"A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton" by Carl Bernstein
We know she is married to Bill Clinton and has been for years.
We know she was the First Lady for 8 years.
We know she is a Senator of New York.
But just who is Hillary Clinton?
I have heard that she is half of the most famous couple on Earth. Every week I see the Republican Presidential candidates use her as the ultimate Liberal boogey man in their campaigns. Like a lot of people, I hear about her all the time so I thought I knew who she was.
Until I heard this interview.
Pulitzer-Prize Winning Reporter Carl Bernstein Takes on Hillary Clinton
Weekday
10/17/2007 9:00 am
Carl Bernstein won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Watergate scandal in the Washington Post. Now his attentions are on Hillary Clinton. Eight years and over two-hundred interviews later, his book, A Woman in Charge claims to be a definitive biography of Clinton's life. Does it matter that both Hillary and Bill refused to be interviewed for the book? Is research enough to see behind the public persona all politicians have? What did Bernstein's research reveal about the woman who could be the first female president? What impact has the book had on Clinton's run for the presidency?
Most political books these days are not worth the paper they are printed on. Their are either carefully crafted marketing pieces designed (and written by) the candidate themselves for self-promotion. Or they are attempts to discredit or titillate and sell more books by pushing a belief (right or wrong) that you already have.
Almost none of the political books rise to the level of "historical". The recent "The Reagan Diaries" was this kind of enlightening book.
When I first heard about A Woman In Charge, I was expecting another pulp-piece like the former. But Bernstein handles himself so well in this radio interview and said such interesting things, I now think it is the later.
If you can get over the unnecessarily hostile interview host who kept trying to get Berstein to throw out a zinger, the stories Carl Bernstein says are VERY interesting. I guess it should come as no surprise: Hillary is a lot more complicated and complex than most of us ever think about. She is an actual human being, which makes her both softer and stronger than her media image.
My take-away from the interview is that Hillary is a much stronger candidate and a much better leader than I had previously thought. I was already inclined towards her but now I have a lot more respect for her. She has had a long, hard road to hoe -- and I dont think I have ever heard her complain in public. And of the other Presidential Candidates, she is the only one with 8 years of White House experience; this is no average "How do you like my dress?" First Lady.
Most of us have only seen her as "Bill's wife", not as her own person. It is clear that she polarizes people but it is also clear to me now that most of us have judged her without knowing much if any of the facts.
I had no idea how much work she did to keep her marriage together or that Bill had asked for a divorce. I had no idea how much she did behind the scenes to keep Bill Clinton and his political career together. In a lot of ways she was the brains behind Pa and she definitely had the backbone. I also had no idea how religious she was.
The more I heard of this interview the more puzzled I became. Hillary Clinton is an extraordinary example of traditional family values, including the sanctity of marriage and the power or prayer. It seems like her biggest critics ought to be her biggest supporters.
I guess that is just just politics, where the message is more important than the facts. Knowing more of the facts now, I am very curious to see whether any of the real Hillary will get a chance to come out in the campaign.
