Bill Clinton Shares Memories of Hillary Clinton’s Ability to Connect With His Adversaries

By Nick Corasaniti

As Bill Clinton took to the campaign trail on Wednesday in New Hampshire to make the case for Hillary Clinton, he took a few trips down memory lane, the accomplishments of the 1990s still apparently fresh in the 42nd president’s mind.As are the memories of his adversaries, whom he recalled in part to show that Mrs. Clinton had experience reaching across the aisle.

Mr. Clinton said that, while his wife was in the Senate, she worked with “my nemesis” Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House who presided over his impeachment hearing, to discuss improvements in organizing the military.

And he mentioned Tom DeLay, the conservative House Republican leader whom Mr. Clinton described as, “the most partisan of all the pre-Tea Party Congress, who disliked me more than anyone in Congress.”

He told a story from his administration of how at least once Mr. DeLay found some common ground with Mrs. Clinton.He recalled a day when Mrs. Clinton came “virtually skipping down the hall,” telling him that she had “found the human streak in Tom DeLay.”

“And I said, ‘Tell me, where is it?’ ” Mr. Clinton said, as the crowd broke into an extended laughter.

But as Mr. Clinton finished the story, the laughter gave way to sighs, and indeed, a humanizing streak had been found.Mr. Clinton continued, “She said, ‘Bill, he’s an adoptive parent, and he loves his children.’ ”


http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/14/bill-clinton-shares-memories-of-hillary-clintons-work-with-his-adversaries/