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Hillary
Clinton thanks England for looking after Chelsea
Hillary
Clinton has expressed her gratitude to the English public for their
response to her daughter Chelsea, who is currently studying at Oxford
University.
Senator
Clinton gave her first live interview in the UK to BBC Radio 4's
Woman's Hour presenter Martha Kearney today (Friday 4 July, 10.00am).
She
said: "I
adore being her mother and I'm very proud of her today and I want
publicly to thank the people of England for being so kind and welcoming
to her.
"She's
had a wonderful experience these last two years at Oxford."
The
senator from New York and former First Lady also spoke about the
"extremely difficult time" she experienced in her marriage
to President Bill Clinton.
She
recalled having to help her husband write a speech shortly after
he had admitted his affair with Monica Lewinsky.
She
said: "I
wasn't in much of a mood to do it, but when you love someone - there
is not a perfect person, in my belief.
"Love
and marriage is between two imperfect people... For me it was important
that I sort out my feelings on many different levels."
While
refusing to be drawn on references to the former President's own
comments about causing "pain in the marriage" - and rumours
of previous affairs - she spoke openly about her feelings on discovering
his infidelity and the fact he had lied to her about it.
"It
was very difficult... I felt concerned about my marriage and my
personal future but also about my country and my President - who
also happened to be my husband as well... (it was an) extremely
difficult time when, you know, I wasn't talking to him and was very,
very personally difficult."
"We
have an extraordinary and deep marriage for 28 years... what I write
about, that was made so horribly public in 1998, had to be written
about was part of the public record."
In
a wide ranging interview, Senator Clinton spoke of the pressures
of the diversity of roles and expectations placed on the First Lady
and her own political career.
Referring
to the failure of her attempts to reform national healthcare policies,
she admits: "My
role was one of the contributing problems.
"The
failure was principally political and policy driven, there were
many interests that weren't at all happy about losing their financial
stake in a way that the system currently operates, but I think I
became a lightning rod for some of that criticism."
Asked
whether writing the book was part of an agenda to progress a return
to the White House, she said she had no plans or intentions for
the 2004 Presidency.
But
she was more circumspect about 2008, saying: "2008 is an eternity
in American politics, but I think that the role I'm playing, trying
to bring attention to issues, trying to get people to focus on what's
at stake is a very appropriate role for me."
Asked
how Bill Clinton would cope with being "First Man", she
commented: "I
don't know if he'll ever have a chance to figure that out!
"I
had a friend say that there will eventually be a woman president
- and I hope in my lifetime and in the not too distant future -
and then what will we call that person.
"Someone
suggested, how about First Mate? I thought - that's a good answer."
Notes
to Editors
This
morning's interview can be heard via the internet and will be on
the Woman's Hour web page for seven days: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4
Hillary
Clinton to give live interview to Radio 4's Woman's Hour (02.07.03)
All the
BBC's digital services are now available on Freeview,
the new free-to-view digital terrestrial television service, as well
as on satellite and cable.
Freeview
offers the BBC's eight television channels, interactive services
from BBCi, as well as 11 BBC radio networks.
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