New York, Feb. 9 : THE heat is on George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to give up their precious perks.

In "Citizen-in-Chief: The Second Lives of the American Presidents," out this week, Leonard Bernardo and Jennifer Weiss claim that while early commanders-in-chief lived their later years on modest incomes, today''s ex-presidents are fat cats.

"Cashing in on the presidency has become routine," the New York Post quotes both, as saying.

"Following the examples of wealthy individuals like Lee Iacocca, Michael Bloomberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who at times have taken a salary of a dollar a year or less, would it not behoove our former presidents who earn millions, tens of millions, even, to decline their taxpayer-funded pensions?"

They note that Jimmy Carter didn''t accept money for his staff''s benefits and Ronald Reagan refused his health-insurance policy.

In recent years, Clinton has cleaned up on the lecture circuit and as a rainmaker for billionaire Ron Burkle. (ANI)