William Jefferson Blythe (1946)/biography

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on ) was the forty-second, serving from 1993 to 2001. Before his presidency, Clinton served nearly twelve years as the 50th and 52nd. He was the person to serve as president, behind  and. He took over the presidency at the end of the, and is known as the first president.

Clinton was described as a politician and was mainly responsible for the  philosophy of governance that came to epitomize his two terms as president. His policies, on issues such as the, have been described as "centrist." Clinton presided over the longest period of peace-time economic expansion in American history, which included a balanced budget and a federal surplus. His presidency was also quickly challenged. On the heels of a failed attempt at with a ,   of the  for the first time in 40 years. In his second term he was by the , but was subsequently  by the  and remained in office to complete his term.

Clinton left office with a 65%, the highest end-of-presidency rating of any President that came into office after. However, public reaction to the left a mixed impression about his personal character. chracterized public consensus on Clinton as, "You can't trust him, he's got weak morals and ethics — and he's done a heck of a good job." Since leaving office, Clinton has been involved in public speaking and humanitarian work. He created the to promote and address international causes, such as treatment and prevention of / and. In 2004, he released a personal autobiography, . His wife,, is the from the state of , where they both currently reside, and a Democratic candidate for the 2008 presidential election.

Early life and education
William Jefferson Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III in, , and raised in , Arkansas. His father was, a traveling salesman, who died in a car accident three months prior to the birth of his son. In 1950, his mother, (1923-1994), married, a partner with his brother in an automobile dealership.

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 and an  who regularly abused his mother and, at times, his half-brother,

In Hot Springs, Clinton attended St. John's Catholic Elementary School, Ramble Elementary School, and - where he was an active student leader, avid, and. He was in the chorus and played the, winning first chair in the state band's saxophone section. He briefly considered dedicating his life to, but as he noted in his :

(…) Sometime in my sixteenth year I decided I wanted to be in public life as an elected official. I loved music and thought I could be very good, but I knew I would never be or. I was interested in medicine and thought I could be a fine doctor, but I knew I would never be. But I knew I could be great in public service.

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 to meet President, as a  senator. The other was listening to 1963  speech (which he memorized).

Clinton was also a member of Youth Order of, but he never actually became a. He is a member of 's National Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc. With the aid of scholarships, Clinton attended the at  in, receiving a  in Foreign Service (B.S.F.S.) degree in 1968. It was at Georgetown that he interned for Arkansas Senator. While in college he became a brother of and was elected to.

Upon graduation he won a to  where he studied government. He developed an interest in, playing at Oxford and later for the Little Rock Rugby club in Arkansas. While at Oxford he also participated in, including organizing an October 1969  event. In later life he admitted to smoking at the university, but claimed that he "never inhaled".

After Oxford, Clinton attended and obtained a  degree in 1973. While at Yale, he began dating law student who was a year ahead of him. They married in 1975 and their only child,, was born in 1980.

Governor of Arkansas
After graduating from Yale Law School, Clinton returned to Arkansas and became a law professor. A year later, in 1974, he ran for the. The incumbent,, defeated Clinton with 52% of the vote. In 1976, Clinton was elected of  without opposition in the general election.

In 1978, Bill Clinton was elected 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 n refugees (from the ) detained in in 1980. A political maverick, of  in, 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 challenger. As Clinton once joked, he was the youngest ex-governor in the nation's history.

In 1982, Clinton reclaimed his old job as governor and kept it for another 10 years, helping transform its  and significantly improving the state's educational system. He became a leading figure among the. The New Democrats, organized within the 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 from 1986 to 1987, bringing him to an audience beyond Arkansas.

Clinton made economic growth, job creation and educational improvement high priorities of his administration. He removed the from  for  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.

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 investigation, which dogged his later presidential administration. After very extensive investigation over several years, no indictments were made against the Clintons related to the years in Arkansas.

Campaign for the Democratic nomination
There was some media speculation in 1987 that Clinton would enter the race for the Democratic presidential nomination after then-  declined to run and Democratic front-runner  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. Clinton then endorsed  for the nomination. He did, however, give the opening night address at the, 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 wing of the Democratic Party, he headed the moderate  in 1990 and 1991.

In 1992, Clinton was the early favorite of the for the presidential nomination and was able to garner the support of many s 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, which was largely uncontested due to the presence of Iowa Senator , who subsequently won. Secondly the campaign encountered difficulty when, during the campaign, revelations of a possible extramarital affair with  began to surface. Clinton and his wife Hillary decided to go on  following the to refute these charges of infidelity, as Clinton had fallen far behind former  Senator  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, 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, including the big prizes of and , and build up a sizable delegate lead over his opponents in the race for the. However, there were still some doubts whether he could secure the nomination, as former Governor  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, which contained a large number of delegates and was to be his proving ground. He scored a resounding victory in. 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 's home state of.

Presidential Election


Clinton won the (43.0% of the vote) against Republican incumbent George H. W. Bush (37.4% of the vote) and billionaire , 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 s were in the 80% range during the, Bush saw his public approval rating drop to just over 40% by election time because of a souring economy.

Additionally, Bush reneged on his 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.

Finally, Bush's party base was in disarray. Conservatives had previously been united by anti-, but with the end of the, new issues would have to emerge. The 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 remained suspicious of him leading up to the election. Many Democrats who had supported and Bush in previous elections switched their allegiance to Clinton.

His election ended an era of Republican rule of the 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 and the. Clinton was the first president to enjoy this privilege since 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.

First term, 1993–1997
Clinton was inaugurated on, as the 42nd. In his inaugural address he declared that:

Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.

Shortly after taking office, Clinton signed the, 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 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 ) and the right (for being too insensitive to military life). After much debate, Congress implemented the "" 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". 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. These advocates felt Clinton should have integrated the military by executive order, noting that President 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 Clinton-Gore administration launched the first official website on,. It was followed by three more versions, resulting in the final edition launched in 2000. The White House website was part of a wider movement of the Clinton administration toward web-based communication. According to Robert Longley, "Clinton and Gore were responsible for pressing almost all federal agencies, the U.S. court system and the U.S. military onto the Internet, thus opening up America's government to more of America's citizens than ever before. On, 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." Also in 1993, Clinton promoted another controversial issue during this period regarding free trade when he supported the 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. However, despite this opposition, the treaty was ratified by the Senate and signed into law by the President on.

Clinton signed the, which imposed a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases. He also expanded the, a subsidy for low income workers.

One of the most prominent items on Clinton's legislative agenda was, the result of a taskforce headed by , 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, and the health insurance industry. However,, a biographer of Clinton's, states that the program failed because of a lack of co-ordination within the. 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.

Two months later, after two years of Democratic Party control under Clinton's leadership, the 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, 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, Clinton was re-elected, receiving 49.2% of the popular vote over Republican (40.7% of the popular vote) and  candidate  (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 votes, with Dole receiving 159 electoral votes.

On, , a controversy was raised by the media and prominent Republicans over Clinton's relationship with a young White House intern, , resulting in the. In a session after the 1998 elections, the Republican-controlled House  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, enacted by Clinton on , , served as the first significant amendment to the since 1976. The DMCA extended the protection of to outlaw  of digital protection. It also provided a framework for and recording artists to seek public performance royalties under statute, which proved to be a landmark achievement for the recording industry.

The 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, had González forcefully obtained and returned to Cuba.

Two notable military events occurred during Clinton's second term. The first was, a bombing campaign designed to weaken grip on power over. The four-day campaign lasted from to,. It began after Clinton signed H.R. 4655 into law on, , 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. The law was signed months after his to Congress where Clinton warned Congress of Saddam Hussein's pursuit of nuclear weapons:

"Together we must also confront the new hazards of chemical and biological weapons, and the outlaw states, terrorists and organized criminals seeking to acquire them. Saddam Hussein has spent the better part of this decade, and much of his nation's wealth, not on providing for the Iraqi people, but on developing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and the missiles to deliver them. The United Nations weapons inspectors have done a truly remarkable job, finding and destroying more of Iraq's arsenal than was destroyed during the entire gulf war. Now, Saddam Hussein wants to stop them from completing their mission. I know I speak for everyone in this chamber, Republicans and Democrats, when I say to Saddam Hussein, "You cannot defy the will of the world," and when I say to him, "You have used weapons of mass destruction before; we are determined to deny you the capacity to use them again.

The second was, a 1999 bombing campaign against the former. Clinton authorized the use of American troops in the mission to stop the and   of  at the hands of the nationalist. was at the time and oversaw the mission. The bombing campaign ended on, , with adopted that same day, placing Kosovo under  administration and authorizing a. NATO claimed to have suffered zero deaths in combat, and two deaths total from an crash. Pre-war genocide claims by Clinton and his administration have been criticized and discredited as greatly exaggerated. 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". 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. , the President of at the time, was eventually charged with the "murders of about 600 individually identified ethnic Albanians" and "crimes against humanity".

In the closing year of his administration, Clinton attempted to address the. After initial successes such as the of the early-1990s, the situation had quietly deteriorated, breaking down completely with the start of the. Clinton brought Israeli Prime Minister and Palestinian Authority Chairman  together at. However, Barak and Arafat could not find common ground, and the were ultimately unsuccessful.

In November 2000, Clinton became the first president to visit since the end of the. 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. 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
 * - - Raised income tax rates;, top rate: 39.6%; : 35%
 * - creation of the volunteer program
 * -, part of an omnibus crime bill, the federal was expanded to some 60 different s (see )
 * - : eliminated major ownership restrictions for radio and television groups.
 * -, a bill
 * - authorized $100 million agreement with  to track down and root out.
 * - Increase Act
 * -, allowed states to refuse recognition of certain s, and defined marriage as between a male and female for purposes of federal law
 * - authorized $100 million agreement with  to track down and root out.
 * - Increase Act
 * -, allowed states to refuse recognition of certain s, and defined marriage as between a male and female for purposes of federal law
 * - Increase Act
 * -, allowed states to refuse recognition of certain s, and defined marriage as between a male and female for purposes of federal law

Major legislation vetoed
 * H.R. 1833, ban
 * Twice vetoed before signing
 * the . Congress the veto, however, to enact the bill into law.
 * the . Congress the veto, however, to enact the bill into law.

Proposals not passed by Congress
 * (1993)
 * (1993)

Initiatives
 * Tried to get of  and  of the, to agree to a final.
 * Initiated the policy toward s in the military, 1993.
 * Reversed a ban on senior politicians entering the U.S.
 * Proposed a national challenge to end the racial divide in America, the.
 * got approval for the first time in the USA from the Clinton administration.

Supreme Court appointments
Clinton appointed the following justices to the :
 * - 1993
 * - 1994

Public approval


While Clinton's job 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. Clinton's approval rating reached its highest point at 73% approval in the aftermath of the impeachment proceedings in 1998 and 1999.

A CNN/USA TODAY/Gallup poll conducted as he was leaving office, revealed deeply contradictory attitudes regarding Clinton. 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".

In recent public rankings of American presidents, Bill Clinton ranked highly. The 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 poll that asked respondents to name the best president since, 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.

Public image


As the first president, Clinton was the first president in a half-century not to have been shaped by. The public image of Clinton was important throughout his presidency and his innovative use of -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 s. With his pioneering use of pop culture in his campaigning, such as playing the saxophone on , Clinton was sometimes described by religious conservatives as "the  president".

Clinton was also very popular among s and made improving race relations a major theme of his presidency.

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

Public speaking and campaigning
Clinton has engaged in a career as a on a variety of issues. In his speaking engagements around the world, he continues to comment on aspects of contemporary politics. One notable theme is his advocacy of multilateral solutions to problems facing the world. Clinton's close relationship with the community has been highlighted in his post-presidential career with the opening of his personal office in the  section of.

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

On, , Clinton spoke for the fifth consecutive time to the , using the opportunity to praise candidate. 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 and, earning sums from $100,000 to $300,000 per speech. He earned more than $30 million in speaking fees from 2001 to 2005, according to his wife’s Senate ethics reports. In 2007, it is now estimated that he has amassed around $40 million (£20 million) from speaking fees.

Clinton is currently active supporting his wife as a Democratic candidate for the. He has helped make public speeches supporting his wife and engaged in efforts to help raise funds for her campaign.

William J. Clinton Presidential Center
Clinton dedicated his, the , which has the largest archives of any presidential library, in , Arkansas on ,. Under rainy skies, Clinton received words of praise from former presidents and, as well as from the current president,. He was also treated to a musical rendition from and  from, who expressed their gratitude at Clinton's efforts to resolve the Northern Ireland conflict during his presidency.

My Life
In 2004, Clinton released a personal, . The book was published by the at  on, , and set a worldwide record for single day non-fiction book sales according to the publisher. Later released as an audio book, total sales were in excess of 400,000 copies. He received U.S. $12 million in advance as a writer's fee.

In September 2007, he released a second book, , which also became a bestseller.

William Clinton Foundation
The William J. Clinton Foundation promotes and provides for a number of humanitarian causes. Within the foundation, the Clinton Foundation and  Initiative (CHAI) strives to make treatment for HIV/AIDS more affordable and to implement large-scale integrated care, treatment, and prevention programs. While in to attend a Global Business Forum, Clinton signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of his presidential foundation with the Australian government to promote HIV/AIDS programs in the  region.

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), funded by the Clinton Foundation, was inaugurated -, in New York City to coincide with the. The focus areas of the initiative include attempts to address world problems such as global, alleviation and religious and.

On, , Clinton announced through the an agreement by major soft drink manufacturers to stop selling sugared sodas and juice drinks in public primary and secondary schools.

Other humanitarian work
Clinton has also engaged in humanitarian work in cooperation with fellow former-President George H. W. Bush, specifically in the aftermath of the disaster and. They were later awarded on, , the 2006 for their work on the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund and Bush-Clinton Tsunami Fund. They also spoke together at the funeral of.

On, President George W. Bush named Clinton and  to lead a nationwide campaign to help the victims of the. On, , he was selected by U.N. Secretary-General to head the.

Five days later, Clinton appeared with Bush on the pre-game show on  in support of their bipartisan effort to raise money for relief of the disaster through the, an action which Bush described as "transcending politics". Thirteen days later, they traveled to the affected areas to see the relief efforts.

On, , following the devastation of the by , Clinton again worked with George H. W. Bush to coordinate private relief donations, in a campaign similar to their earlier one in response to the.

In April 2007, Clinton made his first visit to new Secretary-General. The 45-minute meeting, called at Clinton's request, touched on a host of topics, including the continuing human tragedy in Africa, especially in the region. The, the conflict in Iraq, and Iran's nuclear standoff with the U.N. were also on the agenda, as well as the continuing HIV/AIDS crisis.

Environment
On, , the entered into a partnership with the  to create the Clinton Foundation Climate Change Initiative (CCI), agreeing to provide resources to allow the participating cities to enter into an energy-saving product purchasing consortium and to provide technical and communications support.

On, , speaking at the in , Clinton publicly criticized the Bush administration for its handling of emissions control. Further, Clinton twice visited the in 2006 to promote initiatives concerning the. First, on, , he met with , , , and to advertise the. On, , he spoke in favor of on , which was voted down.

Personal health
On, , Clinton had an episode of and was evaluated at Northern Westchester Hospital. It was determined that he had not suffered a, and he was sent home, returning the following day for , which disclosed multiple vessel. He was transferred to in New York City, where he underwent a successful quadruple  on,. The medical team stated that, had he not had surgery, he would likely have suffered a massive within a few months. On, , he underwent a follow-up surgery to remove scar tissue and fluid from his left chest cavity, a result of his open-heart surgery. He has since recovered.

Honors and accolades
In 1998, Clinton was awarded the First Class with Collar Chain of the from the President of the Czech Republic.

In December 1999, Clinton was among 18 included in, from a poll conducted of the American people.

Clinton received the 2000 (a prestigious European prize), 2004  for  for narrating the 's album ' (along with  and ) and 2005  for ', 2005  Prize for International Understanding, and 2007  Prize (named for the confluence of technology, entertainment and design).

On, , Clinton became the first white person to be inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.

He received an of  from  in New Orleans (along with George H. W. Bush), and also from the. He is the recipient of an from 's, from , and from.

On, , New York Republican Governor named Clinton and the other living former presidents (, , and ) as honorary members of the board rebuilding the.

In 2005, the opened the  on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center.

On, , Clinton was made an of the  by. Clinton was awarded the honor for his "outstanding leadership for the good of mankind during two terms as U.S. president" and his commitment to the global fight against HIV/AIDS and other health challenges in developing countries.

On, , Clinton, along with former president George H. Bush, received the International Freedom Conductor Award, for their help with the fund raising following the tsunami that devastated South Asia in 2004.

In Europe, Bill Clinton remains popular, especially in a large part of the Balkans and in Ireland. In, , a five-storey picture of the former president was permanently engraved into the side of the tallest building in the province as a token of gratitude for Clinton's support during the crisis in Kosovo. A statue of Clinton was also built and a road was named Clinton Boulevard.

Impeachment and trial in the Senate
In 1998, as a result of allegations that he had lied during grand jury testimony regarding his testimony during the Paula Jones civil deposition, Clinton was the second U.S. president to be by the House of Representatives (the other being ). The House held no serious impeachment hearings before the 1998. Though the mid-term elections held in November 1998 were at the 6-year point in an 8-year presidency (a time in the electoral cycle where the party holding the White House usually loses Congressional seats) the Democratic Party actually gained several seats. The Republican leadership then called a session in December 1998 to hold impeachment proceedings.

Although the hearings were perfunctory and ended in a straight party line vote, the debate on the floor of the House was lively. The two charges that were passed in the House (largely on the basis of Republican support but with a handful of Democratic votes as well) were for and. The perjury charge arose from Clinton's testimony about his relationship to during a sexual harassment lawsuit (later dismissed, appealed and settled for $850,000) brought by former Arkansas-state employee. The obstruction charge was based on his actions during the subsequent investigation of that testimony. The Senate later voted to acquit Clinton on both charges. The Senate refused to convene to hold an impeachment trial before the end of the old term, so the trial was held over until the next Congress. Clinton was represented by Washington law firm.

On, , the Senate concluded a 21-day trial with the vote on both counts falling short of the Constitutional requirement of a two-thirds majority to convict and remove an office holder. The final vote was generally along party lines, with no Democrats voting guilty, although for both charges some Republicans voted not guilty. On the perjury charge 55 senators voted to acquit, including 10 Republicans, and 45 voted to convict; on the obstruction charge the Senate voted 50-50. Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson, being the only two American presidents to be impeached, both served the remainder of their terms.

Disbarment
In a separate case, Clinton was from his Arkansas law license for five years and ordered to pay $25,000 in fines to that state's bar officials. The agreement came on the condition that Whitewater prosecutors would not pursue federal charges against him. In October 2001, Clinton was suspended by the Supreme Court and, facing disbarment from the high court as well, Clinton resigned from the Supreme Court bar in November.

Administrative controversy
The White House travel office controversy began on, , when several longtime employees of the White House Travel Office were fired. A 's letter, written during the previous administration, triggered an FBI investigation, which revealed evidence of financial malfeasance. Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr investigated the firings and could find no evidence of wrongdoing on the Clintons' part.

The White House FBI files controversy of June 1996 arose around improper access to security-clearance documents. Craig Livingstone, head of the White House Office of Personnel Security, improperly requested, and received from the FBI, background report files without asking permission of the subject individuals; many of these were employees of former Republican administrations. In March 2000, Independent Counsel Robert Ray determined that there was no credible evidence of any criminal activity. Ray's report further stated "there was no substantial and credible evidence that any senior White House official was involved" in seeking the files.

Pardons and campaign finance
On his last day in office, Clinton issued 141 pardons and 36 commutations. Most of the controversy surrounded and allegations that Hillary Clinton's brother,, accepted payments in return for influencing the president's decision-making regarding the pardons. Some of Clinton's pardons remain a point of controversy.

The 1996 campaign finance controversy was an alleged effort by the  (PRC) to influence the domestic policies of the United States, prior to and during the Clinton administration and also involved the fundraising practices of the administration itself.

Sexual assault allegation
Two claims of sexual misconduct on the part of Bill Clinton were alleged by and  (referred to as Jane Doe #5 by Independent Counsel ), during the Clinton administration. Neither claim was proven in a court of law; neither claim ever resulted in charges being made. In the Willey case no charges were brought and with regard to a sexual allegation by Broaddrick, the Arkansas statute of limitations had long since expired, and Broaddrick's only sworn statement was a denial of the allegations she subsequently made.

Clinton and the death penalty
Clinton’s 1994 Omnibus Crime Bill expanded the application of the federal death penalty, including to crimes not resulting in death such as running a large-scale drug enterprise. Clinton remarked enthusiastically during his re-election campaign, "My 1994 crime bill expanded the death penalty for drug kingpins, murderers of federal law enforcement officers, and nearly 60 additional categories of violent felons."

While campaigning for U.S. President, Clinton returned to Arkansas to see that would be executed. Though Rector's IQ was not known, he was said to be profoundly retarded due to a lobotomy.

However, Clinton was the first President to pardon a death row inmate since the federal death penalty was reintroduced in 1988.

Popular books

 * Peter Baker The Breach: Inside the Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton (2000) ISBN 0-684-86813-X
 * Feeling Your Pain: The Explosion and Abuse of Government Power in the Clinton-Gore Years (2000) ISBN 0-312-23082-6
 * and The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton (2003) ISBN 0-312-27319-3
 * On the Edge: The Clinton Presidency (1994) ISBN 0-671-87147-1
 * Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership. (2000) ISBN 0-684-82663-1
 * Nigel Hamilton Bill Clinton: An American Journey (2003) ISBN 0-375-50610-1
 * The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House (2005) ISBN 0-375-50847-3
 * No One Left to Lie to: The Triangulations of William Jefferson Clinton (1999) ISBN 1-85984-736-6
 * Uncovering Clinton: A Reporter's Story (1999) ISBN 0-609-60393-0
 * Clinton and Me: A Real-Life Political Comedy (2004) ISBN 978-0786869497
 * The Natural: The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton (2003) ISBN 0-7679-1412-0
 * First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton (1996) ISBN 0-684-81890-6
 * The Clinton Enigma: A Four and a Half Minute Speech Reveals This President's Entire Life (1998) ISBN 0-684-86296-4
 * with Eileen McGann Because He Could (2004) ISBN 0-06-078415-6
 * Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their America (1996) ISBN 0-89526-302-5
 * An Affair of State: The Investigation, Impeachment, and Trial of President Clinton (1999) ISBN 0-674-00080-3
 * Mark J. Rozell The Clinton Scandal and the Future of American Government (2000) ISBN 0-87840-777-4
 * Michael Waldman POTUS Speaks: Finding the Words That Defined the Clinton Presidency (2000) ISBN 0-7432-0020-9
 * Ivory Tower Publishing Company (1995) ISBN 0-88032-748-0

Academic studies

 * Cohen; Jeffrey E. "The Polls: Change and Stability in Public Assessments of Personal Traits, Bill Clinton, 1993-99" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 31, 2001
 * Cronin, Thomas E. and Michael A. Genovese; "President Clinton and Character Questions" Presidential Studies Quarterly Vol. 28, 1998
 * Davis; John. "The Evolution of American Grand Strategy and the War on Terrorism: Clinton and Bush Perspectives" White House Studies, Vol. 3, 2003
 * Edwards; George C. "Bill Clinton and His Crisis of Governance" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 28, 1998
 * Fisher; Patrick. "Clinton's Greatest Legislative Achievement? the Success of the 1993 Budget Reconciliation Bill" White House Studies, Vol. 1, 2001
 * Glad; Betty. "Evaluating Presidential Character" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 28, 1998
 * Harris, John F. The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House. (2005) ISBN 0-375-50847-3, biography
 * William G. Hyland. Clinton's World: Remaking American Foreign Policy (1999) ISBN 0-275-96396-9
 * Jewett, Aubrey W. and Marc D. Turetzky; " Stability and Change in President Clinton's Foreign Policy Beliefs, 1993-96" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 28, 1998
 * Johnson, Fard. "Politics, Propaganda and Public Opinion: The Influence of Race and Class on the 1993 - 1994 Health Care Reform Debate." (2004). ISBN 1-4116-6345-4
 * Laham, Nicholas, A Lost Cause: Bill Clinton's Campaign for National Health Insurance (1996)
 * Lanoue, David J. and Craig F. Emmert; "Voting in the Glare of the Spotlight: Representatives' Votes on the Impeachment of President Clinton" Polity, Vol. 32, 1999
 * 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
 * Maurer; Paul J. "Media Feeding Frenzies: Press Behavior during Two Clinton Scandals" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 29, 1999
 * Nie; Martin A. "'It's the Environment, Stupid!': Clinton and the Environment" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 27, 1997
 * O'Connor; Brendon. "Policies, Principles, and Polls: Bill Clinton's Third Way Welfare Politics 1992-1996" The Australian Journal of Politics and History, Vol. 48, 2002
 * Poveda; Tony G. "Clinton, Crime, and the Justice Department" Social Justice, Vol. 21, 1994
 * Renshon; Stanley A. The Clinton Presidency: Campaigning, Governing, and the Psychology of Leadership Westview Press, 1995
 * Renshon; Stanley A. "The Polls: The Public's Response to the Clinton Scandals, Part 1: Inconsistent Theories, Contradictory Evidence" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 32, 2002
 * Rushefsky, Mark E. and Kant Patel. Politics, Power & Policy Making: The Case of Health Care Reform in the 1990s (1998) ISBN 1-56324-956-1
 * Schantz, Harvey L. Politics in an Era of Divided Government: Elections and Governance in the Second Clinton Administration (2001) ISBN 0-8153-3583-0
 * Wattenberg; Martin P. "The Democrats' Decline in the House during the Clinton Presidency: An Analysis of Partisan Swings" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 29, 1999
 * Wattier; Mark J. "The Clinton Factor: The Effects of Clinton's Personal Image in 2000 Presidential Primaries and in the General Election" White House Studies, Vol. 4, 2004
 * Smithers, Luken J. "The Miracle Whip"