Clintons Balance Married and Private Lives

As Hillary Clinton gears up for a presumed White House run, Bill Clinton has told friends that his number one priority is not to cause her any trouble. The N.Y. Times explores how the former president is attempting to position a future one…

N.Y. Times:

Bill and Hillary Clinton flew to Chicago together last month to deliver speeches a few hours and a few miles apart. And like any couple, they thought about having dinner at day’s end. But life is not so simple when you are married to a Clinton.

The former president kept a low profile and left early for Washington, in part to avoid distracting the news media from his wife’s speech. They decided later that dinner would not work, so Mr. Clinton did what he often does: He rounded up some familiar faces ? former aides including Joe Lockhart and Mike McCurry ? and went out for a late bite at Lauriol Plaza, the bustling Tex-Mex restaurant in Dupont Circle. Only afterward did the Clintons end up at home together.

Mr. Clinton is rarely without company in public, yet the company he keeps rarely includes his wife. Nights out find him zipping around Los Angeles with his bachelor buddy, Ronald W. Burkle, or hitting parties and fund-raisers in Manhattan; she is yoked to work in Washington or New York ? her Senate career and political ambitions consuming her time.

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David Scull / From The New York Times

The Clintons at the recent unveiling of their portraits. For Mrs. Clinton, seeking her own political identity, her famous husband is a mixed blessing.