Clinton-Mania

The independent bookstore Book Passage, based in Marin County, scored a marketing coup last year when Senator Hillary Clinton autographed copies of her White House memoirs, Living History. On June 28, 2004, exactly one year later, the bookseller will land the big fish himself: Bill Clinton will be autographing copies of My Life at Book Passage’s outlet at the Ferry Building.

One week before the Big Event the line to reserve a place in next Monday’s line was consistently 5 to 10 persons deep. Women in my office have already submitted their forms.

“You’re going to buy the book anyway, so why not get HIS autograph?”, said a forty-ish credit executive who intimidates all her male colleagues. A finance VP told me how the ex-President looked terrible during the Dan Rather interview, but the faraway look in her eyes betrayed that the long-forgotten schoolgirl in her would readily swoon in His presence.

Next Monday lawyers, doctors, professors, and CEO’s will take extra time to fix their hair and make-up. When the fever passes, as it did when they surveyed the wreckage of their stock portfolios at the end of the 1990’s, they will ask themselves, “What was I thinking?”