Liberal, but not a socialist. Popular, but not deified. Two terms, but not four. Wife rumored to be a lesbian, but not confirmed to be a lesbian. For all these reasons and many many more, all of them richly explored in this authoritative volume, one can fair-mindedly state that if Bill Clinton were a soft drink, he'd be Diet Roosevelt.

Great taste! Less filling!

As an avid reader of everything Bill Clinton, I have been looking forward to the publication of this book for the past 6 months. It is a quick read and an interesting book, but often reads like a Clinton press release on how he was "misunderstood" (this is obvious from the beginning when you read the full title).

The anecodtes are great, and the policy discussion is refreshing to find in a mass-media book like this. Yet, Klein does make a few lapses. He repeatedly talks about the "self-destructive behavior" of the GOP when they pushed for impeachment, while at the same time decrying the behavior of the President. He fails to convey how those favoring impeachment were self-destructive or wrong in their pursuit - he just assumes the reader will join him in this assumption.

Nonetheless, this is a good book that does an excellent job covering Clinton's personal transformation during his presidency. I finished this book wishing it were longer!

Joe Klein tackles the subject he knows best: Bill Clinton. Astute, even - handed, and keenly intelligent, The Natural is the only book to read if you want to understand exactly what happened - to the military, to the economy, to the American people, to the country - during Bill Clinton's presidency, and how the decisions made during his tenure affect all of us today.

Much has been written about Clinton, but The Natural is the first work to cut through the gossip, scandles, media hype, and emotional turbulence that Clinton always engendered, to step back and rationally analyze the eight years tenure, a period during which America rose to unprecedental levels of prosperity. Joe Klein puts that record into perspective, showing us what worked and what didn't, exactly what was accomplished and why, and who was responsible for the successes and the failures.

We see how the Clinton White House functioned on the inside, how it dealt with the maneuvers of Congress and the Gingrich revolution, and who held power and made the decisions during the endless crises that beset the administration. Klein's access to the White House over the years as a journalist gave him a prime spot from which to view every crucial event - both political and personal - and he sets them forth in an insightful, readable, and completely engrossing manner.

The Natural is stern in its criticism and convincing with its praise. It will cause endless debate among friends and foes of the Clinton administration. It is a book that anyone interested in contemporary politics, in American history, or in the functioning of our democracy should read.