Clinton rages at BBC for quizzing him over Monica
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-06-22 08:50

Former US president Bill Clinton lost his temper during a BBC interview after being repeatedly asked if he was genuine in voicing regret over his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

Former US president Bill Clinton lost his temper during a BBC interview after being repeatedly asked if he was genuine in voicing regret over his affair with Monica Lewinsky. [AFP]

Clinton, revving up a publicity campaign ahead of the release Tuesday of his memoirs, bristled at relentless questioning about the affair with the White House intern by veteran BBC interviewer David Dimbleby, according to British newspapers.

The Times said Monday that Clinton, known for being media savvy and cheerful in public, let out a rant that lasted several minutes.

"As outbursts go, it is not just some flash that is over in an instant. It is something substantial and sustained," said a BBC executive who viewed the interview, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

The weekly said Clinton then branched out into an attack on media intrusion into the private lives of public figures.

Britain's public broadcaster will air the Clinton interview Tuesday, in step with the release of his much-awaited memoirs.

While the book recounts key global events of the charismatic Clinton's two-term presidency -- Kosovo, the Middle East, Somalia -- public interest in the 957-page tome has focused on the Lewinsky affair, one of the "old demons" that nearly brought down the world's most powerful man.

In leaked excerpts of the book and interviews ahead of its release, Clinton describes the Lewinsky affair as a moral failing, says he worried about losing the love of his daughter Chelsea and confesses that his marriage was salvaged by a year of intensive marital counseling.

Close

Today's Top News     Top Life News
Asian nations vows to meet oil needs         FM sets up new branch to enhance security         NPC weighs momentous new bankruptcy law         Pro-independence investors not welcome         Japan-born panda cub happy back         Aussies restore purloined Sino dinosaur eggs	African migrants wind up on nude beach       Oregon doctor jailed for billing for sex       Experts: SARS virus could spread through tears       Crouching cat eyes hidden mouse       CCTV's live on childbirth raises hackles       Is William Hung an American idol?