With the launch of his autobiography just days away, former President Bill Clinton has answered the question everyone wanted to ask. With all that was at stake, why risk an affair with 21-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky?
The answer, according to the statesman, is "for the worst possible reason – simply because I could". He went on to say: "That's just about the most morally indefensible reason that anybody could have for doing something."
Obviously keen to say his piece before the critics pen theirs, Clinton was speaking to veteran US broadcaster Dan Rather in one of a series of high profile interviews he is undertaking to promote his autobiography My Life.
In the interview he spoke about how the fling had impacted on his family life. Admitting it had alienated his daughter Chelsea and that his wife Hillary had considered leaving him, the 57-year-old revealed they had all undergone extensive counselling, both individually and as a family. "We'd take a day a week, and we did a whole day a week, every week for a year, maybe a little more," he explained.
Saying "Only a fool does not look to explain his mistakes," the ex-US leader admitted that he "lied to everybody".
While Clinton is believed to have avoided the temptation to use his new book as a platform to even old scores, he appears to have made an exception for special prosecutor Kenneth Starr, the main force behind his 1998 impeachment. Describing Starr's actions as "unethical if not illegal", Clinton is unequivocal in his assessment of the Republican efforts to drive him from power. "The whole battle was a badge of honour. I don't see it as a stain because it was illegitimate, an abuse of power."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
