John Gartner - In Search of Bill Clinton: A Psychological Biography

I would like to express gratitude to the people who were kind enough to participate in interviews with me.

In Arkansas, I was delighted to meet Virginia Clintons feisty friends: Marge Mitchell, Virginia Heath, Nancy Adkins, Berenice Lyon, Dixie Seba, Clover Gibson, Johnnette Taylor, and M. J. Sherer. I was also privileged to interview both the first and last loves of her life, Richard Fenwick and Dick Kelley. Also many thanks to Virginias co-writer, Jim Morgan.

It was also a pleasure to meet the original friends of Bill whove known him since childhood: Rose Crane, David Leopoulos, Mauria Aspell, Carolyn Staley, Patty Criner, Larry Crane, Phil Jamison, Joe Purvis, and Michael Muldoon. A special thanks to Rose Crane, who was gracious enough to provide me with introductions to many of those friends. I am also grateful to the Arkansas journalists, most of whom have written their own Clinton books, who shared with me the fruits of their many years of Clinton-watching: Ernest Dumas, John Brummett, Meredith Oakley, Paul Greenberg, Jonathan Portis, and Steve Barnes. In Hope, thanks to George Wright, Jr., Jewel Dean Moore, Mary Nell Turner, Jenny Sue McKee, and Elaine Johnson. Many thanks to those in Arkansas who participated in Clintons political campaigns and gubernatorial administrations: Ron Addington, Marla Crider, Paul Root, Carol Willis, Jim Daugherty, David Folsom, Ann Henry, Ann McCoy, and Mary Anne Salmon.

This book was strengthened immensely by access to two sets of interviews conducted by others. I am most grateful to Charles F. Allen, who generously shared the transcripts of all of his interviews conducted for his book, The Comeback Kid: The Life and Career of Bill Clinton . And thanks to David Stricklin of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System, who provided me with CDs of their entire collection of interviews from their oral history project on Clintons Arkansas years.

For my chapter in the economy, I am grateful to those on Clintons presidential economic team who spoke to me: Leon Panetta, Alice Rivlin, Alan Blinder, and Jeffrey Shafer. Also thanks to Clinton advisers, Paul Begala and James Carville.

For my chapter on the Irish peace process, I was lucky enough to be able to speak to most of the major participants. Almost all of those contacts came through Stella OLeary, head of Irish American Democrats, as delightful a woman as youll ever meet. On this side of the Atlantic, I spoke to Tony Lake, Nancy Soderberg, Jane Hull Lutethe National Security Council team who handled Ireland; Niall ODowd, Bruce Morrison, Brian ODwyer, Trina Vargo, Elizabeth Bagleypeople who worked, often secretly, behind the scenes; and George Mitchell, who chaired the peace negotiations that led to the Good Friday agreement, and his assistant, Martha Pope. In Ireland, I spoke with Gerry Adams, Richard McAuley, John Hume, Reg Empey, David Trimble, Albert Reynolds, Dick Spring, and Seamus Heaney (via e-mail). Thanks to Paul Allen and Irish journalists Conor OClery and Dan Keenan, who helped paved the way for me in Ireland.

For their insights into the mind of Ken Starr, I thank former OIC attorney Mark Tuohey and my secret inside source whom I cannot name, but refer to as Deep Throat. Also the masters of disaster, charged with handling the Clinton faux scandals, Mark Fabiani and Chris Lehane. Also thanks to journalists Joe Conason, Gene Lyons, and Sidney Blumenthal, who wrote books about the impeachment.

Traveling through Africa with Bill Clinton was a great opportunity, and I thank the Clinton Foundation for allowing me to accompany them. Clintons communications director, Ben Yarrow, and, before him, Jay Carson couldnt have been nicer. Id like to thank the people I interviewed in Africa: Zackie Achmat, Felix Mwanza, Paul Kasonkomona, Farouk Abdullah, and Khamis Mtumwa. In particular, Id like to thank Kathryn Sutton, the saintly woman in Zanzibar whom I shadowed for two days. Id also like to thank those experts on Africa and AIDS who spoke to me: Stephen Lewis, Patricia Siplon, Jamie Love, Paul Zeitz, and David Gartner.

Im grateful to two Clinton biographers who were kind enough to share their insights with me: David Maraniss and John F. Harris, Also thanks to Stanley Renshon and Jerome Levin, two mental health professionals who wrote books about Clinton.

But in particular I owe a profound debt of thanks to Clinton biographer Nigel Hamilton, who was extraordinarily generous enough to review this entire manuscript and teach this first-time biographer the ropes. I dont know how I can ever repay him.

While it is traditional and indeed obligatory to thanks ones editor, my gratitude for the chance to work with Michael Flaminirising nonfiction star and all-around great guyknows no bounds. He was unflaggingly enthusiastic, supportive, and creative, somehow always knowing when to leave me alone and when to intervene. Thanks also to his assistant, Vicki Lame. In general, my experience at St Martins could not have been more positive. From the publisher, Sally Richardson, on down, I found St. Martins to be a small team of intellectually engaged, dynamic, smart, thoughtful people who publish books the old-fashioned wayreading, thinking and caring about what they help to create.

My shadow support team during this entire project has been my writing group (the Mod Squad, as we call ourselves), which consists of myself, Adam Bellow, and Stephanie Susnjara. Adam, my close friend since high school, has provided ongoing wise guidance since I began my writing career. And Stephanie, whom I adore, went through the entire manuscript three times with a fine-tooth comb. I also want to thank my agent, Betsy Lerner, as always, for her fine nurturing, editing, and selling skills.

It is traditional to thank ones spouse. Every writer knows why. A few kind words cannot begin to acknowledge their long-suffering support. But in my case this is particularly true. As I describe in my introduction, my quest to understand Bill Clinton consumed every moment of my time and every ounce of my strength for two years. Claude was heroic, shouldering virtually all the responsibilities of our household and family, while also reading innumerable drafts. She has been one of the greatest supporters of my writing career.

I also have to acknowledge my four children, Sarah, Hannah, Claire, and Andr, who have suffered from my neglect over these two years. Now that my journey in search of Clinton is done, and I have returned home, I hope I can make it up to them.

The Puzzle

Bill Clinton is a psychological puzzle.

When President Clintons affair with Monica Lewinsky was revealed in January 1998, everyone seemed to be asking the same question: What was he thinking? Biographer David Maraniss dubbed this question the Clinton Enigma.