Reviews for The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President

The average rating for The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-06-06 00:00:00 Mike Scott I read criticism by several reviewers on the Amazon website who thought that The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History With the President was disorganized and that essentially all Branch did was record the President's wide-ranging thoughts and views - everything from brokering peace in the Middle East to how he played the 8th hole on a certain golf course. This is true. Others complained that Branch did not organize the book around certain themes and that, as a journalist and historian, he should have presented his interpretations and his evaluations of the President's policies and actions, but he did not. This is true. But the critics miss the point. The book is not a biography or a history of the Clinton administration. It is a by-product of Taylor Branch's attempts to help President Clinton keep an oral diary of his presidential years. And it is a fascinating book that demonstrates the personal strengths and weaknesses of a president who experienced failures, but also remarkable successes. I think Peaks and Valleys would have been an appropriate subtitle for the book. When reading Clinton's far-ranging conversations, one can't help but be struck by his intellectual capacity and, even more than that, his intellectual curiosity as well as the fact that he is blessed (cursed?) with an encyclopedic mind and a photographic memory. I don't doubt that the man could engage in a discussion with just about any expert on any subject and hold his own. But when I read about presidents, I am always struck by how difficult the job is and the many complex issues, foreign and domestic, that they have to deal with every day. In reading about the events and issues during the first year of the Clinton administration (as well as charges of criminal misconduct that allegedly occurred before Clinton became president) it reinforces my belief that it is really a leap of faith to believe that anybody is capable of doing the job. And of course, it didn't end with that first year. In fact, that was only the tip of the iceberg. President Clinton, like all men, has flaws. Many of his problems he brought on himself. How will history evaluate his presidency? That, of course, is yet to be determined, but I did come away from this book with a higher regard for his presidential record, but at the same time thinking how much greater it could have been, if only..... Reading this book and once again realizing the magnitude of the job forces me once more to have some compassion even for those presidents that I never liked or supported. It also reinforces my belief that a thick skin is one of the most important prerequisites for the job. I'm always amazed that anybody would seek the job. But, thankfully, people always line up, as they are now doing, in the hope of becoming the next president.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-11-14 00:00:00 Jeffrey Pulaski This has been on my to-read list for awhile. I was given a gift certificate for our anniversary by my lovely wife, went to my local used bookstore, and while browsing, saw this on the shelf. The fact that it was autographed sold me. I had been reading it off and on over the weekend, so I didn't actually finish it in one day. What stands out to me in this book the most is the glimpses of Bill Clinton's mind, predicting the future. The issues, the people, he was talking about throughout the Nineties, are just as relevant today. Struggles over democracy, peace, the economy, debates over journalism and how media had switched from informing to entertaining, all of these are playing out through the narrative. It is intriguing to note how much has changed, and again, how little. Clinton, for all his flaws-and he does have many-is a world-class political mind, able to combine politics and policy like no one else, and his discussions are rich with substance. The actual unedited transcripts must be amazing. The conversations with Branch capture the hectic whirlwind of the White House, dipping in and out of crisis after crisis, exploring the lulls between, the pageantry and politics, and people, of the Clinton Administration. If Bill Clinton is the central character, Taylor Branch is his supporting second, a relationship stretching back to 1972, on the ill-fated McGovern campaign (funny how fate works). Branch's qualms over certain aspects of the project-how much of what he's doing is acting as a friend, or as historian/sounding board, is he being objective enough, his actions as intermediary or guest-do show through, but he seems to be gaining confidence as he grows into his role as the President's diarist. And we should be thankful that President Clinton had the foresight to record these tapes for posterity, so that future generations would have an impression that might otherwise be lost to the ages. One final thought. While much stood out in this book, including President Clinton's discussion on the integration and disintegration of the modern world, one moment caught my attention, and filled me with emotion. I don't know why, but I nearly cried on page 328, when Clinton discusses his trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland (Ch.20, Dec.28th, '95 meeting), and for some reason the whole segment, starting with crowds gathering, Catholics and Protestants mingling, "children pressed forward with petitions for peace," made me want to tear up. It struck me as deeply human, and deeply powerful.