Bill Closes Shop As D.C. Days End
By KENNETH R. BAZINET Daily News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON ormer President Bill Clinton shut down his last Washington office yesterday, thanking his staff and getting a farewell pat from Socks the cat.
After moving out of the White House, the ex-President was given space in a rowhouse a block from the White House to manage his transition for six months.
In recent days, the staff has sent boxes of files to Clinton's new office in Harlem. They plan to turn out the lights tomorrow.
"Thank you all for your help, but now how am I supposed to get my mail answered?" Clinton joked to about three dozen former staffers and volunteers, who have been answering seven crates of mail a week.
Clinton's personal secretary Betty Currie, holding former First Feline Socks the cat, greeted Clinton outside the office. "Hello," Currie said, waving the cat's paw at the ex-President.
"Hey, Socks," said Clinton, who held the cat on his shoulder briefly. He handed Socks back to Currie as the cat put a paw on his head.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) gave her husband a kiss and a hug, and told the staff, "I've come to recruit all the volunteers to come help me."
A cheery Clinton made the case that there is life after 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., boasting of a 175-yard shot that gave him his second eagle ever during a round of golf last week and regaling staffers about dining twice this week with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
"He is just reconciled with the fact that nothing good is going to happen for a few years," said Clinton.
He took pictures, signed autographs and reminisced about not-so-old times together with his former staff.
"I just wanted to come by on this next-to-last day and thank you
all. So let's eat," Clinton said, grabbing a turkey rollup.
-- Anonymous, July 19, 2001