I thought this would be a winning picture to print on the jacket of a book I was just finishing on Clinton's adventures in retirement, rather provocatively titled "The Clinton Crack-Up." Clinton has energetically traveled the world, speaking, making public appearances and hauling in mounds of money. How better to illustrate the universality of his exertions than to show him partying with me? As my date of publication grew nigh (the book will be out March 20) I grew apprehensive, for neither the photographer nor Clinton's office responded to our request to use the picture. My publisher was willing to pay a reasonable fee to brighten up the book's dust jacket.
Then at the very last minute and at considerable inconvenience to us came the reply. The photographer wrote that Clinton's office was rejecting us. Why on earth would Clinton be so rude? Admittedly he looked a little pallid in the photograph, but he has looked pallid through much of his retirement. He is a night owl and rarely sleeps very well when he does go to bed. But in the photograph he looked happy. He had a cheerful smile. Perhaps he wants to save the picture of us for a special place at the Clinton Library, but that would not preclude allowing the picture to grace my book.
Here is but another example of the Clintons making a ham-fisted response when gallantry would have served them well. We shall see, I believe, many examples of this boorishness from the Clintons in the campaign ahead. Mrs. Clinton is famous for it. In fact I would not be surprised if Hillary herself was responsible for putting the kibosh on this picture of us two guys together. We were obviously having a grand old time at her husband's birthday party, and as one can see from her recent employment of "vast right-wing conspiracy" Hillary tends to bear a grudge.