Taylor Branch To Reveal "The Clinton Tapes"

GQ:

It has been nearly forty years since three young Democratic activists named Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham, and Taylor Branch moved into a small apartment together in Austin, Texas, to wage a presidential campaign for George McGovern. In the decades since, the Clintons have taken that political fire to the center of American political life, while Branch has chosen a quieter course, writing three definitive volumes on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and winning both the Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur "genius" grant.

Read the whole story: GQ

Comments

[Bettysdad]

Clinton's presidency was a tragedy only if you think he was a Democrat.

He was actually a Republican, and his Presidency was a great success for them as can be seen in the current Republican depression.

There are no moral issues amongst Republicans; it's just about money.

[TRex86]

Clinton was an epitome of the Boomer generation, brilliant, idealistic and profoundly immature. Generational theory (Generations: Strauss and Howe) suggests that idealistic trailblazers start each new four generational cycle. They are rambunctuous and unfocused. Most importantly, like earlier idealists, Churchill and Roosevelt they do not govern effectively until they attain old age. They are quintessential late bloomers. That Clinton was an idealist in private must be compared to his accomplishments. Some good; some bad. Sadly, his tragic flaw, sexual addiction, not only derailed his presidecy it made possible the selection of GW Bush by taking WJC out of the election, losing Arkansas and Tennessee. I greatly admire his vision, especially his economic discipline, leaving a surplus with a realistic plan to pay down the federal debt and reform the entitlements. His puerile acting out undid all that and allowed the calamitous Bush years. He was elected twenty years too soon.

[maxfax]

Since he's not the first man in the WH to have illicit sex, let's put it this way, his legacy even blemished, is much better than the legacy of George W. Bush, history will prove it.

[TRex86]

I think he realizes that his personal flaw opened the door to one of the worst presidencies of all time. His legacy was trashed. He can't feel good about that.

[Okieborn]

Hmmmmm!!!

[norepublicanleftbehind]

Some friend.

[Tom95134]

Clearly, there are no "friends" in politics.

[blueskybigstar]

This is a production. Nothing is ever done with the Clintons without a Hollywood style production. Like here all the good stuff gets scrubbed.

[DCinFrance]

Let's see if I get scrubbed again...

He lied under oath in open court. The questions he lied to were admissible because he tried to blame the victim(s) and he opened himself up to it. Those are the facts.

[zendem1]

So. And?

[2Bfair]

So and ... that is something to admire?

[2Bfair]

applause. applause. standing ovation and quick exit before the TeamHillray hit squad arrives.

[wreckdiver]

Were you always such a coward, or is it something you've worked on your whole life?

[pantherburns]

Why did a 40 million dollar investigation about a real estate deal morph into questioning about his sex life. These were not questions germane to the investigation and were used simply because the Republicans had failed to turn up any evidence of wrongdoing. The right were desperate to wound him on anything they could find. Can you imagine the result if the Bush administration were actually to be investigated and asked questions under oath?Between George and Cheney, that would easily destroy the Republican party, or leave those two lying under oath about substantial issues for weeks.

[DCinFrance]

I couldn't agree more about prosecuting our beloved war criminals. However, it was not at the Whitewater investigation where these question came up. It was during the lawsuit of Paula Jones. He tried to blame her for his conduct, which opened the door for the prosecution to establish this was a pattern of behavior on his part, which led to dear Monica.

Anyway, the point being that he had his problems. He was a popular president, but that's about it. Sure, even great men have their problems--MLK as was pointed out. But Bill is not what greatness is made of.

[wreckdiver]

The questions were deemed immaterial by the judge, who later dismissed the case on summary judgment motion, which means that, even if you accept everything P@ula J0nes said as being true, her case was STILL without merit.

[DCinFrance]

The judge in the case made no ruling that the questions were immaterial; in fact, just the opposite is true. The judge did rule however that she failed to show damages. Jones appealed the ruling, and Clinton paid her off to the tune of $850,000.

What's interesting about that settlement is Jones was looking for $750K in redress upon filing her original suit.

[Bettysdad]

It wasn't in open court, and the rest of your post is just as incorrect.

[DCinFrance]

It was during the deposition that he lied, which was subsequently entered into open court. Everything I have stated is fact.

[NotMcCain]

I'm not anti-Clinton, but I have a hard time accepting the vision of him that he and Taylor have.....d­ocumented? Or staged, concocted?

There sounds like elements of both in this--though it is unquestionably a brilliant move to do it, and--regardless of the truth or self-serving "spin"--will be an important historic document.


Still, reading Taylor gushing over his "idealism" and how Clinton knew "he'd suffer politically" for intervening in Haiti but still had to do it, one wishes to see the follow-up question, "So, what about Rwanda? (Not to mention the inexcusable delay and final questionable strategy in the Balkans?)

Rwanda, not Monica, should haunt him as a failure of his presidency.

I don't want to read a white-wash of Clinton, by Clinton and his historian-friend.

But, of course, I will......­.

[DCinFrance]

As will I.

[zendem1]

You can read? hmm..surpr­ised..

[Rescisco]

Misleading headline but it sounds like a great book. President Clinton is that combination of brilliance and human imperfection that defines most truly great people. I think we will discover more of the former and less of the latter in him than in most presidents.

[RoveRoveRoveYourBoat]

I'm sorry, bill's brilliance was always compromised by political calculation, always to the detriment and coruption of our country.
The DLC shift of democratic imperitives to a corporate kiss of corruption.
The embrace of "free market" milton freedman plutocracy.
Lack of future goal directives and incentives for industry, energy, education and environment.
Failure to address social ills and justice inequality­/depravity
Failure to enforce existing laws and regulations resulting in corporate control of our government.
The strict restructure of LBJ's "Great Society".
The refusal to investigat­e/prosecut­e the Iran/contra criminals.
Failure to defuse the Iraq embargo tragedy.
Failure to redirect the post cold war millitary/­industrial jugernaught.
The telecomunication act give away of our information system.
Personal conduct resulting in turning the country over to Iran/Contra Neocons.

[zendem1]

Sadly, Bill made George Bush possible.

[DBC]

I WILL SAY IT AGAIN . HISTORY WILL PROVE THE CLINTONS ARE/ WERE ONE OF THE BEST THING , HAPPEN TO AMERICA AND IN TURN THE WORLD .

[DCinFrance]

Greatness? Please. Like whom? Gandhi? Okay, America. Roosevelt? Lincoln? Kennedy? Maybe a little closer to Kennedy, but just the same. No great thing was accomplished by the Clintons.

Nonetheless, what I see is a two term president--a democrat no less. The last time that happened was before I was born. Beyond that, I don't see what more he managed to do. Financial crisis? Clinton lifted the rules. Health care? Well we know how that went. So, help me out here, how is it exactly were they the best thing?

[zendem1]

Oh I dunno..eco­nomy maybe. Seriously, you should try thinking for yourself, rather than just spewing talking points. You aren't nearly as intelligent as you seem to think you are.

[wreckdiver]

Seriously? You need to educate yourself. Longest Economic Expansion in U.S. History, moving From Record Deficits to Record Surplus, more Than 22 Million New Jobs - the most jobs ever created under a single Administration, household Income Breaks $40,000 for First Time in History,Un­employment is the Lowest in Over Three Decades, lowest Poverty Rate Since 1979, tax Cuts/EITC for Working Families, Family and Medical Leave Act, more than doubled funding for Quality Child Care and Early Childhood Programs, largest Investment in Education in 30 Years (HOPE/Lifetime Learning, Work Study/Pell Grant expansion), providing Safe After-School Opportunities for 850,000 Students Each Year, expanding Head Start by an additional 90%,lowest Crime Rates in 25 Years, putting 100,000 More Police on the Streets, largest Gun Enforcement Initiative in History,enacted the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act in 1994, enacted Most Comprehensive Medicare Reforms in History extending it's life another 26 years,long-term protection for 40 million acres of national forests, accelerating Toxic Cleanups and Brownfields Redevelopment, adopted the toughest standards ever on soot and smog, extended the moratorium on new oil leasing off most of the U.S. coast, stabilized Southeast Europe by ending a decade of repression and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, helped broker the Good Friday Peace Accord in Northern Ireland, etc. etc. etc. ...

Anything else?

[Lyr]

Wow NAFTA and GATT are just so fantastic!

[merger]

Did you say "friend?"

[janeycat]

cant wait to read the book...tha­t was a great interview.­kept my interest till the end.

[reelcobra]

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS**

The part about the cigar and DNA on the blue dress is hilarious.

[pantherburns]

Do you buy all your reading material at the supermarket counter?

[2Bfair]

It will be interesting to see the book. I could not tell from this account if Taylor Branch wrote his book from the actual tapes of Clinton talking, or only from the notes Branch dictated on tape after each of the sessions. In this interview, Branch is careful to say at several times in different ways, he let Clinton talk, but cannot say what he heard was the truth.

Will the Clintons really accept honesty from any author or if honest will Branch become a villian, "a Judas" to the Clintons and their followers?

Time will tell.

[DCinFrance]

It seemed the later to me. Clinton had the tapes; Branch had his dictations.

[2Bfair]

That is how I read it too. So we will need to trust Taylor Branch's interpretations, not the actual words.

Also, I wonder if Taylor Branch was paid, or the book sales are his compensation for all that work.

[klondiker]

I hope everyone reads the full interview. The headline makes it sound like some tawdry tape leak. But, it's actually a real recording of history by a real historian - not some two-bit hack looking to make a buck.

I think it'll be a fascinating book!

[thevillagewag]

Yet another misleading headline on this site.

[LemonMeringue]

The tapes I am most interested in are the ones of Bush that a journalist revealed about 5 minutes of and planned to release more, until they got to him.

The one that got out had Bush admitting that becoming a Christian was his "schtick" and it made it possible for him to have a political life despite a sordid past.

[IndyGirl19]

i forgot about those. lol. the little bit we did get seems to dovetail with matt latimer's behind-the-scenes account...