Stars Bid Clinton Adieu

By Stephen M. Silverman

06/16/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

The stars made no secret of their fondness for Bill Clinton. At last night's last official formal dinner to be hosted by the outgoing chief executive (who bestowed upon certain guests the National Medals of Arts), Don Henley, the drummer for the Eagles, praised Clinton for his efforts to help save the environment. He also openly questioned whether or not President-elect George W. Bush is up to his new task. "Look," Henley told PEOPLE, "I live in east Texas, and I'm concerned. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised." Russian expatriate dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov was more blunt. "I'm very sad and scared. For the second time in my life I feel like I may need political asylum." Shirley MacLaine, a longtime supporter of the Prez, said that she too was sad over Clinton's departure, but, she pointed out, "Life does go on. That's the main thing. And I think the last month and a half has been a remarkable education for the rest of the world about how a democracy works." But it remained for an uncharacteristically subdued Barbra Streisand to put the capping comment on the evening's affair: "I don't think you'll see me around here for at least four years."