Interesting thought. It probably didn't play out this way, but it would be an interesting strategy to sabotage the next administration (if the sitting president has already had 2 terms, what does he care?). Just inflate all the numbers for your last 2 years in office, and make yourself look real good (legacy!). Then, when the next president gets in office and tells the truth, he looks real bad by comparison (legacy!).
I always suspect the worst when it comes to Clinton, but I doubt that this scenario actually went through his head.