Well, even though it feels like the world has gone mad, at least Bill Clinton has been embracing his creative side. He’s writing a novel with James Patterson, and now he’s got a crossword in the New York Times. The former president’s puzzle debuted today as part of a series composed with the help of celebrities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Times crossword institution. The paper vouched for Clinton’s chops:
This collaboration is by former president Bill Clinton, an avid crossword doer, who sometimes works two or three puzzles in a day—in times that would be respectable at a crossword tournament—together with a longtime friend, a judge in Little Rock, Ark., Victor Fleming. This is Victor’s 46th puzzle for The Times.
According to editor Will Shortz, Clinton wrote the majority of the clues while Fleming, for the most part, handled the grid. Said clues include “First lady after Lou,” “With it, man,” and, as CNN points out, the winking “It’s the __, stupid!”