And im kerry sayers. And im your host, bill kurtis. Its our look at president clinton through the decades. The presidency is the highest office in the land. And over the course of our history, the men who held that post have each impacted and shaped this country. In 1992, the youngest man since jfk, 46 year old William Jefferson clinton, then jfk, 46 year old William Jefferson clinton, then governor elected our fortysecond president of the United States. Today on through the decades we take a look at the presidency and legacy of bill clinton. He was charismatic, intelligent and approachable but his eight years in office would be plagued by personal scandal but that didnt prevent him from leaving office with the highest Approval Rating of an outgoing president since world war ii. We begin, where it all begins for every president. With an election. By november, 1992, the reagan revolution of the 1980s had run out of steam. Reagans successor, president george bush, was seen as aristocratic and outoftouch. It was a new decade and america was ready for a new style of leadership. Enter arkansas governor bill clinton. Heres governor clinton with his family. Lets just soak up the moment. On this day with high hopes, and brave hearts and massive numbers, the American People have voted to make a new beginning. This election is a clarion call for our country to face the challenges of the end campaign. I remind you again tonight, my fellow americans, that this victory was more than a victory of party, it was a victory for the people who work hard and play by the rules. On november 3, 1992, the democratic nominee became president elect and it almost looked like a story book ending to a modern political fairy tale but the reality was just little different. A campaign that had begun 13 months earlier in little rock, arkansas saw the potential democratic frontrunner drop to comeback kid in the primaries. Most people like to dish it out, more than they like to take it and i have been americas resident expert on taking it for the last month. Clinton had been bruised and burned as questions about his early years arose and the media doggedly pursued answers to affairs, draft dodging and drug use. The answer to that question is i have never broken a state law and that when i was in england, i experimented with marijuana a time or two and i didnt like it and didnt inhale and never tried it again. His supporters, thought the voters would be more interested in his economic policies and took to the airwaves to ease the damage. I think clintons success day shows the fact that voters are more interested in their day shows the fact that voters are more interested in their own going to come along and address those problems than they are about some personal dirt thats going to be thrown back and forth. But by june, clintons was a floundering campaign as his personal life was threatening to drown out any other political conversation. As rumors began to swirling about a potential brokered dnc convention, bill Clintons Campaign began to regroup. The new strategy bypass traditional media, reach out to so, he played sax on the arsenio hall show. saxophone sounds he appeared on the cover of time and People Magazine for in depth interviews about his family and childhood. He talked about being raised by a single mother and his struggle with an alcoholic step father. He even went on the new mtv voters directly. The problem weve got now is, we got paralysis in washington, not enough decisions are being made. It was new, it was edgy and it worked. By the time the convention arrived, bill clinton was back. I have news for the forces of greed and the defenders of the status quo. Your time has come and gone. Its time for a change in america. From then as the calendar to pollsters and stratgeists call a bit of luck. He was talking about reviving an economy and pulling himself up to an American Dream running against the incumbent president and gop candidate george h. W. Bush and billionaire independent, ross perot. Now all these fellas with thousand dollar suits and alligator shoes runnin up and down the halls of congress, that make policy now, the lobbyists, the pac guys, the foreign lobbyists and what have you. Theyll be over there in the smithsn the congress will be listening to the people and the American People are willing to have fair shared sarifice. Theyre not as stupid as washington thinks they are. President bush had broken a Campaign Promise he had bolstered running for office the first time. Read my lips. No new taxes. And the Clinton Campaign capitalized on that, Running Campaign over and over read my lips. No new taxes. Then he gave us the second biggest tax increase in American History. President bush didnt recover from the barrage and on november 3, 1992 the voters had their say. That the people have spoken, and we respect the majesty of the democratic system. I just ll little rock and offered my congratulations. He did run a strong campaign. I wish him well in the white house. Our destiny is bound up with the destiny of every american. Were all in this together, and we will rise or fall together. That has been my message to the American People for the past 13 months and it will be my message for the next four years. Together we can do it. We love everything it was meant to be. I still believe in a place called hope. God bless america thank you all and with that president elect clinton established the beginning of a new political era and one that has a Lasting Legacy even decades later. When we continue our journey, well look back when on when the president was forced to answeror the decision to put u. S. Troops in the middle of one of the decades bloodiest fights. Plus, his signature effort to fight the growing crime problem. Stay with us as we continue our look back on the legacy of president bill clinton. Before he was elected, he had to be nominated, we go back to 1992 for this moment in time from bcl for president. We know there will be some pro material in it. Thanks dick threlkeld. The lights come back on. The film is over. Its the moment. The climatic moment of this 1992 democractic nominating convention. Governor bill clinton is backstage waiting to walk on. Applause and cheers we want bill we want bill we want bill we want bill now that we have changed the world, its time to change america. The whitewater controversy would pull at president bill clintons integrity throughout his first term. And in the summer of 1996, he provided videotaped testimony, for the second time, asserting his innocence in a real estate testified under oath and on camera for the second time in three months. The president is not accused of any wrongdoing. He was ordered to give videotaped testimony for the defense in a whitewater related criminal trial. Ar whitewater doesnt hold the same sensationalism as a Monica Lewinsky affair which would unravel two years later. But throughout the first four years of the Clinton Administration, the media kept steady pressure on the first couple over an investment they made in 1978. Back then, the clintons went into business with james and susan mcdougal. Together they formed the Whitewater Development corporation and bought 230 acres of land along arkansas Whitewater River in hopes of developing it the deal was a flop. That wasnt a crime but after whitewater went sour, the mcdougals engaged in several schemes that would come back to haunt the clintons. The mcdougals and governor tucker were convicted of lying to obtain federal loans for real estate deals. Much of the money was intended for disadvantaged businesses. Taxpayers lost more than three million dollars. Prosecutors never accused the president nor first lady of wrongdoing but one witness, david hale, did testify the president exerted infce former banker who testified that mr. Clinton pressured him in the mid1980s to make one of the illegal loans to susan mcdougal. Clintons names being found on documents surrounding the mcdougals illegal activities triggered the investigation that would become known as the whitewater scandal. Well, i looked forward to being able to tell the grand jury what i know. To be able to answer their questions. I, like everyone else, would like to know the answer about how those documents showed up after all these years. Arkansas and in washington. An allegation is not the same thing as a fact and, particularly i would remind the American People when it comes to the whole whitewater issue the allegations have often, and matter of fact virtually always, bore no relationship to the facts. Thats really the story of this r the clintons were eventually cleared of any wrongdoing but fifteen others were not. The president s Arkansas Business partners and political allies found guilty on multiple counts including conspiracy and fraud. Whitewater was a noticeably expensive and complicated investigation and one neither side of the aisle was particularly pleased with. Democrats considered it a witch hunt while republicans saw the clintons exoneration as an injustice. It epitomized partisan something that only intensfied when the press got wind of a former white house intern named Monica Lewinsky. Still to come, we look back at a moment that saw president clinton sent u. S. Troops to a southeastern europeanountry for the very first time in an effort to keep the peace. Plus, the scandal that rocked his presidency. The use of the military is a president. In late 1995, the former yugoslavia was resting on a tenuous Peace Agreement after years of bitter animosity, war and ethnic cleansing. The dayton peace accords divided power in bosnia and quelled the fighting. But tensions remained high and on december 2nd, president clinton authorized the deployment of u. S. Troops to world war ii is getting still worse, rapidly. Tonight the world watches in horror as the tragedy and terror of bosnia spreads. In the early 1990s, the world was shocked by images coming out of the former yugoslavia. Mass displacement, incarceration and murder on a scale reminiscent of the second world war. World powers intervened this included airstrikes against Serbian Forces that were beseiging bosnian muslims. Confirm were dropping. That is affirma cleared to drop. Ive got the target on my nose. We have bomb splash, bomb splash for a second straight day, u. S. Planes bombed Serbian Forces besieging the muslim town of gorazde. President clinton says the strikes are designed to force the serbs back to the negotiating table but so far their response has been defiance. In late 1995, peace appeared to finally be at hand through the dayton accords. But the peace was shaky and with president clinton ordered u. S. Ground troops to the region. The first substantial commitment of American Forces in the balkans conflict has begun. President clinton ordered 700 troops into bosnia in the next few days. The vanguard force will pave the way for the eventual involvement of 20,000 u. S. Peacekeeping troops following the signing if the bosnian peace accord later this month. The American Forces were to act as peacekeepers but questions persisted over the scope of the mission. Republicans say the president should go before the American Public again to answer some key questions. Among them whats the exit strategy . What happens if the agreement falls apart . And how will american soldiers be protected against armed factions with no interest in ending the war . In congress, legislators and especially republican president ial candidates grappled with the dilemma of whether or not to suppport the president. I havent backed away from my theres an exit strategy. Im not willing to put brave, Young Americans as buffers between warring factions that have broken every ceasefire and violated every treaty for the last 500 years. With congressional support in question, the Clinton Administration went into full p. R. Mode. The president s people were on capitoll trying to explain the role of u. S. Troops in bosnia. Where actually will the troops be stationed . New maps were produced this week showing a bosnia divided into three sectors british troops in the west, french in the south and the u. S. Troops in the north 20,000 americans supported by 8,000 foreign troops, including russians. American soldiers are supposed to patrol a buffer zone between the warring sides. Just separating the serb and Bosnian Federation forces. The task for the u. S. Army is to make sure the sides keep their distance by force if necessary. If any element weaponry, troops you name it does not pull back when theyre told to pull back then theyre going to get it. The administrations lobbying efforts proved to be successful in gaining congressional support. In gaining congressional support. Seriousness of the mission, president clinton paid a personal visit to the soldiers about to be deployed. President clinton came to the u. S. Army base in baumholder, germany, to show solidarity with soontobe frontline troops of the american peacekeeping mission in bosnia. But with soldiers and their families apprehensive about the undertaking, president clinton acknowledged it could be dangerous. You know better than anyone that every deployment has risks. If you are threatened immediately and with decisive force. The crowd seemed receptive, if not enthusiastic. At one point the president s usual round of handshaking turned into a serious discussion with troops families. We talked with a Team Assigned to a multiple rocket launcher. Do you feel like bosnia is a place that the u. S. Ought to be going . chuckles me personally, uh no. Its a civil affair and i really dont think we have business there. But, the army wants us there and were going. Field artillery specialist william burt is for the mission. Well i support it, i support it to a point, of course. This is what we have to do. How about you . Your husband is about to be deployed. Of course i dont want him to go, cause you know, hell be away from his family. But, um, i the president said he wanted to come here to look directly into the eyes of the soldiers who are going into the eyes of their wives, their husbands, their children; because they are about to do a noble and important thing. He explained i wanted to say directly to them, here is why you are going and afterword many of them said that at the very least, his visit here showed that he and america care about what happens to them. As we continue our look back on the 42nd president , now we take a look back at the 1996 Democratic Convention for then incumbent, president bill clinton. Rodham clinton for 20 years. One child, daughter chelsea, age 16. One halfbrother, roger clinton. Both of his parents are gone. Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman. Mr. Vice president. My fellow democrats and my fellow americans. Thank you for your nomination. So many have contributed to the record we have made for the American People but one above all, my partner, my friend and the best vicepresident in our history, al gore. Tonight. Tonight, i thank the city of chicago, its great mayor and its magnificent convention. I love chicago for many reasons for your powerful spirit, your sports teams, your lively politics but most of all for the love and light of my life, chicagos daughter, hillary. Four years ago, you and i set vision to our country, to keep the American Dream alive for all who were willing to work for it, to make our American Community stronger, to keep america the Strongest Force for high unemployment, stagnant wages, crime, welfare and the deficit on the rise, with a host of unmet challenges and a rising tide of cynicism, i told you about a place i was born and i told you that i still believed in a place called hope. We have pursued a simple but profound strategy for all, responsibility from all, a strong united American Community. In the 1990s, crime rates were soaring and president clinton who wanted to be seen as being tough on crime, signed the Violent Crime control and Law Enforcement act of 1994. A law which included among other for criminals. It was then considered one of clintons top accomplishments as president. In miami this week, a drug agent and a Police Officer wounded by a drug dealer. In cleveland, a stabbing at a high school and in washington today over a hundred mayors met to talk about the subject thats uppermost in their minds crime. If you cannot feel safe in your home or on the streets of wherever you live, life isnt worth living. Wherever you live, life isnt worth living. President clinton was on a mission to combat these fears with his crime bill and in early 1994, he asked mayors to Lobby Congress on its behalf. We do not need to fool around with this for six months. So lets do it and lets do it with benefit of mayors and chiefs of police who know what it is to do it right. But republicans were opposed. Fighting against the legislation, calling the bill a months later, the house voted. The bill has passed. After weeks of bickering, the house finally voted 285 to 141 to pass a 28billion dollar crime bill backed by the white house. The bill authorizes funds for 50thousand new state and local Police Officers, expands the list of federal crimes that can result in the death penalty, calls for three strikes and youre out. Life in prison for a violent federal offense or serious drug offense after two there are also billions of d