Friends of Bill Clinton (FOBs) reject invitation to fund his 60th birthday extravaganza…

Less than 2 months ago, celebrities from the world of politics, finance and entertainment gathered in New York City to pledge financial commitments to the charitable foundation of former US President Bill Clinton – that unrepentant political rogue who has assumed the role of Mother Teresa’s male counterpart (Father Bill?) rather persuasively.

The attendees were purportedly motivated by the Clinton Global Initiative to fight HIV/AIDS, global poverty, ethnic strife and climate change; although many of these roughly 250 FOBs seemed more interested in currying favor and basking in his reflected glow. And in this respect, Sir Richard Branson, founder and Chairman of Virgin Group, proved the ultimate FOB by capturing coveted media attention and face time with Bill after pledging $3 billion to Clinton’s intiative to combat global warming.

Meanwhile, Clinton did not seem the least bit conflicted by the fact that his celebrity fundraiser, which he schedules to coincide with the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly, made the United Nations seem even more irrelevant than his critics claim it already is. Indeed, it was instructive to see Secretary General Kofi Annan commiserating with delegates about the unprecedented lack of interest shown these days in supporting UN operations juxtaposed with Clinton boasting to hordes of international reporters about the unprecedented amount of interest shown in supporting his foundation, which collected $8 billion in new pledges at this one-week gathering.

Therefore, imagine Clinton’s embarrassment when virtually no one seemed interested in the 10,000 invitations his wife (and daughter) sent to extended members of the FOBs network to attend his 60th birthday party; notwithstanding that no less an FOB group than the Rolling Stones was slated to perform. On the other hand, the unflappable Hillary was probably just as indignant towards these “stingy SOBs” as she was towards the vast right-wing conspirators she accused of trying to undermine Clinton’s presidency.

Of course, the humiliation in this case may have had something to do with the fact that Hillary had the audacity to ask charity-fatigued FOBs to pay $500,000 to party in the VIP room with him and all others – who just wanted to be in the arena with Bill when the Stones performed – to pay a paltry $60,000….

But the Daily Mail reports that last Wednesday, when the Clintons realized that regrets being returned outnumbered expected acceptances by an untenable margin, they:

…drastically slashed prices to $12,500 [from the $500,000 they were asking for the “Birthday Chair Package”] and $5,000 [from the $60,000 apostate FOBs could pay just to see the Stones].

Then, when they realized to their consternation that these discounted prices did little to close that untenable margin, their political operatives prevailed upon them to slash prices even further. Here’s how the Mail reported this development:

With the looming possibility of Bill and his long-suffering wife and daughter finding themselves amid a sea of empty chairs at the 2,900-seat Manhattan venue, tickets then went on sale to the public for as little as $1,710.

And an equally long-suffering FOB offered this insight:

It is all highly embarrassing for Bill and Hillary. When they created the idea, they thought it would go like wildfire. What’s not going to please some who did come up with $500,000 is finding regular Stones fans there who got last-minute tickets on the internet.

Indeed.

But here are a couple questions that should provide some insight into the serial exploitation of friends, sense of entitlement and self-righteous pursuit of public service that have characterized the Clintons’ political careers:

Given the pride Clinton expressed just 2 months ago after getting his friends to donate $8 billion to his foundation, why did it not occur to him and Hillary that it might be inconsiderate, if not unconscionable, to ask these same friends to pay such exorbitant amounts to attend his birthday party – notwithstanding that (or especially since) these proceeds were also supposedly intended for the Clinton foundation?

And, given that the Clintons have lived at tax payers’ expense for virtually all of their adult life, and that – since leaving the White House in 2000 – they have amassed a fortune in the tens of millions by trading on their years of public service to sell books and command huge speaking fees, why did it not occur to them to pay for this birthday party out of their own pockets?

After all, as professed Christian do-gooders, surely they know that charity begins at home….

NOTE: For the record, from reading my favorite newspaper, the Washington Post, and many other news and opinion outlets, you’d never know that all of this drama preceded last night’s grand finale to Clinton’s 3-day birthday bash. But, despite the Clintons’ now pathological ability to put on a good face (and a good show) – no matter how embarrassing the circumstances – no one remotely familiar with this party can deny that it was irredeemably marred by their shameless shakedown for more money.

O say, can you see, Barack Obama supplanting Hillary (of the 2-for-1 Clintons) as the new darling of America’s Democratic Party and liberal elite…? (Click here to see why.)

Bill Clinton birthday, Hillary Clinton