Like Many Others, Clinton Goes Shopping

WASHINGTON — With just hours to go on Christmas Eve, President Clinton did what a lot of other Americans did: He went shopping.

But he said it wasn’t last-minute gift-buying.

“I’m just sort of piddling,” he said after purchasing two books and a bunch of CDs at a downtown Borders here. “I’m actually finished.”

Dressed in jeans, cowboy boots and a brown suede jacket, the president was initially ignored as he browsed through the store. He made his book choices fast. Within minutes, he snagged a hardcover copy of David Baldacci’s “Saving Faith,” a real Beltway thriller. The plot involves spies, lobbyists and, naturally, congressional blackmail. Clinton also bought Jonathan Kellerman’s “Monster,” a murder mystery featuring the recurring character of psychologist Alex Delaware, this time called to the rescue by his buddy Milo Sturgis, an LAPD detective.

Clinton, who plays the saxophone, spent most of his time in the store’s music section, looking at CDs. He charged $107.83 but then added two more CDs to his purchases: George Benson’s “Talking Verve” and the “Greatest Hits of Sonny Rollins,” a jazz saxophonist.

“That was such a great time,” a beaming Clinton told store clerks before leaving.