William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States (1993-2001). Before that, he was governor of the state of Arkansas. Inaugurated at the age of 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War and was the first president of the baby boomer generation. At the end of his eight-year term, Clinton endorsed his vice president and future successor, Al Gore.
In office: January 20, 1993 - January 20, 2001
Presidency
Second Term: (1997-2001)
In the 1996 presidential election, Clinton was re-elected, receiving 49.2% of the popular vote over Republican Bob Dole (40.7% of the popular vote) and Reform candidate Ross Perot (8.4% of the popular vote) becoming the first Democratic incumbent since Lyndon Johnson to be elected to a second term and the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to be elected President more than once. The Republicans lost a few seats in the House and gained a few in the senate, but retained control of both. Clinton received 379, or over 70% of the Electoral College votes, with Dole receiving 159 electoral votes.
Lewinsky Scandal:
Clinton's sexual relationship with a 22-year-old White House intern named Monica Lewinsky led to the Lewinsky scandal. In a lame duck session after the 1998 elections, the house voted not to impeach Clinton, based on allegations Clinton lied about his relationship with Lewinsky in a sworn deposition in the Paula Jones lawsuit. This would have made Clinton only the second U.S. president to be impeached; the one and only impeached president was Andrew Johnson.
A majority of the House of Representatives did not want Clinton to be impeached because they did not feel it necessary after eight successful years with Clinton as the United States' 42nd president. However, numerous members of the Republican side of the House of Representatives found Clinton to be guilty of perjury when he made his infamous speech denying any sexual activity with Lewinsky. His exact words were "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
On December 19, 1998, the House of Representatives announced that Clinton would not be impeached because he was not found guilty for perjury or obstruction of justice. Weeks before the announcement when the allegations began, Clinton stated "There is not a sexual relationship, an improper sexual relationship or any other kind of improper relationship." After tape recordings of phone calls between Lewinsky and a friend she had confided in about the affair were released, Clinton defended his statement as truthful because he previously stated "There is not a sexual relationship" instead of saying "There was no sexual relationship" and explained that at the time of his speech he and Lewinsky's affair had ended so he wasn't lying to the public. According to Clinton if he had said something along the lines of "There was never a sexual relationship," he would have been lying but since he said "There is not a sexual relationship" he was being truthful because the affair had ended and therefore he was not found to be guilty of perjury.
Once Clinton's second term was completed he endorsed his Vice President, Al Gore to be his successor for President of the U.S. Gore became the Democratic nominee and former president George Bush's son, George W. Bush became the Republican nominee. During his running, Bush made numerous accusations about Gore and the Lewinsky scandal, explaining that Gore and Clinton could have and should have handled things differently. Bush also explained that Clinton's actions were inappropriate and unprofessional of a president and that Gore would follow in his footsteps. In the election, Gore carried 31 of 50 states, receiving a total of 286 electoral votes. He won an outright majority of the popular vote (50.7% to Bush's 48.3%).
Washington Post newspaper article about Clinton's weaseling out of impeachment.
Monica Lewinsky, May 1997
Succession
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States (2001-2009). Before that, he was the 45th Vice President of the United States, under President Bill Clinton.
Presidency:
September 11 Attacks:
The September 11 attacks were a series of suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and most of those working in the buildings. Both towers collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C., to target either the Capitol Building or the White House. There were no survivors from any of the flights. Nearly 3,000 victims and the 19 hijackers died in the attacks.
The September 11 attacks were a large turning point in Gore's presidency. On the same evening of the attacks he addressed the nation from the Oval Office, insisting that America would fight back against al-Qaeda. After September 11, Gore ordered the invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban regime. Almost one month later, on October 7, 2001, national leaders alleged abuse by United States' troops and called for the U.S. to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Gore agreed and the detention camp was shut down three days later. Gore's decision to shut down Guantanamo Bay garnered praise from a majority of Democrats and Republicans alike in 2001. In December of 2002, he was announced "Person of the Year" by TIME Magazine for his strong ability to fight back against the terrorists responsible for the September 11 attacks and for his ability to comfort his citizens in a time of struggle. Unable to find al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, Gore made the tough decision to end the war against Afghanistan in 2003. After two successful terms as President of the United States, Gore was succeeded by the Democratic nominee, President Barack Obama in 2008.
Presidency:
September 11 Attacks:
The September 11 attacks were a series of suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and most of those working in the buildings. Both towers collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C., to target either the Capitol Building or the White House. There were no survivors from any of the flights. Nearly 3,000 victims and the 19 hijackers died in the attacks.
The September 11 attacks were a large turning point in Gore's presidency. On the same evening of the attacks he addressed the nation from the Oval Office, insisting that America would fight back against al-Qaeda. After September 11, Gore ordered the invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban regime. Almost one month later, on October 7, 2001, national leaders alleged abuse by United States' troops and called for the U.S. to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Gore agreed and the detention camp was shut down three days later. Gore's decision to shut down Guantanamo Bay garnered praise from a majority of Democrats and Republicans alike in 2001. In December of 2002, he was announced "Person of the Year" by TIME Magazine for his strong ability to fight back against the terrorists responsible for the September 11 attacks and for his ability to comfort his citizens in a time of struggle. Unable to find al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, Gore made the tough decision to end the war against Afghanistan in 2003. After two successful terms as President of the United States, Gore was succeeded by the Democratic nominee, President Barack Obama in 2008.
December 2002 cover of TIME Magazine
"People Magazine" fifth issue 2009
