NEW YORK (December 2005)- Former US President Bill Clinton is "The Most Influential
Man in the World," according to Esquire magazine.
The magazine has designated him as "the most powerful agent of change in
the world" despite his lack of electoral standing and the fact he was laid low by a heart attack ahead of last year's presidential
election.
The magazine highlights Clinton's accomplishments in its December issue,
which goes on newsstands on Thursday, profiling the world's "Best and Brightest" men and women.
Since leaving office, Clinton has been so active that his post-presidency
amounts to "a third term" for the Democrat who held the White House from 1992 to 2000, the magazine said. He has tackled global
issues from AIDS, poverty and global warming to the recovery from last December's Indian Ocean tsunami.
Esquire editor David Granger argued that Clinton was poised to become "something
like a president of the world or at least a president of the world's non-governmental organizations."
But it will mean giving up a leadership role in the Democratic party or pushing
the political career of his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, seen as a 2008 White House contender.
In the article, Clinton said that he remained loyal to his party, adding:
"I'm not the leader of the opposition anymore."