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Wrestling History with the President
Simon & Schuster
September 2009
On Sale: September 29, 2009
720 pages
ISBN: 1416543333
EAN: 9781416543336
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Biography | Non-Fiction History | Non-Fiction Political
A GROUNDBREAKING BOOK about the modern presidency, The
Clinton Tapes invites readers into private dialogue with
a gifted, tormented, resilient President of the United
States. Here is what President Clinton thought and felt but
could not say in public. This book rests upon a secret
project, initiated by Clinton, to preserve for future
historians an unfiltered record of presidential experience.
During his eight years in office, between 1993 and 2001,
Clinton answered questions and told stories in the White
House, usually late at night. His friend Pulitzer
Prize-winning author Taylor Branch recorded seventy-nine of
these dialogues to compile a trove of raw information about
a presidency as it happened. Clinton drew upon the diary
transcripts for his memoir in 2004. Branch recorded
his own detailed recollections immediately after each
session, covering not only the subjects discussed but also
the look and feel of each evening with the president. The
text engages Clinton from many angles. Readers hear candid
stories, feel buffeting pressures, and weigh vivid
descriptions of the White House settings. Branch's
firsthand narrative is confessional, unsparing, and
personal. The author admits straying at times from his
primary role -- to collect raw material for future
historians -- because his discussions with Clinton were
unpredictable and intense. What should an objective prompter
say when the President of the United States seeks advice,
argues facts, or lodges complaints against the press? The
dynamic relationship that emerges from these interviews is
both affectionate and charged, with flashes of anger and
humor. President Clinton drives the history, but this story
is also about friends. The Clinton Tapes
highlights major events of Clinton's two terms, including
wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, the failure of health care
reform, peace initiatives on three continents, the
anti-deficit crusade, and titanic political struggles from
Whitewater to American history's second presidential
impeachment trial. Along the way, Clinton delivers colorful
portraits of countless political figures and world leaders
from Nelson Mandela to Pope John Paul II. These
unprecedented White House dialogues will become a staple of
presidential scholarship. Branch's masterly account opens a
new window on a controversial era and Bill Clinton's
eventual place among our chief executives.
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