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Because He Could: A Sharp Biography by Dick Morris―The Insider Revealing Clinton's Complex Contradictions
Who is Bill Clinton? A man whose presidency was disgraced by impeachment -- yet who remains one of the most popular presidents of our time. A man whose autobiography, My Life , was panned by critics as a self-indulgent daily diary -- but rode the bestseller lists for months. A man whose policies changed America at the close of the twentieth century -- yet whose weakness left us vulnerable to terror at the dawn of the twenty-first. No one better understands the inner Bill Clinton, that creature of endless and vexing contradiction, than Dick Morris. From the Arkansas governor's races through the planning of the triumphant 1996 reelection, Morris was Clinton's most valued political adviser. Now, in the wake of Clinton's million-selling memoir My Life , Morris and his wife, Eileen McGann, set the record straight with Because He Could , a frank and perceptive deconstruction of the story Clinton tells -- and the many more revealing stories he leaves untold. With the same keen insight they brought to Hillary Clinton's life in their recent bestseller Rewriting History , Morris and McGann uncover the hidden sides of the complicated and sometimes dysfunctional former president. Whereas Hillary is anxious to mask who she really is, they show, Bill Clinton inadvertently reveals himself at every turn -- as both brilliant and undisciplined, charming yet often filled with rage, willing to take wild risks in his personal life but deeply reluctant to use the military to protect our national security. The Bill Clinton who emerges is familiar -- reflexively blaming every problem on right-wing persecutors or naïve advisers -- but also passive, reactive, working desperately to solve a laundry list of social problems yet never truly grasping the real thrust of his own presidency. And while he courted danger in his personal life, the authors argue that Clinton's downfall has far less to do with his private demons than with his fear of the one person who controlled his his own first lady. Sharp and stylishly written, full of revealing insider anecdotes, Because He Could is a fresh and probing portrait of one of the most fascinating, and polarizing, figures of our time.
303 pages, Paperback
Published October 18, 2005
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About the author
Dick Morris
49 books66 followersDick Morris, the President of Vote.com, was President Clinton's chief strategist and advisor in the 1996 campaign. He has handled the campaigns of a large number of American politicians including Trent Lott, William Weld, Pete Wilson and a whole lot of others. He's now a commentator on the Fox News Channel and writes a weekly column in the New York Post. He has written four recent books: Behind the Oval Office, The New Prince, Vote.com and Power Plays.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 21, 2017
Bill Clinton is one of the greatest politicians of all time. This is not a compliment. The qualities that make a good politician differ from those that make a good man or even a strong leader.
First, a word of caution. Dick Morris was a political adviser to Bill Clinton during his Arkansas governorship and presidency. Morris fails to state the precise years in which he advised Clinton and whether they were coterminous with Clinton’s occupation of the White House. A quick Wikipedia search reveals that Morris advised Clinton from 1992 until 1996, at which point Clinton let him go because he allowed a prostitute to listen in on their conversations. (Oops. Rookie mistake, Dick. Semen dropping ok, eavesdropping not ok. And for god’s sake, destroy the dress.) The point is Morris may have his own ax to grind with Slick Willy. Moreover, Morris’s portrayal of himself is consistently and conveniently flattering. E.g., Morris had the balls to tell Clinton "no" and argue with him; Morris actually drafted many policy positions and speeches that Clinton then copied into his own handwriting so that Clinton could pretend they were his own; Morris’s polling work enabled Clinton to take optimal political positions so that he could effectively lead, and people loved him for it; Clinton was aggressive with Morris because Clinton really loved and trusted him; Clinton confessed to Morris that Morris was better than Clinton at the one thing Clinton was best at: politics.
Here’s the picture Morris paints of Clinton. He is intelligent, charming, hardworking, and empathetic. He is also selfish, lecherous, egomaniacal, and dishonest. He was popular during his presidency and remains so today. His positive accomplishments included reduced crime, an improved economy, a balanced budget, and avoided wars. The causes and credit for these accomplishments are debatable, to say the least. How much of the economy improving was the result of Reagan-era policies? How much was due to the timing of technological progress and the rise of the internet? How much was the end of the Cold War and relative peace? How much of the balanced budget was a result of a Republican-controlled Congress? Were the budgets actually balanced, or was nondiscretionary spending, like Social Security and Medicare liabilities, not properly accounted for? The biggest question will be the continuing war on terror. Clinton had maybe four good chances to capture Bin Laden while president and possibly avoid the attacks. How responsible was Clinton for 9/11, which occurred nine months after he left office?
Morris punts on Clinton’s legacy, taking the line that time will tell. He does not, however, have to wait to discuss Clinton’s myriad scandals. The scandals are the meat of this story. Morris, who worked closely with Clinton, says that Clinton always worked on and worried about his image. He didn’t want to be seen as a politician or fundraiser. He wanted to project an image of noble confidence and ability on the important issues of the day. To project that image and protect his legacy, Clinton wrote his autobiography, My Life. Morris says his own book is an attempt to set the record straight on some of the claims and omissions from Clinton’s autobiography.
So let’s list the scandals and complicated truths that Clinton distills into simplistic untruths.
• Clinton’s modest upbringing with his grandparents in Hope, Arkansas ended when he was four. Then his mother remarried to one, Roger Clinton, after whom Bill took his last name. Roger owned Buick dealerships. Bill grew up in a five-bedroom house with terraced lawns, a four-car garage, and a ballroom. The family had a housekeeper/nanny. Even when his mother and stepfather divorced, his mother was decently well off. Clinton lived a life of financial security, he did not have to work growing up, and his family afforded him tremendous opportunities by providing both elite educations and financing early political aspirations.
• Clinton was not a decisive leader. He absorbed many facts and had incredible recall. But his leadership style was that of mediator. He would hear different advisors’ opinions and select the one with which he most agreed, never owning it, and blaming the originator of the opinion if things developed poorly. He was willing, however, to take credit when things went well. For example, though Commander-in-Chief, Clinton places the blame, and asks history to place the blame, for the Waco disaster with the Branch Davidians on Janet Reno. Had the situation been handled more competently, perhaps the Oklahoma City bombing could have been avoided. Adding insult to injury and incompetence, Clinton then tried to pin the OKC bombing on rightwing radio shows, insinuating that such shows had encouraged antigovernment terrorism.
• Bill Clinton had a hidden rage, perhaps learned from childhood. His stepfather had once fired a gun above his mother’s head. Clinton worked hard to hide this rage, but it occasionally spilled out. Once, Bill Clinton screamed at and physically tackled Dick Morris over some heated exchange. Though Morris still worked for Clinton, the story leaked. When Morris asked Clinton how to handle it, Hillary answered, “Just deny that it ever happened.”
• The Oil for Food program set up after Desert Storm was a scam. An estimated $10 billion of the $62 billion the program generated were bribes paid to French, Russian, and UN officials. Clinton was aware of the scandals and did nothing.
• Clinton actively worked to avoid the Vietnam draft, then lied about it. The strategy to disguise lies and deflect attention is one he would employ in many subsequent scandals. It was four-pronged and described by Morris: “First, deny as long as you can, hiding behind a smokescreen of legalistic, specific, and pedantic language. Then attack the press for raising the issue, and throw dirt at your opponent. At the same time, take care to depersonalize the issue: Tell the people this isn’t about your misconduct, it’s about the evil entrenched interests, who are trying to destroy you because of your innovative policies. Finally, to ensure your lasting recovery, create a myth about the attacks, investing them with deeper meaning.” With Vietnam, the details are lengthy, procedural, and boring. So I don’t have or care about all of them. But here's the gist. First, Clinton received a draft number that would likely have sent him. He avoided it for one year as a Rhodes Scholar. He applied to law school. Then he had connected people make special calls and write letters for him to delay. He joined ROTC, which would permit him to defer for a few years to attend law school, but would then require him to join the military. When Nixon greatly reduced the draft, Clinton withdrew from ROTC to avoid going. Look, I wouldn’t want to go to Vietnam either. The problem with Clinton is his machinations and lies rather than owning up to it. He was smart enough to realize that owning up to it would have presented a perhaps insurmountable hurdle to successful political campaigning. So, instead, we get tedious, inconsistent nonsense. Much like: “When I was in England, I experimented with marijuana a time or two and didn’t like it and didn’t inhale and never tried it again.”
• Clinton was constantly campaigning and fundraising without acknowledging either. During his presidency, fundraising consumed about one-third of his public schedule. This was the justification for taxpayers paying for his travels rather than the Democratic Party. He also permitted large contributors to spend nights in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House. It was not a direct quid pro quo, but come on. We all know what was happening: Clinton was renting out rooms in the White House for campaign contributions. Furthermore, Clinton accepted campaign contributions from officials in the Chinese government while simultaneously allowing American defense contractors to conduct business with the Chinese. Were any sensitive technological secrets shared with the Chinese? Almost certainly. What negative effects have we suffered because of it? None yet, that we know of. But what do Americans get for the risk? Nothing. Clinton received campaign contributions. Clinton was great at fundraising because of his stamina and moral flexibility. He shook hands and posed for photos for hours.
• Clinton pardoned 456 people. Clinton notes that Reagan pardoned 406, Carter 566, Ford 409, George H.W. Bush 77. The people Clinton pardoned, however, seem far from innocent in any legal or moral sense. Clinton pardoned them for nakedly selfish reasons. They were loyal to Clinton and helped him financially and personally by giving him money and keeping his secrets. One person Clinton pardoned was the fugitive Marc Rich, whose wife, Denise, gave the Clintons and Democrats millions of dollars. Clinton pardoned FALN Puerto Rican terrorists, who killed six people, in exchange for support for Hillary’s New York Senate bid. Clinton pardoned four Hasidic Jewish leaders of defrauding the government of $40 million by setting up fake scholarships for nonexistent students; the leaders then secured votes in the community for Hillary. Clinton pardoned Carlos Vignali, who was convicted of distributing half a ton of cocaine. Vignali gave $160,000 to Democrats in 2000, but also gave $200,000 to Hillary’s brother, Hugh Rodham. Hillary’s brothers successfully promoted two other pardons for cash involving Almon Glenn Braswell and Edward and Vonna Jo Gregory.
• Hillary worked for the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas. California governor Jerry Brown, who challenged Clinton for the 1992 Democratic nomination, accused Bill of directing work towards the law firm while he was governor. Hillary claimed that she agreed not to take any share of the profits from work sent to the law firm by Bill. This was technically true; Hill-dawg did not take a share of the revenue sent in by work from Bill as governor. But she did increase her percentage of revenue from all the firm’s other work. So the practical effect is that she was paid by work directed to her law firm by her husband, who was governor of Arkansas. It is exactly these types of tedious, half-truths and trickery that make the Clintons so damn slippery. There are many more.
• While in the White House, the Clintons arranged for the White House Travel Office to funnel work and expenses to the benefit of one, Harry Thomason, a key friend and supporter of the Clintons.
• Clinton said he never asked Monica Lewinsky to lie. But Clinton did send his friend and high-powered attorney Vernon Jordan to Lewinsky to convince her to write an affidavit denying an affair with Clinton. So, Clinton didn’t directly ask Lewinsky to lie, but he indirectly did through an intermediary. Furthermore, Clinton coached his secretary, Betty Currie, by saying things like, “We [Monica Lewinsky and I] never met alone, right?”
• To combat the Kenneth Starr investigation, Clinton’s people stonewalled, destroyed documents, and instigated procedural delays. This drove up the cost of the investigation and delayed and diminished the results. As it dragged on, the public lost patience with Starr, who was portrayed as the bad guy.
• Clinton’s most consistent scandals involved the “bimbos.” As a philanderer in a position of power, there were many. Clinton, or people on Clinton’s behalf, used a combination of bribes and threats to keep them silent. Sally Perdue was told by a “Democratic operative” that he “couldn’t guarantee the safety of her pretty little legs” if she admitted to her affair with Clinton. Kathleen Willey’s tires were punctured and her cat stolen. Later, an unidentified jogger mentioned the names of her children, saying “Don’t you get the message?” after alluding to the tires and cat. Elizabeth Ward Gracen, a former Miss America, had her hotel room ransacked, though $2,000 was not stolen, and was offered acting jobs by Clinton’s Secretary of Commerce, Mickey Kantor, in exchange for denying an affair with Clinton. Clinton campaign operatives threatened to “destroy” Dolly Kyle Browning if she came forward to confirm her affair with the governor. Juanita Broaddrick claimed that Clinton raped her. Linda Tripp’s confidential personnel file was leaked to the media by the Pentagon after she taped her conversations with Lewinsky. Paula Jones settled a lawsuit against Clinton for $850,000 in which she alleged he made graphic, inappropriate, and obscene demands on her while he was governor. I guess they all conspired across vast distances in time and space against the po' boy from Hope. Right? It’s actually the Republicans waging a war on women, with a little help from the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at UVA, and Duke Lacrosse, or something.
What to make of all this? I don’t remember Bill Clinton firsthand as I was 11 years old when he won reelection. Not being psychotic, I paid politics no attention. Nonetheless, the information in Morris’s book rings mostly true to me. I’m sure Clinton has some lengthy explanation for every scandal that makes him sound reasonable and innocent. But the problem with liars is that they are liars. You can’t trust what they say.
A lot of people claim they don’t care about their politicians’ personal lives. I disagree. What a giant copout. In a nation of 340 million people, we can choose politicians who are both competent and honest. We should demand better of our elected officials. They should be held to higher standards, not lower ones. Rapists, felons, and cheap traders of national security secrets belong in prison, not at the helm of a great nation. Unfortunately, the way our political system is setup, with so much political graft in play, the corrupt and dishonest rise to the top. The media, complicit in the cover-ups and so obviously in the tank for Democrats, provides no solution. Once again, libertarianism offers the answer. The only way to minimize the evil of politicians is to minimize their power. Neuter them, as Clinton should have been. The title of this book was “Because He Could.” In a world where he couldn’t, he wouldn’t.
First, a word of caution. Dick Morris was a political adviser to Bill Clinton during his Arkansas governorship and presidency. Morris fails to state the precise years in which he advised Clinton and whether they were coterminous with Clinton’s occupation of the White House. A quick Wikipedia search reveals that Morris advised Clinton from 1992 until 1996, at which point Clinton let him go because he allowed a prostitute to listen in on their conversations. (Oops. Rookie mistake, Dick. Semen dropping ok, eavesdropping not ok. And for god’s sake, destroy the dress.) The point is Morris may have his own ax to grind with Slick Willy. Moreover, Morris’s portrayal of himself is consistently and conveniently flattering. E.g., Morris had the balls to tell Clinton "no" and argue with him; Morris actually drafted many policy positions and speeches that Clinton then copied into his own handwriting so that Clinton could pretend they were his own; Morris’s polling work enabled Clinton to take optimal political positions so that he could effectively lead, and people loved him for it; Clinton was aggressive with Morris because Clinton really loved and trusted him; Clinton confessed to Morris that Morris was better than Clinton at the one thing Clinton was best at: politics.
Here’s the picture Morris paints of Clinton. He is intelligent, charming, hardworking, and empathetic. He is also selfish, lecherous, egomaniacal, and dishonest. He was popular during his presidency and remains so today. His positive accomplishments included reduced crime, an improved economy, a balanced budget, and avoided wars. The causes and credit for these accomplishments are debatable, to say the least. How much of the economy improving was the result of Reagan-era policies? How much was due to the timing of technological progress and the rise of the internet? How much was the end of the Cold War and relative peace? How much of the balanced budget was a result of a Republican-controlled Congress? Were the budgets actually balanced, or was nondiscretionary spending, like Social Security and Medicare liabilities, not properly accounted for? The biggest question will be the continuing war on terror. Clinton had maybe four good chances to capture Bin Laden while president and possibly avoid the attacks. How responsible was Clinton for 9/11, which occurred nine months after he left office?
Morris punts on Clinton’s legacy, taking the line that time will tell. He does not, however, have to wait to discuss Clinton’s myriad scandals. The scandals are the meat of this story. Morris, who worked closely with Clinton, says that Clinton always worked on and worried about his image. He didn’t want to be seen as a politician or fundraiser. He wanted to project an image of noble confidence and ability on the important issues of the day. To project that image and protect his legacy, Clinton wrote his autobiography, My Life. Morris says his own book is an attempt to set the record straight on some of the claims and omissions from Clinton’s autobiography.
So let’s list the scandals and complicated truths that Clinton distills into simplistic untruths.
• Clinton’s modest upbringing with his grandparents in Hope, Arkansas ended when he was four. Then his mother remarried to one, Roger Clinton, after whom Bill took his last name. Roger owned Buick dealerships. Bill grew up in a five-bedroom house with terraced lawns, a four-car garage, and a ballroom. The family had a housekeeper/nanny. Even when his mother and stepfather divorced, his mother was decently well off. Clinton lived a life of financial security, he did not have to work growing up, and his family afforded him tremendous opportunities by providing both elite educations and financing early political aspirations.
• Clinton was not a decisive leader. He absorbed many facts and had incredible recall. But his leadership style was that of mediator. He would hear different advisors’ opinions and select the one with which he most agreed, never owning it, and blaming the originator of the opinion if things developed poorly. He was willing, however, to take credit when things went well. For example, though Commander-in-Chief, Clinton places the blame, and asks history to place the blame, for the Waco disaster with the Branch Davidians on Janet Reno. Had the situation been handled more competently, perhaps the Oklahoma City bombing could have been avoided. Adding insult to injury and incompetence, Clinton then tried to pin the OKC bombing on rightwing radio shows, insinuating that such shows had encouraged antigovernment terrorism.
• Bill Clinton had a hidden rage, perhaps learned from childhood. His stepfather had once fired a gun above his mother’s head. Clinton worked hard to hide this rage, but it occasionally spilled out. Once, Bill Clinton screamed at and physically tackled Dick Morris over some heated exchange. Though Morris still worked for Clinton, the story leaked. When Morris asked Clinton how to handle it, Hillary answered, “Just deny that it ever happened.”
• The Oil for Food program set up after Desert Storm was a scam. An estimated $10 billion of the $62 billion the program generated were bribes paid to French, Russian, and UN officials. Clinton was aware of the scandals and did nothing.
• Clinton actively worked to avoid the Vietnam draft, then lied about it. The strategy to disguise lies and deflect attention is one he would employ in many subsequent scandals. It was four-pronged and described by Morris: “First, deny as long as you can, hiding behind a smokescreen of legalistic, specific, and pedantic language. Then attack the press for raising the issue, and throw dirt at your opponent. At the same time, take care to depersonalize the issue: Tell the people this isn’t about your misconduct, it’s about the evil entrenched interests, who are trying to destroy you because of your innovative policies. Finally, to ensure your lasting recovery, create a myth about the attacks, investing them with deeper meaning.” With Vietnam, the details are lengthy, procedural, and boring. So I don’t have or care about all of them. But here's the gist. First, Clinton received a draft number that would likely have sent him. He avoided it for one year as a Rhodes Scholar. He applied to law school. Then he had connected people make special calls and write letters for him to delay. He joined ROTC, which would permit him to defer for a few years to attend law school, but would then require him to join the military. When Nixon greatly reduced the draft, Clinton withdrew from ROTC to avoid going. Look, I wouldn’t want to go to Vietnam either. The problem with Clinton is his machinations and lies rather than owning up to it. He was smart enough to realize that owning up to it would have presented a perhaps insurmountable hurdle to successful political campaigning. So, instead, we get tedious, inconsistent nonsense. Much like: “When I was in England, I experimented with marijuana a time or two and didn’t like it and didn’t inhale and never tried it again.”
• Clinton was constantly campaigning and fundraising without acknowledging either. During his presidency, fundraising consumed about one-third of his public schedule. This was the justification for taxpayers paying for his travels rather than the Democratic Party. He also permitted large contributors to spend nights in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House. It was not a direct quid pro quo, but come on. We all know what was happening: Clinton was renting out rooms in the White House for campaign contributions. Furthermore, Clinton accepted campaign contributions from officials in the Chinese government while simultaneously allowing American defense contractors to conduct business with the Chinese. Were any sensitive technological secrets shared with the Chinese? Almost certainly. What negative effects have we suffered because of it? None yet, that we know of. But what do Americans get for the risk? Nothing. Clinton received campaign contributions. Clinton was great at fundraising because of his stamina and moral flexibility. He shook hands and posed for photos for hours.
• Clinton pardoned 456 people. Clinton notes that Reagan pardoned 406, Carter 566, Ford 409, George H.W. Bush 77. The people Clinton pardoned, however, seem far from innocent in any legal or moral sense. Clinton pardoned them for nakedly selfish reasons. They were loyal to Clinton and helped him financially and personally by giving him money and keeping his secrets. One person Clinton pardoned was the fugitive Marc Rich, whose wife, Denise, gave the Clintons and Democrats millions of dollars. Clinton pardoned FALN Puerto Rican terrorists, who killed six people, in exchange for support for Hillary’s New York Senate bid. Clinton pardoned four Hasidic Jewish leaders of defrauding the government of $40 million by setting up fake scholarships for nonexistent students; the leaders then secured votes in the community for Hillary. Clinton pardoned Carlos Vignali, who was convicted of distributing half a ton of cocaine. Vignali gave $160,000 to Democrats in 2000, but also gave $200,000 to Hillary’s brother, Hugh Rodham. Hillary’s brothers successfully promoted two other pardons for cash involving Almon Glenn Braswell and Edward and Vonna Jo Gregory.
• Hillary worked for the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas. California governor Jerry Brown, who challenged Clinton for the 1992 Democratic nomination, accused Bill of directing work towards the law firm while he was governor. Hillary claimed that she agreed not to take any share of the profits from work sent to the law firm by Bill. This was technically true; Hill-dawg did not take a share of the revenue sent in by work from Bill as governor. But she did increase her percentage of revenue from all the firm’s other work. So the practical effect is that she was paid by work directed to her law firm by her husband, who was governor of Arkansas. It is exactly these types of tedious, half-truths and trickery that make the Clintons so damn slippery. There are many more.
• While in the White House, the Clintons arranged for the White House Travel Office to funnel work and expenses to the benefit of one, Harry Thomason, a key friend and supporter of the Clintons.
• Clinton said he never asked Monica Lewinsky to lie. But Clinton did send his friend and high-powered attorney Vernon Jordan to Lewinsky to convince her to write an affidavit denying an affair with Clinton. So, Clinton didn’t directly ask Lewinsky to lie, but he indirectly did through an intermediary. Furthermore, Clinton coached his secretary, Betty Currie, by saying things like, “We [Monica Lewinsky and I] never met alone, right?”
• To combat the Kenneth Starr investigation, Clinton’s people stonewalled, destroyed documents, and instigated procedural delays. This drove up the cost of the investigation and delayed and diminished the results. As it dragged on, the public lost patience with Starr, who was portrayed as the bad guy.
• Clinton’s most consistent scandals involved the “bimbos.” As a philanderer in a position of power, there were many. Clinton, or people on Clinton’s behalf, used a combination of bribes and threats to keep them silent. Sally Perdue was told by a “Democratic operative” that he “couldn’t guarantee the safety of her pretty little legs” if she admitted to her affair with Clinton. Kathleen Willey’s tires were punctured and her cat stolen. Later, an unidentified jogger mentioned the names of her children, saying “Don’t you get the message?” after alluding to the tires and cat. Elizabeth Ward Gracen, a former Miss America, had her hotel room ransacked, though $2,000 was not stolen, and was offered acting jobs by Clinton’s Secretary of Commerce, Mickey Kantor, in exchange for denying an affair with Clinton. Clinton campaign operatives threatened to “destroy” Dolly Kyle Browning if she came forward to confirm her affair with the governor. Juanita Broaddrick claimed that Clinton raped her. Linda Tripp’s confidential personnel file was leaked to the media by the Pentagon after she taped her conversations with Lewinsky. Paula Jones settled a lawsuit against Clinton for $850,000 in which she alleged he made graphic, inappropriate, and obscene demands on her while he was governor. I guess they all conspired across vast distances in time and space against the po' boy from Hope. Right? It’s actually the Republicans waging a war on women, with a little help from the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at UVA, and Duke Lacrosse, or something.
What to make of all this? I don’t remember Bill Clinton firsthand as I was 11 years old when he won reelection. Not being psychotic, I paid politics no attention. Nonetheless, the information in Morris’s book rings mostly true to me. I’m sure Clinton has some lengthy explanation for every scandal that makes him sound reasonable and innocent. But the problem with liars is that they are liars. You can’t trust what they say.
A lot of people claim they don’t care about their politicians’ personal lives. I disagree. What a giant copout. In a nation of 340 million people, we can choose politicians who are both competent and honest. We should demand better of our elected officials. They should be held to higher standards, not lower ones. Rapists, felons, and cheap traders of national security secrets belong in prison, not at the helm of a great nation. Unfortunately, the way our political system is setup, with so much political graft in play, the corrupt and dishonest rise to the top. The media, complicit in the cover-ups and so obviously in the tank for Democrats, provides no solution. Once again, libertarianism offers the answer. The only way to minimize the evil of politicians is to minimize their power. Neuter them, as Clinton should have been. The title of this book was “Because He Could.” In a world where he couldn’t, he wouldn’t.
June 3, 2025
I picked this one up from the Biography section of Half Price Books, but I don't think I would have put it in that category. If I were in a snarky mood and wanted to give this book a one sentence description, I would say it's a 270 page critique of Bill Clinton's autobiography My Life.
Dick Morris served as Bill Clinton's political consultant for about 20 years. In Because He Could, he offers his take on Bill Clinton's life during the years of his association, occasionally tying things back to Clinton's childhood and young adulthood. He paints Clinton as a talented man with great empathy, someone who could relate well to people and respond to their needs. But he also failed to grasp the longer view and see the consequences of his actions. He also presents Clinton as a president between wars--the Cold War and the War on Terror. He credits Clinton with solving a number of domestic problems, but wonders if he dropped the ball on preparing for or avoiding the international issues that came to the fore in the early 21st Century.
All in all it was a somewhat interesting book, but as it had more politics than history in it, it didn't really fit my agenda.
Dick Morris served as Bill Clinton's political consultant for about 20 years. In Because He Could, he offers his take on Bill Clinton's life during the years of his association, occasionally tying things back to Clinton's childhood and young adulthood. He paints Clinton as a talented man with great empathy, someone who could relate well to people and respond to their needs. But he also failed to grasp the longer view and see the consequences of his actions. He also presents Clinton as a president between wars--the Cold War and the War on Terror. He credits Clinton with solving a number of domestic problems, but wonders if he dropped the ball on preparing for or avoiding the international issues that came to the fore in the early 21st Century.
All in all it was a somewhat interesting book, but as it had more politics than history in it, it didn't really fit my agenda.
April 2, 2022
Gawd... what a worthless pile of hypocritical excrement... I only read it because if I start a book, I finish it. And a good friend gave me this book for a birthday gift back in the year it was released (2004). All I got to say is, I would love to see what Mr. Morris and his wife, Ms. McGann, have to say about the former president, Mr. Trump. Is the fact he got elected all the fault of Mr. Bill Clinton. Mr. Morris makes the claim that 9/11 is all Bill's fault.
One of the worst books I have read in the last decade... Unless you are a fan of Fox Propaganda (aka News) there is NOTHING in this book worth reading.
One of the worst books I have read in the last decade... Unless you are a fan of Fox Propaganda (aka News) there is NOTHING in this book worth reading.
August 20, 2021
Fascinating eye opener. The author does attempt to dissect the pathology behind Clinton's behavior and choices, there is real empathy about Clinton's growing up years in a dysfunctional household. However we all need to grow up. So many people in the same situation as the former president do transcend their beginnings. There are some real revelations from the author who knew Clinton and his wife intimately. This was a page turner.
July 17, 2025
This is a fascinating look at the Clinton presidency, written by Clinton’s chief strategist, Dick Morris. As with many men who attain high office, there are great strengths and great weaknesses. Unbalance, with Clinton, there were more strengths and weaknesses. But this is an interesting look into his presidency, and it is an easy book to read. Happy reading!
July 2, 2016
A long-time advisor to President Bill Clinton, Dick Morris has since taken advantage of his former position by writing reviews and rebuttals of Bill and Hillary's memoirs. Morris gleefully relates his version of conversations and events before, during and after the White House years. He also spends a lot of time detailing inconsistencies and outright contradictions between stories as told by the husband and wife. While he does point out a few places where Bill doesn't give himself enough credit for popular policy wins, most of the book is a grown up version of "Oh no, he di-n't!" It's all interesting to consider, but I'm not sure how much faith I put in this one man's point-of-view.
May 2, 2012
I wanted to like this more than I did. It was largely a refutation of both President and Mrs Clinton's memoirs. It made me feel like I should plan to read their books in our to get the full impact of this author's POV. Also though I am no fan of the former President, Morris never comes out and says WHY he came to loathe the President. He gave examples of WHY you could Loathe him but never indicates what drove Morris over the edge. Maybe I missed something.
I did like the discussion of the WHY Clinton acted the way he did.(phychoanalysis.) That part was good.
I did like the discussion of the WHY Clinton acted the way he did.(phychoanalysis.) That part was good.
July 29, 2008
I met Dick Morris at the Costco and bougfht this book. Talking with him, I was surprised to find out that he leaned politically to the right. Huh... you learn something every day. This was before he became the right wing commentator he is now.
An interesting book about Bill Clinton- but mostly a "sour grapes" book by the author.
An interesting book about Bill Clinton- but mostly a "sour grapes" book by the author.
September 19, 2011
I happen to be a big fan of Dick Morris and found this book extremely interesting coming from an insider who worked with Clinton. Personally, I have never been a fan of Clinton, so I was not offended by any of this. I found it extremely interesting to read about the behind the scenes drama regarding Waco and Clinton/Reno.
May 1, 2015
Great behind-the-scenes look at how Bill Clinton thinks and what motivates him. Also provides insight into what we can expect from a possible Hillary Clinton administration; really would make Bill look like a moderate. Good read by a former insider who knows the Clintons well; recommend for anyone following politics or concerned about America.
September 2, 2016
This was more of a comparison with Clinton's own book and the record set straight by Dick Morris.
Very telling and believable by a man who worked closely with the Clintons.(20 years) Let's just say that Dick's book is far more to the truth of things, than the spin Bill puts in his own book.
Very telling and believable by a man who worked closely with the Clintons.(20 years) Let's just say that Dick's book is far more to the truth of things, than the spin Bill puts in his own book.
August 20, 2007
I Have the book, not the cd.
Currently reading
December 19, 2010Funny that i picked this up thinking it would be about how great Clinton was but the author totally goes the other way with it. An interesting viewpoint from an insider in the Clinton era Whitehouse
July 13, 2012
Now I dislike Dick Morris and Bill Clinton
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