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The Political History of President Bill Clinton

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The Washington Post, David Maraniss. He's just completed a new biography of President Clinton, "First in His Class." In researching the book, Maraniss interviewed more than 400 people, including Clinton's friends, relatives, and colleagues. One reviewer writes, "the portrait of Mr. Clinton that emerges from this biography is not one of a visionary leader or statesman, but of an indefatigable, instinctual politician, driven throughout his life to seek the approval of friends and strangers alike." Maraniss won a Pulitzer for his reporting on Clinton's presidential campaign.

23:30
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Other segments from the episode on February 20, 1995

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, February 20, 1995: Interview with David Maraniss; Interview with Jim Morris; Commentary on visionaries.
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15:20

Jim Morris Subs for Bill Clinton for a Fresh Air Interview

Political satirist and impressionist Jim Morris began lampooning the presidents around the time Reagan was sworn in to office. Since then he's impersonated Bush and Clinton, as well as presidential contenders, Michael Dukakis, Paul Tsongas, and Ross Perot. The New Yorker says of Morris, "Like an obsessive character actor, Mr. Morris doesn't just impersonate his subjects; he becomes them."

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