geeky
Clinton addressed the nation from the Oval Office at 8:00 p.m. EST on January 18, 2001. His address is the briefest among recent presidents, just 1109 words. Like many of his predecessors, he expressed his gratitude to Americans "for twice giving me the honor to serve, to work for you and with you to prepare our Nation for the 21st century." He also expressed his gratitude to Vice President Gore, to his Cabinet, and to those who worked for him during his presidency. He praised the American people, stating that, during "a time of dramatic transformation", they had "risen to every new challenge. You have made our social fabric stronger, our families healthier and safer, our people more prosperous. You, the American people, have made our passage into the global information age an era of great American renewal".
Clinton said that as President, his goal was to "give all Americans the tools and conditions to build the future of our dreams in a good society with a strong economy, a cleaner environment, and a freer, safer, more prosperous world." He listed his values as being "opportunity for all, and responsibility from all", and said that he had tried to give the country "a new kind of Government, smaller, more modern, more effective, full of ideas and policies appropriate to this new time, always putting people first, always focusing on the future." He said that the nation had done well on his watch, stating:
"America has done well. Our economy is breaking records with more than 22 million new jobs, the lowest unemployment in 30 years, the highest homeownership ever, the longest expansion in history. Our families and communities are stronger. Thirty-five million Americans have used the family leave law; 8 million have moved off welfare. Crime is at a 25-year low. Over 10 million Americans receive more college aid, and more people than ever are going to college. Our schools are better. Higher standards, greater accountability, and larger investments have brought higher test scores and higher graduation rates. More than 3 million children have health insurance now, and more than 7 million Americans have been lifted out of poverty. Incomes are rising across the board. Our air and water are cleaner. Our food and drinking water are safer. And more of our precious land has been preserved in the continental United States than at any time in a 100 years."
Clinton said that he was "very grateful to be able to turn over the reins of leadership to a new President with America in such a strong position to meet the challenges of the future." He transitioned to presenting what he termed "three thoughts about our future." The first of these was that it was important for the nation to "maintain our record of fiscal responsibility." He reminded Americans that "our last four budgets" had "turned record deficits to record surpluses, and we've been able to pay down $600 billion of our national debt—on track to be debt-free by the end of the decade for the first time since 1835." He urged Americans to stay on that course and said that doing so would "bring lower interest rates, greater prosperity, and the opportunity to meet our big challenges."
Second on his list was for the nation to remain a world leader and said that this was a prerequisite for "America's security and prosperity". He noted how, at this point in time, "more people live in freedom than ever before. Our alliances are stronger than ever. People all around the world look to America to be a force for peace and prosperity, freedom and security." He said that the global economy was "giving more of our own people and billions around the world the chance to work and live and raise their families with dignity." He warned that America's strong financial position made it "more subject to global forces of destruction, to terrorism, organized crime and narcotrafficking, the spread of deadly weapons and disease, the degradation of the global environment." He also commented on how global poverty was still a problem in need of attention. He said: "This global gap requires more than compassion; it requires action. Global poverty is a powder keg that could be ignited by our indifference."
Clinton disagreed with Thomas Jefferson's warning against "entangling alliances", saying that "in our times, America cannot and must not disentangle itself from the world." He continued:
"If we want the world to embody our shared values, then we must assume a shared responsibility. If the wars of the 20th century, especially the recent ones in Kosovo and Bosnia, have taught us anything, it is that we achieve our aims by defending our values and leading the forces of freedom and peace. We must embrace boldly and resolutely that duty to lead—to stand with our allies in word and deed and to put a human face on the global economy, so that expanded trade benefits all peoples in all nations, lifting lives and hopes all across the world."
The third subject that Clinton wished to address was diversity. He said:
"We must remember that America cannot lead in the world unless here at home we weave the threads of our coat of many colors into the fabric of one America. As we become ever more diverse, we must work harder to unite around our common values and our common humanity. We must work harder to overcome our differences, in our hearts and in our laws. We must treat all our people with fairness and dignity, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of when they arrived in our country—always moving toward the more perfect Union of our Founders' dreams."
Clinton expressed his best wishes for incoming President George W. Bush, "to his family and his administration, in meeting these challenges, and in leading freedom's march in this new century." He said that he was leaving the Presidency "more idealistic, more full of hope than the day I arrived, and more confident than ever that America's best days lie ahead." He closed by saying:
"My days in this office are nearly through, but my days of service, I hope, are not. In the years ahead, I will never hold a position higher or a covenant more sacred than that of President of the United States. But there is no title I will wear more proudly than that of citizen. Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America."
Here is a YouTube video of the address:
Clinton was 54 years old when he left office. He has since moved to Chappaqua, New York, and opened his personal office in the Harlem section of New York City. He has worked on his wife Hillary's campaigns for Senator from New York, and for President in 2008 and 2016. He has given dozens of paid speeches each year, mostly to corporations and philanthropic groups in North America and Europe. His presidential library, the William J. Clinton Presidential Center, opened in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 18, 2004. His autobiography, entitled My Life, was released in 2004, published by the Knopf Publishing Group at Random House on June 22, 2004. He has also since written Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World in September 2007.
The William J. Clinton Foundation was created to promote and provide for a number of humanitarian causes. Within the foundation, the Clinton Foundation HIV and AIDS Initiative (CHAI) strives to make treatment for HIV/AIDS more affordable and to implement large-scale integrated care, treatment, and prevention programs. The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), funded by the Clinton Foundation, was inaugurated September 15, 2005 in New York City to coincide with the 2005 World Summit. The focus areas of the initiative include attempts to address world problems such as global public health, poverty alleviation and religious and ethnic conflict.
In the aftermath of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, Clinton established, with fellow former President George H. W. Bush, the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund and Bush-Clinton Tsunami Fund, for which they were awarded the 2006 Philadelphia Liberty Medal on October 5, 2006. President George W. Bush named Clinton and George H. W. Bush to lead a nationwide campaign on January 3, 2005 for earthquake and tsunami relief.
Earlier this week, the American Presidents Series released its biography of President Clinton, written by Michael Tomasky. I hope to provide a review of it sometime next month.