Regular marked price: $16.95Discount Price: $11.53
Cost Savings: $5.42 (32%)Price fluctuation possible.
How soon does it ship: Normal ship time within one day
Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN num: 9780375760846
ISBN number: 0375760849
Label: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 560
Printing Date: October 10, 2006
Publishing house: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Release Date: October 10, 2006
Sale Popularity Level: 273096
Studio: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
The definitive account of one of the most accomplished, controversial, and polarizing figures in American history
Bill Clinton is the most arresting leader of his generation. He transformed American politics, and his eight years as president spawned arguments that continue to resonate. For all that has been written about this singular personality–including Clinton’s own massive autobiography–there has been no comprehensive, nonpartisan overview of the Clinton presidency.
Few writers are as qualified and equipped to tackle this vast subject as the award-winning veteran Washington Post correspondent John F. Harris, who covered Clinton for six of his eight years in office–as long as any reporter for a major newspaper. In The Survivor, Harris frames the historical debate about President William Jefferson Clinton, by revealing the inner workings of the Clinton White House and providing the very first objective analysis of Clinton’s leadership and its consequences.
Harris shows Clinton entering the Oval Office in 1993 primed to make history. But with the Cold War recently concluded and the country coming off a nearly uninterrupted generation of Republican presidents, the new president’s entry into this maelstrom of events was tumultuous. His troubles were exacerbated by the habits, personal contacts, and the management style, he had developed in his years as governor of Arkansas. Clinton’s enthusiasm and temper were legendary, and he and Hillary Rodham Clinton–whose ambitions and ordeals also fill these pages–arrived filled with mistrust about many of the characters who greeted them in the “permanent Washington” that often holds the reins in the nation’s capital.
Showing surprising doggedness and a deep-set desire to govern from the middle, Clinton repeatedly rose to the challenges; eventually winning over (or running over) political adversaries on both sides of the aisle–sometimes facing as much skepticism from fellow Democrats as from his Republican foes. But as Harris shows in his accounts of political debacles such as the attempted overhaul of health care, Clinton’s frustrations in the war against terrorism, and the numerous personal controversies that time and again threatened to consume his presidency, Bill Clinton could never manage to outrun his tendency to favor conciliation over clarity, or his own destructive appetites.
The Survivor is the best kind of history, a book filled with major revelations–the tense dynamic of the Clinton inner circle and Clinton’s professional symbiosis with Al Gore to the imprint of Clinton’s immense personality on domestic and foreign affairs–as well as the minor details that leaven all great political narratives. This long-awaited synthesis of the dominant themes, events, and personalities of the Clinton years will stand as the authoritative and lasting work on the Clinton Presidency.
From the Hardcover edition.
Amazon.com Review:
The Survivor is the rare book with positive recommendations from both liberal historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Brit Hume of the Fox News Channel. The author, John F. Harris--who covered the Clinton presidency as a political reporter at The Washington Post for six years--finds the perfect balance for his subject, writing with point-blank frankness about Clinton's impressive strengths and many weaknesses and painting an utterly fair portrait of one of the most charismatic and enigmatic political figures of the last 50 years. Harris at times is harsher to Clinton than many of the president's critics were and at other times, as in the case of his impeachment, is far kinder. He occasionally editorializes on the motivations of the Clintons, that ultimate power couple: why their marriage was not (despite public opinion) a sham based on political opportunity; how Bill's upbringing contributed to his willingness to take risks (sometimes to his great harm); and how 'permanent Washington,' including the presidential press corps, was determined to teach these Arkansas outsiders a lesson in the administration's rocky early days.
Harris peppers the book with both fact and anecdote, moving swiftly from subject to subject. The Survivor shows Clinton's growth as a leader throughout the eight years of his presidency, and how his personal failings almost brought them to a close. Far from being a milquetoast summary of events, The Survivor is a gripping read set behind the scenes in the West Wing. Harris has crafted a brilliant book with writerly style and with an eye on history. The Survivor is one of the best political titles of the year, and--like its subject matter--may be appreciated even more as time goes on. --Jennifer Buckendorff
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
Along with Elizabeth Drew's "On the Edge", this is a very fair and balanced look at Bill Clinton's presidency. Highly recommended !
Rated by buyers 
-
Republicans blamed Bill Clinton for 9/11, saying he cut the military and weakened the intelligence community. It is just as valid to say the Republicans weakened the country by impeaching Clinton and trying to destroy his presidency. We have reached a point where each party puts itself ahead of the country. Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, came on television and praised the Democrats for their greatness. Problem is, we can not have a democracy without two great parties. Reflecting on the Clinton presidency, it is hard to think of anything he did. He kept the peace. He said his goal was to have no major wars. His goal of universal health coverage failed. In retrospect, his 8 years were a series of scandals from Jennifer Flowers to Whitewater to Monica Lewinsky. Clinton learned from Nixon's mistake. He knew that if he hung on, the impeachment process would run its course. The country did not need another Watergate nor a second president resigning. Republicans ignored this, seeking revenge for Watergate. One thing about Clinton, he had charisma. His womanizing ruined Al Gore. And his bridge to the 21st century became a bridge back to the Bushes of Texas!
Rated by buyers -
This is an excellent book that gives the reader lots of interesting, insightful information about President Clinton.
Rated by buyers 
-
Remember the political nineties? I remember my own early enthusiasm for the New Democrat as political antidote. Bill Clinton's maddening foibles (sins?) have always in my mind had to be balanced with some real achievements like a balanced budget and welfare reform. If anything, Clinton personified a new kind of leader in that his private life and inner mind were exposed in ways Presidents had not been before. A President just simply wasn't supposed to feel our pain or twaddle with interns. I learned about "compartmentalization" watching Clinton as President on 24-hour news cycles.
John Harris does an admirable job navigating partisan invective and still sore political wounds. Harris tells key stories well, weaving throughout the narrative an intriguing capsule of the political survivor. I give his work four stars as I don't know that I gained any new insights beyond what I observed living through the nineties. Survivor is an enjoyable series of linked essays vividly recapturing the political nineties from a view alongside Clinton.
Rated by buyers -
If you feel Franken, M. Moore, Hannity or Rush are credible, than this book probably isn't for you. This is as close to fair and accurate as your going to get. While it's obvious the author is favorable to Clinton, he doesn't hesitate to point out his mistakes. Someone might complain the book doesn't mention every single incident, but what book can? Even "War and Peace" can't. I am very much enjoying the book. It's virtually impossible to find an unbiased book. Everyone has an opinion, just give me the information and let me decide. I despise Bush, I liked Reagan, and I don't believe either Nixon or Clinton should have been impeached. try it!
Find other books like this one:
