The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 3 of 3)

's failure to hire any union help in the construction of his big library/retreat outside Little Rock. "Not a single contract, not a single hire, not a single minority contractor," says the AFL-CIO staffer. "We're talking perhaps $100 million in union pay for that project and Clinton and his cronies are just doling it out to local friends. It's really irksome because we were one of the first groups to pony up dough to the library." /p>

Some unions estimate that they gave the Clinton library more than $2 million in donations. "We expected something in return, like some jobs for our union brothers and sisters," says a local member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, which was lobbying for work at the library. "Instead we got a cold shoulder. I guess we'll never learn."

In all, the budget for the Clinton Library stands at about $200 million. That includes the library, living quarters for Clinton and his guests on the grounds, and what has been dubbed "Camp Clinton," a re-creation of Camp David in the hills that surround the library. There, it is said, Clinton will have a retreat and will sponsor conferences and host visiting foreign dignitaries.

p>"The president is hoping that he can host a peace conference there some time in 2003 or 2004 between Israel and the Palestinians," says a library insider who has fundraised for the project. "He has told donors that he's haunted by his failure to bring peace to the region and he believes his efforts are still part of his legacy." br> /p>

topics:
Trade, Bill Clinton, Iraq, Israel, Unions