by Mark Silva
Former President Bill Clinton, who seems to be getting as much air time and headlines as President Barack Obama in New York, talks about his health, wealth and his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a Late Show appearance tonight.
It's been five years since Clinton's heart surgery, host David Letterman notes, asking how his guest is feeling.
"As far as I know, I'm fine," Clinton replies. "You know, when you reach our age, every day's a genetic Roulette, but I feel pretty good about it."
Clinton, promoting the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative being held in New York this week -- and appearing on Larry King Live last night, Today this morning and the Late Show tonight -- turns a few laughs in saying: I heard what you said when I was offstage about you don't do enough of this social good. You have a 5-year-old - anybody your age with a 5-year-old is doing all the social good we need."
Letterman asks about the former first lady, now secretary of state for a president whom she challenged in the Democratic primaries. "If it were me,'' Letterman says, "I'd be just thinking, 'Well, I'd kind of like to be secretary of state, you know?' If my wife was secretary - but that's the kind of guy I am. But it must - are you allowed to participate, or you can't participate? How does that work?"
"Well, first of all, I'm immensely proud of her,'' Clinton says of the secretary, drawing applause for that. "I'm really proud of her. In the last two years, you know, she's been through an amazing rollercoaster - she ran for president, and I'm proud of how she did that.''
After losing the nomination, he says, "She worked her heart out for President Obama - she did 70 appearances for him. I was proud of her for doing that for him. And then he asked her to be secretary of state, and she gave up a job she truly loved.
"She loved being the senator from New York. I'm telling you, it made her beam every day. But she knew that everybody had a responsibility to help him at a difficult time, and I'm proud of the job she's doing. And, frankly, I think this is a good division of labor.
"For most of our married life,'' the former president says of himself and the former first lady, "I was in politics and she was a non-governmental person, like what I'm doing now. So we've now reversed roles, and I've gotten pretty good at what she used to do, and she's gotten real good at what I used to do.
"So I think we got the right secretary of state."
Letterman confesses to a certain humility in Clinton's presence -- "I wish I were smarter,'' the host tells his guest. What do you mean? Clinton tells Letterman: "You haven't been term-limited and you're a lot richer than I am.''
Comments
Ha Ha Ha!
Pres Obama and then Big Dog Clinton...this has to be making Wingnut heads explod all over America!
The only thing that could make this better is if the nutty Palinites showed up to protest Letterman.
Posted by: Letterman Rocks! | September 22, 2009 5:14 PM
letterman wil probably throw his turbin in the political ring next. What a joke he is.
Posted by: HaHa | September 22, 2009 6:53 PM
Just a matter of time we'll be reminded of his sexual indiscretions (NOT OUR BUSINESS) I have no doubt in my mind had there been no term limits Clinton would have soared into a third term!
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | September 22, 2009 7:06 PM
If Bill Clinton was President again, we would be out of the recession by now. . .
He would have done massive spending on new technologies and green energy. Right now, green energy is a joke! No funding. No real effort. And, only piece meals.
Posted by: HmongRodneyKing | September 22, 2009 9:37 PM
What is "xecretary" of state?
Posted by: Vulture Breath | September 22, 2009 10:00 PM
Dirty Dave Sucks Up to Blathering Barack
Dave Letterman,best known of late for his lascivious comments about Sarah Palin and her underage daughters, hosted President Obama Monday night.
He provided a fawning, unfettered forum, devoid of substantive challenges with an audience selectively stuffed to the brim with Obama worshippers for the president to ramble on with his usual, misleading tripe about Obamacare and his deep concern for the billions of poor, (at last count), uninsured amongst us.
As an interview, it failed miserably. Dirty Dave, who still constantly lashes out at Sarah Palin for exposing his latent pedophilia, played a pale Ed McMahon to Obama’s Johnny Carson, with Dave skillfully setting up Obama up for his lines as if it was all unrehearsed.
At a loss for what to say without appearing to criticize Obama, Letterman’s patented “Top Ten List of Reasons Why President Obama Agreed to Appear on the Show” included just one overt, political jibe: “2. Said yes, without thinking, like Bush did with Iraq.”
Poor Dave is suffering with George Bush out of office and no opportune moments to present more slanted “Great Moments in Presidential History” so he and his writers are reduced to outdated potshots.
He could always ridicule any of Obama’s multiple and regular screw-ups, such as his claim to have campaigned in all 57 states or his most recent flub of confusing his daughter, Malia, with his African step-sister, Maya, but let’s get real.
Satire must be P.C. selective. Bush was fair game, Obama is sacrosanct.
I thought I would offer my own “Top Ten Reasons Why President Obama Agreed to Appear on the Show:”
10. He knew Dave would throw only softball questions probably approved in advance.
9. He knew Letterman idolizes him and has never tossed snide remarks in his direction.
8. He knew he wouldn’t be asked any questions that required thought, such as George Stephanopoulis’ Sunday query on what constitutes a tax.
7. He knew Dave was well-insured and wasn’t likely to hit him up for a loan to pay medical bills.
(Read the rest at http://genelalor.com)
Posted by: Berlet98 | September 23, 2009 1:15 AM
I saw pee wee herman was on Leno last night, guess Leno chose to go with an honest, reputable guest instead of guy like clinton or an incompetent, corrupt, lying chicago politician like obama.
Change is coming, you'll just have to wait until 2012, although 2010 will be fun also.
Posted by: noneoftheabove | September 23, 2009 10:40 AM
I saw pee wee herman was on Leno last night, guess Leno chose to go with an honest, reputable guest
Posted by: noneoftheabove | September 23, 2009 10:40 AM
Remind me not to go to the "movies" with you!
Posted by: bill r. | September 23, 2009 11:22 AM
wow...Obama has to be one of the most actve presidents have seen in a long time...he is EVERYWHERE!!
Posted by: Constant Gina | September 23, 2009 4:37 PM
I saw pee wee herman was on Leno last night, guess Leno chose to go with an honest, reputable guest ...
Posted by: noneoftheabove | September 23, 2009 10:40 AM
Ya right, guess you forgot about his arrest in a movie house exposing himself. Seems you Republicans do that alot lately!!
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | September 23, 2009 4:54 PM
yea did you know pee-wee herman was arrested for exposing self to children that is why he lost his show,and you call that an honest and reputable guest...he's a freak
Posted by: dena | September 24, 2009 9:19 AM