Bill Clinton: Difference between revisions

That month, Clinton implemented a Department of Defense directive known as "[[Don't Ask, Don't Tell]]", which allowed gay men and women to serve in the armed services provided they kept their sexual orientation a secret. The Act forbade the military from inquiring about an individual's sexual orientation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Feder |first1=Jody | title="Don't Ask, Don't Tell": A Legal Analysis | publisher=DIANE Publishing | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-4379-2208-0}}</ref> The policy was developed as a compromise after Clinton's proposal to allow gays to serve openly in the military met staunch opposition from prominent Congressional Republicans and Democrats, including senators [[John McCain]] (R-AZ) and [[Sam Nunn]] (D-GA). According to [[David Mixner]], Clinton's support for the compromise led to a heated dispute with Vice President Al Gore, who felt that "the President should lift the ban&nbsp;... even though [his executive order] was sure to be overridden by the Congress".<ref name="Mixner2009">{{cite book | last=Mixner | first=David | title=Stranger Among Friends | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Jeg2X025UgC| date=November 25, 2009 | publisher=Random House Publishing Group | isbn=978-0-307-42958-2 | pages=495–497}}</ref> Some gay-rights advocates criticized Clinton for not going far enough and accused him of making his campaign promise to get votes and contributions.<ref>{{cite news|title=Stranger Among Friends—book reviews |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_n11_v28/ai_18855826 |newspaper=[[Washington Monthly]] |first=John | last=Cloud |date=November 1996 |access-date=August 30, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826114431/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_n11_v28/ai_18855826/ |archive-date=August 26, 2011 }}</ref> Their position was that Clinton should have integrated the military by executive order, noting that President Harry S. Truman used executive order to racially desegregate the armed forces. Clinton's defenders argued that an executive order might have prompted the Senate to write the exclusion of gays into law, potentially making it harder to integrate the military in the future.<ref name="The Natural" /> Later in his presidency, in 1999, Clinton criticized the way the policy was implemented, saying he did not think any serious person could say it was not "out of whack".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://archives.cnn.com/1999/ALLPOLITICS/stories/12/11/clinton.gays.military/index.html | title=President seeks better implementation of 'don't ask, don't tell' | date=December 11, 1999 | work=CNN | access-date=August 30, 2011}}</ref> The policy remained controversial, and was finally [[Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010|repealed in 2011]], removing open sexual orientation as a reason for dismissal from the armed forces.<ref>{{cite news | title=Obama certifies end of military's gay ban | agency=Reuters | work=[[NBC News]] | date=July 22, 2011 | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43859711 | access-date=September 7, 2011}}</ref>

In November 1996, Clinton narrowly escaped possible assassination in the Philippines,<ref name="youtube.com">{{cite AV media | last1=Discovery TV | title=Clinton Assassination Attempt—Secret Service Secrets | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvhldq-OHK0 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220083137/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvhldq-OHK0 | archive-date=February 20, 2015 | via=YouTube | access-date=March 29, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref> which was a bridge bomb planted by [[al-Qaeda]] and was masterminded by [[Osama bin Laden]]. During Clinton's presidency, the attempt remained top secret,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gormley|first1=Ken | title=The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr | date=February 1, 2011 | publisher=Crown Publishing Group | isbn=978-0-307-40945-4 | page=800}}</ref> and it remains classified {{As of|lc=yes|2024|03}}, when Reuters reported having spoken with eight retired secret service agents about the incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/al-qaeda-plot-kill-bill-clinton-that-history-nearly-forgot-2024-03-23/|title=The al Qaeda plot to kill Bill Clinton that history nearly forgot|first=Jonathan|last=Landay|work=Reuters|date=2024-03-23|access-date=2024-03-24}}</ref>

In October 2021, Clinton was treated for [[sepsis]] at the [[University of California, Irvine Medical Center]].<ref>{{cite news|url = https://thehill.com/homenews/news/576882-bill-clinton-hospitalized-with-sepsis/|title = Bill Clinton hospitalized with sepsis|work = [[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|date = October 14, 2021|access-date = October 14, 2021|last = Choi|first = Joseph}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://apnews.com/article/bill-clinton-released-hospital-98cfbab9c7cb593a8449d4ca8c916cbf|title = Bill Clinton back home after hospitalization from infection|last = Daley|first = Haven|date= October 17, 2021|access-date = October 19, 2021|work = [[Associated Press]]}}</ref> In December 2022, Clinton tested positive for [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Former U.S. President Clinton tests positive for COVID |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/bill-clinton-tests-positive-covid-tweet-2022-11-30/ |access-date=December 1, 2022 |work=Reuters |date=November 30, 2022}}</ref>