High Hopes

Stanley A. Renshon is Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York and developer and coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Program in the Psychology of Political Behavior at the CUNY Graduate School. He is a certified psychoanalyst and author of several volumes, including The Psychological Assessment of Presidential Candidates (Routledge, 1998).

"Mr. Renshoon, a psycholanalysta s well as a political scientist, has written a biography which earnestly and -- intelligently -- seeks to explain why Bill Clinton is the way he is." -- Washington Times"Renshon presents a picture of the incumbent president that seems to capture the essence of the man... HighHopes has the potential to become one of those rare books that defines an era or a person. With this work, Renshon joins the late Christopher Lasch and Kenneth J. Gergin as a preeminent interpreter of culture and, in regard to Clinton, of a president who future historians may justly conclude exemplifies many of our culture's core values." -- Insight"This is an excellent book in which politics and psychology are artfully joined. The author's primary purpose is to solve a puzzle about why Bill Clinton's talent has misfired so often... this is a superb example of how psychology may illuminate politics." -- PoliticalScience Quarterly"Bill Clinton is a man whose inconsistencies have profoundly puzzled reporters, pundits, and this reviewer. The author sets out to make sense of these contradictions. He looks at President Clinton's character from the perspective of ambition, integrity, and his relationship with others. It is in Renshon's examination of these characteristics that make High Hopes so intriguing and educational." -- The American ReporterBook Review"...libraries serving political junkies will want to add it to their shelves." -- Booklist

• Introduction; Part I Presidents, Psychology, and the Public; Chapter 1 Public Psychology: The Legacy of History; Part II The Character of Bill Clinton; Chapter 2 Character and the Presidency; Chapter 3 Ambition; Chapter 4 Character Integrity; Chapter 5 Relatedness; Chapter 6 Character and presidential psychology; Part III Growing Up, Coming of Age; Chapter 7 His Mother’s Son; Chapter 8 Adoration and Abandonment: The Clinton Family; Chapter 9 Some Consequences of Hope: A Tale of Two Women; Chapter 10 Vietnam and the Draft; Chapter 11 A Life’s Choice: Hillary Rodham Clinton; Part IV The Political Consequences of Character; Chapter 12 Judgment and Leadership: The Core of Presidential Performance; Chapter 13 Clinton’s Presidency; Part V Conclusion; Chapter 14 Lost Opportunities: President Clinton’s First Term;