Most news services reporting on Bill Clinton’s new book of memoirs mention that the day he confessed to Hillary about the Monica L. episode was his worst day in his term of office. They go on to say that “for weeks [or maybe months, I forget] thereafter he slept on the couch.”
Now we all know that sleeping on the couch is a time-honored rite of penance for your average red-blooded American husband (and, I suspect, male SOs worldwide as well). But Bill Clinton is no ordinary mopey, cheatin’-ass hubby. He’s president of the United States, fercryinoutloud! I suspect he had sleeping options other then “on the couch” if he wanted them. Surely there are real bedrooms elsewhere in the White House at his disposal (the Lincoln bedroom, perhaps?).
So, does Bill assert that he literally slept on a couch until Hillary’s rath cooled, perhaps as a showy gesture of contrition to his wife? Or is he (or the commentators) just being metaphorical? (Note: I do not have a copy of Clinton’s book, nor did I watch his 60 Minutes, or any other, interview. So, forgive me if this is a silly question that everybody already knows the answer to.)
Well, it depends what the definition of “couch” is…
Just kidding. The White House is a good-sized mansion so Bill could certainly have set up in a nearby bedroom while he and Hillary worked it out. I seriously doubt he’d be relegated to an actual couch.
You pick the wrong White House couch and you’re gonna be sniffin’ Yassar Arafat’s ass. I can’t believe Slick Willie didn’t just mean relegated to the doghouse.
As far as I can tell, the transcript doesn’t help clear up the question much. I’d like to hear from someone who’s read the new book. Does he offer a explanation as to why he slept on a couch instead of one of the many extra bedrooms?
I just saw Clinton on “Oprah,” and he did say that he literally slept on a couch because it was in a room he liked (because it had a desk and a TV and a good reading light). Oprah asked him if he meant a sofa bed, and he said no, just a plain couch.
Oddly, this validates something I’ve asserted for years in debates about who is more powerful in society: men or women. My ultimate trump has always been, “You could be one of the most powerful, richest, most influential men in the world, you could be the President of the United States, but if you piss off your wife you are still going to be sleeping on the couch.”
[IMHO]
This, of course, assumes Mr. Clinton is telling the truth. I’m of the opinion that Hillary has known about his sexual shenanigans all along, and couldn’t care less. So why would she insist he sleep on the couch?
[/IMHO]
Take a gander at Senator Clinton. Personally, I would jump at the chance to sleep on the couch versus in her boudoir. Maybe Slick Willy used her anger as an excuse.