Skip Rutherford on the Clinton Presidential Library

(CNN) -- On Saturday, January 20, William Jefferson Clinton leaves office. As the public reflects on his eight year administration, its failures and achievements, the artifacts and mementos of his time as president will make their way to Little Rock, Arkansas to eventually be on display in the Clinton Presidential Library. The library is slated to open in 2003.

Skip Rutherford is the president of the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation and planning coordinator for the Clinton Presidential Library. Rutherford has taught political science courses at Lyon College and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Rutherford is the executive vice president of Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods.

Chat Moderator: Welcome to CNN.com, Skip Rutherford.

Skip Rutherford: Thank you for having me and giving me the opportunity to participate in this. I am the president of the Clinton Presidential Foundation, and we are planning and designing the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock.

Chat Moderator: Talk and speculation about the Clinton legacy has surrounded his last few presidential years. Now that he is finishing his second term, what is Bill Clinton's legacy?

Skip Rutherford: Bill Clinton went to Washington to turn around the economy, and he delivered. In 1992, America was really struggling economically. I remember very well the famous sign in the campaign war room: "It's the economy, stupid." He had to deal with the economy immediately, and he did so. As he leaves office, the country has experienced eight years of the strongest economy in history. His major legacy is fulfilling his campaign commitment to fix the economy.

When Bill Clinton leaves office Saturday, he'll be the youngest former president since Teddy Roosevelt. Like Teddy Roosevelt, he's making major efforts to preserve and protect the environment. He's had the most inclusive administration in presidential history. He leaves office with the largest collection in presidential history.

His presidency is not without controversy, as everyone knows. But when you look back, and you see those who tried to bring him down, people like Al D'Amato, Lauch Faircloth, Newt Gingrich, Bob Livingston, James Rogan and others, those individuals are on the political sidelines. Bill Clinton is still standing with the highest job approval rating of any modern president leaving office, including the highly popular Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. On top of that, the first lady is now a U.S. senator. For the Clintons, there is still a lot of history and legacy to be made.

Chat Moderator: Will the library have any reference to the numerous scandals with which the White House has had to address? How will it handle the president's impeachment?

Skip Rutherford: Those issues were certainly aired in public. Impeachment was televised almost gavel-to-gavel on CNN and other networks, and it will be dealt with. The questions are how and the nature of the exhibit. Clearly, we will have to learn about impeachment as part of the Clinton presidency. Our job is to preserve history, and that's part of history.

Chat Moderator: What does President Clinton view as the greatest domestic and international achievements that he will want his library to highlight?

Skip Rutherford: I believe President Clinton's work in the areas of racial and religious reconciliation both here and abroad, will be cornerstones of his presidential center in Little Rock.

Chat Moderator: Has someone been cataloging his papers, speeches and other objects during President Clinton's time in office in anticipation of his presidential library?

Skip Rutherford: Yes. The National Archives is housing the Clinton Collection, and that collection is being moved one planeload at a time from Washington to Little Rock. In that collection are over 77 million documents, 75,000 artifacts, 1.8 million photographs, and 40 million e-mail messages. The materials will be processed and, on January 20, 2006 in compliance with the Presidential Records Act, will be opened to the public.

Chat Moderator: What are the most special items that are expected to be displayed?

Skip Rutherford: I haven't reviewed all the items yet. I do know there are some priceless one-of-a-kind gifts from foreign heads of state, as well as other numerous gifts. There is a mother-of-pearl depiction of Leonardo DaVinci's "Last Supper" given by Yasser Arafat. There is a silver dove and an ancient bronze knife given by the state of Israel. There are numerous gifts related to the hobbies and interests of President Clinton including sports -- golf specifically -- and political buttons. President Clinton has a phenomenal personal button collection.

He has gifts related to Socks and Buddy. There is a doghouse designed in the shape of the White House. But one of the most interesting collections is the Elvis Collection. We have enough Elvis material to do an Elvis exhibit in its own right. There are saxophones. The gifts range from Elvis and saxophones to priceless art and jewelry, antiques. It is an absolutely terrific collection belonging to the United States, as do all the other gifts in the other presidential libraries.

Transcripts Clinton Legacy Chat Transcripts Gallup's Frank Newport: Public opinion on Clinton's presidency and the incoming Bush administration Skip Rutherford on the Clinton Presidential Library White House Press Secretary Jake Siewert on the legacy of President Clinton Former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta: President Clinton's legacy Wolf Blitzer: His days covering President Clinton in the White House Authors Bert Rockman and Colin Campbell: President Clinton’s effect on U.S. politics and government

IN-DEPTH SPECIALS   The Clinton Years    • The Presidency • View from London • Voices from America • Timelines

Question from the chat room: How is fundraising for the library going?

Skip Rutherford: I appreciate the question and would appreciate donations. Fundraising is going well. We have set up a nonprofit foundation, and we are in the process of raising what we believe will be $125 to $150 million dollars to build and endow the Clinton Library, the Clinton School of Public Service, and the Clinton Policy Center, which will be part of the library complex. We hope to open in late 2003 or early 2004.

Question from the chat room: Is there still no site selected for a physical library, due to opposition in Arkansas?

Skip Rutherford: The site has been selected. There are two lawsuits pending against the city of Little Rock, which is providing the land for the site. The city has won both suits at the lower court levels, with very strong opinions regarding both. So the two are on appeal, and the judicial process will just have to work its way through. But the site has been selected, and we are moving forward. The building design has been unveiled, and we had meetings this very morning with our architectural team.

Question from the chat room: What architectural firm is working on the library?

Skip Rutherford: Polshek Partners of New York City are the lead architects. The exhibit designer is Ralph Appelbaum, who designed the exhibits at the Holocaust Museum in Washington.

Question from the chat room: Have you unveiled an initial drawing of the planned library, and what can you tell us about it?

Skip Rutherford: We have. It was recently unveiled in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, chosen because Franklin D. Roosevelt started the Presidential Library system in 1939. The library will be located within a 27-acre city park along the south bank of the Arkansas River in Little Rock. The building has been elevated off the ground plain, allowing the city park to flow underneath. Its form is bridge-like; that emphasizes the idea of connections and makes reference to the six bridges that cross the Arkansas River in that community. And it is within walking distance of hotels, restaurants, other museums, a retail and entertainment district, and Arkansas' largest convention center.

Question from the chat room: Will Mr. Clinton have offices there?

Skip Rutherford: Yes. He will have a suite of offices there. His official offices will be in New York. His library foundation offices will be in Little Rock.

Question from the chat room: Have you talked with the president about his involvement in his library after he is out of office?

Skip Rutherford: Several times, yes. In fact, every time I talk to him, that's one of the topics we cover. He has been very involved in the library from the beginning. And I expect him to continue to be heavily involved as we build it and as we operate it.

Chat Moderator: Do you have any final thoughts for us?

Skip Rutherford: Presidential libraries are continuous journeys through American history. The libraries rise above partisanship and work together to preserve history and tell the stories of those select individuals who reach the highest office in the land and during the time of their presidency, are the most powerful individuals in the free world. People should visit all the presidential libraries and take a walk through history. Each is special.

Chat Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Skip Rutherford.

Skip Rutherford: Thank you very much for having me.

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