The Clinton Co-Presidency

If the past truly is prologue, then you can find a detailed roadmap to a future Hillary Clinton administration, should there be one, in the pages of Sally Bedell Smith's new book, For Love of Politics.

In 450 pages, Smith dissects the unique political and personal partnership of Bill and Hillary Clinton. "Two for the price of One," was Bill's half-joking campaign slogan in 1992, and that is indeed just what the country got for the next eight years.

Hillary was more than First Lady; she was first counselor in every important appointment and decision over the course of two terms. It was a co-presidency, in which Bill and Hill depended on each other in bad times as well as good.

At times, Smith writes, Hillary was out front, as in the health care debacle. At other times, she was the "hidden hand" behind her husband's major initiatives. Staffers in the Clinton White House referred to her as "the supreme court," who would have the final say on the most controversial matters.

Even during and after the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Bill relied on Hillary for strength, guidance and redemption. Hillary could hardly have been surprised by her husband's dalliance - he had been off the reservation repeatedly during their long marriage - but she was offended when he lied to her and furious at the embarrassment it caused their daughter, Chelsea.

Nonetheless, she not only forgave him, she strategized on his defense against impeachment proceedings and worked with him in the foreign policy arena to rebuild his reputation. Smith makes it clear that this had been Hillary's M.O. for decades when it came to her husband's philandering. Their joint political career and ambitions required nothing less.

So it is safe to assume that this partnership would continue to function under "Madam President" Clinton, if she prevails next November. Bill will be without formal portfolio - the nepotism law prohibits it - but he will be an essential player in every important decision. It will be a third Clinton term and, conceivably, a fourth.

Terence Smith is the former media correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. His website is terencefsmith.com

Comments

[SageRave]

I swore I would vote for Hillary, if she ever ran for president, precisely because I believe more presidencies should follow the "Clinton partnership model".

It's a wonderful step forward and away from the submissive wifey role that just makes me want to puke!

[Nutcase]

"It will be a third Clinton term and, conceivably, a fourth."

God I hope not. The Clintons, the DLC and the other putative progressives have controlled the Democratic Party for 15 years. How could any real progressive want another eight years of Corporatocracy?

Vote for Hillary if you want to see Murdock as a regular occupant of the Lincoln Bedroom. Vote for Hillary if you want her primary donors to take more money from us in the name of 'healthcare.'

Perhaps, after eight years of Hillary, Jeb will be available to extend this Bush-Clinton dynasty to 36 years. Is Chelsea standing in the wings to go for 44? What have we done to deserve the re-establishment of monarchy?

[Saggitarius]

It is hard to believe that people still believe all those lies about the Clinton scandals.
Between the taxpayer money for impeachment proceedings and money spent by Richard Mellon Scaife ($40million dollars) to have his Think Tanks to make up these scandals it cost over a hundred million dollars to disgrace the Clintons yet they were cleared of all wrondoing but never received an apology from the media or Scaife (who by the way is still going after Hillary and Bill in his newspapers.
As for discretion that is a private matter and was none of our business. We can become angry about things but personal business is "Personal".

[Oskaloosa]

Two-for-one? Not such a bad deal. During the Reagan years we had three-for-one. Ron, Nancy, and Nancy's astrologer.

[godless1]

Will we spend the next 8 years wondering if our president can stay one step ahead of a felony indictment? Whitewater, Rose Law Firm billings, Vince Foster death,insider trading profits on cattle futures, on and on.

[yourstruly]

This died-in-the-wool feminist Democrat thinks another Clinton administration will be a disaster. Bill is brilliant but still a compulsive womanizer, and without enough to do, he'll get into trouble of one sort of another all the time. The Republicans and the media can play this one in their sleep.

Now Bill's saying he opposed the war in Iraq. So why the hay didn't he advise Hillary not to sign a blank check for W? At the time, she hinted that the intelligence the Clinton White House saw indicated that Saddam Hussein had WMDs. And where was he when she signed onto labeling the Iranian guards terrorists? She been convinced she has to war-monger in order to prove she's tough enough for the top job, and that's really dangerous.

As for the economy, there's no way to recreate the conditions that Bill was handed. We're in a much worse place now, and it's going to take real vision and plenty of backbone to take back some of the largesse that Bush handed to corporations and the free marketers to work it out. Obama and Edwards understand this although their life's circumstances suggest their approaches would be different.

I think of the Clintons as a team all right, co-dependent to the core.

[bach]

Oh, so NOW we finally give the spouse some credit!!!!????

[white_mende_man]

Frankly I'd rather have Bill Clinton co-chair the presidency any day over Dick Cheney's co-chair presidency.

[KindAndThoughtful]

It is true that Bill Clinton is a great asset to Hillary, but it is also true that Hillary was a great asset to Bill. She helped him get elected.

[mjkblog]

I have been explaining/complaining about this situation for months now; HRC's campaign is an endrun around Presidential term limits, and has been from the beginning. The Clintons are a political team and, I don't care how anyone tries to convince otherwise, this country will not get one without the other.

They have had their chance, enough with the Clintons and Bushes. With so many other great choices out there, do we really need to "roll the dice" with HRC?

[truth101]

The title of this blog is prima facie objectionable -- Hillary is clearly
her own person and given Bill's
health difficulties he would never
in a million years become a
workaholic as he was during his
presidency. The entire blog is
erroneous inasmuch as most of
what HILARY would do would involve
delegating RESPONSIBIITY
TO APPOINTED PEOPLE. Certainly
in crises Bill would certainly
be there but that is normal, isn't it.
Grow up, the HILLARIAN AGE IS AT HAND.

[PerryLogan]

FUN FACT: The Clinton administration had fewer convictions and forced resignations than any Presidential administration of the 20th Century.

Bill Clinton's was in fact the cleanest two-term administration since Teddy Roosevelt.

By this same measure, the dirtiest administration in U.S. history (before GWB) was Ronald "Death Squad" Reagan's.

The Reagan Administration was so corrupt, they would sometimes rack up more convictions and forced resignations IN A SINGLE DAY than the Clinton administration managed in its entire eight years.

[Dakini9]

I just watched "Change is Gonna Come" What a piece
of crap.

You need a pair of hip boots to wade through it

[TommyMcCarthy]

to the moderator: i have a comment "stuck" on profile not on post for quite a while thx.........tm

[Possum]

Is this really the intent of the Founding Fathers - - to have an unelected "Co-President"? Where exactly in the Constitution does it say that the office of President shall be held by two people - - who are closely related? If we accept Presidential spouses as unelected "co-Presidents", what's next? Having their eldest son automatically serve as Vice President - - and inherit the Presidency on his parents' passing or retirement? Then what? Will their other children automatically become Senators for life? State Governors?
This country was founded by visionaries who rejected the idea of ruling families in favor of Democracy. It doesn't matter who is being proposed to be the first "co-President", Americans should be appalled by even the hint of hereditary rule. Make no mistake, this is the next step along that slippery slope.