Intertwined Destinies: Obamas and Clintons

There were two U.S. presidents this week in New York, and three if you counted Jimmy Carter, who was in town to promote his latest book. However, the star of the moment was not Barack Obama, the 44th president. The world leaders were rushing to the United Nations to hear a speech by the 42nd President, Bill Clinton.

No fewer than 40 heads of state requested “bilateral” talks with the former inhabitant of the White House. Officially, the requests stemmed from interest in the Clinton Global Initiative, a popular annual meeting for government, business and philanthropic leaders, which sometimes casts a shadow over the UN. In reality, however, the goal mainly was to hear the “prophet” speak about the country’s political future and the reasons for its lack of love towards the “messiah.” We thus saw Tony Blair, Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres (Israelis were noticeably absent from the UN during Barack Obama’s speech on the peace process in the Middle East), the Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister Salam Fayya, and many more.

A “ticket” in 2012?

Even Barack Obama took the time to cross Manhattan and meet with his former “adversary” by association, once again the Democratic Party’s rock star. On Thursday night, Barack and Bill forgot the ruthless debates, low blows and humiliations of the 2008 campaign. During their meeting, the former teased the latter about Hillary, the woman who now unites them after having divided them, since the 2008 winner made her the head of his diplomacy. “Bill Clinton understands where I am coming from here, he knows what it is like to be married to someone who is smarter, somebody who is better looking, somebody who is just all around a little more impressive than you are,” joked the President while introducing the speech of his own spouse, Michelle.

With Hillary at the center, the fates of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama seem destined to cross, again and again. After the Clintons’ descent into hell following Obama’s rise to power two years ago, we are today witnessing the couple’s remarkable comeback as the President’s star seems to be fading. Bill Clinton enjoys a 61 percent public approval rating, way ahead of the current president. He agreed to lend his support to the Democratic campaign in preparation for the November elections while not missing an opportunity to voice his opinion about Barack Obama’s mistakes.

For her part, Hillary has turned into a loyal secretary of state, well regarded by public opinion in her role as the “watchdog” of foreign policy. Today, supporters of Barack Obama would gladly see her by his side as vice president on the 2012 Democratic ticket. Bill, on the other hand, may have something else in mind for Hillary.