By: Will Nelligan

In 2004, after he underwent quadruple bypass surgery, a lot of Americans (including myself) were put a little more in touch with President Clinton's own mortality. Now, as I find myself glued to my computer and television, awaiting information on his latest of heart troubles, I'm also thinking about the mortality of Mr. Clinton's party.

Despite personal scandals and political failures, Clinton turned out to be one of the most effective and popular presidents in United States history. While President Obama's staff has talked about learning from Clinton's failures; it seems like it might be time to also learn from the Clinton successes.

Bill Clinton was the first Democrat since FDR to win re-election to the presidency. This was pretty significant by itself, but more significantly, he won after raising the income tax on wealthy families, mandating family and medical leave, placing more restrictions on handguns, increasing funding to tax credits for working families, and creating the AmeriCorps service program. Not exactly centerpieces of a centrist agenda, and yet to today's Democratic leadership, most of what Clinton did during his two terms in office would be inconceivable; a death-knell for the party's electoral opportunities. Why?

In short, because Clinton was able to be all things to all people. Toni Morrison described him as "the first black president," a Rhodes Scholar and Georgetown lawyer who never seemed to rub away the common beginnings he shared with tens of millions of his constituents. The RNC couldn't label Clinton an elitist, a snob, or arrogant; in fact, they couldn't seem to label him as anything besides "the Teflon President."

In the past year, President Obama hasn't enjoyed the same popularity or legislative success. And the president's instinct to tackle every issue from a bold and visionary perspective has only made it easier for Republicans to scare people into joining their political causes.

According to time .com on March 29, 2009 two journalists Laura ling and Euna lee were doing a report when they were arrested and convicted of illegally entering North Korea. The two journalists wore sentenced to 12 years in prison after being charged with illegally entering a Korean military base. After 140 days in prison ex-president Clinton went to North Korea on Tuesday unannounced and CNS News reports that North Korea’s government specially requested that bill Clinton come and have a meeting with North Korean leader Kim jog. Bill Clinton told jog the journalists didn’t know they were crossing the border and it was an accident. Read more...

While meeting with Congolese university students during a trip to Kinshasa, Congo in Africa, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had to a point to make. “My husband is not the secretary of state”! What appeared to have been a minor mistake between a French speaking student and their translator became a bigger issue during this visit. Read more...

UPDATE II (Original Post Follows Updates)

Journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling returned to American soil today, touching down in Los Angeles where they were reunited with their families. In a press conference held at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank an emotional Ling read from a statement thanking former President Clinton and a host of others for securing her and Lee's release.

 See Ling read her statement to the press.