And seeing him out on the campaign trail, it was plain to see how he fed off the energy and the hopes and the aspirations of the American people. Simply put, he was a natural, and he made it look too easy.
And, oh, how I hated him for that.
 
Friday's Question:
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(LAUGHTER)
Another gripe, Bill Clinton enjoyed debates too much for my taste.
(LAUGHTER)
You know, to be very frank with you now, I hated debates.
And when I checked my watch at the Richmond debate, it's true, I was wondering when the heck Ross Perot would be finished and how I could get out of there.
(LAUGHTER)
But it was also clear that soon to be President Clinton was in his element that night.
And upon further reflection, maybe it's because with Bill Clinton ideas mattered greatly -- ideas matter to all of us who enter public life, particularly at the national level. But whoever said that the American presidency is merely a weigh station en route to the blessed condition of being an ex-president did not count on William Jefferson Clinton.
Once in office, he was very much an activist president, in the best sense of the word. He devoured ideas with an insatiable curiosity and then pursued them with unbounded energy and infectious enthusiasm.
He was and we saw recently remains a tremendously effective advocate for his beliefs.
He was a little hard on the president during the recent campaign. But in the spirit of being kinder and gentler, I have long since forgiven him for that.
(LAUGHTER)
