Clinton sleeps on floor so elder Bush can have bed


NEW YORK (AP) -- On their tour of tsunami damage in Southeast Asia, former President Bill Clinton once allowed his predecessor, former President George H.W. Bush, to sleep on the plane's only bed while he stretched out on the floor.

The government plane in which the presidents toured the disaster area had one large bedroom and another room with tables and seats, according to an interview with Bush in this week's Newsweek.

Bush, 80, said Clinton offered ahead of time to give the older former president the bedroom so he could lie flat and avoid paining his body. Clinton, 58, decided to play cards in the other room that night.

The next morning, Bush said he peeked in and saw Clinton sound asleep on the plane's floor.

"We could have switched places, each getting half a night on the bed, but he deferred to me. That was a very courteous thing, very thoughtful, and that meant a great deal to me," Bush said.

Bush said he and Clinton are not close, but have been compatible on the tour, partly because Clinton respects his age.

The March 14 issue of Newsweek hits newsstands Monday.

Yay.

Bill apparently knows a thing or two about having to sleep in the other room.

I just think its nice that in the age we currently live in of "liberals vs. conservatives", to see two gentlemen who represent those sides get along well and promote a decent cause together.

for some reason when i see them together i start to think about the movie "my fellow americans"

Meh. They both know about the alien overlords, so politics is kind of below them now.

--PunkDavid

i think about that animated saturday night live sketch with a bunch of the ex-presidents

Yeah, I can believe that.

Clinton always seemed like the kind of guy who could just get along with anyone. And when he was president, there were a lot of stories about him just giving random things to people. I remember someone told him that they liked his tie one day - so he took it off and handed it over. =P

I was kinda young through the first Bush administration (think 10ish) but I never had a problem with Senior.

It's weird how something like that has to become newsworthy. I mean come on - one bed, and Bush is 80 years old. Seems like anyone who's got a shred of decency would have done the same.

the guy is freakin 80! of course he gets the bed

My question is, why do former presidents have to sleep in a room with a single bed? I don't care if they are sleeping in the middle of Afghanistan. Air lift a Dennys or McDonalds(For Bill) in there, and throw up two cots. I have seen fast food joints go up between a red light and a green one. Only really bad planning could lead to this situation. Say it was a king or queen sized bed though, could they have slept together without causing a scandel?

I do find it difficult to believe that we sent these guys to the other side of the world in a plane with one bed.

How long before they're seen riding a bicycle with two seats or drinking a malt from the same cup with two straws?





Our love must be a kind of blind love...

Anyone else think of this movie when you see them together?

Yeah, jlvsprljam, about 10 posts above yours.

And much like Elder Bush, I need pictures to operate.