A first occurred on Friday, when President Barack Obama met privately for 90 minutes with former President Bill Clinton, seeking his advice and support in the tough battle to gain Democratic Congressional support for his deal with Republican leaders on future tax cuts, including a two year extension of the so called Bush program covering all taxpayers, even millionaires and billionaires.
Clinton came to Obama’s defense, asserting that a compromise allowing the extension of unemployment compensation, a cut in the payroll tax on Social Security, and a resuming of the estate tax, although at a lesser rate than many Democrats desired, was the best that could be expected with the GOP taking over the House next year and having more seats in the Senate.
But the startling thing was that Obama announced he had to leave, that his wife Michelle was waiting for him, and then the country witnessed the former President back in the White House press room and at the podium, spending the next half hour enjoying himself, answering questions, and making one almost think that this was deja vu, that we were back in the Clinton era!
Never before had a former President ever been involved in a similar situation, and it demonstrated once again the clear cut ability of Bill Clinton to command attention, and continue, to his delight, to have an impact on events a full decade after he left the Presidency!