Bill Clinton’s musical days are behind him. Rather, President Clinton is somewhat subdued and yet charming, pleading his wife’s case and admitting midway through an hourlong appeal on the University of Texas campus in Austin Wednesday night that “I’m not as good a speaker as I used to be.” The line is met with smiles and a little laughter. But the greatest enthusiasm for him comes after the speech as he works the rope lines, taking time to pose and shake hands, his aides collecting posters and papers along the way that will be autographed and returned to his fans later. “We know him from MTV,” says Laura Hernandez, president of the University Democrats of UT Austin, as she introduces the former President. “We know him from playing his saxophone on Arsenio. He is the first rock star President of this country.” Certainly Clinton is greeted like a rock star by the mostly student crowd as he moves down the ramp from Main Hall to a podium on the mall in the heart of the campus. Flash bulbs go off, camera phones are lifted high and U2 blasts over the speakers.
Time
In Texas, Bill v. Barack
(Feb. 28)
