Chapter 4
The Clintons' Calculated Gamble
Bill Clinton's hatred for Obama ran deep: "I hate that man Obama more than any man I've ever met, more than any man who ever lived. He called me a racist!" Yet he understood that a deal with Obama could restore his image and help unite the Democratic Party behind Hillary's future presidential bid.
Clinton still resented Obama's 2008 comment that "Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that... Bill Clinton did not." He frequently complained, "He played the race card on me" and "I have no relationship with the president - none whatsoever." Despite these grievances, Clinton recognized the strategic opportunity: "Obama's decision to invite me out for golf is a sign of his weakness, since any deal we might strike will immediately place Obama in my debt."
After their golf outing, Clinton jubilantly told Hillary, "We shook hands, and I told Obama, 'I'll get you reelected.' I'm going to give him what he needs, and he's going to owe us big time." The Clintons celebrated with rare champagne, though Hillary expressed reservations about trusting Obama, who had previously reneged on promises to keep her in the foreign policy loop. Bill dismissed her concerns, joking, "Who else is he going to support for president in 2016? Michelle?" - a comment that gave them both a good laugh.
What the Clintons didn't realize was that Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett had no intention of honoring any deal with the Clintons. When Michelle heard about Plouffe's plan to use Bill Clinton in the 2012 campaign, she "went ballistic." Her chief fear was that Clinton would exert too much influence over her vacillating husband, diminishing her own power and Jarrett's. Their mistrust of the Clintons went beyond politics to something more visceral - a deep feeling that the Clintons were racists like "most white people."
Chapter 5
The Convention Speech That Changed Everything
Bill Clinton crafted his 2012 Democratic convention speech in his converted red barn office in Chappaqua, New York, viewing it as his most consequential address since departing the White House in 2001. Though his official assignment was to make the case for Obama's reelection, Clinton privately harbored serious doubts, considering Obama "an amateur" who "doesn't know how to be president." To resolve this fundamental contradiction, Clinton engineered a masterful illusion - transforming Obama from what Republicans portrayed as a tax-and-spend liberal into a centrist "New Democrat" who embodied Clinton's own cherished values of opportunity, responsibility and community.
When David Axelrod sent over the campaign's suggested talking points, Clinton summarily discarded them, asserting his independence by refusing to share speech drafts with the Obama team despite their mounting anxiety. The tension was palpable - as Valerie Jarrett warned Obama in the days before the convention, "I'd wake up at night in a cold sweat wondering what surprises Clinton is coming up with." The former president's reputation for going off-script and stealing the spotlight only heightened these concerns.
Clinton's convention performance transcended the traditional political speech, evolving into an intimate, seductive schmoozefest that showcased his legendary political talents. Drawing on his hoarse Southern drawl and unmatched ability to read a room, he created an atmosphere of personal connection that resonated deeply with both the convention hall audience and millions watching at home. Though the Obama campaign had carefully trimmed his prepared remarks to 3,279 words with a strict time limit, Clinton delivered a masterful 50-minute tour de force that ran 80% longer than authorized. The major networks, recognizing the historic nature of the moment, stayed with his address well past their scheduled 11:00 PM news hour as Clinton deftly improvised beyond the teleprompter's text.
Obama himself had listened to the first twenty minutes before moving backstage to prepare for his own appearance, but found himself kept waiting with his increasingly anxious team as Clinton continued to hold court. Valerie Jarrett, Obama's closest advisor, grew particularly frustrated, demanding to know "You can't get him off the stage. Where's the hook to get him off?" However, seasoned strategists David Axelrod and David Plouffe recognized that Clinton had done Obama an enormous service by wrapping him in the warm glow of Clintonian nostalgia and economic prosperity. The speech reminded voters of the peace and prosperity of the Clinton years while arguing that Obama was cut from the same centrist cloth. Their instincts proved correct - thanks to Clinton's virtuoso performance, Obama's campaign received a significant post-convention bounce of several points in national polling, helping to create crucial momentum for the fall campaign.
Chapter 6
The Benghazi Deception and Hillary's Escape
In the hours following the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attack, Hillary Clinton received intelligence from multiple sources confirming it was a coordinated terrorist attack by al-Qaeda affiliates. The CIA director, NSA intercepts, and State Department officials all provided evidence that this was no spontaneous protest but a planned assault.
What few Americans realized was that Benghazi was primarily a CIA operation - of forty Americans stationed there, only seven worked for State Department. The consulate's main purpose was providing cover for CIA activities, including a clandestine and likely illegal weapons transfer from Libya through Turkey to Syrian rebel groups. Ambassador Stevens had traveled to Benghazi specifically to monitor this troubled arms-transfer operation.
Shortly before 10:00 PM, despite knowing this was a coordinated terrorist attack, Hillary received a call from President Obama who had "other ideas in mind." Obama, campaigning on having "decimated" al-Qaeda and facing reelection in less than two months, insisted Hillary release a statement blaming the attack on a spontaneous demonstration triggered by an obscure anti-Islamic internet video. Hillary protested that the story wasn't credible, especially given the 9/11 anniversary timing, but Obama was adamant.
After calling Bill Clinton to express her concerns - even briefly considering resignation - Hillary ultimately complied, releasing a statement that mentioned "inflammatory material posted on the Internet" while condemning the violence. The Benghazi Deception had become official American policy.
When Valerie Jarrett called to ask Hillary to do "the Full Ginsburg" - appearing on all five major Sunday morning shows - Hillary hesitated to decline the president's request. Bill, however, flew immediately to Washington for an emergency meeting. "There is no way I'm going to let you do those TV shows with those talking points," he insisted. "I'm ordering you to turn the White House down." When Hillary snapped back "Fuck you! Nobody orders me around," Bill warned her it was "a fucking trap" designed by Obama's team to make her the scapegoat.
After Hillary declined, Susan Rice, the UN ambassador who resented being passed over for Secretary of State in favor of Hillary, eagerly volunteered. The Clintons watched Rice's disastrous performances from their sunroom, with Bill remarking, "I'm almost sad to see Susan take the fall," and Hillary responding coldly, "I'm not."
Chapter 7
Broken Promises and Rising Tensions
Although Bill Clinton had strategically supported Obama's reelection campaign, he expected reciprocity - specifically, Obama's endorsement of Hillary in 2016. This expectation revealed Bill's temporary amnesia regarding one of his own political maxims: "Loyalty doesn't exist in politics."
Obama embodied this principle perfectly. Known for his ingratitude, he routinely ignored his biggest campaign donors, influential African American supporters, and even top congressional Democrats. When Obama won reelection, Clinton believed the victory was as much his as Obama's, boasting to friends that "Obama would never have won if it hadn't been for my convention speech." Yet when Obama gave his victory speech, Bill Clinton's name was conspicuously absent from his acknowledgments.
Obama's reelection fueled his already substantial hubris. Despite winning by one of the slimmest popular vote margins of any incumbent in nearly a century, Obama interpreted his victory as a mandate. Encouraged by Valerie Jarrett and Michelle, who saw a "deeper, almost mystical meaning" to his reelection, Obama developed a three-pronged strategy: going over Republicans' heads through campaign-style tactics, demonizing his opponents, and using executive powers to circumvent Congress.
This hubris extended to his treatment of the Clintons. After their golf game, Bill had assumed Obama would let him choose the next DNC chair. Instead, Obama reappointed Debbie Wasserman Schultz without consultation, refused to share his campaign's digital operation with Hillary, and reneged on his promise to support her in 2016. When Clinton called to complain, Obama even hinted that the White House might blame Hillary for Benghazi.
The Clintons' frustration reached a breaking point during a secret White House dinner on March 1, 2013. The evening quickly turned tense after initial pleasantries. When Hillary asked if Michelle was considering an Illinois Senate run, Michelle indicated interest, shocking Bill. When Bill suggested folding Obama's campaign organization into the DNC to aid the 2016 candidate, Obama responded with sarcasm. Bill then lectured Obama about handling government shutdowns, pointedly noting that "executive experience counts" - implying Obama lacked this crucial quality. Obama ignored Bill's lecture by playing with his Blackberry under the table. After the Clintons left, Obama told Valerie, "That's why I never invite that guy over."
Chapter 8
Hillary's Hidden Health Crisis
No one had been featured more often on Barbara Walters's Ten Most Fascinating People than Hillary Clinton. In December 2012, Hillary appeared again, claiming she had "no intention of running" for president and wanted to make non-political contributions. This was untrue - she was wholly dedicated to her White House run but waiting until after the 2014 midterms to declare. Hillary also insisted age wasn't a concern, claiming "incredible stamina and energy" - her biggest lie, as she suffered from serious medical conditions she kept hidden.
The day after the Walters interview, Hillary fainted and reportedly suffered a concussion, conveniently before her scheduled Benghazi testimony. While spokesman Philippe Reines claimed she fainted at home due to dehydration from a stomach virus, the truth was radically different. Hillary actually collapsed in her State Department office and was later flown to New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Bill's orders. Doctors diagnosed her with a right transverse venous thrombosis (blood clot between brain and skull), an intrinsic tendency to form clots, and underlying heart problems including abnormal heart rhythm and valves.
Bill Clinton was furious about Reines's mishandling of the situation, calling it "a goddamn abortion" and "a transparent lie." He feared Hillary's health crisis threatened everything he'd worked for - his dream of third and fourth terms in the White House through her presidency. Bill instructed Chelsea to intervene when he couldn't be present, telling her "I don't trust the idiots that are around your mother."
Five and a half weeks after her fainting spell, Hillary finally testified on Benghazi before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Appearing sallow and wearing thick eyeglasses due to her concussion, she faced potential 2016 presidential rivals Rand Paul and Marco Rubio. When Senator Ron Johnson accused her of misleading the American people, Hillary lost her composure, flailing her arms and shouting, "With all due respect, we have four dead Americans. Was it terrorists, or was it because of a guy out for a walk one night? What difference at this point does it make?"
Bill lamented that her "What difference does it make?" outburst would become devastating Republican attack ad material that could cost them the White House in 2016. Through intermediaries like Doug Band and Terry McAuliffe, Clinton conveyed his displeasure to the White House, with the clear threat that he had both the will and ability to harm Obama's second-term agenda unless something was done to give Hillary cover on Benghazi.
Chapter 9
The Clinton Restoration Machine
By July 2013, Hillary Clinton had undergone a remarkable transformation. Despite being more than 1,200 days before the 2016 election, she was already preparing for her presidential run. Hillary had lost weight through rigorous dieting and fitness, sported a new feathered hairstyle, and most strikingly, had facial work done. According to a close friend, Hillary had undergone a face lift after leaving the State Department, followed by additional procedures at Bill's urging.
Meanwhile, she worked on her memoirs with former State Department aides, studied how other secretaries of state handled their legacies, took elocution lessons to address her "harsh and grating" voice when excited, and shopped for a new wardrobe with Anna Wintour of Vogue acting as an unofficial fashion adviser.
Bill transformed the Clinton Library in Little Rock into campaign headquarters, assembling political minds and influential figures by inviting them to lecture at the Clinton School of Public Service. Colin Powell, Donna Shalala, Robert Rubin, James Carville, Al Gore, and Caroline Kennedy all visited, with Clinton particularly focused on courting the Kennedy family's support. He concentrated heavily on wooing unions, especially AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, who had invested millions in the Clinton Global Initiative.
By January 2014, Obama called Hillary Clinton to complain that Bill was poaching his most valuable political operatives, including campaign manager Jim Messina and field specialists Jeremy Bird, Mitch Stewart, and Buffy Wicks. This raid signaled a major shift in Democratic Party politics, with Clinton allies taking over the party's outside-spending infrastructure. When Obama asked Hillary to "rein in Bill," she laughed, responding, "Are you serious? I can't rein Bill in. Never have, never will."
Obama was apoplectic. Valerie Jarrett immediately called a crisis meeting with her staff, emphasizing loyalty to the president and his plans to remain politically relevant after leaving office. As one friend described it, "It's Bill's revenge... He is gleefully poaching staff. He has his shotgun on his shoulder and is marching through the White House like it's hunting season."
Chapter 10
The Ultimate Political Calculation
In mid-summer 2013, Bill Clinton returned to his Chappaqua home after receiving grave news from his cardiologist. Despite Dr. Schwartz's warnings about his worsening heart condition, Bill remained obsessed with the 2016 presidential election, telling Hillary she must distance herself from Obama's "amateurish" handling of issues like Benghazi.
As they paced around Bill's converted barn office, their conversation grew heated. Bill insisted they needed to "hit hard at the Obama record" and be "very harsh" because "voters are turning on him like a bad dog." Hillary responded with concern that attacking Obama would sever their ties with him and potentially drive him to support Biden instead.
"Who cares!" Bill exploded. "In a few months, he'll have no more goddamn political capital left. I don't give a shit who he supports. We're going to steamroll over the son of a bitch and whoever he supports."
The conversation then took an unexpected turn when Bill began discussing his own mortality and its potential impact on Hillary's campaign. He suggested he should be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with "as much pomp and circumstance as possible" rather than at his Little Rock library. Despite Hillary's attempts to change the subject, Bill continued planning his funeral in disturbing detail.
"Wear your widow's weeds, so people will feel sympathy for you," he advised. "When I'm gone, people will think only of my good points and forgive, if not forget, the bad. That always happens. So you'll have to take maximum advantage of my death." He calculated coldly, "It should be worth a couple of million votes."
By mid-2014, the Clinton-Obama feud had become the most bitter political rivalry since Kennedy-Carter, with the Clintons positioning to make Obama "a historic anomaly" between two Clinton regimes. Hillary's prospects looked strong - Chris Christie was embroiled in scandal, no other viable Republican had emerged, and recent Democratic victories in Virginia and New York City suggested favorable electoral conditions.
Bill Clinton had effectively won the blood feud by positioning Hillary for victory. In the ultimate political calculation, he had leveraged Obama's need for his popularity in 2012 to secure the foundation for Hillary's 2016 run, despite Obama's attempts to renege on their unspoken deal. As one Clinton insider observed, "In politics, it's not about friendship or loyalty - it's about power. And Bill Clinton understands power better than anyone alive."
