…AND MORE POLITICS

Taylor Branch played Boswell to President Bill Clinton in The Clinton Tapes (Simon & Schuster, $35). Because of Nixon’s experience with taping, Clinton did not want to have conversations taped in the oval office. Instead, he asked Taylor Branch to come to the White House periodically so that Branch could record Clinton’s reflections during his eight years as President. The book comes from the reminiscences that Taylor himself recorded after each meeting. (President Clinton kept the tapes.) As with anything involving Bill Clinton, this book is fun to read. Taylor has done a fine job of reminding us about the accomplishments and the frustrations of the Clinton presidency. There is a trove of material, and wherever you turn in the book, you find interesting observations. Carla Cohen