Bill Clinton’s big omission from his speech at the Democratic National Convention

At the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Bill Clinton was fulsome in his praise of Hillary, who has now officially received the party’s nomination for the top job.

But there was something big - something huge - missing from his speech.

The former Mr President described the potential Mrs President as the “best darn change-maker” he’d ever met and recounted how he tried three times to get her to marry him, in a speech designed to use his popularity to ingratiate his wife to Middle America.

He took the crowd on a journey through the years of their relationship. It was 1971, he said, when he met the girl with big blonde hair and glasses.

There were the years between 1993 and 2001 when he and Hillary made the White House their home.

There was 1997, when daughter Chelsea went to college, and then, just like that, we were in 1999.

But there was one year missing. A year it’s probably best not to bring up when you’re trying to sell the audience a story of your happy marriage.

In all of Clinton’s speech, 1998 was completely absent. But why? After all, during 1998, a number of notable events occurred. The Winter Olympics took place in Japan, France beat Brazil in the World Cup final and Titanic took out 11 Oscars.

But, for the Clintons, it was also their “annus horribilis”. It was in January that website the Drudge Report revealed allegations that White House intern Monica Lewinsky had sex with the then President Bill Clinton.

Later the same month, Clinton made the now famous denial: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”.

Bill Clinton meticulously recounts life story. Nothing happened in 1998. #DemsInPhilly #DNCinPHL

— Sarah Stenseng (@sarahstenseng) July 27, 2016

President Clinton seems to have skipped over all of the marital bliss of 1997-1998 on this trip down memory lane.

— Nick Langworthy (@NickLangworthy) July 27, 2016

Nice skipping 1998 President Clinton.

— Mark Farnsworth (@GBFarny2226) July 27, 2016

1998 must have been pretty boring in the Clinton love story.

— Steve (@Steven_Patz) July 27, 2016

It would take until August 1988, and the discovery of Lewinsky’s blue dress replete with his DNA, for Clinton to finally admit he had indeed had an “improper physical relationship” with the intern.

It was a scandal that would lead to Clinton becoming only the second US President to be impeached and charged with a crime, although he would later be found not guilty of obstructing justice and perjury.

No wonder, in his speech, Clinton decided to “fast-forward”, from 1997 to 1999.

With Presidential rival Donald Trump moving ahead in the polls, and Democrat supporters of Bernie Sanders openly weeping in grief at Clinton’s nomination, the Presidential nominee’s husband will have been keen not to dredge up unhappy memories of presidents past.

— with Anna Caldwell.