Daddy Bush's "Favorite Son" Is "The World's Greatest Politic

The Sydney Morning Herald.au http://tinyurl.com/c6w49

Daddy Bush's "Favorite Son" Is "The World's Greatest Politician",

Hillary Clinton may be the preferred leader of the free world, but her husband still rules the globe. Michael Gawenda reports.

THERE are few truly magical moments in politics in the United States and in recent times, such moments, rare as they have been, have all involved Bill Clinton, who has transcended the bitter divisions of American politics to emerge, in retirement, as the best-loved politician in the country. Perhaps even the world.

Everywhere he goes - and he seems to go everywhere - the Clinton magic is on display.

Take the funeral last week of Coretta Scott King, the widow of civil rights leader, Martin Luther King. In the vast church auditorium in Atlanta, in front of an audience of more than 6000 people, Clinton stole the show.

Clinton, unlike Bush, spoke without a prepared speech. He leant forward on the lectern and picked out people in the audience for the Clinton charm treatment. The standing ovation, the cheering, the weeping lasted for what seemed like ages.

Two weeks earlier, at the Davos economic forum, Clinton was the star turn, the man with the answers to all the world's problems, the policy wonk who knew everything about everything, from the challenges of climate change to Iran's nuclear ambitions to the growing wealth gap between rich and poor nations.

After Katrina Clinton travelled to New Orleans and hugged everyone in sight, and then more in sorrow than in anger said the political response to the disaster had been "shameful".

Despite the fact that the convention at the United Nations is not to appoint a secretary-general from any of the permanent members of the Security Council, speculation continues about the possibility that Clinton will replace Kofi Annan when he steps down at the end of the year.


Eat your hearts out Righties!!