Bill Clinton: “Well, one of my great predecessors, Harry Truman, who was President, as you know, right after World War II, said that he…”

“Well, one of my great predecessors, Harry Truman, who was President, as you know, right after World War II, said that he discovered after he became President that his job largely consisted of trying to talk other people into doing what they ought to do anyway. Sometimes I feel that way, that I don't have as much power as I thought I would have. On the other hand, this is a place with some power. As anyone who has ever exercised power will tell you, there is always the tug of the mind and the heart, of the interests and the values. And what you have to do is to decide how much you can do and do that and do it as well as you can and then try to marshal the energies and ideas and values of other people to help. So that is what I am trying to do. I am trying to construct a framework in which Italy and France and Germany and England and the South American powers and the Asian powers and the African powers can cooperate to try to deal with horrible problems in which the United States leads but does not attempt to do something it cannot do. And every day I think about it. I am doing my best to live out my ideals, understanding that I have to have everyone else's help in order to do it. But I am, frankly, more optimistic than I was about the future of the world than when I took office. Mr. Lugato. Mr. President, we thank you very much. And really be welcome in my country, and have a great time in Italy.”