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He is loved. He is hated. He is Bill Clinton.
Adore him or abhor him, Clinton is a figure worthy of in depth analysis and thorough journalistic investigation.
And so it is that John F. Harris chronicles the Clinton White House in his new book, The Survivor, with a scrupulous eye for detail and a powerful pen that recorded the Clinton years in Washington, D.C.
In his first book, Harris' account is firsthand and first rate. Whether the former White House correspondent for The Washington Post from 1995 through 2000 is exploring the mental makeup of one of the country's most enigmatic presidential figures, or deciphering the pluses from the minuses with his social policies, Harris' intense journalistic drive for knowledge and analysis is evident throughout.
He was able to add a historian's polish to his notebook recordings, and delivers a product that methodically examines who Clinton was in his White House as well as what the inner workings were in one of the most hectic administrations.
"The man was defined in part by his promise - a young and articulate newcomer, winning notice for his ideas and style - and in part by the uncertain perils of his personal life," writes Harris.
With that beginning, he goes on to illuminate policy decisions and personal lies. He does not solely focus on the White House and its West Wing in between the hours 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. And he does not freelance as a dirt digger looking to tell the juiciest details of a White House that was full of scandalous and headline grabbing tabloid tales.
Different accounts of Clinton's White House have been written. Some have been by insiders. Others have been by historians and journalists. Still, none of them have been able to fully capture not only the essence of the man, but the essential atmosphere of the White House. This highly readable account sets history as its backdrop with the rise of the man from Hope.
Harris details major decisions made by Clinton and his staff, taking the reader from the Arkansas governor's mansion to his final days in office. But he does not give the government insider tell-all viewpoint or the doting staff worker's love letter to his or her boss. Instead, Harris pulled off the ability to stay objective in his portrayal of the events.
Important aspects of this history are the firsthand accounts evidenced by the author's variety of sources and ability to segue from topic to topic. Harris writes with an ease that represents tireless reporting, illuminating research, and a firsthand voice that allows the reader to trust his word on the Clinton years.
Journalism as the first draft of history is truly exemplified in this piece.
From Bosnia to the Ireland peace talks, and back to his days dealing with terror, Harris objectively investigates and illuminates the portrait of Clinton as an enigma.
"If elite values nurtured in Georgetown, Oxford, and New Haven shaped one side of his presidency, other values nurtured in Hot Springs and Little Rock shaped another," Harris writes. "Clinton's presidency was anchored to an authentically populist spirit and animated by a genuine connection between a politician and common folk whose support he needed."
It is Harris who connects these parts of the survivor's life. With his penchant for fully detailed accounts and more than 500 pages of pragmatically presented prose, Harris gives the good and the bad of Clinton.
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