American Spec

The Clinton Letter

Is This For Real?

Former President Bill Clinton finally felt the need to thank everyone for everything. In a letter sent to all former Clinton administration staffers, as well as campaign volunteers and others who worked with the Clinton administration in Washington and elsewhere, Clinton thanked them all for, well, everything. The letter (provided by several former Clinton staffers still in the Washington area) can be read in its entirety below.

Clintonstaff.com, referred to in the text, is an interesting site in its infancy. For now, it features what amounts to a Clinton slide show, including a photo of Clinton with Socks, with not a word that he gave Socks away. Plus it'll cost you $30 to register, which at least is less than the ex-president's usual $125,000 fee. "I think in the end, the site is going to be like Free Republic, only for liberals and Democrats," says a former staffer. "We'll be able to post notices about local meetings, network, spread gossip. It's probably time we had something conservatives have had for years."

Here's the letter:

"Dear Friends:

"I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all of you who served on my Presidential campaigns, on my Presidential Inaugural Committees, on my 92-93 Presidential Transition Team, in my Administration, and at the Democratic National Committee, for your years of service and steadfast dedication to the goals we set together in 1992.

"At the time of that first campaign, America was headed in the wrong direction, with record high unemployment and enormous deficits. Over the last eight years, working together, we brought hope and opportunity back to the American people. We fostered the longest economic expansion in American history, the lowest unemployment in thirty years, turned chronic budget deficits into surpluses, and helped create more than 22 million jobs. We moved millions of Americans from welfare to work, made a national commitment to improving education and opened the doors of higher education to all, cut crime to its lowest levels in more than a quarter century, and protected more land as national monuments than any administration in history. Now, in this unique era of possibility, we have the chance to build on our many accomplishments and continue to make our nation and the world a better and safer place.

"For this reason, I invite you to visit and join the website at www.Clintonstaff.com, a member-based alumni network for staff of Clinton/Gore '92 and Clinton/Gore '96, the 52nd and 53rd Presidential Inaugural Committees, the 92-93 Presidential Transition Team, political appointees of our Administration, and former staff (1992-2001) of the Democratic National Committee.

"Clintonstaff.com is affiliated with the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation and was established to assist journalists, scholars, educators, historians and researchers. This website will allow them to contact the Foundation for your historical perspective on my Administration. It will be a valuable archival resource for presidential history, which will greatly enhance the Clinton Presidential Library collection. Additionally, it will be an important network now and in the future for the Clinton School and Policy Center's planning and programming.

"I know that many of your strongest relationships were developed during your years of hard work on behalf of the American people. This website provides an opportunity for me to remain in touch with you as well as for you to reach out to or reconnect with your friends and former colleagues.

"Clintonstaff.com will periodically list updates on my travel and on events the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation is hosting. You will also be able to add events to the calendar and contribute items to the bulletin board. My hope is that over time, this website will continue to grow and evolve.

"I hope you will feel free to forward this letter or http://www.clintonstaff.com link to other potential members. Again, I thank you for your hard work, support, and friendship over the years and for staying in touch.

"Sincerely,

"Bill Clinton"

At least one recipient expressed "amazement" that Clinton didn't even obliquely refer to his scandals and other political problems. Says the woman, who worked on health-care reform in 1993-94: "I would have hoped that he would have thanked some of his senior staff by name, or at least thanked Hillary and Chelsea, for standing by him through all the difficult times. Of course, a real man would have apologized to all of us and thanked us all for standing by him."

(Posted 6/20 at 12:05 a.m.)

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001