Bill Clinton: Presidents should be able to serve three terms
President Bill Clinton says he thinks that in the future, presidents should be able to serve a third, non-consecutive term as president - though he emphasizes that he doesn't think that such a rule should apply to himself.
In an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the former president, who was promoting his new book "Back to Work," said he thought he'd "always thought" a former two-term president should be able to run again after having taken some time off.
"I've always thought that should be the rule," he told MSNBC's Joe Scarborough. "I think as a practical matter, you couldn't apply it to anyone who has already served, but going forward, I personally believe that should be the rule."
"People are living longer, people are developing greater capacities, so I've always thought that should be the rule, not to affect me or anyone that's served, but going forward," he added.
Clinton, who also appeared on NBC's "Today Show" Tuesday, declined to say whether or not he thought his wife, Hillary Clinton, would have outperformed President Obama had she been elected in his place.
"I don't think about it," Clinton said, adding that, "I deal with the world as it is. I think [Obama's] done a better job than he's getting credit for."
The book, released Tuesday, outlines his strategy for improving the economy and creating jobs, brushed off the idea that America would not be able to turn around from the economic downturn. He argued, however, that Americans need to be patient.
"Americans hire presidents to win for them. He understands that, but they just need to understand that this is going to take some time to get out of and we need to begin," Clinton said. "We can get out of this."