Bill Clinton, The Bard of Chappaqua

Time ^ | Jan. 26, 2004 | Matthew Cooperman

[mountaineer]

One of the biggest political events of 2004 may have nothing to do with the presidential election. It's the arrival of Bill Clinton's memoirs. The ex president is trying to finish his book in the next four months so it can be published at midyear. The book, to be published by Random House, will be the story of his life through his tumultuous presidency. Insiders say that it will have plenty of score settling with what his wife called the "vast right-wing conspiracy" but that it will also have quite a bit about his Arkansas boyhood.

To hone his memories, Clinton has been sitting for long interviews with Ted Widmer who was a White House speechwriter and is now a history professor in Maryland. The two talk about Clinton's boyhood — his late mother, Virginia Kelley, saved everything — and Clinton then uses the transcript as the basis for his writing which he does on yellow legal pads. Clinton has told friends that he wants his memoirs to be like the riveting bestseller that Ulysses Grant wrote and that helped restore his tarnished reputation. (He's also said that he wants to avoid the kinds of tomes that Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson wrote after their presidencies because they had a pompous tone that missed their real voice.) There is no ghostwriter. Then Clinton goes over the sections with his editor, the legendary Bob Gottlieb, formerly of The New Yorker.

But meeting the deadline is going to be tough for the often tardy Clinton. He's been traveling the globe on various projects — last week he popped up at the World Economic Forum in Davos and to give an award to Kofi Annan in Germany. "Interest in the former president has not abated at all," says his attorney Robert Barnett. Still, friends say he's going to bear down on the book. "He's really into it now," says one. With a reported $10 million advance, he has a financial reason as well as an historical one to finish soon.

[mountaineer]

A riveting bestseller that settles scores with the VRWC - yeah, that's what it will be. Interesting how he has to consult with someone to "hone" (read, invent) his memories.

[sarasota]

Ever since Bill looked in the camera and lied about "that woman", I don't believe anything he says. His book will be Tall Tales. I won't even read the reviews.

[bmwcyle]

More Union and Library money wasted on trash.

[EllaMinnow]

Clinton has told friends that he wants his memoirs to be like the riveting bestseller that Ulysses Grant wrote...

Unfortunately, Mr Clinton is far more qualified to write letters to Penthouse than he is to copy General Grant.

[cweese]

...what mullarkey :

"because they had a pompous tone that missed their real voice"

bj clinton has ALWAYS had a pompous tone. i expect his "memoirs" (i.e revisionism of his "presidency") will also be written in a pompous tone...

[afraidfortherepublic]

Shouldn't publication of this book (read trash) be subject to the rules of Campaign Finance Reform? IOW, he should not be allowed to market it within 60 days of the election. Seems fair to me!

[mountaineer]

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - The archives of the Bill Clinton presidential library will contain 39,999,998 e-mails by the former president's staff and two by the man himself.

"The only two he sent," Skip Rutherford, president of the Clinton Presidential Foundation, which is raising money for the library, said on Monday. One of them may not actually qualify for electronic communication because it was a test to see if the commander in chief knew how to push the button on an e-mail.

Former Ohio Senator John Glenn has the distinction of being the first American to orbit the Earth and the only person to receive an e-mail written by Clinton when he was in office. The e-mail was sent with the help of Clinton staffers to the space shuttle while it was in orbit and Glenn was a part of the crew. It praised Glenn for his return to space after almost 40 years.

Rutherford said Clinton, who relished the chance to speak to voters, did not make time to send e-mails, even though Internet usage exploded during his presidency. "He's not a techno-klutz. I don't think President (George W.) Bush sends e-mails, either," Rutherford said of Clinton.

"Most of the decisions in the Oval Office are made through decision memos," Rutherford said. The 40 million e-mails of the Clinton administration are almost exclusively comprised of memos, notes and correspondence among his aides and cabinet members Then as now, Rutherford added, Clinton was more apt to write personal notes or telephone than communicate through e-mail. link

____________________

Looks like he tried not to leave any evidence! (I mean, apart from the blue dress, of course)

Hoo-eee! Ah didn't know that position was even possible! Gotta love this internet!

[2banana]

I grew up in Chappaqua - A very nice place back then. Today, you need a million dollars to even buy a shack. My mother moved out after Clinton moved in (mostly due to property taxes - $15,000 on a 4 bedroom/1.5 bath colonial - that is more than my mortage on the same type house in PA!)

[MrsEmmaPeel]

He was too busy looking at porn sites to learn how to e-mail.

[Seruzawa]

Maybe they should make a movie of it.

There's a big market for fantasy as witness the popularity of "Lord of the Rings". Clowntoon as Frodo. Tip O'Neil as Sam. Stephanopolis as Merry. Lanny Davis as Pippin. Carvil as Gollum. Newt Gingrich as Sauron. Algore as Treebeard. Ding Dong Dean as Saruman. Hitlery as Queen of the Nazgul.

[NonValueAdded]

Published at mid-year ... right before the conventions? Stealing the oxygen again? Pay attention to meeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

[mountaineer]

ken5050 has given us reports from Chappaqua in the past. ken, what do you hear of the bard these days?

[Hodar]

To hone his memories, Clinton has been sitting for long interviews with Ted Widmer ... sent for Monica for help.

[mewzilla]

I can't believe that anyone actually thinks Toon is the one writing this bilge.

[mountaineer]

There's some pathology in Blubba that just won't permit him to be out of the spotlight for even a moment, thus the constant globetrotting, the speeches, the photo ops. Like you say, "Pay attention to me! I'm really not irrelevant!"

[leadpenny]

Clinton has told friends that he wants his memoirs to be like the riveting bestseller that Ulysses Grant wrote and that helped restore his tarnished reputation.

At least he knows his reputation is in the toilet.

[steve8714]

When Savage's first book came out, 30 days later the STL county public library system had one copy...in the central branch alone they had three copies of "Young, Gifted, and Gay".

[johnny7]

Did you vote for him in 1992? How'sa'bout 96?

[sarasota]

Nope. Did you?

[bmwcyle]

I believe it. What a waste of our money.