November 4, 2009 10:18 AM

Bill Clinton, George W. Bush to Debate in NYC

By
Brian Montopoli
Topics
In The News
(CBS/AP)
Updated 4:38 p.m. ET

NOTE: This Event Has Been Called Off. See the Bottom of This Post.

It is, according to organizers, "the hottest ticket in political history": On February 25th, former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will share a stage at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Interested spectators can pay $60 for the cheap seats or up to $160 to be closer to the action. They can also shell out $1,250 to attend a cocktail reception with the former presidents in addition to the discussion.

As Newsday reports, the two men have been teaming up a lot: They appeared together in Toronto in May (reports speculated that they earned $150,000 each for the hour-long appearance) and will be together at a TD Ameritrade conference in Florida in February.

A spokesperson for Madison Square Garden Entertainment, which is hosting the event, declined to discuss what, if anything, the former presidents are being paid. Organizers at these sorts of events generally do not disclose compensation.

A press release from the group said the two men will discuss "topics ranging from the economy to foreign policy."

"The series will be formatted to allow for President Clinton and President Bush to each present their thoughts on a wide range of important current events and national issues through a moderated question and answer period during which the moderator can elicit information and insights into particularly pertinent topics of the day," according to the release.

A spokesperson for MSG Entertainment said the moderator would be announced closer to the date of the event.

The discussion may not offer the fireworks that partisans might hope for: At the Toronto event, Mr. Bush called Mr. Clinton "brother" and the two rarely disagreed despite their ideological differences. The Toronto crowd was reportedly disappointed and had hoped for a more spirited debate.

The two men did differ occasionally, with Mr. Bush rejecting Mr. Clinton's suggestion that his attention had been diverted away from Afghanistan because of the Iraq war.

Mr. Bush recently spoke at a motivational seminar in Texas designed to "give the average American the opportunity to be able to experience the really amazing story of being face to face with the greatest leaders and achievers on the planet."

Unlike his former vice president, Dick Cheney, Mr. Bush has not been critical of President Obama, saying his successor "deserves my silence."

UPDATE: The New York Post is reporting (and CNN confirms) that the event has been called off because "the promoter overhyped it as a death-match faceoff between the men," as the Post puts it.

"This event...was supposed to be a discussion between the two former presidents, and has been cancelled because it was not being billed as such by an overeager promoter," Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna told the Post.

Add a Comment See all 20 Comments
by Justiceserved November 6, 2009 2:46 PM EST
Yes, we are all in front of the TV watching Hannity, O'Reilly, Beck, Limbaugh, Dobbs...oh wait, they are on Faux News, except Dobbs on CNN. We who work don't have much time to watch these people, or attend teabag rallies, as we're too busy wondering if we have to cut another employee to afford healthcare. The Rep. are shills of big ins., big oil, big pharma, big defense contractors and the American people are not as dumb as they think. Those that don't know the difference between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence!!! Mr. Boehner is a fool and he is their minority leader, pathetic!!!
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by edgy44 November 4, 2009 2:01 PM EST
They should have the debate in Iraq. Make it an outdoor event on main street in Falluja. Bring Cheney and Hillary.
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by pwgrant November 4, 2009 1:44 PM EST
jmca2009: The bailout was created by Bush (after creatign the mess in the first place.) Obama followed through.
Reply to this comment
by stinger1z November 4, 2009 1:33 PM EST
Someone remind him he never found Bin Laden.
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by timdgrim November 4, 2009 1:00 PM EST
"Hey...now...I'm a masterdebater and one of them motivacational speakers. They paid 19 bucks to see me and them other right thinkers down in Ft. Worth. I spoke a lot of big words and recollected my best motivisizing speeches from my time as the decider. Like...member this un..."Your either with us or again us."...Speakin' of Guiness..how bout a drink everybody!!"

George W. Bush...son of Poppy Bush, the daddy that gave him everything.
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by watkinsjr2000 November 4, 2009 12:55 PM EST
Former Presidents Clinton & Bush aren't running against each other for anything, so there will be no incentive for either to try & make the other look bad.Because of this, the "debate" will likely have all the intensity, suspense, and fireworks of an NBA training camp practice. Were it an actual "debate" I suspect Clinton would slaughter Bush,but(again) this won't be a real campaign style debate. Nobody is likely to go for the jugular here. Frankly it sounds like a real bore.

Both Presidents Clinton & Bush are being paid an utterly obscene amount of money to do this.I can't imagine why anyone would want the headaches of being a U.S. President, but being a former president would be a dream job.Former presidents these days literally make rock star levels of money & get all kinds of perks.

What former presidents do today certainly differs from what occurred in the past. Harry Truman refused to take money for anything that involved purely trading off the fact that he was a former president. He believed it cheapened the presidency.All of the money he made from books, speeches,etc.was donated by him to his presidential library & to other charities. Truman lived on a pension after he left the White House.I think he had the right idea, but getting any former president today to follow his example is a pipe-dream !!
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by jmca2009 November 4, 2009 12:28 PM EST
Bush is not criticizing his successor, but I guess Clinton doesn't follow that courtesy.
History will be kinder to Bush then the internet bloggers.
Bush spent 700 billion on 2 wars over 8 years to defend America from terrorists and the nuclear ambitious.
Obama spent more than that in his first 3 weeks and he handed it out to rich wall street bankers.


Which is worse?
Reply to this comment
by vpcharan November 4, 2009 12:23 PM EST
Who would pay to listen to these men debate and debate about what? Only fools. Go for it.
Reply to this comment
by zippiez November 4, 2009 12:17 PM EST
This makes no sense.

Bush can't reenvision history as well as Lord Vader, whoops, Cheney.
Reply to this comment
by RedWings_ninety_one November 4, 2009 12:03 PM EST
The only thing to debate, the economy. Clinton gave us a surplus, then Bush's war really got our national debt in gear. Without finishing "Bush's Daddy's War," we'd probably have a much better economy.
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