacle. ...
Looking tanned and fit in a dark suit, a white shirt and a blue-and-black necktie, Clinton demonstrated above all that he still has the kind of charisma that helped him win two presidential elections despite a nonstop series of controversies.
It was fascinating to stand only a few feet away from Clinton as he met his public. In fact, it was easy to understand how this politician could be under almost continuous fire for eight years during his presidency and yet maintain a high approval rate while residing in the White House.
Simply, Clinton follows the rules preached in Debate 101. He makes eye contact with people who talk with him, and he makes them feel important. [LOL!]
Clinton's speech at "The Front Row" media industry conference co-sponsored by Variety magazine and Credit Suisse First Boston, for which he was believed to be paid an estimated $100,000, went smoothly. There were no hecklers, as there were at a speech Clinton gave last month in Florida. ...
Clinton was serious and factual -- going so far as to note that last year 24,528 stories appeared in the press about ABC's hit program "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," dwarfing the number written on the global divide.
Clinton noted: "I'm a big fan of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.'" ...
[No surprise there. Full text: http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid={BCD4DD8A-1EE7-459C-ACBB-CBA68CB5E67A}&siteid=mktw]
Carl
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