Bill Clinton Rumors: Is U.S. Ambassador To Ireland In Bubba's Future?

Will Bill Clinton be the next U.S. ambassador to Ireland? Rumors are heating up that Bubba may covet the diplomatic spot as his wife, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, laughed off the speculation.

The rumors started after Bill Clinton, who is of Irish ancestry, joked late last month about becoming the leader of Ireland.

“Because of my Irish heritage, if I bought a house here I could run for president of Ireland,” Bubba said during an event in Limerick, Cindy Adams of the New York Post’s Page Six reported.

The rumors gained traction when Hillary Clinton was asked about the possibility of her husband being nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to Ireland during a visit to the country on Thursday.

“I cannot comment on what President Obama might do in the second term, it’s his decision,” Clinton said, according to the Christian Science Monitor. “But I would think that my husband will be here many times in the future and doing the work that he has been doing without having the title of ambassador.”

Bill Clinton served two terms in the White House from 1993 to 2000. He started the influential nonprofit the Clinton Global Initiative in 2005, which focuses on a number of world issues, including climate change, poverty in Africa, childhood obesity and economic opportunities.

The former president is a big hit in Ireland, and as president, Clinton helped broken the Northern Ireland peace agreement.

But the rumors are just that for now, as it’s unclear whether Bill Clinton would prefer to take time off from CGI to be the U.S. ambassador to Ireland.

The current ambassador is Dan Rooney, the 80-year-old owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rooney is retiring from the post at the end of the year, fueling rumors as to who will succeed him.

Rumors are also swirling as to Hillary Clinton’s future. But the secretary of state says she too focused on her job to address such speculation.

"I’m right now too focused on what I’m doing to complete all the work we have ahead of us before I do step down," she said Thursday, according to Politico.

The secretary of state hinted that she may take time off from public life.

“I’m frankly looking forward to returning to living a life that enjoys a lot of simple pleasures and gives me time for family and friends and other pursuits.”