TIME EUROPE
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Bill's Big Day
The American President speaks in Davos
Following a session on the world economy, the thousand-strong crowd hunkered down in their seats anticipating the Forum's centerpiece event: Bill Clinton's speech. Suddenly a buttoned-down White House staffer came to the podium and announced: "I'm very sorry, but we have to clear the room for a security check. Everyone must leave immediately." The crowed booed and hissed and stood their ground. Not only did they hope to cling to hard-won seats--after all, they had just sat through three jawbreaking speeches on the world economy--but it was impossible for them to leave the hall because hundreds more people were pressing at the doors trying to get in.
The White House roadies made several more impassioned pleas while Secret Service agents worked the stage turning armchairs and podiums upside-down and checking the microphone wires. The crowd milled around and refused to budge. People grumbled about "American arrogance" and White House "bullying." "This is incredible," said one French executive. "The normal security was fine for Tony Blair and [Mexican President] Ernesto Zedillo. But for Clinton, it's not good enough. These Americans are too much."
Finally the White House folks backed down and cleared only the first five rows. Ironically, that was where the reserved seats were, so those most inconvenienced included such honored guests as Yasser Arafat, South African President Thabo Mbeki, several Prime Ministers and at least four U.S. cabinet ministers. When Clinton finally arrived, apparently oblivious of the stand-off, he quipped that there were so many cabinet officials in the front rows that "there's no one left in Washington."
POSTSCRIPTS
"I'm not as young as I used to be. On Thanksgiving, a friend's daughter looked up at me and asked, 'How old are you, anyway?' I said, 'I'm 53.' She said:'That's a lot.' Well, 53 sounds younger to me every day, but as my daughter's generation says: Denial is not just a river in Egypt." - U.S. President Bill Clinton
After Clinton's keynote speech, WEF President Klaus Schwab, with his strong Germanic pronunciation, remarked (incorrectly) that Clinton had failed to mention China. "I did," Clinton quipped. "But I speak with an accent." The hall roared with laughter.
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