(2 of 2)
So the Clintons and the Gores trudge separate campaign trails these days. It is something to see Clinton enter a room--upstate New York in Johnson City, where he raised $50,000; at an Elton John benefit concert in midtown Manhattan ($300,000); or hauling in $530,000 in a day of hectic campaigning, as he did last week. At Hofstra University he told an audience chanting "Four more years!" that he was there because it was Hillary's turn now. Instead of retreating to her singsong speech, Hillary picked up her husband's rollicking riffs, asking of her opponent, Rick Lazio, when he says "Eight years is enough," "Where is he living and who is he representing?" She embraces the record Gore can't even bring himself to acknowledge. The Clintons' togetherness peaked at her 53rd birthday party at Roseland ballroom (haul: $2 million), headlined by Cher, Tom Cruise and Robert De Niro. True to form, Clinton wiped away a tear at the height of the festivities, while Hillary feigned surprise with her trademark raised eyebrow and shocked "Ooh" when spotting a familiar face in a room full of them. Yet against all you think you know, when they hugged, there seemed to be something more than naked ambition at work.
It took Reagan's ardent campaigning for his Vice President to push Bush Sr. over the finish line. If Gore gets over his desire to keep the President at a distance, the Happy Warrior is ready to roll. On his way to meet Hillary in Queens, Clinton stopped at the Jackson Hole diner for its renowned Burger Deluxe (peppers, onions and mushrooms with a side of fries), signed a T shirt for a waitress's daughter and posed with everyone from grill man to busboy to fellow patrons. He dropped three quarters in the jukebox, selecting Elvis' Don't Be Cruel, Aretha Franklin's Respect and The House of the Rising Sun. He didn't forget the 20% tip.
Clinton once said that in Al and Hillary he had found spectacular partners. But there is only one lasting union in Clinton's life, as he spends his sunset days in the constant company of the wife who would probably not be running had he not betrayed her. Republicans have warned that if Hillary wins, the most dangerous place in America will be between Senator Clinton and the road to New Hampshire. Bill is at her side. Just as Bush is avenging his father's defeat, Clinton may see his best chance of redeeming himself not with a Gore in the White House but with a Clinton.