Nav Bar
Nav Bar

Check out these memories, anecdotes and analyses of Bill Clinton recounted by friends, family, colleagues, biographers and critics.

These close-up portraits of his life and conduct have been drawn from more than 500 research interviews conducted for FRONTLINE's "The Choice '96" documentary.



  • Shirley Abbott.... Author of a memoir about growing up in Hot Springs, Arkansas
    Childhood in Hot Springs ......the city's "life lessons" for a budding politican

  • Ron Addington...Campaign staffer in Clinton's 1974 congressional campaign
    Clinton's pragmatism .....the meaning of his friendship......the botched plane trip.......Virginia, in all her colors

  • R.W. Apple...Washington Bureau Chief, The New York Times
    The patterns of indiscipline......understanding the Lani Guanier episode.....

  • Nancy Bekavac....A friend of Bill and Hillary at Yale Law School
    Bill's long blue coat.....watching the politician at Yale....... his favorite hymn...... Bill and Hillary in Moot Court

  • Michael Beschloss...Presidential historian
    Clinton's battle: 'instincts vs. convictions'.....probing his political character....speculations on a second term

  • Michael Bromberg....A health care lobbyist for private hospitals
    How the Clintons blew health care reform ... 'no compromise Hillary'....the "two White Houses"...

  • John Brummett....Columnist for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette who has followed Clinton's career in Arkansas
    On the campaign road with Bill in rural Arkansas....recollections of Hillary & Bill's marital/political relationship.....analyzing Bill and friendship...the major patterns of his life..... "a work in progress"

  • Patty Criner..Childhood friend of Clinton's
    Memories and anecdotes of Hot Springs and the Clinton family

  • Sara Ehrman.....Hillary's landlady in Washington when Hillary worked on the Congressional Watergate committee
    On first meeting Bill....... the car trip with Hillary to Arkansas

  • David Gergen....Former Clinton advisor and close consultant to Presidents Bush and Reagan
    The early days of White House conflict and confusion....... "what's not understood about Clinton":....defining his managerial style

  • Paul Greenberg....Editorial page editor, Arkansas Democrat Gazette
    "Slick Willie".....the deep patterns in Clinton's life and actions......a memorable moment of betrayal.... the Clintons and The Great Gatsby

  • David Harris....Vietnam war opponent and author
    Analyzing Clinton and Dole's responses to the Vietnam War

  • Nicholas Jenkins...Professor of English, Harvard University
    Why Clinton and Dole cry....probing the engine of their ambitions

  • Haynes Johnson....Author of The System (with David Broder) about the failure of Clinton's health care reform effort
    Health care reform -- "one mistake after another"..... Hillary's rebuke....... "The curse" of Clinton's kind of mind... the "most poignant player"--Bob Dole

  • Vernon Jordan....Close friend of Clinton
    Hanging out with Bill..... what underlies our friendship.....Bill's competitiveness

  • Michael Kelly.....Washington Editor, The New Yorker
    Examining Clinton's life and actions......the draft letter--"the great compromise from which all the others will flow"

  • David Maraniss.....Author of First in His Class, a biography of Clinton
    The engine of Clinton's ambition.....the parrallels in the governorship and the presidency...explaining those 10,000 F.O.B.'s...how Bill got the handshake with JFK...his repetitive cycle of loss and recovery

  • Peter Maass..Washington Post reporter on Bosnia
    Bosnia as a symbol of Clinton's presidency

  • David Matthews...Longtime friend of Clinton
    The influence of the Baptist faith....issues on which Bill "would never compromise"...... "the best campaigner there ever was"

  • James Morgan....Co-author of Virginia Kelly's autobiography, Leading With My Heart
    Bill's larger-than-life mom....Hot Springs' lessons of pragmatism........Virginia and Hillary

  • Roger Morris...Author of Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their America
    A creature of Hot Springs' "divided world".......'hit and run' relationships...the deep patterns in his life...why Arkansas shapes and explains his presidency.....

  • Larry O'Donnell...Former Chief of Staff of the Senate Finance Committee
    The Clintons "stunning" misunderstanding of the legislative process....

  • Hoyt Purvis...Former Staffer for Senator William Fulbright
    Memories of young Bill on Capitol HIll 30 years ago....... Fulbright's lessons

  • Richard Reeves...Author of Running in Place about Clinton's first year in office
    "The surfer politician"....... Bill and HIllary "are one person"...conversations with BIll about JFK.....Clinton's capacity for friendship

  • Martha Sexton...Friend of Clinton
    Memories of a trip south with Bill .....meeting his mother......the books he read....Bill's unease with the sixties' generation

  • Gail Sheehy...Contributing editor, Vanity Fair and author of Character: America's Search for Leadership
    The "explosive" Clinton household.......the lost father figure...the roots of his temper........the first all-therapy presidency...watching Hillary tackle the Gennifer Flowers crisis

  • Danny Thomason.....Close Friend of Clinton
    Singing in the choir with Bill.....his Baptist faith.....defining an F.O.B.

  • Randall Woods.....Author of Fulbright: A Biography
    The core of the Clinton-Fulbright similarities

  • Bob Woodward....Investigative reporter for The Washington Post and author of The Choice
    The "muddle through" Bosnia policy........a "core truth" about Clinton...... the meaning of Dick Morris's selection.....what we could expect of each man if elected

stories of bill | stories of bob | interact | photo gallery | four colloquies | readings | reactions | tapes & transcripts | explore frontline | pbs online | wgbh

web site copyright WGBH educational foundation
SUPPORT PROVIDED BY