Life and Career of Bill Clinton the Comeback Kid

¶ … 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. Bill Clinton survived it all almost unscathed and with a reputation as one of the most effective presidents of the U.S. The persona extraordinaire of this man spurred a storm of biographies that promised to reveal the real Bill Clinton. The one such biography that many believe did manage to achieve this objective was Charles Allen's Ph.D. thesis "The Comeback Kid- Life and Career of Bill Clinton" co-written with Jonathan Portis.

Published in 1992, the book is an in-depth look at the life and career of former president Clinton who was just the second president in the history of United States to face an imminent possibility of impeachment. The book is aptly titled "The Comeback Kid" because unlike Richard Nixon, the only other president to have faced possible impeachment, Clinton refused to bow out. He firmly faced opposition, charges, attacks, scandals and almost everything one can imagine in such a scenario to finally emerge victorious once more when he was elected President for the second time. The book covers everything from Clinton's school and college days, his activities during the period, his 12-year long illicit affair with a nightclub singer, his marijuana smoking, his refusal to serve in the army during Vietnam War, and how his wife stood by him throughout and helped him counter these charges.

Unlike some other biographies that focus a little too intensely on professional achievements, Portis and Allen's book deals more with the personal side of Bill Clinton. The untold story of his personal life comes to the fore in this brilliant book and the readers get a chance to see the real Clinton behind all that aura and mystery. The most important question raised by the book was if Bill Clinton could be considered suitable as a president. And concludes that despite his many failings and personal flaws, Clinton could prove to be an effective president. Bill Clinton is portrayed as a man with gifts of articulation, expression and elocution. He won the hearts of millions during his political campaigns because he had an innate ability to develop instant connection with people. For example on one occasion, while addressing a gathering of students, Clinton recited 100 lines of Macbeth from memory, leaving the audience completely breathless.

"I hadn't [recited] it in 20- something years ... And I started reeling it off, and these kids, their eyes got as big as dollars. I recited the whole soliloquy."

The authors however are not blind to personal failures and weaknesses of their subject. Allen and Portis though agree with the rest of us that Clinton was a shrewd politician with tremendous potential, they also remain open to crucial personal shortcomings of Clinton claiming that he was a man who simply couldn't accept defeat. This may sound like a positive trait and on some occasions it is too, but Allen and Portis maintain that Clinton's obsession of winning was so powerful that it could easily drive him to say anything or do just about anything in order not to lose. This explains the later occurrences such as Monica Lewinsky episode and the bundle of lies attached to it. Portis and Allen however have been careful not to make hasty judgments and injudicious comments and therefore offer the defeat in governor's elections as evidence to this claim.

"Clinton is a captive to his fear of losing.... [His loss in] 1980, when he was tossed out of the governor's chair for two years, crushed Clinton's self-esteem and sent him into an emotional tallspin. He became withdrawn, muttering to his friends that Arkansas didn't deserve a man of his ability. He now professes to believe that he learns more from tough times than from easy experiences. What he learned in 1980 is that a political loss, especially one that threatens his career, hits him deep in the psyche. Losing made him terrified of losing." And he decided that it is better to do anything or say anything to win, the authors add.

Clinton was a politician par excellence for he understood the psyche of the masses. He knew how he could win their sympathies and support and it was this shrewd manipulation that earned him the title of "Comeback kid.":