'Clinton Redux."

"Clinton's Complaint."

"The Greatest Story Ever Told."

"The Scarlet Presidency."

Depending upon whom you talk to, the nearly 1,000-page memoir by former President Bill Clinton could wear all of these possible titles, befitting its outsized, often larger-than- life main character. Arriving this week with much fanfare and already a No. 1 best-seller based on pre-orders, the story of America's first Baby Boom president is simply and aptly titled"My Life."

In a sense, Clinton's new book is part of a political coming out party for the 57-year-old former president. In the years since leaving the White House, the onetime Arkansas governor has moved much of his personal and public life to New York. While working on his book, he's also been busy with speaking engagements around the world, plans for his presidential library, and even offering political advice to other Democrats running for president in 2004.

Yet, it could also be said Clinton has kept a relatively low profile since leaving office in 2001 amid lingering rancor about his sexual affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Some Democrats avoided him, perceiving him as a political millstone around their necks, while other critics doomed him to rank among history's worst, most disgraced presidents.

But that's already changing. Clinton seems ready once again to move from occasional news items about his whereabouts right up to the front page with revelations from his blockbuster memoir. The headlines suggest a broader transformation is taking place with Clinton, a search for a way out of the political wilderness for a man once called"The Comeback Kid."

On Sunday's edition of"60 Minutes," Clinton provided some of the coming attractions by defending much of his presidency while lamenting his affair with Lewinsky and the impeachment battle that erupted, enshrouding his second term in a cloud of accusation.

Last Monday, Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York's junior U.S. senator, were welcomed with glowing words by President George W. Bush for an official presidential portrait unveiling at the Oval Office.

And on Nov. 18, the $165 million William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park will open in Little Rock, Ark. - a sprawling, glass-covered building fashioned as a bridge, playing off the Clinton administration's oft-repeated theme of"building a bridge to the 21st century."

The one-two punch of a book tour and a presidential library opening - expected to be attended by other U.S. presidents - could influence Clinton's legacy in much the same way that the week-long memorials to President Ronald Reagan did earlier this month.

"The question of legacy for Bill Clinton is not in the past tense but in the future," says Dick Morris, once a top Clinton political operative and now an ardent critic, with his own recent book,"Reinventing History," attacking the Clintons."In Bill's case, he's preparing for Hillary's run and how America sees his eight years is a big part of that equation."

For many Americans, Clinton's memoir may allow a fuller understanding of this enigmatic politician who defined the 1990s - all at once brilliant and confounding, optimistic and far- sighted, yet indulgent, undisciplined and sometimes self-destructive. For Clinton it may also represent a second chance at reformulating history, a gamble not immediately influenced by his detractors and one judged mainly on its merits.

It also may provide some answers for those curious about what Bill Clinton's been up to since he left the White House nearly four years ago.

Howdy, neighbor

From her insurance office in Harlem, Carol Bellamy recalls meeting her neighbor, former President Bill Clinton, as he worked the streets like a local politician, greeting people and chatting them up like he was still running for office.

"It was unbelievable that a president of the United States should take such an interest in us," said Bellamy, whose company is one of several Harlem area small businesses receiving technical and managerial assistance through a program set up with Clinton's help.

Shortly after opening his own office in Harlem, Clinton cooperated with the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, New York University's business school, the financial company Booz, Allen, Hamilton and others in starting the program. For Bellamy's modest insurance firm, it meant meeting with seasoned MBAs who provided specific advice that improved her accounting methods, her marketing approach and her focus on her financial goals. Other small Harlem businesses helped by the program include a flower store, a wedding and card shop, a plumbing company, a restaurant, a dentist and a pharmacy.

Though Clinton's often away from his office on other ventures, in Harlem his presidential foundation has been active with local schools, helping to recruit knowledgeable adult volunteers to teach the basics of banking to young people in sixth to 12th grades."There is a strong sense of community here in Harlem, and I really enjoy being a part of this vibrant neighborhood. I am looking for partners who want to bring opportunities to Harlem," Clinton said at an April 2002 appearance at the Roberto Clemente Middle School, not far from his 125th Street office.

Bellamy says she's met Clinton three times since the former president moved his office to Harlem and was impressed that Clinton insisted on follow-up visits to make sure the program was working as promised."I always felt he was a courageous and responsive person and showed sincerity," says Bellamy."He kept his word and helped us."

The Harlem Chamber of Commerce president, Lloyd A. Williams, says Clinton has been remarkably"hands-on," devoting many hours and hosting meetings about the program at his office, which Williams described as"palatial and dramatic," with expansive views of Manhattan....