During his presidency, bill clinton seized important opportunities on issues from welfare to free trade. He was a tireless champion of peace in the middle east. he used american power in the balkans to confront aggression and halt ethnic cleansing. And in all his actions and decisions, the american people sensed a deep empathy for the poor and the powerless. Shortly before leaving office, president clinton said, "christ admonished us that our lives will be judged by how we do unto the least of our neighbors." Throughout his career, bill clinton has done his best to live up to that standard. And americans respect him for it. at every stage of his remarkable life, president clinton has made and kept countless friends, who share in the joy of this day. and three people in particular have the largest part in this remarkable story. one day more than 30 years ago, inside the yale law library, a fellow student walked over to bill clinton and said, "If you're going to keep staring at me, and i'm going to keep staring back, we ought to at least know each other's name. Mine's hillary rodham. what is yours?"that was a good day for both of them, and the beginning of a partnership unique in american history. So today, we honor the former first lady of arkansas, the former first lady of america, the united states senator from new york, senator hillary rodham clinton.
Perhaps the clintons' greatest achievement is their daughter, who moved into the white house as a young girl, and left as an accomplished young lady. It's not easy to be a teenager in the white house, but it's a lot easier when you have a loving mother and a loving father that chelsea clinton had.