Clinton cites successes, failures
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-06-21 15:18

In the interview with Rather, Clinton called surviving the Republican-led impeachment proceedings a ''badge of honor" and suggests that common outrage at the Republican moves helped reunite him with his wife.

''I didn't quit. I never thought of resigning and I stood up to it and beat it back," he said. ''And I -- I'll still believe that it was a bogus, phony deal."

Clinton also said of his wife, now a senator from New York, ''I don't think there is a way in the wide world I would have ever become president without her."

In the interviews, and in the book excerpts, Clinton talks candidly and sometimes with great emotion of how he healed his marriage by devoting a day a week to couples counseling and how he endured a difficult childhood, growing up in Arkansas with an abusive and alcoholic stepfather.

Clinton told Time that growing up with abuse caused him to have to become ''a secret-keeper" who had ''a whole part of your life you can't talk about."

''By the way, the flip side of having lived parallel lives is that I was good at it," he said. ''People have a hard time believing that I could go to work and concentrate on my job, but I'd been doing it ever since I was a little boy."

In the CBS interview, Clinton said he tried to say more about his life than ''any public figure ever has. And probably more than anyone ever should."

Clinton sat for four hours of questions, which were not given to him in advance, and did not try to avoid answering or talking about ''what he called the darker aspects of his personality," Rather told CNN yesterday.

''Was he uncomfortable? Yes, I think he was uncomfortable," Rather said, also acknowledging, ''I was uncomfortable asking these questions."

Clinton also reiterated his support for war in Iraq, although he disagreed about the timing.

''You know, I have repeatedly defended President Bush against the left on Iraq, even though I think he should have waited until the UN inspections were over."

Close

Today's Top News     Top World News
NPC weighs momentous new bankruptcy law         Asian nations vows to meet oil needs         FM sets up new branch to enhance security         Pro-independence investors not welcome         Japan-born panda cub happy back         US generals to be summoned for Iraq scandal	S.Korea says no news on fate of Iraq hostage       Iran confiscates three British boats       Castro warns Bush against launching attack       Five US troops killed in Iraq       Private craft soars into space, history       Mexico's leatherback still endangered