He's Not the Retiring Kind
Bill Clinton is building on Jimmy Carter's example and creating a new paradigm for ex-presidents
Toward a better world. Clinton is building on a model established by Jimmy Carter, who redefined post-presidential activism after losing the 1980 election. "When I left office, I was in a quandary," Carter told U.S. News in a telephone interview. "I was 56 years old, and I knew I had a life expectancy of 25 years or more. I began to wonder what Rosalynn [his wife] and I could do in the international world." He created the Carter Center in Atlanta, where he has focused on projects to alleviate poverty, improve healthcare, and resolve conflicts in poor nations, especially those in Africa. Carter has decided to focus on projects that no other major organization is working on, such as eradicating river blindness around the world. He also builds houses for poor people in the United States through Habitat for Humanity.
"Many [presidents] espouse humility and service and compassion, but they don't ever find a way to put it into practice," Carter said. "When you run for public office, you're trying to figure out, 'What can I say . . . that would be beneficial for people who might vote for me?' That's the prime motivation in the political world. It's not easy for anybody to cross the natural barrier between the folks who have everything in life and the folks who don't have everything."
For George Herbert Walker Bush, the recent forays into a more public role have been something of a delicate dance. The elder Bush has told U.S. News in the past that he did not want to be very visible, out of deference to his son, the current president. "Hell," he said, "I'm out of it," adding that "I don't need to complicate the life of the president." But he will take on missions when his son asks, as he has in regard to hurricane relief and an earlier joint effort with Clinton to help tsunami victims.
Clinton's objectives, by contrast with other ex-presidents, are sweeping. "Carter is more hardscrabble and missionary in approach," says historian Douglas Brinkley. "He will spend a week sleeping on a cot in Togo or Zimbabwe and working directly to dispense medicine for Guinea worm. Clinton is taking a more wonkish view on how to deal with world questions. He wants to create a new position for himself and be a sort of global gadfly." There is endless speculation in political circles that Clinton's dream job would be secretary general of the United Nations. He tells friends it's a fascinating idea, but he doubts it could ever happen because of anti-American resentment worldwide.
As always, Clinton's interests and his desire for visibility know no bounds. After quadruple heart bypass surgery in September 2004 and follow-up surgery last March, he called attention to his experience to promote regular exercise and better nutrition. Now he preaches against the dangers of obesity.
Clinton, a saxophone player, has even gotten into the music business; he recently authorized production of a CD, The Bill Clinton Collection: Selections From the Clinton Music Room ($15.95, with proceeds going to charity). It features 11 of his favorite songs performed by various artists, including "My Funny Valentine" by Miles Davis and "Chelsea Morning" by Judy Collins (after which his daughter, Chelsea, was named).
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