There's a reason for all this attention to details, folks . . .
People who watched the event live or on television said they couldn't believe how awful Clinton looked and sounded -- slurred speech, rambling statements, mumbling, etc.
I didn't think much of it at the time, but two subsequent items really caught my attention and made me wonder what the hell was going on:
1. C-SPAN or PBS showed a "re-broadcast" of the event a few days later that didn't include any video at all (they played an audio clip of the event while displaying the presidential seal and some text announcements of the event).
2. Bill Clinton pretty much disappeared from public view from early November or 2001 to late January of 2002 (if my memory is accurate). This was highly unusual for a guy who was always looking for media exposure, but what really triggered my suspicions were several media reports -- mainly newspaper stories -- about meetings that he was allegedly attending at his Harlem office with former administration officials. None of these reports included televised footage, and none of the newspaper stories included any photos. I speculated at the time that the newspaper stories were complete fabrications planted in the media by his staff.
Anyone else remember this bizarre series of events?