William Jefferson Clinton's Psychologyidealized view of his behavior were simply omitted or else inter-
preted in a way that further stretched the bounds of common under-
standing. One example of that tact occurred when Clinton was
forced to admit that powerful others, like Senator Fulbright, had
interceded on his behalf. In response Clinton said, "when people ask
you about special treatment, they mean did you leverage power or
money, or something to get something that other people wouldn't
have gotten, and the answer to that is no" (Bruck 1994).
A Life's Choice: Hillary Rodham Clinton
Ordinarily, a president's spouse receives only passing attention
except if she becomes involved in a directly political way (as Edith
Wilson did when she became the guardian of her husband's presi-
dency after he suffered a severe stroke while in office) or if she breaks
new ground in her public activities (as Eleanor Roosevelt did). The
Clintons, however, are unique. They have been true, but troubled,
political partners for decades.
Marriage reflects, at a basic psychological level, the attempt to
blend together two separate but ideally complementary psycholo-
gies. Under favorable circumstances both partners complement and
compensate each other at a core psychological level, particularly each
person's character domains—ambition, ideals and character
integrity, and relatedness. Development within a marriage is also
crucial. Individuals do not simply come together with two separate
psychologies that remain static and separate. Rather, in any long-
term relationship, the two psychologies develop in relation to each
other, as well as in relation to experiences with the outside world.
The idealism that one partner may bring to a marriage can be
deepened or damaged by the other's behavior. A partner's ambitions
can be dampened or enlarged. And the opportunities that marriage
brings to realize one's ambitions also shape how spouses come to
view themselves, their partner, and their marriage. Many analyses
have examined the fit between the Clintons, but none has examined
the ways in which their psychological relationship has evolved over
time.
By all accounts to date, Bill and Hillary Clinton started their mar-
riage with a remarkably good fit, given their basic psychologies, per-
sonalities, and larger interests. They were "an evenly matched