Clinton Tells Supporters Not to ‘Worry About Me’

President Clinton said he has paid a big price for his affair with Monica S. Lewinsky but that “wallowing in regret is a cop-out.” He also said his wife is “a remarkable woman” and an inspiration in his moment of crisis.

“You don’t have to worry about me giving up,” the president assured cheering supporters Sunday at a sweltering, outdoor fund-raiser. “Don’t worry.”

Ann Richards, the plain-spoken former governor of Texas, gave the beleaguered president a sympathetic introduction. “Bill Clinton isn’t the first man I’ve had to forgive and he probably won’t be the last,” she declared, triggering a burst of applause.

Clinton, in his first interview since acknowledging he misled the nation about his relationship with Lewinsky, said he has emerged stronger from the ordeal and that it “gives me a chance to make my marriage whole.”

“I think any time a person has to go through a searing personal experience and come to terms with truth and genuinely atone, and genuinely make the effort to change, that’s an immensely liberating experience,” the president said. “It makes you stronger. It makes you straighter.”

His remarks were made at the end of an exhausting fund-raising tour through Illinois, California and Texas.

Looking tired, Clinton mingled with wealthy Californians until nearly 1:30 a.m. Sunday, raising $1.5 million, and then flew to Texas eight hours later.

Clinton was expected to raise $1 million for Democrat Garry Mauro in his longshot bid to unseat Gov. George W. Bush. There were separate fund-raisers in San Antonio and Houston. “I stand behind him 100%,” Mauro said.