TalkBack Live

What Will President Clinton's Legacy be?

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BOBBIE BATTISTA, HOST: Just a few months left to go in the White House. What will be the president's legacy? We'll talk live with White House press secretary Joe Lockhart.

And what about Mr. Clinton's life away from Washington? Perhaps he has a future in comedy?

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to TALKBACK LIVE. Joining us now from the White House lawn is press secretary Joe Lockhart.

Joe, nice to see you, welcome to the program.

JOE LOCKHART, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Great to be here.

BATTISTA: That was a clip we just showed a few minutes ago that was from a tape, that was done from the correspondent's dinner the other night. We'll talk more about that in a little while. But the president has attended seven out of eight of those dinners, even some that were amidst some pretty troubling controversy. I take it he was a little more relaxed at this one the other night.

LOCKHART: He definitely was. In fact, on the White House correspondent's dinner he attended all eight, and they us that he's the first president to ever do that. But it's a chance for him to poke a little fun at himself, poke a little fun at the reporters, have some fun at the expense of Republicans and Democrats up on the hill. It's all done in good fun and the president has a great sense of humor and enjoys it.

BATTISTA: As the president looks toward the end of his tenure now, is he growing nostalgic?

LOCKHART: Well, I think, as the president said at the dinner Saturday night, he's loved this job. He doesn't understand how people talk about how the job is somehow imprisonment. He's loved every day of it.

He really is focused on getting as much done as he can before the term is over. I think when it is gone, he'll miss it, he'll miss the challenge of the work, the challenge of making a difference, but if I know him as well as I think I do, he will find some way to channel all that energy to make a difference in someplace outside Washington, you know outside the White House. BATTISTA: It is interesting that he said the other night, he was kind of joking, but I maybe not, that if he could run for a third term he would. And that unlike past presidents, he does not want to leave this job.

LOCKHART: Well, you know, I think some of that is in jest, but I think he has dedicated his life to public service and you know whether you support his policies or oppose his policies, I don't think anyone questions his motivations. He has spent his adult life trying to make a difference, trying to make things better for average American, and you know, there is wisdom to the constitutional system of limiting two term, but I am sure there is days that he sits there and says: There is so much more we can get done, and there is thought of what would it be like if we could hang around here a little bit longer.

BATTISTA: Well, what -- he has to be mulling over some job possibilities for when he does leave the White House. Can you share any of those with us?

LOCKHART: Well, I don't know what he'll do as far as a job. I know he's spent some time thinking through what his library will be like, what it will focus on, and I think he really wants to focus on making it an interactive center, a place where particularly young people can go in, get a sense of what goes on in Washington, around the world and international politics, and really be something that's hands on. That's really what he's spent most of his time on.

BATTISTA: Has he ever really thought about the entertainment industry in any way, shape, or form, or that always just sort of an ongoing joke.

LOCKHART: I think it's mostly for the expense of people who have to fill gossip columns because the president's focus is government service, not Hollywood or comedy or anything like that.

BATTISTA: Let's talk about his legacy for just a moment. Then I'll take some questions from the audience, what do you think historians will choose to remember about this president?

LOCKHART: Well, I think if you look at the eight years, there's a number of changes in how government works and how we've approached how the White House works. Just on the budget, and the economy, we've had an unprecedented economic expansion, we've had -- we've gone from budgets -- budget deficits to a budget surplus, we turned the way we fight crime around the country around, and we've turned -- we've moved people off of welfare into creating incentives to go to work. So I think that will ultimately be what the historians look at.

BATTISTA: And what do you think the common man will remember?

LOCKHART: I think ultimately, with time, people will look at this man as someone who came to town and made promises about what he was going to do, how he was going to try to make a difference, and then they will judge him as someone who kept the promises and someone who did make a difference.

BATTISTA: We do have some questions from the audience on certain issue, Mary-Ann (ph) from Florida has a question?

MARY-ANN: I'd like to know if President Clinton, before he leaves office, will see to it that we no longer have to pay Social Security taxes?

LOCKHART: Well, I think, in order to keep the system solvent, we will continue to have to have the payroll tax. But the president is for people, after a certain age, of not having to pay that penalty if they go out and work, and that is something we just signed into law.

BATTISTA: And a question from Judy, from New York.

JUDY: I would like to ask the president if he's really behind Hillary. After -- I feel that she fell in the jobs that he gave her, like the health insurance, it was a failure, or whatever she did, I don't think that she did a good job?

BATTISTA: You don't sound like you are from New York, Judy.

Anyway, her question was, Joe, about whether the president is fully behind Hillary's run for the Senate.

LOCKHART: The president is definitely behind the first lady 100 percent. I think what is really important with the first lady, and when the president talks about her, is her commitment to public service. She's been doing this for 30 years. She has a lot of ideas about how to move the people of New York state forward, and the voters will have their chance in November to weigh up the two candidates and decide who's got the best ideas for the future.

BATTISTA: And let me take a young person's question, Miranda.

MIRANDA: I'm not that young.

I was wondering about some education reform, I mean, what do you see in the future?

LOCKHART: That's a good question. The president will be spending two days this week traveling the country, going to Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, to talk about just education reform. The president has talk about raising standards, turning around failing schools, rebuilding crumbling school. So I think, if you watch this week, you will see a number of new ideas about how we can turn education around because it is the key to our economic future.

BATTISTA: Joe, let's talk a little bit about you in the job of press secretary. I remember your predecessor, Mike McCurry, said the best thing about his tenure was packing up and leaving. What kind sort of a run has it been for you, and was the job what you thought it would be?

LOCKHART: Well, there is always surprises when you take a job. I think when I started, we were just beginning the process where the House Judiciary Committee was starting hearings on impeachment. So I think the first several months were difficult. But, by and large, we've returned to the people's business as far as my job, answering questions that reporters have, and it's been very rewarding. You're surprised by things, there's things you can't predict, but it has been everything I thought it would be.

BATTISTA: And when you do that, when you answer those questions, to whom do you properly answer, is it the press, or the president, or the public?

LOCKHART: Well, I think the answer is both, or all of the three. I think the press is the proxy that sits there each day for the public, representing their rights to know, representing their rights to question the government, question the president. But I also work for the president. And most of the time, those things are absolutely devoted to the same interests. There are times when there is some conflict, some tension, but I always -- the way I look at this is, I've got two bosses, the press and the president, and you have got to work with both of them in order to be effective.

BATTISTA: We should say there is some protesters going on behind you, we can hear their bull horn. We have no idea what they are protesting about, but such a democracy.

LOCKHART: Nor do I.

BATTISTA: Did you always know what the questions would be from the Washington press corps or were you ever just completely caught flat-footed without an answer?

LOCKHART: You always know some of them or at least the subject areas, but a day doesn't go by when some question doesn't surprise you, or someone doesn't come up with some new piece of information, or of some twist on something that you haven't really thought about. And that's part of the challenge of the job.

BATTISTA: I don't know if you can remember the specific, but Howard has a question in our audience for you?

HOWARD: I would like to ask: What's the toughest question you ever got? and then, why it was particularly difficult to answer?

LOCKHART: That's a good question, I'm not sure I know.

BATTISTA: I could guess?

LOCKHART: The toughest ones are the ones like the last few when you are asking me to talk about myself rather than the president or what our policies are and the government here. I think, you know, there probably is a lot of focus on the staff here at the White House, but we are temps, here just for a little bit. And what we do, and what the president does in his agenda, that is what is important.

BATTISTA: Vontarius (ph) in our audience.

VONTARIUS: I would like to know what are some of the things he wants to accomplish before he leaves office, some of the other things he plans on accomplishing? LOCKHART: I think the president has a pretty aggressive agenda for the rest of the year. He wants to be make sure before we leave we actually get a patients' bill of rights. It is long overdue. The Republicans in Congress have been blocking this. It's time we get it.

He wants to raise the minimum wage. He want to provide a prescription drug benefit for Medicare, and he has got a whole host of things he will be talking about this week on education as far as reforming and making the system better. So we have a full plate between now and the end of the term.

BATTISTA: We've got to take a quick break, and we'll continue with the president's press secretary, Joe Lockhart, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BATTISTA: Before becoming press secretary, Joe Lockhart served as deputy press secretary and chief spokesman for the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in 1996. Before that, he worked on the presidential campaigns of Jimmy Carter in 1980, Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis.

All right. We're back, and we are talking with Joe Lockhart, President Clinton's press secretary. And we have a journalism class with us here. So they have a couple of good questions for you.

Coco (ph).

COCO: OK. I would like to know what are some of the qualifications for your job.

LOCKHART: Well, I think you have to know how the news business works, because your job is to try to keep them informed and anticipate their questions as much as you can, and then have some sense of the government being interested in politics and know a little bit about how the government works: Congress, the executive agencies. Beyond that, it's just a combination of trying to stay informed and having a little bit of luck.

BATTISTA: And Neil (ph)?

NEIL: I would like to know who has the hardest job, you or the president.

LOCKHART: That one's not hard. My job is to help explain things; the president's job is much harder. He's got to work through a number of issues, make some very tough decisions. I mean, it's very rare that I stand up here and have people criticizing me and decisions that I've made or things I've said. So the president's job, you know, by far is the much more complicated and difficult.

BATTISTA: Let me take an Internet question at this point in time then. And that is "Have you gotten tired of the endless investigations the Republicans have thrown at the administration?"

That's when your job got a little tougher. LOCKHART: Well, I think I'm with about 70 percent of the American public, who said, of course, we're tired of it. You know, they send their members of Congress here to legislate, not investigate. There are -- there is legitimate oversight responsibilities the Congress has, but I don't think there's any fair- thinking person in this country now who thinks they have -- the Republicans in Congress have not gone overboard.

I think that is one of the reasons why the Democrats on Capitol Hill have done so well in the last few years, because they put forward ideas, ideas that will help people's lives better, make a difference in their lives. And the Republicans have made the choice to focus on trying to score political points and run investigations. And I think ultimately the voters will send the strongest signal of all, and I think the Democrats will do quite well this fall.

BATTISTA: A question from Tim in the audience.

TIM: Yes, Joe. Al Gore now has been in office for eight years as No. 2. He was in the Senate before that. His family has a long history in politics. And now he has to reinvent himself for the new campaign. And I'm kind of curious, what does your position have to do with that, how do you direct the vice president, and how does he reinvent himself as offering something new?

LOCKHART: Oh, I think that -- I certainly have no role in directing the vice president. I think -- I'm not sure "reinvent" is the right word. I think the vice president now has an obligation to tell the American public, after eight years of great service and support of the president, where he wants to take this country, what his ideas are, where he wants to move. I think he's done a very good job on that on a host of issues from education to health care to making sure the Social Security and Medicare are there for the American people as we move forward.

So I don't think it's reinventing. I think it's taking what he's done as the vice president and building on it and showing America that he has the experience to do the job and he has the ideas and the vision to move this country forward.

BATTISTA: And along those lines, Usha (ph) from Canada is in our audience and she doesn't understand negative campaigning.

USHA: Yes, Mr. Lockhart, I'm just wondering why Al Gore, as you just said, he's already proven his job by his action. Why does he feel the need to criticize his opponent, who, you know, it's become like a children's battle and not a presidential election?

And coming from -- living in Canada for 30 years and yet coming from India, I'm just finding it very difficult to -- if I was an American, to decide who to vote for, because right now to me both are like kindergarten children and they are concentrating time into attacking each other. And Mr. Gore has the advantage, you know. I mean, nobody can deny that your country is doing better. But I feel the American people have -- politicians, I should say, not the people, have brought their own unity down in front of people. And I get jokes in my e-mail, if only in America.

BATTISTA: That's all, yes. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

LOCKHART: You know, I'm not sure I accept the label of negative campaigning here. And it's -- you know, I don't think this is a children's game, because in children's game they argue over who gets the sandbox and who doesn't and things like that. This -- there are real stakes here. This is about our future.

And I think what the vice president is trying to do is very important, which is Governor Bush made a number of promises without providing the specifics of how we deliver on them, and they're all in conflict with each other. You can't do what he says he's going to do as far as making the investments we need for this country, as far as doing a $2.1 trillion tax cut, and saving Social Security and Medicare.

So I think it's very important that we get past the slogans and the rhetoric, we get to the details, because it's important. This is about our future. And anyone who doesn't think it's important should remember where we were in 1992, when we were coming out of a recession, where we had an economy that didn't work and a government that didn't work, and look where we are today: 20 million new jobs, low inflation, low interest rates, a country headed in the right direction. This is important.

BATTISTA: Leanna (ph)?

LEANNA: How does he feel about leaving the White House?

LOCKHART: How do I feel about leaving the White House?

LEANNA: No how does Bill Clinton feel about leaving the White House?

LOCKHART: Oh, I think -- you know, I think the president is very much looking forward to the next eight months. He's got a lot he wants to get done. He has a lot he's going to do when he gets out of here, but his absolute focus is on what we can get done before -- between now and January. And that just means all of us are going to have to work a little bit harder.

BATTISTA: Question from Bob.

BOB: Yes, I'd like to ask Joe if he could allay some of the fears that some of us have that Hillary's main goal is the presidency.

LOCKHART: Well, I think on the fine CNN-sponsored town hall meeting from Buffalo last week she addressed that question directly. Her focus right now is addressing the concerns of New Yorkers, laying out where she thinks this country should go, what is in the best interests of New York state. And that's what she's done. And I think she answered that question directly when it was put to her by the crowd in Buffalo and Wolf Blitzer.

BATTISTA: And one more -- final question here from Bob.

BOB: This is an easy one. How do you like the show "The West Wing"?

LOCKHART: I actually like it a lot. I've seen it four or five times. I think that they do -- they work hard to make it realistic but also make it entertaining because I think if it was like it is in real life here, no one would want to watch it.

You know, I think on a serious point, most young people in this country right now aren't interested in politics, they're not interested in government. And if a television show can show them a different side of government and the important work we do here then that's a positive thing.

BATTISTA: Well, this had to be one of your easier briefings, Joe, I would think. And we appreciate the time you've you taken to join us today. Thanks very much.

LOCKHART: Thank you.

BATTISTA: Coming up in just a moment, does the president have a career in comedy? We'll talk to the director of a video that shows a side of the president that you may not have seen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, White House, hold please. Hello, White House, please hold. Hello, White House -- White House, hold please, please hold.

No, Mr. Podesta's not here right now. Would you like his voice mail?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BATTISTA: A Harris poll last month found that if President Clinton was allowed to run again, 60 percent of self-identified Democrats polled would prefer him as their party's nominee in 2000. Thirty-four percent preferred Al Gore.

Welcome back.

President Clinton's time in the White House is winding down. So what is he doing with his final months in office? Phil Rosenthal, creator and executive producer of "Everybody Loves Raymond," co-wrote and directed a video shown at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last weekend.

Here's a look at part of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOCKHART: Well, with the vice president and the first lady out on the campaign trail, things aren't as exciting as they used to be around here. In fact, it's really starting to wind down.

CLINTON: There is bipartisan support for it in Congress. And it meets the principles I set out in my State of the Union. If they send me the bill in its present form, I will sign it.

OK, any questions?

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: Helen?

HELEN THOMAS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL: Are you still here?

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Radio just doesn't capture the sadness, the isolation of it all. So I've just stopped reporting it.

CLINTON: Joe? Anybody home?

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: John? Maria?

(LAUGHTER)

TIM RUSSERT, NBC NEWS: What am I going to ask the guy? I have nothing to ask him.

SAM DONALDSON, ABC NEWS: He's yesterday's news. Who's next?

CLINTON: Hello, White House, hold please.

Hello, White House, please hold. Hello, White House, White House, hello, hold please, please hold. No, Mr. Podesta is not here now. Would you like his voice mail?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been by for him. It looks like he has nothing to do.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a little bit worried about him. This morning, for example, he came into the Oval Office for our meeting. And I said, "Mr. President, is everything all right?"

And he said, "Yeah, what's the matter?"

And I said, "Mr. President, you're wearing your pajama bottoms."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really have nothing to say about that.

HILLARY CLINTON, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I wish I could be here more. But I really think Bill has everything under control.

CLINTON: Honey, wait, wait, wait, wait! You forgot your lunch!

ALBERT GORE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I think his legacy is going to be the natural environment, improving the green spaces of our country. I've urged him to spend more time on that.

BETTY CURRIE, SECRETARY TO PRESIDENT CLINTON: The president's schedule is just as busy as ever. He's just doing different things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: And Phil Rosenthal joins us.

Phil, we'll look at the other half of that tape in just a few moments. Now...

PHIL ROSENTHAL, PRODUCER: OK.

BATTISTA: ... as I understand it, Joe Lockhart's office -- we just talked to Joe a few moments ago -- was very heavily involved in orchestrating this whole thing. So how did it all...

ROSENTHAL: Very much so.

BATTISTA: How did it come about?

ROSENTHAL: Well, I couldn't do it without Joe and all his great people. They were just fantastic. Mark Katz is the president's chief humor guy, and they bring him in once a year during humor season, which is the Gridiron speech, the Radio and TV Dinner, the Correspondents' Dinner. And Mark sometimes calls me to help out. And so I did. And we wanted something special for this last one, and we thought of this video. And...

BATTISTA: Man, what is it like to have to write humor for the president of the United States?

ROSENTHAL: It's tricky, because, you know, you don't want to do anything that insults anybody. It can't have too much of an edge. You want to be funny without being harsh or vulgar or crass in any way.

BATTISTA: Now how much was the president involved in this?

ROSENTHAL: He was very involved. You see he's in almost every shot of the movie. He was a...

BATTISTA: Was he a decision-maker? Was -- did he offer suggestions on how he should play his part?

ROSENTHAL: Actually, he -- you know, the whole point of the video, the whole comedy of the video is that he's not busy at all, that he's got nothing to do. And nothing could be further from the truth. He really is very busy. And I got him for a half hour on Tuesday, a half hour Tuesday night and a half hour on Saturday, the day of the event. That's all I had with the president. So we kind of mapped out everything ahead of time, kind of planned it out like a war, and then had the president come in and do his part. And he was very willing and gracious to do so, and he did it with enthusiasm. And I think tremendous talent, very, very funny.

BATTISTA: And in one take, I would presume?

ROSENTHAL: Absolutely. I would say 90 percent of that was one take.

BATTISTA: So how weird was it to sort of order the president around?

ROSENTHAL: Oh, I enjoyed doing that. That's how I enjoy myself, I find presidents of countries and I boss them around. No, he was lovely about it. It was certainly intimidating to tell the president what to do, but, you know, and this from a guy who can't get his wife or kids to do what they want to do. It was certainly a nice, refreshing change of pace.

BATTISTA: Anything unusual happen in the White House while you were doing all of this?

ROSENTHAL: Other than having the president of the United States do these things...

BATTISTA: Well, I don't know. You know, some head of state...

ROSENTHAL: ... no, nothing too unusual.

BATTISTA: Yes, some head of state dropping in or tour groups or presidential dog showing up or...

ROSENTHAL: Yes, we actually worked with the dog -- you'll see that in a minute. But I -- I was doing the runaround with the crew before the president would -- was to would to come in. So we were in the Oval Office, and I needed to show the crew where the president would sit when we did this bit. And they told me I could sit in the chair. So I sat in the chair at the desk of the Oval Office. And while I was there, a tour group came in. And I said, oh, come on in, come on in. It's OK, there have been a few changes.

BATTISTA: All right, we're going to take a break at this time.

When we come back, we'll look at the other half of that tape and we'll also talk to another Clinton who critiques the president's performance.

We'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BATTISTA: We're just so cruel on that Internet, aren't we? We're talking with Phil Rosenthal, who directed a videotape, a rather unusual videotape of the president the other night at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. And so let's look first now at the second half of that tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONNA SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: I feel really bad for him. I wish there was something that would cheer him up.

CLINTON: Yes! Hey, there you are. Come with me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, Mr. P, ready to start?

CLINTON: Show me e-mail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, let's light this candle.

CLINTON: I want to see eBay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, yeah, yeah, just like that. You're riding the wave of the future, my man. Now what do you feel like buying?

CLINTON: I want to buy a smoked ham.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excellent choice. Right, you're there. You're almost there. How many are you going to buy?

CLINTON: Wait a minute...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the problem? Chicken...

CLINTON: What does it cost?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Name your own price, my man.

CLINTON: Well, we're stalking for a winner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's do it.

CLINTON: Yahtzee!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, you did it, my man.

CLINTON: B-9.

GENERAL HENRY SHELTON, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: You sunk my battleship.

CLINTON: Yes!

I want to thank the academy for this tremendous honor. This may be the greatest moment of my life. I mean, ever since I was a little boy I wanted to be a real actor.

No, no, just leave your money in your pocket.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweet.

CLINTON: Pretty good, huh? Get all you want. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: Oh, Stuart. He's one of our favorite people here.

There are people in the chat room asking, Phil, if they can buy this tape.

ROSENTHAL: Oh, yes? You have to call the White House. It's not mine.

BATTISTA: OK, let me bring in political comedian Kate Clinton who's joining us. And we've kind of asked Kate here to kind of give us a review of the president's performance.

ROSENTHAL: Be gentle.

KATE CLINTON, POLITICAL COMEDIAN: I thought he was wonderful. I would go on the road with him in the minute -- after he gets rid of the job I'll go on with him. I thought it was touching. I thought his dejected walk was perfect. And the fact that he did it in just an hour is absolutely amazing.

BATTISTA: I guess...

ROSENTHAL: He's great.

BATTISTA: Yes, I guess there's a -- you know, you could sort of say that a lot of him was not acting.

K. CLINTON: No.

BATTISTA: I think he probably feels pretty dejected about leaving this office.

K. CLINTON: I know. I do have to say, though that -- what's his name there? -- Lockhart did a fabulous job during the bullhorn thing.

BATTISTA: Oh, yes, yes.

ROSENTHAL: Oh, yes. That's a very bad...

BATTISTA: That was amazing. What was that?

K. CLINTON: He should get combat pay. That was very good.

ROSENTHAL: He really should. He, you know, he was very modest. He has a very tough job, Mr. Lockhart, and he's a wonderful guy and very, very talented and funny himself. This whole staff is. And they were just great during this.

BATTISTA: Let me get a little sampling here from the audience really quick, because there has been some not-so-good reaction. There are some folks in the crowd that didn't like the tape too much -- Tim.

ROSENTHAL: I'll be going now.

TIM: No, critically I think it was a good tape for somebody other than the president to have done. But you did a good job.

ROSENTHAL: Well, thanks. What didn't -- why shouldn't the president make a tape like that?

TIM: My feeling is just that with the history of the office and the skepticism out in the public that it's more divisive than it is uniting. I think it's funny. I thought he was funny in the past. I would have preferred him to stay a president.

K. CLINTON: Well, I think the problem is that it kind of raises the bar, and now whoever's in the office next time, whoever's the next president, you know, will feel compelled to make a movie or something. I mean, you know, Mr. Bush doing the maybe "Austin Powers," "Real Austin Powers."

(LAUGHTER)

Maybe Al Gore doing a "Forrest Gump" remake. Or maybe "Love Story" finally.

(LAUGHTER)

Let me get the other side. Usha from Canada. The Canadians have a betters sense of humor. You like the -- you like the tape.

USHA: I think so. As I said, in today's world, we're in the 20th century. President, prime minister, they're all people, human beings. You know, I mean, it's like people coming to doctor saying, oh, you smoke? Sure they do.

So we all need those things. And this was beautifully done. It was classic. And as you said, it just took exactly the way he feels right now.

He loved his job. And you can see he's been passionate about his job. So it was good.

I only hope your opponent doesn't use it for election purposes.

(LAUGHTER)

BATTISTA: I don't want to go there. We'll take a quick break and continue here in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BATTISTA: Among those who attended the White House Correspondents Dinner, Regis Philbin, host of ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" model Christie Brinkley, Senator John McCain, and Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey.

Gosh, I didn't see -- I didn't see your face there, Kate. What happened? They lose the invitation.

K. CLINTON: I guess they lost the invitation. Was Leonardo DiCaprio there? BATTISTA: I would think so.

K. CLINTON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Is he journalist? Is he an actor? Actor, journalist, we don't know.

And was Diane Sawyer invited? You know, they thought, ugh, she's rolling around with Elian. Could she be a real journalist?

I think there was a little food fight.

BATTISTA: Between?

K. CLINTON: Leonardo and Diane.

BATTISTA: Phil, you were there, weren't you?

ROSENTHAL: I was there.

BATTISTA: I mean, for the dinner itself. Yes.

ROSENTHAL: Yes, sure.

K. CLINTON: What did you have to eat?

ROSENTHAL: I didn't eat much for dinner. I saw a little lamb chop, I think, was there and some salmon. It looked very nice. But I was too nervous to eat. I was worried about the speech and the video.

K. CLINTON: Ask them to save the meal for you.

ROSENTHAL: OK.

BATTISTA: Was that the -- in fact, the president was very good at making those little origami birds there. I'm sure he could make you a foil swan to take on your way out.

ROSENTHAL: Yes, he was great. There was one point where we were setting that shot up, and I was telling one camera to go over here and one camera over there to get this. And the president said to me, "What should I look at?" And I actually found myself saying to the president of the United States, "You look at the little paper bird you just made."

So surreal experience.

K. CLINTON: You did it well. Beautiful job.

ROSENTHAL: Thank you.

BATTISTA: Some members -- some members of the audience are a little concerned that -- that if Al Gore gets elected, that -- well, the tapes may not be as -- as good. I mean, I'm trying to say that in the nicest way I can.

K. CLINTON: You can always fix it in the edit. That's the deal. Fix it in the edit... ROSENTHAL: I think....

K. CLINTON: ... put more music over it.

I think he could do a fine job. I think he really is kind of underrated. I think he has a fine sense of humor.

ROSENTHAL: I agree.

K. CLINTON: And I don't think he's as wooden as anybody ever says.

ROSENTHAL: No, he...

K. CLINTON: Let Al be Al.

ROSENTHAL: He's got a terrific sense of humor. Yes, and he filmed a little piece for us too that I thought was very funny.

BATTISTA: You guys, though, are -- you guys are really, I would take it, going to miss this president, though. He's begin you an awful lot of material over the last eight years.

K. CLINTON: He has. But I tell you, I would be happy to have him come on the road with me and be my straight man, so to speak. I think two Clintons on the road would be fabulous.

But I think actually he's going to do a lot of good. I think he's going to be like Jimmy Carter and just be very busy doing a lot of humanitarian things. I think entertainment is lovely, but I think he's really going to be doing a lot of great things.

ROSENTHAL: I need him in entertainment!

K. CLINTON: All right.

BATTISTA: When -- let me go quickly to the audience and then a break. Nancy.

NANCY: I just want to say that I thought the video was clever, and I'm glad that you can poke fun at yourself even if you're the president. I think that's OK. You know, as Hillary's going up in the world and he's sort of going out, I thought it was funny him running with his lunch bag to Hillary.

K. CLINTON: I thought that was a sad shot.

BATTISTA: We've got to take a break. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

W. CLINTON: I'm working hard on this resume deal. I've been getting a lot of tips on how to write it, mostly from my staff. They really seem to be up on this stuff. And they tell me I have to use the active voice with a resume. You know, things like, commanded U.S. Armed Forces; ordered air strikes. Served three terms as president. Everybody embellishes a little.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BATTISTA: So, Phil, as the director of that tape, is that pretty much the highlight of your career? Of course, you're awfully young, I will say that, so you have lots to come ahead of you.

ROSENTHAL: It's one of the highlights of my life. I spent the week in the White House. I got to literally play with the president and his family there and his staff and they couldn't have been nicer.

I want to mention -- I mentioned Mark Katz, but I want to mention Jeff Schesel (ph), who's the speech writer at the White House, who helped us write. And you see that speech there too, the -- Mark and Jeff are primarily responsible for the content of that speech. And the president delivered that brilliantly too. He's really, really talented and funny.

BATTISTA: Kate are you looking forward to this election year here or is it a little dry out there right now?

K. CLINTON: Oh, no, it's exciting. And we have to keep it exciting so people will actually go and vote. Although I think if they really want, people would vote. They shouldn't put it on a Tuesday, you know. Like, have a weekend for voting and a picnic.

BATTISTA: All right. Phil Rosenthal and Kate Clinton.

K. CLINTON: And Bobbie.

BATTISTA: Thank you both very much. Thanks a lot...

ROSENTHAL: Thank you.

BATTISTA: ... for joining us. We appreciate it.

K. CLINTON: Thank you.

ROSENTHAL: Thanks a lot.

BATTISTA: And that'll do it for this edition of TALKBACK LIVE. We'll see you again tomorrow.

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