Asymmetrical Information

I've been listening to the audiobook version. It's abridged but still 6 CDs! So far, it's good. Maybe because President Clinton reads it himself, it feels more intimate than reading the text.

I suppose it does have a 'back porch' kind of quality.

I'm curious, Common Sense - has he appropriated Steve Martin's opening line line from "The Jerk"? If so, how was the delivery? On a par with Steve's?

(I know, that was bad of me - but given Clinton's claim to in some ways be the "first Black president", I couldn't resist.)

Seriously, perhaps it is better on CD because it has been abridged - by a good editor.

Revel in the greatness of the Big Dog, Mindles. The book may be big and sloppy, like he is, but then he wrote the it himself. To my mind that puts him one step ahead of his wife, who needed a ghostwriter, and two in front of GWB, who uses his Cabinet as ghostreaders.

And in your heart of hearts, you know that the best days of your life occured on his watch. (I'm cheating a bit - I'm guessing at your son's birthdate from a pic you once showed, and inferring a wedding date from that).

Happy Fourth, all.

Well, I suppose now I must unlearn my literature and writing courses, undo the damage done by daily exercises in my weblog, and do something absolutely smashing like becoming a celebrity to have the publishing houses come knocking on my door with bags of money. Why not let celebrities be celebrities, and writers be writers?

I wish. I was married during the Reagan era. First child in Bush I. The other two were indeed Clinton babies.

I grow old, I grow old. I shall walk along the lawn and enjoy the snake vibes.

And try to stay away from the big dog when he marks his territory.

Hondo,

I may be wrong but I don't think it was Clinton that claimed to be the first black president.

I think it was Toni Morrison (and then others) who described him that way.

Er, so, it's genial, how-ya-doin', and rambles on for hours and hours about the most trivial stuff. Sounds pretty much like every speech I ever heard him give. But that's part of his charm, I suppose.

Will this Elvis EVER leave the building?

No. Not so long as there are buyers for what he sells.

That still does not include me.

I always thought that the first black president stuff grew out of the Chris Rock joke: "the law's after him, he's got money problems, he's running around chasin' women, and his wife's a b*tch ... likes the black man, hell, he is a black man." (might have mangled it, but it's still a great line).

Miners used to take canaries to work with them. When the canaries keeled over, they knew that the oxygen supply was running low and they needed to escape. I'm sorry for you, but grateful that you've been our canary. Your review, confirming my decision not to buy, borrow, or read the Clinton book, has allowed me to escape spending any more time with Bill Clinton than I already have. Thank you very much!

GT:

Yes, Toni Morrison was in fact the first to describe Clinton as such in her 1998 New Yorker article.

However, Clinton has made that claim himself. See

http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock030701.shtml

Or, if you prefer, here are Clinton's own words explaining why he chose to locate his post Presidency office in Harlem (quoted from the above source):

"That's why I went to Harlem," Clinton told
the adoring crowd, "because I think I am
the first black president."

(Clinton speaking at the 2001 NAACP Image Awards, Los Angeles, CA, March 3, 2001.)

I haven't been able to find a transcript of Clinton's speech - but I remember hearing about it in the media. I don't doubt that the quotation is accurate.

Toni Morrisson's quote about the "first black president" is not exactly complimentary.

In a rather weird twist, John Kerry wants to be the second black president.

If you're tired of reading Clinton's book, let me suggest reading his blog. Based on those excerpts, it's a lot better than the book. Especially if you can imagine reading the entries in his voice. Unfortunately, I'm not getting a cut of the blog action, just passing it along.

"Hello, were talking about language."

"We're", dammit!

"Hello, We're talking about metaphors.."

"The sort of poem that might be useful for a traveling executive or on-the-go mom."

I have an idea for how Bill Clinton can serve his country--in the event that a hostile alien power comes to this planet, put him in charge of announcing the surrender of all of our forces. While he drones on and lulls them into slumber, we move our forces into position and blow the living s**t out of the aliens. Heck, I'd be for giving him the Medal of Honor if he could pull that off.

While Dubya destroys everything this country stands for, you dissect Clinton's prose style. Keep up the good work.

While Dubya destroys everything this country stands for, you go trolling on blogs' comments. Keep up the good work.

This country stands for terrorism?

That bad huh?

I had no intention of reading his book, but won't
begrudge Bill Clinton the right to recoup some of the legal fees he incured during his tenure.

I actually expected something that could be characterized as literature from an overachiever of his standing.

Apparently, he should have bypassed the middleman and just gone straight to pulp.

I know that is unfair, because I haven't read the book. Perhaps I am envious because I love North Westchester County. I expect more from someone who has the opportunity to write from that part of the world.

Mark, a minor correction: canaries are used (were used?) to detect the presence of bad gasses, especially carbon monoxide, not the absence of oxygen. When you think about it, this makes sense, as a canary doesn't use much oxygen, so it might be able to breathe long after human beings have passed out. But, canaries breathe so fast, they'd be bound to experience the effects of noxious gasses earlier than humans would. (Always assuming they are affected the same way large mammals are, which might not always be the case, of course.)

"in the event that a hostile alien power comes to this planet"

Wait a second -didn't we already use this hypo to justify invading Iraq? You know: "We can't let Saddam just sit there - what if space aliens came and gave new space ray technology, like in Independence Day? 9/11 changed everything. Terror. Terror."

Bill Clinton = Abe Simpson?

"One way is to tell stories that don't go anywhere. Like the time I took the ferry over to Shelbyville? I needed a new heel for my shoe. So, I took the ferry to Morganville, which is what Shelbyville was called back then. I had an onion tied to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry you needed a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. 'Gimme five bees for a quarter,' we'd say. Now, where was I? The important thing this is, I had an onion tied to my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have any green onions on account of the war, so I had to wear one of these yellow ones."

One nit

editors use blue pencil

;-)

And another thank you for reinforcing my plan on not failing to bypass Billy Jeff's tome.

Even Homer nodded, we are told. And not all of Shekaepeares's line (r even plays) are great...why the snippiness and schoomarmisjh stabbing? The man was much more that you realize: he was the first president in how many years actually to cut down the size of govt despite all the bs from his predecessors and those coming after. He got a balanced budget, soon to be tossed away...don't friggin worry so much about lines that mi8ght be cut..at least it was not ghost written!

Postroad -

I must confess that I'm puzzled here. Just who was Shekaepeares? Was he a minor Greek poet I've never heard of?

Shekaepeares wrote poems perfect for, say, a young couple about to start out in the catering business in the North Wales area. I always keep a copy in my travelling poetry bag.

"The Shek"? Oh gawd yes, yes I knew him well. Amazing Character.

His name is spelled "exactly like it sounds"

(In case anyone isn't following, Brian and I are sharing our appreciation of 'Bit of Fry and Laurie'.)

Oh, "The Shek". That clears everything up.
Why didn't he just say so?

Can we now make this thread degenerate? Huh, can we, can we, can we, please, huh, can we now?

Postroad, that size of the government thing is one of those slieght of hand tricks, and as far as I can tell, EVERY president has used it. See, what you do is contract out for government services so the Federal workforce decreases but the cost remains the same or increases, but you can claim to have reduced the size of government.

It's a gimmick, pure and simple.

Thank you for that hilarious post! I'll never read the book, but I will cherish your description.

Including the comedy skit was brilliant.

As to who was the first black President, according to Stephen A. Douglas it was Lincoln.
http://web.syr.edu/~paarras/
Somehow the democrats forget that someone had the title long before Clinton.

(In case anyone isn't following, Brian and I are sharing our appreciation of 'Bit of Fry and Laurie'.)

Indeed. It can be puchased at most High Street travelling poetry bag shops. Barring that, try Amazon.

Comments are Closed.