Bill Clinton

Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, Bill Clinton put on a master's clinic on how to fight a political campaign. It may not have made Democrats wish he was back in the White House (at least not every Democrat), but they sure long to see him out on the campaign trail. The former president took the stage to nominate the current president -- "I want to nominate a man who is cool on the outside, but burns for America on the inside" -- and found a way to turn every vulnerability of Barack Obama's candidacy into a strength.

As former President George W. Bush, joined by President Obama and three living former presidents, dedicates his library this week in Dallas, it's important to remember that presidential libraries are relatively new. In 1941, while he was still in office, Franklin D. Roosevelt established the first such archive in Hyde Park, N.Y., to preserve personal papers and mementos from his time in office. His successor, Harry Truman, signed the Presidential Libraries Act into law, authorizing the National Archives to help set up and operate these treasure troves of American politics and policy.

White House administrative chief David Watkins, a longtime aide to President Clinton who hails from his hometown of Hope, Ark., resigned Thursday after officials learned that he had taken a military helicopter to play golf in rural Maryland earlier this week. Clinton, saying that he was "very upset" when he learned about Watkins' trip, revealed his aide's resignation during a press conference called to announce a decision on most-favored-nation trading status for China.

Jennifer Lawrence is still a charmer, whether she's flubbing former President Bill Clinton's name or debuting a new hairdo. The Oscar-winning actress chopped off her long locks and debuted her shoulder-skimming fringe 'do at the GLAAD Media Awards. She has returned from her "Hunger Games" brunet shade , which she swiftly dyed the day after the Oscars for reshoots of the series' latest film in Hawaii. The "Silver Linings Playbook" star was at the awards Saturday to present the former president with the Advocate for Change award at the ceremony held at the at the JW Marriott Los Angeles.

1995: Initial Sexual Encounters Monica Lewinsky began her White House employment as an intern in the Chief of Staff's office in July 1995. At White House functions in the following months, she made eye contact with the President. During the November 1995 government shutdown, the President invited her to his private study, where they kissed. Later that evening, they had a more intimate sexual encounter. They had another sexual encounter two days later, and a third one on New Year's Eve. A.

Through the squalls and storms of the past few months, no one has been more doggedly upbeat about President Clinton's ambitious plan for national health care reform than senior adviser Ira Magaziner and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Magaziner, chief architect of Clinton's health care plan, took great delight in calling attention to his office bookshelves.

Barack Obama turns 49 Wednesday. That makes him a Leo, for those who give much thought to astrology. I'm a Leo too, though I think astrology is nonsense, except when I read something like this: "Leo man could embody everything that a man aspires to be — courage, controlled aggression, wit, humor, instant sex appeal and charm!" The uncanny accuracy of that description shakes my skepticism about astrology. Though it may lack the authority of science, there surely must be something to reading the stars if the practice can produce such a definitively perceptive portrait of those of us who share this birth sign.

WASHINGTON -- A yearlong investigation into whether Clinton administration aides left the White House in fraternity-party disarray as they vacated the presidential premises has turned up about $15,000 in damage, according to a government report released Tuesday. Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.

Of all the acts of executive clemency that President Clinton granted as he was leaving the White House, few strike as close to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as her husband's decision to reduce the prison terms of four New York Hasidic Jews convicted of bilking tens of millions of dollars from the government. Sen. Clinton, New York's Democratic junior senator, has said that in general she was a bystander while President Clinton made his decisions on clemency.

Bill Clinton on Tuesday downplayed perceived criticism of President Obama in his newly-released book, saying that his Democratic successor has "done a better job than he's getting credit for. " The former president does say in the book, "Back To Work," that the White House did not always take his advice on issues like the debt ceiling and Democrats' message in the 2010 campaign. But in a pair of interviews he sought to minimize any talk of a rift. "The book lavishly praises the administration's economic policy, its energy policy, its whole thing," Clinton told Ann Curry on NBC's "Today" show.

Bill Clinton will appear with mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel in the Los Angeles-area on Saturday, according to a source familiar with the plan. Additional details about the event, which is expected to include other Greuel supporters, were not available Friday. Clinton backed  Greuel's bid in March, in what was viewed as among the most significant endorsements in the campaign. In addition to being beloved by Democrats, Clinton has long-standing ties with African American voters and is appealing to some moderate Republicans - two critical voting blocs in the May 21 runoff against City Councilman Eric Garcetti.

Over the past few weeks, the race for mayor of Los Angeles has been less a contest of ideas and leadership than it's been an endorsement roulette, with Controller Wendy Greuel and Councilman Eric Garcetti trotting out their latest pledges of support as evidence of their fitness for the city's top job. But does anybody other than the candidates really care? Are there large numbers of voters who will vote for Greuel because Houston Mayor Annise Parker endorsed her or for Garcetti because former Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez spoke up for him?

WASHINGTON - Democratic strategist James Carville has thrown his weight behind a new "super PAC" that is promoting a  Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential run in 2016. The Ready for Hillary PAC has no formal connection to the former first lady and secretary of State, who hasn't ruled out another presidential try but has yet to announce a plan to run.  But Carville's involvement takes the group's fledgling efforts up at least a notch by adding what appears to be a semiofficial imprimatur by a well-known Clinton ally.

- Hillary Rodham Clinton returned to the public stage Tuesday night for the opening scene in what many expect to be a carefully plotted performance concluding with another presidential try. The high-profile venue: the Kennedy Center in the nation's capital. Several dozen mostly student-age supporters of a Clinton presidential run rallied outside, brandishing blue-and-white "I'm Ready for Hillary" placards. But the event inside was strictly nonpartisan: an awards gala for an international women's rights organization that Clinton had helped create.

President Bill Clinton has endorsed Wendy Greuel for mayor, saying in a letter that her time as city controller proves she can handle Los Angeles' problems. “In her many years of public service in Los Angeles … Wendy has personified good, honest and effective government, improving the lives of countless Angelenos while saving millions of their tax dollars,” Clinton wrote in a letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times . “And she's not done yet. Los Angeles is a great city with equally great challenges, so it's vital that Angelenos elect a proven, creative problem solver to lead them.

Former President Bill Clinton on Monday endorsed Wendy Greuel for Los Angeles mayor, saying the city controller's proven track record makes her the right candidate to confront the city's problems. “In her many years of public service in Los Angeles … Wendy has personified good, honest and effective government, improving the lives of countless Angelenos while saving millions of their tax dollars,” Clinton wrote in a letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times. “And she's not done yet. Los Angeles is a great city with equally great challenges, so it's vital that Angelenos elect a proven, creative problem solver to lead them.

In my Sunday column , I wrote that President Obama, with his permanent campaign promoting the poll-tested proposals in his State of the Union address, was beginning to resemble Bill Clinton. That provoked some angry email from readers who thought I was being too easy on the president -- President Clinton, that is. "Clinton left office with a solid list of accomplishments, high popularity and a healthy economy," I wrote. Several readers asked if I had forgotten the collapse of the "dot-com bubble" in 2000 and the recession that followed in 2001.  "Clinton left behind a collapsing economy -- a recession.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Sounding at times like a college lecturer and others like a revival speaker, former President Clinton delivered a thumping endorsement Wednesday night of incumbent Barack Obama, saying his policies were slowly healing the country and would lead to dramatic improvement in a second term. “No president, not me or any of my predecessors, could have repaired all the damage in just four years," Clinton said in a rapturously received speech that capped the second night of the Democratic National Convention.

In my Sunday column , I wrote that President Obama, with his permanent campaign promoting the poll-tested proposals in his State of the Union address, was beginning to resemble Bill Clinton. That provoked some angry email from readers who thought I was being too easy on the president -- President Clinton, that is. "Clinton left office with a solid list of accomplishments, high popularity and a healthy economy," I wrote. Several readers asked if I had forgotten the collapse of the "dot-com bubble" in 2000 and the recession that followed in 2001.  "Clinton left behind a collapsing economy -- a recession.