Clinton Pushes Library as Top Priority
for Post-Presidency Agenda
President Bill Clinton asked businesses in his home state of Arkansas December 10 to help him build his $125-million presidential library in Little Rock. He said he envisioned the library as “a beacon of hope” in his plan to devote his post-presidency time to resolving racial, ethnic, and religious strife.
The Associated Press reported that Clinton pitched the library at the annual meeting of the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, where he was the keynote speaker and received an award. He said he wanted to use the library “to give something back to this state and this community that have given so much to me.”
Clinton said, “I want this to be a museum, but not a mausoleum.” He told the business community that he was grateful to the mayor and other officials who have come under fire for using tax dollars to acquire the library’s 26-acre riverfront site. “I’m sorry for all the heat you’ve taken, but it will be a good investment,” he said.
Posted December 20, 1999.
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