Legacy Building and Campaigning

Bill Clinton

In what amounts to a massive legacy remake and (in my opinion) his global campaign to be the next Sec-Gen of the U.N.,Bill Clinton has concocted the Clinton Global Initiative:

Former President Bill Clinton is gearing up to host a private summit in New York aimed at solving what he believes are the top challenges in the world.

The Clinton Global Initiative slated for Sept. 15-17 is attracting some of the biggest names in politics and the private sector, including News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch, Time Warner chairman Richard Parsons, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"I am thrilled that world leaders from both the public and private sectors have agreed to support me and come together to make a difference," said Clinton. "And what we begin during three days in September will not end with the closing session of our event. My foundation will take the ideas we develop and keep working with our Global Initiative participants and others to achieve tangible results."

The goal is to identify immediate and pragmatic solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems, which Clinton has divided into four themes: how to reduce poverty, using religion as a force for reconciliation and conflict resolution, implementing new business strategies and technologies to combat climate change, and strengthening governance.

Clinton is on the rebound from two heart surgeries and plans to travel to six African nations next week. He served two terms as commander in chief from 1993-2001, but his time in office was plagued by numerous scandals leading to his impeachment by the House of Representatives, though he was not convicted by the Senate.

During an interview with Reuters, Clinton claimed ignorance when asked if his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, would be seeking the White House in 2008.

"The honest answer, which no one believes, is I don't know, and I don't want to know because I want her to focus only on getting re-elected," he said. "I want her service to be ratified by the people of New York and, until that happens, I don't think she can afford to think about anything else."

He said certain rules apply in the Clinton household, noting, "One of them is you never look past the next election because if you do you might not get past the next election."

Ahem!