Bill Clinton

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{{Infobox_President| name=William Jefferson Clinton| image=Bill_Clinton.jpg| order=42nd President of the United States [1993 [2001| predecessor=[George H. W. Bush| order2=52nd [Governor of Arkansas, [1983, [1992 (1983-1991)
[Jim Guy Tucker (1991-1992)]| successor2= Jim Guy Tucker| term_start3= [January 9, 1979, [1981| predecessor3= [Joe Purcell| office4=[State Attorney General Arkansas| term_start4=1977| term_end4=1979| predecessor4=Jim Guy Tucker| birth_date=| birth_place=[Hope, Arkansas| spouse=[Hillary Rodham Clinton| occupation=[Lawyer
[University College, Oxford, University of Oxford
Yale Law School| signature=Bill Clinton signature2.png|-->

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III Biography of William J. Clinton, [The White House on August 19 1946) was the forty-second President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. Before his presidency, Clinton served nearly twelve years as the 50th and 52nd Governor of Arkansas. He was the List of United States presidents by age at ascension to office person to serve as president, behind Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, and is known as the first baby boomer president. Clinton is considered to have served during the American transition from the political order of the Cold War.Marc Sandalow, Clinton Era Marked by Scandal, Prosperity: 1st Baby Boomer in White House Changed Notions of Presidency, San Francisco Chronicle; January 14, 2001 Clinton was a New Democrats politician and was mainly responsible for the Third Way (centrism) philosophy of governance that came to epitomize his two terms as president.Joe Klein, 'The Natural': The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton, 2003, ISBN 0-7679-1412-0

Clinton presided over the longest period of peace-time economic expansion in American history, which included a balanced budget and a federal surplus. whitehouse.gov -- April 2, 1999: The Longest Peacetime Expansion in History His first term saw the passage of economic legislation such as the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. In U.S. House election, 1994, after several legislative failures, including an unsuccessful attempt at Clinton health care plan, Republican Party of the United States Republican Revolution of the United States House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. H-net Online Book Review: Benjamin Ginsberg and Alan Stone, eds. Do Elections Matter. Third Edition. Armonk, N.Y. (1997) In his second term he was Impeachment of Bill Clinton by the United States House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice Clinton impeached December 19, 1998 in relation to a Lewinsky scandal with a White House intern, but was subsequently acquittal by the United States Senate and remained in office to complete his term. Washingtonpost.com Clinton Accused - Special report.

Clinton left office with polls revealing that most people questioned his morals and ethics; however, he also retained a 65% approval rating, the highest end-of-presidency rating of any President that came into office after World War II. Poll: Clinton Legacy Mixed, ABCNews.com, January 17, 2001. Since leaving office, Clinton has been involved in public speaking and humanitarian work. He created the William J. Clinton Foundation to promote and address international causes, such as treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS and global warming. In 2004, he released a personal autobiography, My Life (Bill Clinton autobiography). His wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is the Junior United States Senator from the state of New York, where they both currently reside, and a Democratic candidate for the 2008 presidential election.

Biography Early life and education William Jefferson Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III in Hope, Arkansas, Arkansas, and raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Arkansas. His father was William Jefferson Blythe, Jr., a traveling salesman, who died in a car accident three months prior to the birth of his son. Biography of William J. Clinton, The White House In 1950, his mother, Virginia Clinton Kelley (1923-1994), married Roger Clinton, Sr., a partner with his brother in an automobile dealership.My Life, Bill Clinton, Random House, 2004, ISBN 0-375-41457-6

It was not until Billy (as he was known then) turned 14 that he formally adopted his stepfather's surname of Clinton, although he had assumed use of it prior to that. Clinton has claimed that he remembers his stepfather as a gambler and an alcoholism who regularly abused his mother and, at times, his half-brother, Roger Clinton, Jr.My Life, Bill Clinton, Random House, 2004, ISBN 0-375-41457-6First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton, David Maraniss, Random House, 1996, ISBN 978-0684818900

In Hot Springs, Clinton attended St. John's Catholic Elementary School, Ramble Elementary School, and Hot Springs High School (Arkansas) - where he was an active student leader, avid reader, and musician.{{cite web , winning first chair in the state band's saxophone section. He briefly considered dedicating his life to [music, but as he noted in his [autobiography ''[My Life (Bill Clinton autobiography)'':

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In 1963, two influential moments in Clinton's early life contributed to his decision to become a public figure. One was his visit to the White House to meet President John F. Kennedy, as a Boys Nation senator.My Life, Bill Clinton, Random House, 2004, ISBN 0-375-41457-6First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton, David Maraniss, Random House, 1996, ISBN 978-0684818900 The other was listening to Martin Luther King, Jr. 1963 I Have a Dream speech (which he memorized).

in Washington D.C., receiving a degree in 1968, during which he ran for President of the Student Council.Clinton was also a member of Youth Order of DeMolay International, but he never actually became a Freemasonry. He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi's National Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc. With the aid of scholarships, Clinton attended the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., receiving a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (B.S.F.S.) degree in 1968. It was at Georgetown that he interned for Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright.My Life, Bill Clinton, Random House, 2004, ISBN 0-375-41457-6 While in college he became a brother of Alpha Phi Omega and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Upon graduation he won a Rhodes Scholarship to University College, Oxford where he studied government.First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton, David Maraniss, Random House, 1996, ISBN 978-0684818900 He developed an interest in rugby union, playing at Oxford and later for the Little Rock Rugby club in Arkansas. While at Oxford he also participated in Vietnam War Opposition to the Vietnam War, including organizing an October 1969 Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam event.My Life, Bill Clinton, Random House, 2004, ISBN 0-375-41457-6 In later life he admitted to smoking cannabis at the university, but claimed that he "never inhaled".First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton, David Maraniss, Random House, 1996, ISBN 978-0684818900

After Oxford, Clinton attended Yale Law School and obtained a Juris Doctor degree in 1973.First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton, David Maraniss, Random House, 1996, ISBN 978-0684818900 While at Yale, he began dating law student Hillary Rodham Clinton who was a year ahead of him. They married in 1975 and their only child, Chelsea Clinton, was born in 1980.

Early political career Governor of Arkansas After graduating from Yale Law School, Clinton returned to Arkansas and became a University of Arkansas law professor. A year later, in 1974, he ran for the United States House of Representatives. The incumbent, John Paul Hammerschmidt, defeated Clinton with 52% of the vote. In 1976, Clinton was elected Attorney General of Arkansas without opposition in the general election.First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton, David Maraniss, Random House, 1996, ISBN 978-0684818900

meeting with President Jimmy Carter in 1978.In 1978, Bill Clinton was elected Governor of Arkansas for the first time; at 32, he was the youngest governor in the country. He worked on educational reform and the infrastructure of Arkansas's roads, but his first term also was fraught with difficulties, including an unpopular motor vehicle tax and citizens' anger over the escape of Cuban refugees (from the Mariel boatlift) detained in Fort Chaffee in 1980. A political maverick, Monroe Schwarzlose of Kingsland, Arkansas in Cleveland County, Arkansas, polled a surprising 31% of the vote against Clinton in the 1980 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Some suggested that Schwarzlose's unexpected voter turnout foreshadowed Clinton's defeat in the general election that year by United States Republican Party challenger Frank D. White. As Clinton once joked, he was the youngest ex-governor in the nation's history.First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton, David Maraniss, Random House, 1996, ISBN 978-0684818900

In 1982, Clinton reclaimed his old job as governor and kept it for another 10 years, helping Arkansas transform its economy and significantly improving the state's educational system. He became a leading figure among the New Democrats.The Natural: The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton, Joe Klein, 2003, ISBN 0-7679-1412-0 The New Democrats, organized within the Democratic Leadership Council were a branch of the Democratic Party that called for welfare reform and smaller government, a policy supported by both Democrats and Republicans. He served as Chair of the National Governors Association from 1986 to 1987, bringing him to an audience beyond Arkansas.First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton, David Maraniss, Random House, 1996, ISBN 978-0684818900

Clinton made economic growth, job creation and educational improvement high priorities of his administration. He removed the sales tax from medicine for senior citizens and increased the home property tax exemption for the elderly. Clinton was also responsible for some state educational improvement programs, notably more spending for schools, rising opportunities for gifted children, an increase in vocational education, and raising of teachers' salaries.First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton, David Maraniss, Random House, 1996, ISBN 978-0684818900The Natural: The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton, Joe Klein, 2003, ISBN 0-7679-1412-0

Clinton's approach answered conservative criticism during his terms as governor, but personal and business transactions made by the Clintons during this period became the basis of the Whitewater controversy investigation, which dogged his later presidential administration.The Clinton Wars, ISBN 0-374-12502-3, 2003, ISBN ISBN 0-374-12502-3 After very extensive investigation over several years, no indictments were made against the Clintons related to the years in Arkansas.First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton, David Maraniss, Random House, 1996, ISBN 978-0684818900The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, John F. Harris , 2005, ISBN 0-375-50847-3

Campaign for the Democratic nomination There was some media speculation in 1987 that Clinton would enter the race for the United States presidential election, 1988 Democratic presidential nomination after then-Governor of New York Mario Cuomo declined to run and Democratic front-runner Gary Hart left the nomination owing to revelations about marital infidelity. Then often called the "Boy Governor" because of his youthful appearance, Clinton decided to remain as Arkansas governor and postpone his presidential ambitions until 1992.David Maraniss, First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton (New York: Random House, 1996; ISBN 978-0684818900). Clinton then endorsed Governor of Massachusetts Michael Dukakis for the nomination. He did, however, give the opening night address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, a nationally-televised speech that introduced him to the American public, but was criticized for its length. Presenting himself as a moderate and a member of the New Democrat wing of the Democratic Party, he headed the moderate Democratic Leadership Council in 1990 and 1991.Joe Klein, The Natural: The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton (2003; ISBN 0-7679-1412-0).Bob Woodward, The Choice: How Clinton Won (1996; ISBN 0-684-81308-4).

In 1992, Clinton was the early favorite of Democratic Party (United States) for the presidential nomination and was able to garner the support of many superdelegates even before the first nominating contests were conducted. However, Clinton's presidential bid ran into difficulty in the opening weeks. First he finished well behind in the Iowa caucus, which was largely uncontested due to the presence of Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, who subsequently won. Secondly the campaign encountered difficulty when, during the New Hampshire Primary campaign, revelations of a possible extramarital affair with Gennifer Flowers began to surface. Clinton and his wife Hillary decided to go on 60 Minutes following the Super Bowl to refute these charges of infidelity, as Clinton had fallen far behind former Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas in the New Hampshire polls.

Their television appearance was a calculated risk, but it seemed to pay off as Clinton regained several delegates. He finished second to Tsongas in the New Hampshire primary, but the media viewed it as a moral victory for Clinton, since he came within single digits of winning after trailing badly in the polls. Clinton shrewdly labeled himself "The Comeback Kid" on election night to help foster this perception and came out of New Hampshire as the leader by a large percentage. Tsongas, on the other hand, picked up little or no momentum from his victory.

Clinton used his new-found momentum to win many of the Democratic Southern United States, including the big prizes of Florida and Texas, and build up a sizable delegate lead over his opponents in the race for the Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 1992. However, there were still some doubts whether he could secure the nomination, as former California Governor Jerry Brown was scoring victories elsewhere and Clinton had yet to win a significant contest outside of his native South.

With no major Southern state remaining on the primary calendar, Clinton targeted the New York primary, which contained a large number of delegates and was to be his proving ground. He scored a resounding victory in New York City. He finally shed his image as a regional candidate. Having been transformed into the consensus candidate, he secured the Democratic Party nomination, finishing with a victory in Jerry Brown's home state of California.

Presidential Election , Independent, and George H.W. Bush, Republican party (United States), in a national debate.

Clinton won the U.S. presidential election, 1992 (43.0% of the vote) against Republican incumbent George H. W. Bush (37.4% of the vote) and billionaire Populism Ross Perot, who ran as an independent (18.9% of the vote) on a platform focusing on domestic issues; a large part of his success was Bush's steep decline in public approval. Previously described as "unbeatable" because his approval ratings were in the 80% range during the Gulf War, Bush saw his public approval rating drop to just over 40% by election time because of a souring economy.The choice: how Clinton won, Bob Woodward,1996, ISBN 0-684-81308-4

Additionally, Bush reneged on his Read my lips: no new taxes when he compromised with Democrats in an attempt to lower the Federal deficits; this hurt his approval rating among conservatives. Clinton capitalized on Bush's policy switch, repeatedly condemning the president for making a promise he failed to keep.The choice: how Clinton won, Bob Woodward, 1996, ISBN 0-684-81308-4

Finally, Bush's party base was in disarray. Conservatives had previously been united by anti-communism, but with the end of the Cold War, new issues would have to emerge. The 1992 Republican National Convention was perceived by some moderate voters to have been uninspiring and usurped by religious conservatives. All of this worked in Clinton's favor. Clinton could point to his moderate, "New Democrat" record as governor of Arkansas, though some on the far left remained suspicious of him leading up to the election. Many Democrats who had supported Ronald Reagan and Bush in previous elections switched their allegiance to Clinton.

His election ended an era of Republican rule of the White House for the previous 12 years, and 20 of the previous 24 years. The election also gave the Democrats full control of both branches of Congress, the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. Clinton was the first president to enjoy this privilege since Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s.

Standing over 6'2.5" tall (1.88 m), Clinton was one of the tallest U.S. Presidents in the nation's history.

Presidency, 1993–2001 {{Infobox U.S. Cabinet|align=right|Name=Clinton|President=Bill Clinton|President start=1993|President end=2001|Vice President=[Al Gore|State start=1993|State end=1997|State 2=[Madeleine K. Albright|Treasury start=1993|Treasury end=1994|Treasury 2=[Robert E. Rubin|Treasury start 3=1999|Treasury end 3=2001|Defense=[Les Aspin|Defense start 2=1994|Defense end 2=1997|Defense 3=[William S. Cohen|Justice start=1993|Justice end=2001|Interior=[Bruce Babbitt|Agriculture start=1993|Agriculture end=1994|Agriculture 2=[Daniel R. Glickman|Commerce start=1993|Commerce end=1996|Commerce 2=[Mickey Kantor|Commerce start 3=1997|Commerce end 3=2000|Commerce 4=[Norman Y. Mineta|Labor start=1993|Labor end=1997|Labor 2=[Alexis M. Herman|Health and Human Services start=1993|Health and Human Services end=2001|Education=[Richard Riley|Housing and Urban Development start=1993|Housing and Urban Development end=1997|Housing and Urban Development 2=[Andrew Cuomo|Transportation start=1993|Transportation end=1997|Transportation 2=[Rodney E. Slater|Energy start=1993|Energy end=1997|Energy 2=[Federico F. Peña|Energy start 3=1998|Energy end 3=2001|Veterans Affairs=[Jesse Brown|Veterans Affairs start 2=1998|Veterans Affairs end 2=2000--> First term, 1993–1997 Clinton was inaugurated on January 20, 1993 as the 42nd President of the United States. In his inaugural address he declared that:

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Shortly after taking office, Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which required large employers to allow their employees to take unpaid leave because of pregnancy or a serious medical condition. While this action was popular, Clinton's attempt to fulfill another campaign promise of allowing openly homosexuality to serve in the armed forces was the subject of criticism. His handling of the issue garnered criticism from the left (for being too tentative in promoting LGBT rights in the United States) and the right (for being too insensitive to military life). After much debate, Congress implemented the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, stating that homosexual men and women may serve in the military as long as their sexuality is kept secret. Later in his presidency, in 1999, Clinton said he did not "think any serious person could say" that the way the policy was being implemented was not "out of whack". President seeks better implementation of 'do not ask, do not tell' - CNN, 1999-12-11 Some gay rights advocates criticized Clinton for not going far enough and accused him of making his campaign promise simply to get votes and contributions. Stranger Among Friends. - book reviews - John Cloud, Washington Monthly, November 1996 Washington Blade Editorial: Bush Has Mandate to Let Gays Serve - Kevin Naff, Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military, 2003-01-10 These advocates felt Clinton should have integrated the military by executive order, noting that President Harry Truman ended racial segregation of the armed forces in that manner. Clinton's defenders argued that an executive order might have prompted the Senate, which then had a Democratic majority, to write the exclusion of gays into law, potentially making it even harder to integrate the military in the future.The Natural: The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton, Joe Klein, 2003, ISBN 0-7679-1412-0

The Clinton-Gore administration launched the first official White House website on 21 October, 1994. It was followed by three more versions, resulting in the final edition launched in 2000.{{cite news ] 1996, President Clinton issued Executive Order 13011 - Federal Information Technology, ordering the heads of all federal agencies to fully utilize information technology to make the information of the agency easily accessible to the public."{{cite web ], the UN Ambassador who would become the first female United States Secretary of State, is standing behind.Also in 1993, Clinton promoted another controversial issue during this period regarding free trade when he supported the North American Free Trade Agreement for ratification by the U.S. Senate. Clinton, along with most of his Democratic Leadership Committee allies, strongly supported free trade measures. Opposition came from anti-trade Republicans, protectionist Democrats and supporters of Ross Perot. However, despite this opposition, the treaty was ratified by the Senate and signed into law by the President on 1 January 1994.Livingston, C. Don, Kenneth A. Wink; "The Passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in the U.S. House of Representatives: Presidential Leadership or Presidential Luck?" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 27, 1997

Clinton signed the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases. He also expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit, a subsidy for low income workers.The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, John F. Harris , 2005, ISBN 0-375-50847-3

One of the most prominent items on Clinton's legislative agenda was Clinton health care plan, the result of a taskforce headed by Hillary Clinton, aimed at achieving universal coverage via a national healthcare plan. Though initially well-received in political circles, it was ultimately doomed by well-organized opposition from conservatives, the American Medical Association, and the health insurance industry. However, John F. Harris, a biographer of Clinton's, states that the program failed because of a lack of co-ordination within the White House.The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, John F. Harris , 2005, ISBN 0-375-50847-3 Despite his party holding a majority in the House and Senate, the effort to create a national healthcare system ultimately died under heavy public pressure. It was the first major legislative defeat of Clinton's administration.The Natural: The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton, Joe Klein, 2003, ISBN 0-7679-1412-0The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, John F. Harris , 2005, ISBN 0-375-50847-3

Two months later, after two years of Democratic Party control under Clinton's leadership, the U.S. House election, 1994 proved disastrous for the Democrats. This was the first time the Democratic Party had lost control of both houses of Congress in 40 years.

In August 1993, Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, which passed Congress without a single Republican vote. It raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2% of taxpayers, while cutting taxes for 15 million low-income families and making tax cuts available to 90% of small businesses. Additionally, it mandated that the budget be balanced over a number of years, through the implementation of spending restraints.

Second term, 1997–2001 In the United States presidential election, 1996, Clinton was re-elected, receiving 49.2% of the popular vote over Republican Bob Dole (40.7% of the popular vote) and Reform Party USA candidate Ross Perot (8.4% of the popular vote), becoming the first Democrat to win reelection to the presidency since Franklin Roosevelt. The Republicans lost a few seats in the House and gained a few in the Senate, but overall retained control of the Congress. Clinton received 379, or over 70% of the United States Electoral College votes, with Dole receiving 159 electoral votes.

On January 21, 1998, a controversy was raised by the media and prominent Republicans over Clinton's relationship with a young White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, resulting in the Lewinsky scandal.The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, John F. Harris , 2005, ISBN 0-375-50847-3 In a lame duck (politics) session after the 1998 elections, the Republican-controlled House Impeachment of Bill Clinton for matters related to the scandal. The Republican-controlled Senate then voted to acquit Clinton the following year, and he remained in office to complete his term.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, enacted by Clinton on October 21, 1998, served as the first significant amendment to the United States Copyright Act since 1976. The DMCA extended the protection of intellectual property to outlaw reverse engineering of digital protection. It also provided a framework for record label and recording artists to seek public performance royalties under statute, which proved to be a landmark achievement for the recording industry.

The Elián González affair took prominent stage during early 2000. The boy survived a boat wreck as his family fled from Cuba, but his mother died, setting off an international legal fight for where the boy should stay. Eventually the administration, via Janet Reno, had González forcefully obtained and returned to Cuba.

Two notable military events occurred during Clinton's second term. The first was Operation Desert Fox, a bombing campaign designed to weaken Saddam Hussein grip on power over Iraq. The four-day campaign lasted from December 16 to December 19, 1998. It began after Clinton signed H.R. 4655 into law on October 31, 1998, which instituted a policy of "regime change" against Iraq, though it explicitly stated that it did not speak to the use of American military forces. Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, H.R.4655, One Hundred Fifth Congress of United States of America at Second Session; Library of Congress The Iraq Liberation Act, Statement by the President, Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release, October 31, 1998 The law was signed months after his State of the Union Address to Congress where Clinton warned Congress of Saddam Hussein's pursuit of nuclear weapons:

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The second was Operation Allied Force, a 1999 NATO bombing campaign against the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Clinton authorized the use of American troops in the mission to stop the ethnic cleansing and genocideCohen, William (April 7, 1999). " Secretary Cohen's Press Conference at NATO Headquarters".Clinton, Bill (June 25, 1999). " Press Conference by the President". of Albanians at the hands of the nationalist Serbians. General Wesley Clark was Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe#Supreme Allied Commander Europe .28SACEUR.29 at the time and oversaw the mission. The bombing campaign ended on June 10, 1999, with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 adopted that same day, placing Kosovo under U.N. administration and authorizing a Kosovo Force. Resolution 1244 adopted by the United Nations Security Council on June 10 1999. NATO claimed to have suffered zero deaths in combat, The Impact of the Laws of War in Contemporary Conflicts (PDF) by Adam Roberts on April 10 2003 at a seminar at Princeton University titled "The Emerging International System — Actors, Interactions, Perceptions, Security". Retrieved January 25 2007. and two deaths total from an AH-64 Apache crash. Two die in Apache crash by BBC News on May 5 1999. Retrieved January 25 2007. Pre-war genocide claims by Clinton and his administration have been criticized and discredited as greatly exaggerated.Pilger, John (September 4, 2000). " US and British officials told us that at least 100,000 were murdered in Kosovo. A year later, fewer than 3,000 bodies have been found". New Statesman.Pearl, Daniel and Block, Robert (December 31, 1999). "War in Kosovo Was Cruel, Bitter, Savage; Genocide It Wasn’t". The Wall Street Journal, p. A1. A U.N. Court ruled that genocide did not take place, although it did recognize, "a systematic campaign of terror, including murders, rapes, arsons and severe maltreatments"." Kosovo assault 'was not genocide'". (September 7, 2001). BBC. The term "ethnic cleansing" was used as an alternative to "genocide" to denote not just ethnically motivated murder but also displacement, though critics charge there is no difference. Encylopaedia Britannica - Ethnic Cleansing. Slobodan Milošević, the President of Serbia at the time, was eventually charged with the "murders of about 600 individually identified ethnic Albanians" and "crimes against humanity"." The charges against Milosevic". (July 5, 2004). BBC.

In the closing year of his administration, Clinton attempted to address the Arab-Israeli conflict. After initial successes such as the Oslo accords of the early-1990s, the situation had quietly deteriorated, breaking down completely with the start of the Second Intifada. Clinton brought Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat together at Camp David.The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, John F. Harris , 2005, ISBN 0-375-50847-3 However, Barak and Arafat could not find common ground, and the Camp David 2000 Summit were ultimately unsuccessful.The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, John F. Harris , 2005, ISBN 0-375-50847-3

In November 2000, Clinton became the first president to visit Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War. Clinton's Vietnam Visit, BBC News 2000] Clinton remained popular with the public throughout his two terms as President, ending his presidential career with a 65% approval rating, the highest end-of-term approval rating of any President since Eisenhower. In addition to his political skills, Clinton also oversaw a boom of the U.S. economy. Under Clinton, the United States had a projected federal budget surplus for the first time since 1969.

Legislation and programs Major legislation signed

1993-02-05 - Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
1993-08-10 - Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 - Raised income tax rates; income tax, top rate: 39.6%; corporate tax: 35%
1993-09-21 - creation of the AmeriCorps volunteer program
1993-11-30 - Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
1994-09-13 - Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, part of an omnibus crime bill, the federal capital punishment was expanded to some 60 different offenses (see Federal assault weapons ban)
1996-02-01 - Communications Decency Act
1996-02-08 - Telecom Reform Act: eliminated major ownership restrictions for radio and television groups.
1996-02-26 - Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, a welfare reform bill
1996-03-14 - authorized $100 million counter-terrorism agreement with Israel to track down and root out terrorism.
1996-04-09 - Line Item Veto Act of 1996
1996-04-24 - Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act
1996-08-20 - Minimum wage Increase Act
1996-09-21 - Defense of Marriage Act, allowed states to refuse recognition of certain same-sex marriages, and defined marriage as between a male and female for purposes of federal law
1997-08-05 - Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997
1998-10-28 - Digital Millennium Copyright Act
1998-10-31 - Iraq Liberation Act

Major legislation vetoed

United States budget process
H.R. 1833, partial birth abortion ban
Twice vetoed welfare reform before signing
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Congress List of United States presidential vetoes#Bill Clinton the veto, however, to enact the bill into law.

Proposals not passed by Congress

Clinton health care plan
Campaign finance reform (1993)

Initiatives

Tried to get Ehud Barak of Israel and Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian National Authority, to agree to a final Oslo Accords.
Initiated the Don't ask, don't tell policy toward gays in the military, 1993.
Reversed a ban on senior Sinn Féin politicians entering the U.S.
Proposed a national challenge to end the racial divide in America, the One America Initiative.
Extraordinary rendition got approval for the first time in the USA from the Clinton administration.

Supreme Court appointments Clinton appointed the following justices to the Supreme Court of the United States:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg - 1993
Stephen Breyer - 1994

Public approval s throughout his presidential career

While Clinton's job approval rating varied over the course of his first term, ranging from a low of 36% in mid-1993 to a high of 64% in late-1993 and early-1994, his job approval rating consistently ranged from the high-50s to the high-60s in his second term. Bill Clinton: Job Ratings - PollingReport.com Clinton's approval rating reached its highest point at 73% approval in the aftermath of the impeachment proceedings in 1998 and 1999. Poll: Clinton's approval rating up in wake of impeachment - CNN, 1998-12-20

A CNN/USA TODAY/Gallup poll conducted as he was leaving office, revealed deeply contradictory attitudes regarding Clinton. Poll: Majority of Americans glad Clinton is leaving office - Keating Holland, CNN, 2001-01-10 Although his approval rating at 68% was higher than that of any other departing president since polling began more than seventy years earlier, only 45% said they would miss him. While 55% thought he "would have something worthwhile to contribute and should remain active in public life", 68% thought he would be remembered for his "involvement in personal scandal" rather than his accomplishments as president, and 58% answered "No" to the question "Do you generally think Bill Clinton is honest and trustworthy?". 47% of the respondents identified themselves as being Clinton supporters. 47% said he would be remembered as either "outstanding" or "above average" as a president while 22% said he would be remembered as "below average" or "poor". Poll: Majority of Americans glad Clinton is leaving office - Keating Holland, CNN, 2001-01-10

In recent public rankings of American presidents, Bill Clinton ranked highly. The Gallup Organization published a poll in February 2007 that asked respondents to name the greatest president in U.S. history; Clinton came in fourth place, capturing 13% of the vote. In a 2006 Quinnipiac University poll that asked respondents to name the best president since World War II, Clinton ranked second with 25% of the vote, 3% behind Ronald Reagan. However, in the same poll, when respondents were asked to name the worst president since World War II, Clinton came in third with 16% of the vote, 1% behind Nixon and 18% behind George W. Bush.

In May 2006, a CNN poll comparing Clinton's job performance with that of his successor, George W. Bush, found that a strong majority of respondents said Clinton outperformed Bush in six different areas questioned. Poll: Clinton outperformed Bush - CNN.com

Public image , September, 1998.

As the first Baby Boomer president, Clinton was the first president in a half-century not to have been shaped by World War II. The public image of Clinton was important throughout his presidency and his innovative use of soundbite-ready dialogue, personal charisma, and public perception-oriented campaigning is stated by authors Martin Walker and Bob Woodward as one of the major reasons for his high public approval ratings.Martin Walker, Clinton: the President they deserve, Fourth Estate 1999Bob Woodward, The choice: how Clinton won, Touchstone 1996, ISBN 0-684-81308-4 With his pioneering use of pop culture in his campaigning, such as playing the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show, Clinton was sometimes described by religious conservatives as "the MTV president".{{cite news | last =Bresler | first =Robert J. | title =The Muddled Meaning of the 2000 Election | publisher =USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education)| date =January 2001 | url =http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2668_129/ai_69698398 | accessdate =2007-01-02 -->

Clinton was also very popular among African Americans and made improving race relations a major theme of his presidency. A Conversation With President Bill Clinton on Race in America Today - interview with Clinton, Center for American Progress, July 16, 2004.

In 1998, Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison called Clinton "the first Black president," saying "Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald's-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas," and comparing Clinton's sex life, scrutinized despite his career accomplishments, to the stereotyping and double standards that blacks typically endure.

Post-presidential career Public speaking and campaigning observe.Clinton has engaged in a career as a public speaker on a variety of issues. In his speaking engagements around the world, he continues to comment on aspects of contemporary politics.Press release: President Bill Clinton to be keynote speaker at World Congress on IT 2002, World Information Technology and Services Alliance, Adelaide, South AustraliaKatherine Hamilton. " Bill Clinton to speak at Class Day", The Daily Princetonian, 2006-04-18 One notable theme is his advocacy of multilateral solutions to problems facing the world. Clinton's close relationship with the African American community has been highlighted in his post-presidential career with the opening of his personal office in the Harlem section of New York City.

After the Clintons had moved to Chappaqua, New York, in the northern suburbs of New York City, at the end of his Presidency, he assisted his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in her campaign for office as United States Senate from New York. Clinton also campaigned for a number of Democratic candidates for the Senate in the 2002 elections, but only one was voted into office.

On July 26, 2004, Clinton spoke for the fifth consecutive time to the 2004 Democratic National Convention, using the opportunity to praise candidate John Kerry. In it, he criticized President George W. Bush's depiction of Kerry, saying that "strength and wisdom are not opposing values." Unfortunately for Kerry, despite Clinton's strong speech, the post-convention bounce to his poll numbers was less than was hoped for.

Clinton has given dozens of paid speeches each year since leaving office, mostly to corporations and philanthropic groups in North America and Europe, earning sums from $100,000 to $300,000 per speech.Josh Gerstein, Clinton Eligible, Once Again, To Practice Law, New York Sun, January 17, 2006, downloaded from

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William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) [1] served as the forty-second President of the United States from 1993 to 2001.

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