Intimate Photo Of The Clintons Upsets Key Aide But President ‘Liked It Quite A Lot’

A picture of President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton staring into each other’s eyes as they slow danced in bathing suits on a beach provoked a few testy words at the White House on Monday.

Clinton said he thinks his privacy was invaded by cameramen who hid in bushes to snap photos of him and his wife enjoying the beach at Magens Bay in the Virgin Islands, where they spent four days before returning Sunday.

The picture was a far more intimate portrait of the Clintons than usually is seen. The photo, captured by television crews from CBS and NBC and a photographer from Agence France-Presse, was published Monday in several major newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, which featured it prominently in color on the front page.

Another photo taken last summer of the Clintons in their bathing suits while vacationing at Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., hardly caused a ripple at the White House.

Asked by a reporter Monday whether he thinks his privacy was invaded and where the press should draw the line, Clinton said, “The answer to the first question is yes. The answer to the second question is that’s why we have a First Amendment. You get to decide the answer to the second question.”

Of the picture, Clinton said, “Actually, I liked it quite a lot. But I didn’t think I was being photographed.”

White House press secretary Michael D. McCurry added that he was upset about the photo but admitted Clinton was not. McCurry said he was angry that the media were given access to “plenty of great pictures” of the Clintons on vacation but still sought to bend the rules.

Secret Service agents who protect the president were aware of the photographers but did not believe they presented a security risk.