Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, is one of the most influential political figures today. He was and remains known for his health care reforms, his economic policies and his diplomatic initiatives. Even after he stepped down as POTUS, Clinton continued his philanthropic activities through his foundation and helped solve global problems.
And now Bill Clinton’s new memoir,Citizen: My life after the White House” was published on November 19. From social networks to news organizations, everyone is aware of his discoveries and points made.
And according to most sources and reports, the book is about his post-presidential journey (as the title suggests), his life in global philanthropy, and of course, his growth as a person. He talks about The Clinton Foundationthe good work they do for the world, around the world, his initiatives with world leaders, his goal to rid the world of health crises like HIV/AIDS, and more.
And most of all, what Clinton did in his memoirs was to answer the questions that everyone asked him (quite often) and wanted to ask him at various points in his life.
Citizen: My Life After the White House by Bill Clinton (Image: Knopf)
Here we mention 3 of the most important revelations made by Clinton through his memoir, The Citizen.
The conspiracy of Monica Lewinsky
Bill Clinton’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern during his tenure, has been a topic of conversation for years. From interviews to talk shows he was presented with her name and when he did enough to be fair to her and the other contestants.
Now, according to The Guardian, Bill Clinton wrote in the Citizen: “I said, ‘No, I felt awful then.’ “Did you ever apologize to her?” I said I apologized to her and everyone I hurt. I was caught off guard by what happened next. “But you haven’t apologized to her, at least according to the people we’ve talked to.” I struggled to contain my disappointment, replying that although I had never spoken to her directly, I had said publicly more than [one] case I regretted.
The Guardian also mentions: “He notes that NBC soon added a clip of him speaking to religious leaders in the White House in 1999 and apologizing to his family, Lewinsky and her family, and the American people. “I meant it then and I mean it today,” he writes.
The Epstein Controversy
Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier and sex offender, was known for his wealth, powerful connections and illegal activities. Epstein’s island, his center of all things monstrous and illegal, revealed his true colors to the world, and he brought many others down with him.
Former US President Bill Clinton was one of the names in the Epstein controversy, and here’s what he had to say about it.
According to The US Sun, Clinton wrote in his memoirs: “I always thought Epstein was a strange man, but I had no idea what crimes he committed. He hurt a lot of people, but I didn’t know anything about it, and by the time of his first arrest in 2005, I stopped contacting him. I have never been to his island.’
He also added, “The bottom line is that even if it allowed me to visit my foundation’s work, the ride on Epstein’s plane was not worth the years of interrogation afterward.”
His golden rules for politics
Another revelation Clinton made in his memoirs concerned his 12 golden rules for surviving politics.
In an exclusive excerpt shared by People magazine (website), the 12 rules were:
“Never tell anyone to go to hell unless you can make them go (Sam Rayburn said this to LBJ).
Never drink in public – you can act like you.
Every time you hear, “Nothing personal,” get ready.
If someone can transfer the heat from themselves to you, get ready for a barbecue.
Everyone is in favor of change in general, but often against it in particular – it all depends on whose ox is being kicked.
When people say, “It’s not a money problem,” they’re always talking about someone else’s problem.
If you see a turtle on a fence post, it didn’t get there by accident.
When you start having a good time, you should be somewhere else.
You are always most vulnerable when you feel invulnerable or when you are angry and exhausted.
Take criticism seriously, but don’t take it personally (I got one from Hillary and explained it well in The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz).
If you want to bring your senses to work, take up a different line of work.
Don’t give up on people—if you dig long enough, there’s almost always a person down there somewhere.”
The Clinton-Lewinsky case: how did the scandal unfold?
