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Clinton, Bill. My Life. New York: Knopf, 2004
Speeches of contemporary politicians -- particularly presidents who must at least strive to please all of the American public, all of the time -- tend to be formulaic and laden with cliches. However, the medium of the retrospective (as opposed to election year) presidential memoir holds for the reader the tantalizing possibility that the unfolding narrative may reveal the secret details and private speculations of an otherwise public individual, who has been a witness to history. Bill Clinton was legendary for his charismatic relationship with the American public, as well as his verbosity. On sheer heft alone, his 957-page tome My Life promises that the former president can command a platform in print even more lengthy than his legendary 1988 Democratic Platform speech that was so long the only line that drew applause was "In Conclusion." However, does Clinton's famous Rhode Scholar intellect play out equally well in prose as it often, but not always, did in person?
The answer is, surprisingly yes. For a lengthy presidential memoir, My Life is fairly short on self-praise and puffery, and unlike the aforementioned 1988 speech (treated with great humor by the author) the text moves surprisingly quickly, despite its long length. The most interesting sections of the book are perhaps the early chapters, which deal Clinton's inspiring struggles as a young man determined to succeed, despite the poverty of his circumstances and an abusive, alcoholic stepfather. They provide revealing insight into Clinton's policies, such as his popularity with African-Americans, as well as the difficulties of the administration, such as the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Clinton's anxiousness to please and to be self-critical did not always stand him in good stead while in office -- he admits his administration made many mistakes, such as his foreign policy waffling in Serbia and Rwanda -- but what made his administration less than perfect, such as the Clinton 'woman problem' and the 'waffling problem' only enhances this president's value as an entertaining and candid author and a perceptive and surprisingly objective analyst of his own life and politics.
As a result, by the late 1980s, the job-creation rate in Arkansas was among the highest in the country. During all this time, Clinton never left sight of his life-long ambition of getting to the highest political office in the country. He methodically prepared himself for the job by learning the ropes and by gradually assuming a number of national leadership roles, e.g., in 1985 and 1986 he served as
Princess Diana and President Clinton When taking some time to think about it, is easy to both compare and contrast Princess Diana and President Clinton. Both are (or indeed were) prominent political figures, hounded by the press. Both attempted at some point to promote an image of marital bliss when in fact the opposite was the case. In each case sexual indiscretion on the part of one or both of the
Kid Bill Clinton's personality, his aura, his life and his extraordinary career have always been a great source of awe, inspiration and intrigue for millions of Americans. The man who was chosen President of the United States for two consecutive terms for described by many as a "Comeback Kid" for his remarkable resilience and his determination to survive amid scandals, impeachment threats and possible collapse of personal and professional life.
Clinton The main purpose of Bill Clinton's 2004 autobiography entitled My Life is for the author primarily to tell his story. Included within the framework of this primary purpose is for Clinton to place his stance and opinions on the record, which is to say he hopes to annul the opinions of his detractors and critics while bolstering the opinions of those who would laud his legacy. Clinton undoubtedly also writes
Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich Both Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich have served in very powerful positions in the United States government. In fact, their terms of service have overlapped. They are both recognized as eminent experts in the fields of economics, government and world history. Both are also authors who have penned bestselling books in the non-fiction genre. There are many similarities in terms of their personal lives as well. Both
" In a 2008 interview, Theodore C. Sorensen, one of John F. Kennedy's speechwriters, compared the individual appeal of Bill and Hillary Clinton and the distinct styles of two great speakers of the classical period, Cicero and Demosthenes. Sorensen recalled how it was once said that when Cicero spoke, the crowds declared, "How well he spoke," but when Demosthenes spoke, the crowds exclaimed, "Let us march!" think it applies here," Mr.