Bill Clinton's Role as First Spouse: To Disappear

There is incessant, troubling, blurring of lines. How could Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin be employed simultaneously as a "special government employee" at the State Department and hold paying jobs at the Clinton Foundation and Teneo Holdings, the consulting firm co-founded by Band? What was Cheryl Mills, then Hillary Clinton's chief of staff at the State Department, doing immersed in Clinton Foundation business?

There is evidence of incessant schnorring for private jets, luxury vacation lodging, expensive trifles. "In support of the president's for-profit activity, we also have solicited and obtained, as appropriate, in-kind services for the president and his family -- for personal travel, hospitality, vacation and the like," Band wrote of his role as Bill Clinton's concierge in chief. Seriously, what with the former president's for-profit activity, haven't the Clintons earned enough to pay for their own vacations, just like the rest of us?

This activity must stop. It cannot happen in a new Clinton White House, especially with a Republican Party already drooling over the prospect of congressional investigations.

So what's a First Gentleman to do, especially one who's been in the top job himself? The less, the better, actually. In this situation, two for the price of one is not the better deal. It would be more accurate to say we'd be getting one for the price of two.

For the first female president, the focus needs to be on her, not on her ex-president spouse. This would be true even without Bill Clinton's sexual and financial history, but those factors underscore the wisdom of him being as invisible a First Gentleman as possible.

Hillary Clinton should, tacitly if not explicitly, drop the notion of finding some discrete problem for her husband to handle. It was crazy to suggest, as she did in the spring, that she would put him "in charge of revitalizing the economy, because he knows what he's doing." We're hiring her, not him.

No pet projects, however unobjectionable. Instead, let Bill Clinton enjoy the grandkids. Play some golf, without having to worry about using it to line up speaking fees. Time for a new dog.

Retirement is a good option for Bill Clinton -- and, with that, a good opportunity to retire the archaic role of First Spouse.

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Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.