Because He Could

A GOOD book, but not what I would call a great book. Those interested in insider details about President Bill Cinton will find the tibits juicy & interesting. After all, the author Dick Morris truly was a trusted insider at one time during the administration. I purchased the book as a gift to my late Mom, who enjoyed it very much, and then shared with with other in her senior apartment complex.p.s. if you have some interesting book that you are ready to thin down form your bookcase, either senior's-only aprtmant complexes, or assisted living centrs usually have a library to accept donations. Please don;t forget the backbone of America,.... the great GENERATION, our seniors.God bless you, Mom...

This is the most interesting piece of information on Bill Clinton to date. The book is sad because it shows how much potential Bill had and how intelligent he was, but also shows his vulnerability towards his wife's opinion and his poor reasoning for acting in certain ways "because he could." Morris was with Bill during his ascent to power and concludes that Bill is not even aware of just how much he accomplished while he was in office. As Clinton's top polling and pr specialist, Dick Morris chronicles what went wrong behind the scenes, Clinton's impeachment trial, and how Clinton has been able to maintain such high approval ratings even after disaster rocked his presidency.

excellent

Very informative! Well written.

Excellent review of Clintons' time in office. Should be a must read for all, but, the general public with a good share of apathy could not care less. Clinton was a scroundel as far as I am concerned and this book verifies my beliefs

First of all, I didn't read this book because I wanted to understand Bill Clinton better. I have never figured out why people say he is a mystery or an enigma. The book title "Because He Could" pretty well sums up Clinton's motivations and character. His public actions show him to be a weak man with a desperate need for attention and approval...your basic narcissist. Through luck, intellect, charisma and an insatiable drive for power, this particular narcissist made it to the presidency. (To me, the much bigger mystery is how people could vote him in even once, much less twice.) So why did I buy the book? I think Dick Morris is a brilliant political researcher and strategist whose grasp of the political climate is right on target 99% of the time. I wanted to see what his writing was like. I wasn't surprised to find that his writing style is witty and crisp. I thoroughly enjoyed Because He Could. The chapter on terrorism reminded me what a cowardly president Clinton was, always putting political expediency above what he was smart enough to know was best for the country. His paralysis in the face of difficult decisions was explained very well by Morris, who attributed it to his fear of criticism of his own draft dodging and his pathological need to be popular. I recommend this book very highly to anyone who is objective about Clinton, whether Republican or Democrat. To those who were taken in by Clinton's charm and remain enamored of him despite his despicable character and overall poor performance, I wouldn't suggest reading a book that rubs salt in the wound. But most of all, I hope anyone who has a thought of supporting Hillary for 2008 will read this book as well as Rewriting History (which I'll tackle next). The only negative thing I came away with was wondering how Dick Morris could have stomached working with this man and helping him stay in office...it makes me sadly realize his own character couldn't be too swift. Maybe he's changed for the better, as all of us can, and this book is a testament to the better man. I think I'll enjoy reading more of Dick's books...he is singularly qualified to write on the subject.

Dick Morris clearly outlines why Bill Clinton was such a horrible president and such a characterless person. Clinton put our nation at risk and I just wish more people who think he was a genius would read this book.

Having just finished Dick Morris' book "Because He Could" I've developed a ton of respect for Dick. He is brilliant. I've seen him many times on Fox etc.. but those shows (sound bytes) will never reveal the depth and balance of this guy. ... His book on Clinton is a thoughtful and honest presentation of facts, personal contacts, assessments, and opinions of both Bill and Hillary (primarily Bill). Morris dispassionately provides the Rosetta Stone which decodes the Clinton's in a fair and articulate manner. He is hard on Bill at times, yes, but he often praises Bill's strengths. It was an awesome read. You can get a lot out of Dick's book without Bill's, but you will surely be hoodwinked if you read Bill's book by itself. Dick's last chapter is an analysis on why Clinton remains so popular, in spite of his many failings. In this last chapter, Dick goes through a laundry list of all the good small bore programs that Bill passed most of which had significant bipartisan appeal.

Loved this book. Bought it as holiday reading and I found the book difficult to put down. Dick Morris is the man who knows the Clintons best and he writes a fantastic book that digs into Bill Clinton's mind. The opening chapters are highly entertaining as well as informative. As the chapters progress, you start to feel that Dick Morris has an accurate "read" on Bill. A fantastic book, particularly for any politicos out there.

A mixed bag. On one level it's a different perspective on the Clinton presidency and Clinton himself from someone who knew him well and worked with him closely.On the other, it seems pedantic in places and the author appears to have set out to write a book that will pull out as many negatives as possible and rebalance the importance of his own role (he clearly isn't happy about the way Clinton has airbrushed him from his own autobiography).An interesting read (which drags a bit towards the end) but clearly written with an agenda, it could have been a better book if the author had been able to constrain his own bitterness.

Good read truthful account of a man with a large ego!