From The Guardian:
In episode two of Nigel Hamilton’s scintillating biography, our hero has left behind the hick town of Hope, Arkansas – and his humble roots – and travelled, with his lady, to Pennsylvania Avenue. It has not been a journey without incident (or other ladies strewn in various states of undress across his path). But Mrs C, as ever, has stood by her man – which is when she enjoys most traction over this slovenly, sheepish political genius. So here we are in the White House, sorting out office space. That’s the Vice-President’s room over there. Oh no it’s not! says Hillary angrily. That’s the office you said was mine, ‘you motherfucker’. Whereupon, before stunned witnesses, the 42nd President of the United States calls his wife a ‘fucking bitch’. Yes: we have transition … The shambles begins.
Hamilton’s speciality, with a few nods to psychoanalysis, lies not just in telling us what happened but why and how it happened. As he follows William Jefferson Clinton from straitened beginnings to glorious success, he tries to burrow inside the man, to think as he thought, to see through his eyes the decisions that had to be made. But, frankly, the first hundred rotten days were, and remain, an almost inexplicable mess.
Clinton has huge charm, great gifts and high intelligence.
More here.
