LITTLE ROCK — Do you have an “I Miss Bill” bumper sticker on your hybrid?
If so, assemble the faithful, put Elvis on in the background, sit back and enjoy President of the World: The Bill Clinton Phenomenon.
The Hardball documentary with Chris Matthews airs at 9 p.m. Monday on MSNBC.
There’s not a lot of “hardball” in this special. The hour is mostly a glowing, almost sycophantic tribute to Clinton’s frenetic, global humanitarian efforts since he left office a decade ago.
Not that there’s anything wrong with building a legacy. Just don’t go into the program expecting anything negative when Matthews discusses Clinton’s post-presidential life. This is a gushing tribute, and Clinton fans should be highly pleased.
The special opines that “there’s not a single political figure today with the global reach and influence of Bill Clinton - a former U.S. president turned humanitarian and diplomat extraordinaire.
“No one else in today’s political arena has the ability to command the attention of world leaders and organizations everywhere quite like he does.”
As evidence, the documentary notes that since Clinton left office in January 2001, “ he’staken on a new and very successful role as an international humanitarian - his Clinton Global Initiative, Clinton Health Access Initiative, the William J. Clinton Foundation and countless other worthy efforts have made him a hero to peoples across the globe.”
“There’s never been anyone like this before,” Matthews effuses. “A former president of a country now a global phenom.”
“I love my life now,” Clinton admits. “It’s just fun. I want to continue to be very active in the things I cared about as president where I can still have an influence. The better life you’ve had as you get older, the more you want to give to someone else.”
In President of the World: The Bill Clinton Phenomenon,Matthews spent an entire week with Clinton last fall “trying to keep up” while zipping from the Sixth Clinton Global Initiative in New York to Northern Ireland, where Matthews finally cornered him for a sit-down interview.
“Following the former president is a little like going on a concert tour,” Matthews observes. “Wherever Bill Clinton arrives, it’s an event - a happening to be experienced and remembered.
“When he travels, he’s received as an intercontinental head of state. Across the Atlantic, Clinton is incredibly popular.”
While the video showsClinton wading into a crowd to shake hands, Matthews adds, “Despite all this, he’s still the same ol’ Bubba, running hours behind because he just can’t stop enjoying any and every person he meets.”
Other memorable scenes include shots of Clinton being chummy with both former Presidents Bush and speaking in the cold, soaking rain at the dedication of his library inLittle Rock.
The special also includes observations by some of Clinton’s close friends, colleagues and admirers. These include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, political adviser Terry McAuliffe, former Chief of Staff John Podesta, and actors Kevin Spacey, Ben Stiller and Mary Steenburgen.
(We’ll gloss over the gratuitous shots of Bono, BarbraStreisand, James Brolin, Ted Danson, Jimmy Connors, Ronnie Wood and Mick Jagger.)
“I think he’s the master of the trade,” Blair says. “He’s the single most extraordinarily competent politician I’ve ever met.”
“Big, gregarious, outgoing, larger-than-life, fun, personable,” McAuliffe says of Clinton. “He has the best attributes of our country - caring, giving, willing to help. And I think President Clinton embodies that. He wants to get every ounce of life in while he’s on this earth.”
Steenburgen gives the documentary its title when she comments on Clinton’s postpresidential life and humanitarian causes.
“This is a person who’s had a very purpose-driven life,” Steenburgen observes. “So he had to find that purpose again.
“There is this combination of both an enormous intellectual capacity combined with an enormous heart. There’s one phrase that people have said to me and that’s he’s ‘president to the world.’”
Clinton left office with a 66 percent approval rating. The special would indicate he has found a way to build on that on a global basis.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail:
Style, Pages 46 on 02/20/2011