Bill Clinton: “Dinner November 9, 1999 Thank you very much. After that introduction, I am thinking many things. [Laughter] I'm…”

“Dinner November 9, 1999 Thank you very much. After that introduction, I am thinking many things. [Laughter] I'm thinking, I wonder how long it will be before Miguel will run for office. [Laughter] I'm thinking, it is much better to have such a friend than an opponent. [Laughter] Thank you. Thank you for being my friend in ways that are personal as well as political. You may, however, have caused me quite a problem tonight, not over Vieques but over saying I have a Hispanic soul. Not very long ago the great African-American Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison said I was the first black President. [Laughter] And if I am the first black President and the first President to have a Hispanic soul, I'm afraid they'll never let me go home to Ireland. [Laughter] It might be worth it. [Laughter] Loretta Sanchez, thank you very much for your leadership and standing up here tonight and performing in your usual, laid back, repressed fashion. [Laughter] What a joy it is to have somebody like you in Congress who's not ashamed to have a good time being in public life. We ought to all enjoy it and be honored. You know, when I see people trudging around here all the time, complaining about how hard public life is and all the burdens, I say, ``You know, they're not giving these jobs away. Nobody made you come up here.'' [Laughter] People come to me all the time and say, ``Hasn't this been just awful for you?'' I say, no. [Laughter] It's actually been quite wonderful.…”