Clinton administration news stories on Newser

Bill Clinton, aka 'President of the World'

Polly Davis Doig — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:35:30 CST

To most of us, he's "the former president," "Bill Clinton," or maybe "Bubba." But to Chris Matthews on this Presidents' Day, Clinton is President of the World, the name of his much ballyhooed, frenetic TV special airing tonight at 10pm. Taking a look at the decade since Clinton left office,...

Obama Names Gene Sperling Top Economic Adviser

Matt Cantor — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 11:15:03 CST

President Obama named current Treasury adviser Gene Sperling as his next top economic aide today, taking over for Larry Summers as director of the National Economic Council, the AP reports. It’s familiar territory, the Los Angeles Times adds: Sperling had the same job under Bill Clinton, and he faced a...

Kagan Pushed to Ban Late-Term Abortions in '97

Tue, 11 May 2010 07:50:41 CDT

As a White House adviser in 1997, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan urged then-President Bill Clinton to support a ban on late-term abortions, a political compromise that put the administration at odds with abortion rights groups, according to documents reviewed by the AP. Kagan told Clinton that if he didn't...

Clinton-Led Recovery Is the Last Thing Haiti Needs

Jane Yager — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:52:05 CST

Bill Clinton's high-profile, perpetually teary-eyed presence on the ground in Haiti has snagged him the unofficial role of aid czar in the rebuilding effort, Mary Anastasia O'Grady writes in the Wall Street Journal , and that's very bad news for Haitians. As president, O'Grady writes, Clinton did plenty to show he...

2010 Won't See Another Republican Revolution

Rob Quinn — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:38:01 CDT

Hopeful Republicans are starting to play up the similarities between 1994 and 2010 but any talk of a second Republican Revolution is probably just wishful thinking, writes Ed Kilgore in the New Republic. The Republican capture of the House in '94 was made possible by retiring Democrats—some 22 of...

Historian Sheds Gossipy Light on Clinton Years

Nick McMaster — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:07:19 CDT

Between 1993 and 2001, historian Taylor Branch met regularly with then-President Clinton for a series of taped interviews. The transcripts form the basis of a new book, The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President , to be released next week. USA Today got a look and singles out some highlights:...

Liberals Ought to Ditch the Public Option

Kevin Spak — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:40:40 CDT

Liberals need to abandon the notion that no health care reform is acceptable without a public option, former Clinton aide and health industry consultant Matt Miller writes in the Washington Post. Progressives’ top priority should be to make sure every American can access group coverage outside an employment setting, and...

Clinton Health Care Defeat Molds Dem Strategy

Mat Probasco — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:07:58 CDT

Top aides to Senate Democrats met with former Clinton administration advisers before the congressional summer break in another bid to determine where the last health care reform push went wrong, and how to avoid a repeat of the mistakes, reports the New York Times . Here are a few of the...

Obama Success Could Hinge on Address

Rob Quinn — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:48:45 CDT

Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress next Wednesday could well be the biggest moment of his presidency, Nate Silver writes in FiveThirtyEight. Two-thirds of voters are still confused about the president's plans for health care, and this speech will be a make-or-break chance to give them some...