the popular vote to Dole’s 41 percent and winning
379 electoral votes. Clinton began his second term
in 1997 by appointing Madeleine Albright as the first
female secretary of state. He set out to make educa-
tion and balancing the budget his priorities for his
second term. Clinton also signed legislation in 1996
raising the minimum wage.
Clinton’s second term hit a major stumbling
block when, in January, 1998, independent counsel
Kenneth Starr, who had investigated the Clintons’
Whitewater land deal from the 1980’s, made a major
discovery while investigating Clinton’s deposition in
the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit. In that
testimony, Clinton denied having a sexual relation-
ship with a former White House intern, Monica
Lewinsky. Clinton strongly denied any sexual rela-
tionship, and the scandal hung over the administra-
tion throughout 1998. In August, 1998, Clinton con-
fessed to an “inappropriate relationship” with
Lewinsky. Therefore, many thought Clinton com-
mitted perjury in his testimony in the Jones case,
which led the House of Representatives to impeach
the president. He became the second president in
U.S. history to be impeached. The Senate, however,
voted not to remove him from office. The Lewinsky
investigation backfired on the Republicans, as their
party lost seats in the 1998 midterm elections.
Despite the impeachment, Clinton’s approval rat-
ings remained high, and he spent the rest of his term
promoting peace in the Middle East and Northern
Ireland. He left office with a 65 percent approval rat-
ing—the highest end-of-term approval since Presi-
dent Dwight D. Eisenhower. The United Kingdom
joined the United States in air attacks on Iraq in late
1998, after Iraq turned away U.N. weapons inspec-
tors. Many thought this was a major setback to Iraq’s
weapons of mass destruction program. The U.S.
economy also stayed strong during Clinton’s second
term; he left office with a budget surplus of $230 bil-
lion. Clinton supported his wife when she an-
nounced in 1999 that she would run for the Senate
from New York in 2000. She was able to run on her
husband’s legacy of a healthy economy and concern
for children and the middle class.
Impact Bill Clinton, as the first Democratic presi-
dent reelected since the 1930’s, was a major power
player throughout the 1990’s. He was responsible
for bringing the Democratic Party to the center,
where it largely remains to this day. Thanks to his
leadership, when he left office the economy was
strong, the crime rate was down, and America was
widely respected throughout the world. One cannot
study the 1990’s without considering the influence
that Clinton had throughout the decade.
Further Reading
Clinton, Bill.Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the
World. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Clinton’s
newest book, describing how everyone can
change the world by supporting charities and be-
ing involved in their own communities.
_______.My Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.
Clinton’s memoir provides a behind-the-scenes
account of his political career.
Clinton, Hillary Rodham.Living Histor y. New York:
Simon & Schuster, 2003. Describes the First
Lady’s White House years and her political life.
Hamilton, Nigel.Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency.
New York: PublicAffairs, 2007. A study of Clin-
ton’s character and policies by an accomplished
biographer.
David MurphySee also Albright, Madeleine; Bosnia conflict;
Bush, George H. W.; Business and the economy in
the United States; Clinton, Hillary Rodham; Clin-
ton’s impeachment; Clinton’s scandals; Cohen, Wil-
liam S.; Dole, Bob; Don’t ask, don’t tell; Elections in
the United States, midterm; Elections in the United
States, 1992; Elections in the United States, 1996;
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; Foreign pol-
icy of the United States; Gore, Al; Haiti intervention;
Health care; Health care reform; Israel and the
United States; Kosovo conflict; Lewinsky scandal;
Liberalism in U.S. politics; North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA); Social Security reform;
Somalia conflict; Starr Report; Troopergate; Wel-
fare reform; Whitewater investigation. Clinton, Hillary Rodham
Identification First Lady of the United States,
1993-2001
Born October 26, 1947; Chicago, Illinois
Clinton served as First Lady in the 1990’s and brought im-
portant issues to the forefront of policy debates, all the while
fulfilling the traditional role of First Lady and being a sup-
portive wife and mother.The Nineties in America Clinton, Hillary Rodham 191