克林頓推銷自傳《我的生活》所發(fā)表的演講

1、克林頓推銷自傳我的生活所發(fā)表的演講名人演講稿xMyLifeExcerpt-ChapterOneEarlyonthemorningofAugust19,1946,Iwasbornunderaclearskyafteraviole ntsummerstormtoawidowedmotherintheJuliaChesterHospitalinHope,ato wnofaboutsixthousandinsouthwestArkansas,thirty-threemileseastoftheT exasborderatTexarkana.MymothernamedmeWilliamJefferson

2、BlytheIIIaft ermyfather,WilliamJeffersonBlytheJr.,oneofninechildrenofapoorfarmerin Sherman,Texas,whodiedwhenmyfatherwasseventeen.Accordingtohissiste rs,myfatheralwaystriedtotakecareofthem,andhegrewuptobeahandsome, hardworking,fun-lovingman.HemetmymotheratTri-StateHospitalinShreve port,Louisiana,in19

3、43,whenshewastrainingtobeanurse.ManytimeswhenI wasgrowingup,IaskedMothertotellmethestoryoftheirmeeting,courting,an dmarriage.Hebroughtadatewithsomekindofmedicalemergencyintothewa rdwhereshewasworking,andtheytalkedandflirtedwhiletheotherwomanw asbeingtreated.Onhiswayoutofthehospital,hetouchedthefinge

4、ronwhichs hewaswearingherboyfriendsringandaskedherifshewasmarried.Shestam meredno-shewassingle.Thenextdayhesenttheotherwomanflowersand herheartsank.ThenhecalledMotherforadate,explainingthathealwayssentfl owerswhenheendedarelationship.Twomonthslater,theyweremarriedandhewasofftowar.Heservedinamotor po

5、olintheinvasionofItaly,repairingjeepsandtanks.Afterthewar,hereturned toHopeforMotherandtheymovedtoChicago,wherehegotbackhisoldjobasa salesmanfortheManbeeEquipmentCompany.Theyboughtalittlehouseinth esuburbofForestParkbutcouldntmoveinforacoupleofmonths,andsince Motherwaspregnantwithme,theydecidedshesh

6、ouldgohometoHopeuntilt heycouldgetintothenewhouse.OnMay17,1946,aftermovingtheirfurniturei ntotheirnewhome,myfatherwasdrivingfromChicagotoHopetofetchhiswife .LateatnightonHighway60outsideofSikeston,Missouri,helostcontrolofhisc ar,a1942Buick,whentherightfronttireblewoutonawetroad.Hewasthrowncl earofth

7、ecarbutlandedin,orcrawledinto,adrainageditchdugtoreclaimswam pland.Theditchheldthreefeetofwater.Whenhewasfound,afteratwo-hourse arch,hishandwasgraspingabranchabovethewaterline.Hehadtriedbutfailed topullhimselfout.Hedrowned,onlytwenty-eightyearsold,marriedtwoyears andeightmonths,onlysevenmonthsofwhic

8、hhehadspentwithMother.ThatbriefsketchisaboutallIeverreallyknewaboutmyfather.AllmylifeIhavebe enhungrytofillintheblanks,clingingeagerlytoeveryphotoorstoryorscrapofp aperthatwouldtellmemoreofthemanwhogavemelife.WhenIwasabouttwel ve,sittingonmyuncleBuddysporchinHope,amanwalkedupthesteps,looke datme,and

9、said,youreBillBlythesson.Youlookjustlikehim.?Ibeamedfor days.In1974,IwasrunningforCongress.Itwasmyfirstraceandthelocalpaperdidafe aturestoryonmymother.Shewasatherregularcoffeeshopearlyinthemornin gdiscussingthearticlewithalawyerfriendwhenoneofthebreakfastregularss heknewonlycasuallycameuptoherandsai

10、d,Iwasthere,Iwasthefirstoneatth ewreckthatnight.?HethentoldMotherwhathehadseen,includingthefactth atmyfatherhadretainedenoughconsciousnessorsurvivalinstincttotrytocla whimselfupandoutofthewaterbeforehedied.Motherthankedhim,wentout tohercarandcried,thendriedhertearsandwenttowork.In1993,onFathersDay,m

11、yfirstasPresident,theWashingtonPostranalongi nvestigativestoryonmyfather,whichwasfollowedoverthenexttwomonthsb yotherinvestigativepiecesbytheAssociatedPressandmanysmallerpapers.T hestoriesconfirmedthethingsmymotherandIknew.Theyalsoturnedupalot wedidntknow,includingthefactthatmyfatherhadprobablybeenm

12、arriedt hreetimesbeforehemetMother,andapparentlyhadatleasttwomorechildre n.MyfathersothersonwasidentifiedasLeonRitzenthaler,aretiredownerofaj anitorialservice,fromnorthernCalifornia.Inthearticle,hesaidhehadwritten meduringthe?2campaignbuthadreceivednoreply.Idontrememberheari ngabouthisletter,andcons

13、ideringalltheotherbulletsweweredodgingthen,it spossiblethatmystaffkeptitfromme.Ormaybetheletterwasjustmisplaced inthemountainsofmailwewerereceiving.Anyway,whenIreadaboutLeon,Ig otintouchwithhimandlatermethimandhiswife,Judy,duringoneofmystopsin northernCalifornia.Wehadahappyvisitandsincethenwevecorre

14、spondedi nholidayseasons.HeandIlookalike,hisbirthcertificatesayshisfatherwasmin e,andIwishIdknownabouthimalongtimeago.Somewherearoundthistime,Ialsoreceivedinformationconfirmingnewsstor iesaboutadaughter,SharonPettijohn,bornSharonLeeBlytheinKansasCityin 1941,toawomanmyfatherlaterdivorced.Shesentcopie

15、sofherbirthcertificat e,herparents?marriagelicense,aphotoofmyfather,andalettertohermother frommyfatheraskingaboutyourbaby?toBetseyWright,myformerchiefofsta ffinthegovernorsoffice.Imsorrytosaythat,forwhateverreason,Ivene vermether.Thisnewsbreakingin1993cameasashocktoMother,whobythenhadbeenbat tlingca

16、ncerforsometime,butshetookitallinstride.Shesaidyoungpeopledida lotofthingsduringtheDepressionandthewarthatpeopleinanothertimemigh tdisapproveof.Whatmatteredwasthatmyfatherwastheloveofherlifeandshe hadnodoubtofhisloveforher.Whateverthefacts,thatsallsheneededtokno washerownlifemovedtowarditsend.Asform

17、e,Iwasntquitesurewhattoma keofitall,butgiventhelifeI eled,Icouldhardlybesurprisedthatmyfatherwasmorecomplicatedthanthei dealizedpictureslhadlivedwithfornearlyhalface ntury.公務員之家版權所 有l(wèi)n1994,asweheadedforthecelebrationofthefiftiethanniversaryofD-day,sev eralnewspaperspublishedastoryonmyfatherswarrecor

18、d,withasnapshot ofhiminuniform.Shortlyafterward,lreceivedaletterfromUmbertoBaronofN etcong,NewJersey,recountinghisownexperiencesduringthewarandafter.H esaidthathewasayoungboyinltalywhentheAmericansarrived,andthathelo vedtogototheircamp,whereonesoldierinparticularbefriendedhim,givinghi mcandyandshowi

19、nghimhowenginesworkedandhowtorepairthem.Hekne whimonlyasBill.Afterthewar,BaroncametotheUnitedStates,and,inspiredb ywhathehadlearnedfromthesoldierwhocalledhimLittleGlJoe,?heopene dhisowngarageandstartedafamily.HetoldmehehadlivedtheAmericandrea m,withathrivingbusinessandthreechildren.Hesaidheowedsomuc

20、hofhissu ccessinlifetothatyoungsoldier,buthadnthadtheopportunitytosaygood-b yethen,andhadoftenwonderedwhathadhappenedtohim.Then,hesaid,On MemorialDayofthisyear,lwasthumbingthroughacopyoftheNewYorkDailyN ewswithmymorningcoffeewhensuddenlylfeltasiflwasstruckbylightning.Th ereinthelowerleft-handcornero

21、fthepaperwasaphotoofBill.lfeltchillstolear nthatBillwasnoneotherthanthefatherofthePresidentoftheUnitedStates.?In1996,thechildrenofoneofmyfatherssisterscameforthefirsttimetooura nnualfamilyChristmaspartyattheWhiteHouseandbroughtmeagift:thecond olencelettermyaunthadreceivedfromhercongressman,thegreatS

22、amRaybu rn,aftermyfatherdied.Itsjustashortformletterandappearstohavebeensig nedwiththeautopenoftheday,butIhuggedthatletterwithallthegleeofasix-y ear-oldboygettinghisfirsttrainsetfromSantaClaus.Ihungitinmyprivateoffice onthesecondflooroftheWhiteHouse,andlookedatiteverynight.ShortlyafterIlefttheWhiteH

23、ouse,IwasboardingtheUSAirshuttleinWashingt onforNewYorkwhenanairlineemployeestoppedmetosaythathisstepfather hadjusttoldhimhehadservedinthewarwithmyfatherandhadlikedhimverym uch.Iaskedfortheoldvetsphonenumberandaddress,andthemansaidhedi dnthaveitbutwouldgetittome.Imstillwaiting,hopingtherewillbeonem

24、orehumanconnectiontomyfather.Attheendofmypresidency,Ipickedafewspecialplacestosaygoodbyeandthan kstotheAmericanpeople.OneofthemwasChicago,whereHillarywasborn;w hereIallbutclinchedtheDemocraticnominationonSt.PatricksDay1992;w heremanyofmymostardentsupportersliveandmanyofmymostimportantdo mesticinitia

25、tivesincrime,welfare,andeducationwereprovedeffective;and, ofcourse,wheremyparentswenttoliveafterthewar.IusedtojokewithHillarythatifmyfather hadntlosthislifeonthatrainyMissourihighway,Iwouldhavegrownupafew milesfromherandweprobablyneverwouldhavemet.MylasteventwasintheP almerHouseHotel,sceneoftheonlyp

26、hotoIhaveofmyparentstogether,takenj ustbeforeMothercamebacktoHopein1946.Afterthespeechandthegood-by es,IwentintoasmallroomwhereImetawoman,MaryEttaRees,andhertwoda ughters.Shetoldmeshehadgrownupandgonetohighschoolwithmymother,t henhadgonenorthtoIndianatoworkinawarindustry,married,stayed,andrais edherchildren.Thenshegavemeanotherpreciousgift:thelettermytwenty-th ree-year-oldmotherhadwrittenonhe