To this day, President Bill Clinton remains a deeply respected person domestically and internationally. During the 2012 Democratic Primary, Clinton single-handedly energized voters with his declaration that no one, including himself, could have handled the economy better under the current circumstances that President Obama. His words swayed independents who had been leaning towards Mitt Romney.
Now, both Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey have been presented with the honorable Medal of Freedom. In all, 16 people were presented the award which dates back to President Kennedy. Other notable recipients were baseball legend Ernie Banks, Country Music’s original first lady Loretta Lynn, feminist Gloria Steinem, and female astronaut Sally Ride. In the award ceremony, President Obama said the recipients are daily reminders of the beauty of the human spirit.
Following the ceremony, both Obama and Clinton traveled to the burial site of President Kennedy to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his assassination. They jointly laid the wreath at the site of the “eternal flame”. During the meal following the awards presentation, Obama praised Winfrey for the positive message of success that her show exhibited. Winfrey’s show touched upon difficult themes at times, but always offered a message of hope and healing.
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http://www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories/article/335953/483/Obama-awards-Medal-of-Freedom
