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THEY SAT IN the living room of the 36th president. Stephen Ambrose sat cross-legged across from the subject of his next book, the former Commander-in-Chief himself. His hands were folded, the tape recorder on, and his gaze intent. The man before him appeared tested yet entirely at peace. For someone who had left the presidency so reviled, he looked remarkably content. Perhaps he hoped Ambrose would find the good in his presidency – something few had cared to find in the nearly 20 years since he left the Oval Office. Ambrose had one goal in mind – to complete a fair and accurate representation of an accidental presidency. “So, Mr. President,” he began, “let’s start with your first day in office – when you received news that you were to become the next President of the United States. Tell me: How did you feel?” The elder statesman let out a laugh and a sigh all at once. The damned fool, he thought to himself. “Stephen,” he replied, “you don’t want to begin there. You want to begin with how I felt on my last day in office: Totally and completely relieved. How I felt when I got the job – well, that’s irrelevant. I had a job to do. How I felt when I was freed – well, that’s everything. I was given back my life.”
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