Bill Clinton: Economic Agenda Was Often Misunderstood

Former President Bill Clinton says much of his economic agenda and efforts to reform welfare were often misunderstood during his presidency. The details of the specific policies, he says, matter most.

Clinton offered a detailed account of his White House years in the second in a series of lectures at Georgetown University, his alma mater.

He says the media often shoehorns public policy items into certain story lines — whether accurate or not.

Clinton says he was criticized as a "slug" for agreeing to lower taxes on capital gains in exchange for bolstering children's health care insurance and education spending. But he says both policies helped millions of people.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton attended the lecture, which brought together many members of the former Clinton administration.