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36 infelicitously calls “townterviews,” a combination of university town meeting and television interview featuring a group of effusive local journalists, students, and faculty. The format allows her to promote civil society and human rights without getting in the face of the country’s leaders. Often a questioner will refer to her in fractured English as “President Clinton.” In Asia, this can be especially mortifying for the shy audience. She’ll cheerfully reply “I wish!” or “Almost!” to disarm the situation, before going on to explain how her serving in the government of the man who defeated her is a sign of democracy’s strength. Almost every trip includes meeting with leading women from local NGOs, many of whom line up to tell Hillary with what little English they can muster how inspirational she has been to their efforts. “She has almost singular recall from years back,” says Kurt Campbell, assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, who recounts being amazed at what she remembered about a group of Chinese women from a path-breaking trip in 1995. “Not just names, but obscure details about people she’s met only once and hadn’t been briefed on.” State of the Union No one abroad seems interested in a subject that continues to fascinate Americans—the state of the Clintons’ marriage. The truth, at present, is hardly momentous. “They’ve been in good shape as a couple for way longer than people realize,” says one friend in a position to know. “When things are not good, they’re not good at hiding it.”” Wherever Bill’s behavior took the relationship, the friend continues, there remains “a profound level of forgiveness and attachment between them.” Despite heart problems, Bill is in good health, but his weight loss—thanks to a vegetarian diet—has left him looking shrunken in person. The rumors of straying have subsided. Aides to both claim, implausibly, that the Clintons talk on the phone every day. The former president doesn’t use e-mail (Hillary, by HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_024993