Bill Clinton - The Next Secretary-General? (09-02-06)

Approximately six months before Mr. Clinton left office in 2001, I made a troubling prediction. Actually prediction may be too potent of a word, prognostication is more suitable. Prediction is too often confused with prophecy and prophecy can be God-given, so by taking away the so-called God-given utterance and demoting down to, just what I think based on general knowledge puts me on less shaky ground.   So my prognostication is Hilary Clinton will become president in 2008 and sometime after that or before, Bill Clinton will become the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He is likely t become Secretary General when Annan leaves but a lot has to happen. His name is not being tossed around yet.

One thing is for certain, in January 2007, Kofi Annan, will leave office and a new Secretary-General will emerge, and that person has the potential to be one of the strongest influences in the world. Is it  Bill’s time yet? It very well may be! If not to replace Annan perhaps after that.

I ask: What does a former president  who has a never ending drive for power, who lived for eight years with the spot light of the world on him, who's fed by his own ego, and who retired at a very early age do for an encore?  Ah, to be president of the United Nations.  Yet he may settle for being back in the White House if Hillary is elected in 2008.

But what about his resume?  Well, he remains in the limelight?  In recent months he has been involved with the Bush family rather ostentatiously, via his tour of duty with his teammate Bush Senior, appointed by George W. himself to inspect the aftermath of the devastated tsunami.  As the result of his tsunami assignment he has been given a United Nation Office, a diplomatic passport, and a U.N. identity card. It was Bill Clinton who while in office in 1996 sponsored Annan's move to unseat Boutrous Boutros-Ghali the so-called Egyptian statesman. His past actions in dealing with Israel were far from a love affair and since most nations hate Israel this could be another feather in his political cap, notwithstanding that despite his amoral approach to living he is still is popular with most nations of the world. Why is he so popular? The reason is the other pseudo advantage point that could be highlighted on his resume, and that is that  Mr. Clinton may have crossed the Rubicon, in exchange for popularity which may give him the power he so longs for. But what did he give up by crossing the Rubicon? Maybe everything - I pray not!

I see only one main obstacle preventing Clinton from getting the job: That is his wife. Perhaps that is why she is not so vocal. Maybe she will find her voice if and when her campaign gets  started. Be assured it will get started.   Perhaps Bill will do nothing and wait for Hillary to run and win the presidency. He might settle for the title: "The First Gentleman"