Thursday, November 18, 2004
November 18, 2004
Thousands Attend Dedication of Clinton's Presidential Library
By MARIA NEWMAN
Former President Bill Clinton, accompanied by thousands of soggy guests, stood under a dripping umbrella today and officially opened his presidential library in Little Rock, Ark.
"Welcome to my rainy library dedication," he told the determinedly good-natured crowd.
The audience featured an array of stars from the worlds of politics and entertainment who nonetheless all had to huddle under a colorful panoply of umbrellas and ponchos. But despite the dreary sky, Mr. Clinton was beaming as he listened to words of praise from both Presidents Bush and former President Jimmy Carter, who all hailed his legacy as the 42nd president. (Former President Gerald R. Ford, 91, could not attend for health reasons.)
For his part, Mr. Clinton said he hoped his presidential library would let visitors for years to come see "not only what I did with my life but to see what they could do with their lives, because this is mostly the story of what we, the people, can do when we work together.''
Of the four current and former presidents on the stage, two are Democrats and two are Republicans. Their speeches were sometimes laced with humor, sometimes tinged with nostalgia for their own years in office. But they all talked of the partisanship of politics and the need to heal rifts after the presidential election on Nov. 2 that revealed sharp divisions in the nation.
Mr. Clinton said that at one point during this most recent campaign, he turned to a friend and asked, "Am I the only person in the entire United States of America who likes both George W. Bush and John Kerry, who believes they're both good people, who believes they both love our country and they just see the world differently?''
He said Americans needed to get back to the notion that "our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more.''
Almost 30,000 people people had been expected to turn out for the event, and while an official count was not available, the rain almost surely kept some away. But those who did brave the chill autumn drizzle were among the first to tour the center and take advantage of the opportunity to steep themselves in the legacy of Mr. Clinton's eight years in office, including the scandal that tainted part of his second term.
The William J. Clinton Presidential Center, at $165 million the most expensive of the presidential libraries, is housed in a boxy, steel-and-glass structure perched over the Arkansas River and has been derided by some critics as a "double-wide'' on stilts.
Inside, it features two million photographs and 80 million pages of documents, as well as a life-sized replica of the Oval Office, interactive displays and several of the saxophones given to the blues-loving former president.
The invited guests included Caroline Kennedy, the singer Barbra Streisand and the actor Robin Williams, and the performers included the Edge and Bono of U2. Also in attendance were Mr. Kerry and his wife, Teresa, and Mr. Clinton's former vice president, Al Gore, and his wife, Tipper. From Israel, there were former Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and the children of Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak and the current foreign minister, Silvan Shalom.
In their remarks, President Bush and his father and Mr. Carter all mentioned Mr. Clinton's rise from humble beginnings to attorney general in Arkansas, then to governor and finally the presidency, aided by his talents for conversing, persuading and leading.
President Bush recounted that a fourth-grade classmate of Mr. Clinton's once observed that in school, "he didn't mean to, but he just took the place over.''
"President Bill Clinton led our country with optimism and a great affection for the American people," Mr. Bush said, "and that affection has been returned.''
Mr. Bush also said that during Mr. Clinton's two terms, the former president "seized important opportunities on issues from welfare to free trade,'' adding that "in all his actions and decisions, the American people sensed a deep empathy for the poor and the powerless.''
The library, the current president said, "is a gift to the future from a man who always believed in the future.''
Both Presidents Bush called Mr. Clinton a "man of compassion.'' The elder Mr. Bush, the 41st president, showed some measure of affection for the man who had both denied him his bid for re-election and who recently campaigned for and advised Senator John Kerry, the man who tried to do to the son what Mr. Clinton had done to the father.
"It always has to be said that Bill Clinton was one of the most gifted American political figures in modern times,'' former President Bush said. "Trust me - I learned this the hard way. And here in Arkansas, you might say he grew to become the Sam Walton of national retail politics.''
On the campaign trail, Mr. Bush said, his opponent "was a natural and he made it look too easy - and, oh, how I hated him for that.''
But the senior Mr. Bush also said that one of the "great blessings'' of becoming a former president is that "onetime political adversaries have the tendency to become friends, and I feel such is certainly the case between President Clinton and me.''
He said that no matter what their political stripes, former presidents are "eternally bound by our common devotion and service to this wonderful country.''
Mr. Carter, who like George H.W. Bush had lost his bid for re-election, in 1980 to the Reagan-Bush ticket, said that Mr. Clinton was "a leader who could inspire other people to go beyond what they thought were their own limits to join him in accomplishing great goals.''
He particularly mentioned Mr. Clinton's efforts to fashion a plan that would bring an enduring peace to the Middle East.
Mr. Carter, who spoke harshly against the current President Bush during the campaign, especially for his handling of the war in Iraq, lavished praise on former President Bush, saying he had had "a career of service to this country that is almost unmatched in history - as a soldier, a legislator, a diplomat, an administrator, vice president and president.''
And Mr. Carter congratulated the current president on his re-election. He said that at the end of this "very difficult political year - more difficult for some of us than others - it is valuable for the world to see two Democrats and two Republicans assembled together, all honoring the great nation that has permitted us to serve.''
The vast library features 14 alcoves that detail Mr. Clinton's administration, including the sex scandal involving a White House intern that led to his impeachment by the House and trial and acquittal by the Senate. That chapter of his tenure is covered in an alcove dedicated to the "politics of persecution."
The library' director, David Alsobrook, acknowledged the difficulties in portraying such a difficult and painful period in the president's life. "His supporters will say, `Oh, why did you give this so much space?"' Mr. Alsobrook told reporters on a special advance tour on Wednesday. "But his detractors will come up and say, `Dave, where is the blue dress?"'
Mr. Clinton, 58, born and raised in Arkansas, is still recovering from open heart surgery two months ago.
As he sat with the others in the rain, he at times looked pleased and humbled by the praise, and at other times appeared to television viewers almost ashen, and wiped his face as if he was tired.
During his remarks, Mr. Clinton called on President Bush to work harder to achieve peace in the Middle East.
"I hope you get to cross over into the promised land of Middle East peace,'' he said. "We have a good
opportunity, and we are all praying for you.''
And while the occasion of the library opening was a chance to look back, some of those who spoke could not help but point out how the past informs the present.
Mr. Clinton talked about the divisions that have split America into what are now popularly called red states (Republican) and blue states Democratic), but that he referred to as conservative and progressive.
"America has two great dominant strands of political thought,'' he said. "We're represented up here on this stage: conservatism, which at its very best draws lines that should not be crossed; and progressivism, which at its very best breaks down barriers that are no longer needed or should never have been erected in the first place.''
He said he had been pained by the deep divisions in the country going into the election, and he hoped that those in attendance would work to bridge the chasms.
"I tell you we can continue building our bridge to tomorrow,'' he said. "It will require some red American line-drawing and some blue American barrier-breaking, but we can do it together.''
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company Home Privacy Policy Search Corrections RSS Help Back to Top
Thousands Attend Dedication of Clinton's Presidential Library
By MARIA NEWMAN
Former President Bill Clinton, accompanied by thousands of soggy guests, stood under a dripping umbrella today and officially opened his presidential library in Little Rock, Ark.
"Welcome to my rainy library dedication," he told the determinedly good-natured crowd.
The audience featured an array of stars from the worlds of politics and entertainment who nonetheless all had to huddle under a colorful panoply of umbrellas and ponchos. But despite the dreary sky, Mr. Clinton was beaming as he listened to words of praise from both Presidents Bush and former President Jimmy Carter, who all hailed his legacy as the 42nd president. (Former President Gerald R. Ford, 91, could not attend for health reasons.)
For his part, Mr. Clinton said he hoped his presidential library would let visitors for years to come see "not only what I did with my life but to see what they could do with their lives, because this is mostly the story of what we, the people, can do when we work together.''
Of the four current and former presidents on the stage, two are Democrats and two are Republicans. Their speeches were sometimes laced with humor, sometimes tinged with nostalgia for their own years in office. But they all talked of the partisanship of politics and the need to heal rifts after the presidential election on Nov. 2 that revealed sharp divisions in the nation.
Mr. Clinton said that at one point during this most recent campaign, he turned to a friend and asked, "Am I the only person in the entire United States of America who likes both George W. Bush and John Kerry, who believes they're both good people, who believes they both love our country and they just see the world differently?''
He said Americans needed to get back to the notion that "our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more.''
Almost 30,000 people people had been expected to turn out for the event, and while an official count was not available, the rain almost surely kept some away. But those who did brave the chill autumn drizzle were among the first to tour the center and take advantage of the opportunity to steep themselves in the legacy of Mr. Clinton's eight years in office, including the scandal that tainted part of his second term.
The William J. Clinton Presidential Center, at $165 million the most expensive of the presidential libraries, is housed in a boxy, steel-and-glass structure perched over the Arkansas River and has been derided by some critics as a "double-wide'' on stilts.
Inside, it features two million photographs and 80 million pages of documents, as well as a life-sized replica of the Oval Office, interactive displays and several of the saxophones given to the blues-loving former president.
The invited guests included Caroline Kennedy, the singer Barbra Streisand and the actor Robin Williams, and the performers included the Edge and Bono of U2. Also in attendance were Mr. Kerry and his wife, Teresa, and Mr. Clinton's former vice president, Al Gore, and his wife, Tipper. From Israel, there were former Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and the children of Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak and the current foreign minister, Silvan Shalom.
In their remarks, President Bush and his father and Mr. Carter all mentioned Mr. Clinton's rise from humble beginnings to attorney general in Arkansas, then to governor and finally the presidency, aided by his talents for conversing, persuading and leading.
President Bush recounted that a fourth-grade classmate of Mr. Clinton's once observed that in school, "he didn't mean to, but he just took the place over.''
"President Bill Clinton led our country with optimism and a great affection for the American people," Mr. Bush said, "and that affection has been returned.''
Mr. Bush also said that during Mr. Clinton's two terms, the former president "seized important opportunities on issues from welfare to free trade,'' adding that "in all his actions and decisions, the American people sensed a deep empathy for the poor and the powerless.''
The library, the current president said, "is a gift to the future from a man who always believed in the future.''
Both Presidents Bush called Mr. Clinton a "man of compassion.'' The elder Mr. Bush, the 41st president, showed some measure of affection for the man who had both denied him his bid for re-election and who recently campaigned for and advised Senator John Kerry, the man who tried to do to the son what Mr. Clinton had done to the father.
"It always has to be said that Bill Clinton was one of the most gifted American political figures in modern times,'' former President Bush said. "Trust me - I learned this the hard way. And here in Arkansas, you might say he grew to become the Sam Walton of national retail politics.''
On the campaign trail, Mr. Bush said, his opponent "was a natural and he made it look too easy - and, oh, how I hated him for that.''
But the senior Mr. Bush also said that one of the "great blessings'' of becoming a former president is that "onetime political adversaries have the tendency to become friends, and I feel such is certainly the case between President Clinton and me.''
He said that no matter what their political stripes, former presidents are "eternally bound by our common devotion and service to this wonderful country.''
Mr. Carter, who like George H.W. Bush had lost his bid for re-election, in 1980 to the Reagan-Bush ticket, said that Mr. Clinton was "a leader who could inspire other people to go beyond what they thought were their own limits to join him in accomplishing great goals.''
He particularly mentioned Mr. Clinton's efforts to fashion a plan that would bring an enduring peace to the Middle East.
Mr. Carter, who spoke harshly against the current President Bush during the campaign, especially for his handling of the war in Iraq, lavished praise on former President Bush, saying he had had "a career of service to this country that is almost unmatched in history - as a soldier, a legislator, a diplomat, an administrator, vice president and president.''
And Mr. Carter congratulated the current president on his re-election. He said that at the end of this "very difficult political year - more difficult for some of us than others - it is valuable for the world to see two Democrats and two Republicans assembled together, all honoring the great nation that has permitted us to serve.''
The vast library features 14 alcoves that detail Mr. Clinton's administration, including the sex scandal involving a White House intern that led to his impeachment by the House and trial and acquittal by the Senate. That chapter of his tenure is covered in an alcove dedicated to the "politics of persecution."
The library' director, David Alsobrook, acknowledged the difficulties in portraying such a difficult and painful period in the president's life. "His supporters will say, `Oh, why did you give this so much space?"' Mr. Alsobrook told reporters on a special advance tour on Wednesday. "But his detractors will come up and say, `Dave, where is the blue dress?"'
Mr. Clinton, 58, born and raised in Arkansas, is still recovering from open heart surgery two months ago.
As he sat with the others in the rain, he at times looked pleased and humbled by the praise, and at other times appeared to television viewers almost ashen, and wiped his face as if he was tired.
During his remarks, Mr. Clinton called on President Bush to work harder to achieve peace in the Middle East.
"I hope you get to cross over into the promised land of Middle East peace,'' he said. "We have a good
opportunity, and we are all praying for you.''
And while the occasion of the library opening was a chance to look back, some of those who spoke could not help but point out how the past informs the present.
Mr. Clinton talked about the divisions that have split America into what are now popularly called red states (Republican) and blue states Democratic), but that he referred to as conservative and progressive.
"America has two great dominant strands of political thought,'' he said. "We're represented up here on this stage: conservatism, which at its very best draws lines that should not be crossed; and progressivism, which at its very best breaks down barriers that are no longer needed or should never have been erected in the first place.''
He said he had been pained by the deep divisions in the country going into the election, and he hoped that those in attendance would work to bridge the chasms.
"I tell you we can continue building our bridge to tomorrow,'' he said. "It will require some red American line-drawing and some blue American barrier-breaking, but we can do it together.''
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