Bill Clinton's Surrogate Family

The Boston Globe's Peter Canellos thinks that Clinton has found his surrogate family, and it's the Bushes. From Canellos' article:

...Clinton has found his surrogate family. He is part of a sprawling clan, legendary for its warmth and unity. It is a clan that is so accustomed to acquiring surrogate sons and daughters that adoption has become a part of its strength.

Clinton has become a member of the Bush clan.

Last week in Rome for the pope's funeral, the clan sat lined up in a pew: Laura, W., Dad, surrogate daughter Condoleezza, and Bill, all seeming more at ease than most families on Christmas Eve. Clinton may have looked a little out of place, like a Great Dane who thinks he belongs to a family of dachshunds, but his contented expression suggested he was exactly where he wanted to be.

Canellos goes on to say that this seeming friendship between Bubba and W is both genuine and opportunistic ... just like anything in the political arene. But on the Clinton side of the equation, Canellos plumbs some reasons that get downright touchy feely. And he may have some evidence to back it up:

Their friendship [Clinton and the elder Bush] blossomed on their trip last winter to raise funds for Asian tsunami relief. They became so close that former president Bush suggested to the Houston Chronicle that ''maybe I'm the father he never had."

Canellos is a bit more cynical as far as W's motives are concerned:

Since last year's election, Bush has made a concerted effort to woo European allies. Having Clinton in his pew at the pope's funeral in Rome did more to boost Bush's reputation overseas than a hundred bows to Jacques Chirac.

It's an interesting read.