Aide: Bill broke pact with Hillary

Hillary Clinton missed an opportunity to be governor?

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Bill and Hillary Clinton had a secret pact to first take turns as governor of Arkansas, then as U.S. president, but Bill at the last minute reneged on his end of the deal, a close Clinton aide reveals.

In 1990, Bill Clinton was supposed to retire as governor of Arkansas and support his wife in that role, the long-time aide told WND in an exclusive interview. But he changed his mind about giving up the post and kept his decision from Hillary.

"Bill screwed Hillary over when he announced his plans to run for re-election in Arkansas," said the aide, who insisted on anonymity.

"He was supposed to step aside and let Hillary run for governor," he said.

"But he didn't tell Hillary about his change of plans, and she heard it when she was sitting behind him when he made the announcement."

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The confidante, who has been with Clinton from the start, said Hillary was as shocked as the hundreds of supporters and state employees the governor had gathered to the March 1, 1990, news conference at the statehouse in Little Rock. Everyone expected Clinton to announce his retirement.

In a somber tone, Clinton started his speech by saying: "I think it is no surprise to any of you that the decision that I am here to announce today hasn't been a particularly easy one for me to reach – difficult for reasons that relate to my family and my friends and the future of this state to which I have given my best for many years."

Then, seeming to go off script, he dropped a bombshell – by announcing his bid for a fifth term, which caused Hillary's mouth to tighten.

"In spite of all my reservations about the personal considerations, I believe that more than any other person who could serve as governor, I could do the best job," Clinton said. "Give me four more years."

A new unauthorized biography on Hillary says that even before the Clintons were married they formulated a "secret pact of ambition" aimed at reinventing the Democratic Party and getting to the White House. The book, "Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton," does not mention their deal to take turns as governor.

However, another biography released this month says Hillary considered running for governor in 1990, when Clinton presumably would step down to prepare his 1992 presidential campaign. The book, "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton," does not allude to any betrayal, though, and suggests Hillary simply changed her mind about running.

Hillary's office has denied she long plotted with her husband to follow him into the governor's office and, ultimately, the Oval Office.

The well-placed source also says then-Gov. Clinton did not, as commonly believed, deliberately mislead Arkansas voters in 1990 when he promised to serve out his full four-year term. In October 1991, less than a year after winning re-election in a landslide, he announced he was entering the 1992 race for president.

"Bill never thought he could win, and just wanted to survive until the Michigan primary, go back to Little Rock and finish his four-year term and then position himself to run the next time (for president)," he told WND.

"Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton"

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