First Mate? Clinton Working on New Title for Bill

Hillary Clinton is facing a question with global implications as she seeks the White House: What do you call the husband of a US president? First man? First gentleman? Funnyman Jimmy Kimmel asked the Democratic presidential contender about that quandary Thursday should her husband, former President Bill Clinton, become the official White House spouse. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, she offered a couple of ideas with a smile: "first dude" and "first mate." "We have to really work on what to call him," she quipped.

Clinton said her husband has told her that he's determined to break the "iron grip" that women have had on being the spouse of a president. Kimmel wanted to know if Bill Clinton would pick out the official china pattern for the White House, and a male sidekick dressed in a pantsuit gently ribbed Clinton for her signature wardrobe choice. Clinton maneuvered around a question about the last time she was drunk—"a long time ago"—and didn't appear to have much sympathy for the struggling candidacy of Republican rival Jeb Bush. "It's really hard to do this and people's campaigns change," she said. "You start with something, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll stick with it all the way." (More Hillary Clinton stories.)