What if they threw an appearance and nobody came?

If you’re Bill Clinton you get your $175,000 speaker’s fee anyway

By Judi McLeod
Friday, August 28, 2009

There is no doubt that former U.S. president Bill Clinton would garner more attention at the late Ted Kennedy’s funeral tomorrow than he will by making a speech to empty seats at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE).

Clinton still collects his normal fee of $175,000—even though the CNE can’t make his tickets sell.

Only about 7,000 of the available 25,000 tickets have been sold and Ex officials are hoping for a last-minute rush on Saturday afternoon.

The situation is a public embarrassment.

But not much embarrasses Hillary’s husband, who will be heading out for Toronto right after genuflecting at Kennedy’s funeral mass in Boston.

According to the Toronto Star’s travel estimation: “Kennedy’s body will be flown from Boston to the Washington, D.C. area for a private 5 p.m. burial.â€