*Includes pictures of Clinton and important people, places and events in his life.
"Sometime in my sixteenth year, I decided I wanted to be in public life as an elected official. I loved music and thought I could be very good, but I knew I would never be John Coltrane or Stan Getz. I was interested in medicine and thought I could be a fine doctor, but I knew I would never be Michael DeBakey. But I knew I could be great in public service." - Bill Clinton
A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
It would be impossible to sum up the life and legacy of Bill Clinton in one sentence or even one paragraph, as the former president represents many different things to many different people. Indeed, the yin and yang of Clinton's life and career are inescapable. Widely hailed as the greatest politician of his era, Clinton proved to be his own worst enemy, creating unnecessary scandals through his womanizing. Clinton was one of the first politicians to truly connect with young adults, yet in the process he provided ludicrous soundbytes like "I did not inhale." Long considered the Democratic Party's greatest spokesman and surrogate, Clinton's presidency was defined by centrist "triangulation". And though he is still publicly popular and considered a great president, Clinton became just the second president to be impeached in the House of Representatives.
Regardless of what Americans think of him, one thing Clinton does represent is the American Dream. Born to a single mother in Hope, Arkansas, Clinton used his ambition, hard work and intelligence to become a Rhodes scholar. As a teenager, a meeting with President Kennedy helped drive him toward politics, which he pursued after getting his law degree at Yale, where he met future wife Hillary Rodham.
Clinton ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974 but was defeated, which spurred him into state politics in Arkansas, where he climbed the ladder from Attorney General to Governor at just 32 years old. He spent most of the 1980s as Arkansas' governor and a prominent voice in the more centrist wing of the Democratic Party, favoring welfare reform and smaller government.
In 1992, Clinton truly became "The Comeback Kid", managing to win the Democratic primaries after losing the first two primaries, and going on to defeat incumbent President George H.W. Bush. After a failed healthcare reform initiative and huge Republican gains in the midterm elections of 1994, Clinton moved to the middle, governing as a centrist. And as the first president with a full term in the wake of the Soviet Union's dissolution, Clinton was widely responsible for charting a new foreign policy course for the U.S., which was now the world's sole superpower. His foreign interventions in places like Bosnia and Somalia greatly influenced future projections of American power and global events.
Clinton left office with budget surpluses and a high approval rating, despite the never-ending controversies swirling around him, and he has since doubled as a political surrogage and global ambassador for his country. American Legends: The Life of Bill Clinton chronicles Clinton's life and career, including all of its famous highs and infamous lows, as well as the controversies and legacy he left in his wake. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events in his life, you will learn about The Comeback Kid like you never have before, in no time at all.