前总统也能过上幸福生活？

By+Barbara+Bradley

In 1912， after he lost his bid for reelection， William Howard Taft mused about what the country should do with its expresidents once they leave the White House.1“A dose of chloroform，” he proposed， to protect the nation“from the troublesome fear that the occupant could ever come back.”2 Today， the Twenty-Second Amendment3 limits how often a president may come back. The question concerning Barack Obama4 is not what should be done with him， but rather， what should he do with himself？ For most of our history， ex-presidents who were not independently wealthy had to work—not until 1958 did Congress pass a law granting them a pension.5 George Washington6 became the countrys largest whiskey producer. John Quincy Adams won a seat in the House of Representatives and fought slavery.7 And William Howard Taft！ Good thing no one took him up on the chloroform.8 Nine years after he left office， he was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court， a position that the presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin says gave him “probably the happiest decade of his life.”9 At 55， Obama will be one of the youngest ex-presidents， and also—a popular one. He is in good health and could easily live for another four decades， which is a long time to be exanything.

What can he learn from Jimmy Carter， Bill Clinton， and George W. Bush， who likewise walked out of the White House as vigorous middle-aged men？10

The downshift from presidency to post-presidency has bewildered quite a few former White House residents.11 Having lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan in 1980，12 Jimmy Carter left Washington an unpopular one-term president. When he and Rosalynn returned to Plains， Georgia，13 they found the family peanut business $1 million in debt， and their house in need of repairs. The former first couple spent their first weeks back home hacking away at the overgrowth and making the house habitable.14

The chore was an apt metaphor for Carters predicament as， at age 56， he sought a path forward.15“He said， ‘Look， the actuarial tables16 said Im going to live another 20 to 25 years. I want to stay productive and figure out something else I can do with myself，” says Phil Wise， a vice president at the Carter Center17.

The particulars of a given presidency also come into play， of course.18 Did he feel satisfied with his legacy， or haunted19 by unfinished business？ For his part， Carter sought to build on his greatest presidential triumph， the peace accord he brokered between Israel and Egypt at Camp David.20 To that end， he created the Carter Center， an institution from which he could act as a freelance diplomat and launch further global pursuits.21

Bill Clinton began thinking about his post-presidency the day he became president， according to Joe Conason， the author of Man of the World， a biography of Clinton. But nothing prepared him for his first day out of office. Newly resettled in Chappaqua， New York， Clinton ventured to the local deli for a cup of coffee.22 A crowd of reporters surrounded him， demanding to know why， on his last day in office， he had pardoned the fugitive financier Marc Rich.23

“Suddenly， there was no phalanx24 between him and the media and the public，” Conason says. “He felt powerless.” And alone. Hillary Clinton was starting her new job as the junior senator from New York， Conason notes.25 “So he holed up26 in his house， not knowing exactly what to do.” After a few desultory months， the Marc Rich controversy faded， and Clinton ventured back into the spotlight.27

Through the Clinton Foundation， he got sugary drinks out of public schools and funded relief programs after the tsunami of 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.28 He poured money into hospitals in Africa， particularly in Rwanda. Bill Clinton was also， of course， the first to fully realize the post-presidencys promise as a global moneymaking operation. Since 2001， he has earned some $150 million for speaking and writing books—prompting Michael Duffy to observe：29 “Being president is a good career move.”

If Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton seemed to cling to the vestiges of the presidency，30 George W. Bush happily shook them off. In a 2010 interview with Texas Monthly， he told that when he woke up in Crawford， Texas， on January 21， 2009， he opened the newspapers and was delighted to realize that the stories inside were no longer his problems： “So I gathered up my two dogs， got in the pickup truck， drove over to my office， and started writing anecdotes for my book.”31

Today， Bush mostly stays close to home， taking part in activities he enjoyed before his political life—barbecues with his neighbors，golfing， riding his mountain bike32. He has occasionally traveled to Africa， where his institute has renovated health clinics and expanded programs to fight cervical cancer.33 “He seems content because he is content，” says Peter Wehner， a former speechwriter for Bush who stays in touch with his former employer.

Indeed， Bush could be the poster child for a happy second act.34 Uninterested in either burnishing his legacy or remaining at the center of the political swirl， he has discovered what midlife researchers suggest is the secret to fulfillment： shifting away from ambition and acquisition and toward activities that have lasting and intrinsic worth， such as investing in important relationships and causes or hobbies that give joy and meaning to ones life.35

On January 21， what can Barack Obama expect？ For reasons of temperament and popularity， Obama may be spared the anxieties that dogged some of his predecessors.36 Douglas Brinkley， a presidential historian， says that while the history may have rejected some of Obamas policies， it has not rejected him. He compares Obamas situation to that of Dwight D. Eisenhower， who left office a popular two-term president， even though his intended successor， Vice President Richard Nixon，37 had lost the 1960 election. Barack Obamas response to leaving the White House is perhaps most likely to recall Bushs， friends and observers say. In part， thats because， despite their vastly different politics and personalities， the two men have a similar relationship with the presidency： They dont need it.

Unlike so many politicians before him， Obama did not aspire38 to the presidency early on. For years， points out David Maraniss， who has written biographies of Obama and Clinton， Obama did not settle on a particular career path. Rather， he engaged in a “struggle to figure himself out” as a mixed-race man in America， a struggle that included traveling to Kenya， organizing poor residents on Chicagos South Side，39 and writing a literary memoir. “Hes just an unusual character to be president，” observes Doris Goodwin.“The fact that hes a writer means that he looks at himself from the outside in. Theres a self-awareness and a reflection that is not common among politicians.”

Which isnt to say that Obama is likely to spend the rest of his days bodysurfing40. He will undoubtedly spend some time raising money for his presidential library in Chicago， and writing his presidential memoir， for which he is expected to receive a multimillion-dollar advance.41

But what else？

For several years， Obama has ruminated about his next phase with dinner guests including Steven Spielberg and Reid Hoffman， a co-founder of LinkedIn.42 Before November， the possibilities seemed endless， ranging from addressing racism or criminal-justice reform or gun control or climate change， to buying a basketball team， to teaching law， to joining a tech firm. Advancing the social and environmental issues close to his heart may be harder now—but he may also view the effort as more important.43

Regardless， he will have to manage a challenge more quotidian， but hardly simple—an emptying nest.44“Family is everything to Obama，” David Maraniss says. “His whole young life was a search for home—for a sense of family， place， and identity.” A man who grew into adulthood without a father， he seems to define himself as much by his constancy as a dad as by his political achievements.45 Most nights that he is in Washington， he walks upstairs at 6：30 to dine with his family. When politics at home and war abroad created minute-by-minute upheaval， his family was his anchor.46

Now， in an inevitable cruelty of midlife， his girls say they prefer sleepovers47 with friends to movies with Dad. “They break my heart，” Obama has said. He wore sunglasses to Malias graduation from Sidwell Friends School in June，48 so no one would see him cry. The prospect of losing his girls to adulthood， friends say， saddens him more than leaving the White House.49

1. bid： 企图，努力；William Howard Taft： 威廉·霍华德·塔夫特（1857—1930），第27任美国总统，卸任后于1921年被任命为美国首席大法官；muse： 沉思，反复思考。

2. 他提议道，“来一剂氯仿吧”，省得人民“总是担心这个人怎么又回来了”。chloroform： 氯仿，常用作麻醉剂；occupant：（工作、职位等的）占有者，占据者。

3. Twenty-Second Amendment： 美国宪法第二十二修正案，于1951年生效，主要规定了美国总统最多只能连任两届，且不能隔一个任期后再次參选。

4. Barack Obama： 贝拉克·奥巴马（1961— ），第44任美国总统，是美国第一位非裔总统。

5. grant： 给予，准予；pension： 养老金，退休金。

6. George Washington： 乔治·华盛顿（1732—1799），美国国父，第一任美国总统。在两任期满后，华盛顿拒绝竞选连任，并回到弗农山庄园，创办了当时美国最大的一家威士忌酒厂。

7. John Quincy Adams： 约翰·昆西·亚当斯（1767—1848），美国第六任总统，他在1828年竞选连任失败后被选为国会众议员，是唯一一位当选美国众议员的卸任总统；House of Representatives： 美国众议院。

8. 谢天谢地，总算没人采纳他那“来一剂氯仿”的建议。take sb. up on sth.： 接受……的建议。

9. 卸任后的第九年，他被任命为美国最高法院的首席大法官。专门研究总统史的历史学家多丽丝·卡恩斯·古德温说，在这个职位上的十年“可能是他人生中最快乐的十年”。chief justice of the Supreme Court： 美国首席大法官。

10. Jimmy Carter： 吉米·卡特（1924— ），美国第39任总统，卸任后在亚特兰大埃默里大学任名誉教授；Bill Clinton： 比尔·克林顿（1946— ），美国第42任总统，克林顿基金会主席；George W. Bush： 乔治·W. 布什（1946— ），美国第43任总统，人称小布什，以区别于其父老布什总统（第41任美国总统）；vigorous： 精力充沛的，充满活力的。

11. downshift： 工作降格，改选闲适生活方式；bewilder： 使迷惑，使迷茫；resident： 住户，这里指美国总统。

12. landslide： 一边倒的胜利，（竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数；Ronald Reagan： 罗纳德·里根（1911—2004），第40任美国总统，他的演说风格极具魅力，被誉为“伟大的沟通者”。历任总统之中，他的就职年龄最大，也是唯一一位演员出身的总统。

13. Rosalynn： 即罗萨琳·卡特（1927— ），卡特的妻子；Plains：普莱恩斯市（佐治亚州），卡特的家乡。卡特担任佐治亚州州长前，他们夫妇曾在此地种植花生，经商买卖化肥。

14. hack： 劈，砍；overgrowth：（高过头顶的）蔓生植物；habitable： 适宜居住的。

15. 用“披荆斩棘”来比喻卡特的困境再恰当不过了，因为在56岁这个年纪，他找到了一条前进的道路。chore： 令人厌烦的工作；apt： 适当的，恰当的；predicament： 困境，窘况。

16. actuarial table： 保险精算表。

17. Carter Center： 卡特中心，位于美国佐治亚州亚特兰大市，是由卡特夫妇于1982年建立的非营利性组织，主要致力于促进解决国际冲突，推动民主和人权。

18. particulars： [复] 细节，详情；given： 指定的，特定的；come into play： 有影响，发挥作用。

19. haunt： （长期）困扰。

20. peace accord： 和平协议；broker： 促成协议（或条约等）；Camp David： 戴维营，美国总统的休假地，位于美国马里兰州凯托克延山公园内。此处提到的和平协议是指“戴维营协议”，即埃以双方于1978年9月17日在美国总统休假地戴维营达成的关于中东和平的一系列文件，可谓卡特总统生涯的一项巨大成就。

21. freelance： 自由职业的；diplomat： 外交官。

22. Chappaqua： 查巴克，位于纽约郊区的富人区；venture： 冒风险（去某处）；deli： 熟食店（指出售干酪、熟肉、色拉、面包等的小店）。

23. pardon： 赦免，特赦；fugitive： 逃亡的；Marc Rich： 马克·里奇（1934—2013），20世纪极具争议的国际商人，曾被美国司法部通缉了17年，因获克林顿总统赦免而名噪一时。

24. phalanx： 密集的人群（或车队），此处指总统的随行人员、安保人员等。

25. Hillary Clinton： 希拉里·克林顿（1947— ），比尔·克林顿的妻子，2000年曾就任纽约州联邦参议员；senator： 参议员。

26. hole up： 躲藏。

27. desultory： 毫无计划的，漫无目的的；controversy：争议；spotlight： 聚光灯，指公众瞩目的焦点。

28. Clinton Foundation： 克林顿基金会，克林顿于1997年创立的一家非营利性组织，旨在“加强美国以及全世界人民面对全球相互依存的挑战的能力”；relief program： 赈灾项目，救助项目；tsunami of 2004： 2004年印度洋海啸，地震规模达到9.3，是1900年以来的第二大地震，死亡和失踪人数高达29万多人；Hurricane Katrina in 2005： 飓风卡特里娜，2005年8月发生的五级飓风，给美国路易斯安那、密西西比等州造成了严重破坏。

29. prompt： 引起，激起（某人说或做某事）；Michael Duffy： 迈克尔·达菲，美国记者，《时代》杂志的执行副主编；observe： 评论，说。

30. cling to： 紧紧抓住不放；vestige： 残余。

31. Texas Monthly：《得克萨斯月刊》；pickup truck：皮卡，敞篷小卡车；anecdote： 轶事，趣闻。

32. mountain bike： 登山车，山地自行车。

33. renovate： 修复，翻新；health clinic：健康中心，保健室；cervical cancer：宫颈癌。

34. 确实，小布什完全可以成为迎来人生“第二春”的典型代表。poster child： 作为模范的人或物，典型代表；second act： 第二个场景，这里指第二个人生阶段。

35. 无意美化自己的政治遗产，亦不愿继续逗留在政治旋涡的中心，他发现了获得成就感的秘密，正如那些中年危机研究者们建议的：从野心和权力之争中抽离，投身于更具有长远意义和内在价值的事情，例如投入到重要的人际关系和事业之中，或给人带来欢乐与意义的业余爱好之中。burnish： 擦亮，使……更有光泽；swirl： 旋渦，骚动；shift： 转移；acquisition：（土地、权力、金钱等的）获得，得到；intrinsic： 内在的，本质的；cause： 事业，理想。

36. temperament： 气质，性格；spare： 使免受（损坏或伤亡），幸免于；dog： v.（灾难、不幸等）紧紧缠住，困扰；predecessor： 前任，前辈。

37. Dwight D. Eisenhower： 德怀特·D. 艾森豪威尔（1890—1969），第34任美国总统兼美国陆军五星上将，曾是二战时期盟军在欧洲的最高指挥官；successor： 继任者；Richard Nixon：理查德·尼克松（1913—1994），第37任美国总统，于任期结束前发生了著名的“水门事件”，因而引咎辞职。

38. aspire： 渴望，有志于。

39. figure out： 理解，弄清楚；mixed-race man： 此处指奥巴马的复杂身世，奥巴马出生于夏威夷檀香山市，父亲是肯尼亚留学生，母亲是堪萨斯州白人，因其继父是印尼籍，奥巴马幼年曾随母亲和继父在印尼生活过四年；Chicagos South Side： 芝加哥南区。这个地区居住着不同种族的人，贫富差距大、犯罪率高。

40. bodysurfing： 人体冲浪，（不用冲浪板而将胸腹贴于水面滑行的）卧式冲浪。奥巴马从小就喜欢这项运动。

41. presidential library： 总统图书馆，是集图书馆、档案馆和博物馆于一体的机构，既保存总统的档案文件，又收藏总统接受的赠品、个人物品、图书和艺术品等，由美国国家档案馆管理和维护；advance： 预付款。

42. ruminate： 反复思考，沉思；Steven Spielberg： 史蒂芬·斯皮尔伯格，美国著名导演、编剧，代表作包括《侏罗纪公园》、《辛德勒的名单》等；Reid Hoffman： 里德·霍夫曼，美国企业家、风险投资家及作家，也是领英（LinkedIn，一家社交服务网站）的联合创始人。

43. 现在，他可能再也不能像以前那样轻易地就能推动自己关心的社会议题和环境问题——但是他也可能会认为，勇于尝试本身更为重要。

44. quotidian： 平凡的，日常的；empty nest： 空巢期，儿女长大离家。

45. 由于成年之前的生活缺少父亲的陪伴，因此他似乎不仅用政治成就，也一直会用“父亲”这一角色来定义自己。constancy： 经久不变。

46. 当他身陷国内政治和海外战争形成的风云突变中时，家庭就是他的精神支柱。minute-by-minute： 分分秒秒的；upheaval： 剧变，动荡；anchor： 锚，精神支柱。

47. sleepover：（尤指小孩）在朋友家过夜的晚会。

48. Malia： 即马莉娅·奥巴马，奥巴马的长女；Sidwell Friends School： 塞维尔友谊学校，位于首都华盛顿北郊，成立于1883年，是一所历史悠久的美国私立高中。

49. 朋友们都说，女儿们长大离家的那一天，会比告别白宫更令他哀伤。prospect： 预期，前景。