First In His Class

by David Maraniss

  351 “get on board early”: “Greene County Citizens for Clinton committee mailing. H. T. Moore.

  351 The attorney general’s job: Ints. David Newcomb, May 7, 1994; Terry Kirkpatrick, April 5, 1994; and Steve Smith, July 15, 1993.

  352 fleshily abundant Dolly Parton: Ints. Richard Morris, July 27, 1994, and Joe Purvis, September 1994.

  352 “He was just walking around”: Ints. Terry Kirkpatrick, April 5, 1994, and Joe Purvis, September 1994.

  352 Elvis’s death left Clinton: Ibid.

  352 Morris flew down: Int. Richard Morris, July 27, 1994.

  353 Morris agreed to do a poll: ibid.

  353 A few weeks later: Int. David Pryor, June 29, 1993.

  353 “you could run for governor”: Ibid.

  354 “the only truly distinguished”: Arkansas Gazette, May 10, 1978.

  354 Internal campaign news: 1978 campaign daily news summaries, Doug Wallace Papers, UALR.

  354 “If people knew how old-fashioned”: Nelson, Hillary Factor, p. 209.

  354 plotting how Pryor could beat Tucker: Int. Richard Morris, July 27, 1994.

  355 Clinton, the back room political consultant: Ibid.

  355 Pryor’s wife, Barbara: Ibid

  355 They were determined: Int. Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993.

  356 Geren charged that Clinton: Arkansas Gazette, Oct. 28, 1978.

  356 Clinton easily rebuffed the charge: Ibid

  356 Geren called him at home: Int. Ed Howard, July 19, 1993.

  356 “I was disappointed with Bill”: Ibid.

  357 The pain came: Int. Veta Ranchino, April 23, 1994.

  357 The omen of future trouble: Carter note to Clinton, Doug Wallace Papers, UALR.

  Twenty: Great Expectations

  358 At his side was Dave Matter: Int. David Matter, Feb. 5, 1993.

  359 “this was a good time”: Int. Carolyn Yeldell Staley, June 8, 1993.

  359 Arriving by private jet: Int. Charlie Daniels, Jan. 27, 1994.

  359 “Well, what do you think?”: Int. Steve Cohen, Feb. 3, 1994.

  359 “For as long as I can”: Text of Governor Clinton’s Inaugural Address, Jan. 9, 1979.

  360 Craig returned to Washington: Int. Greg Craig, Jan. 27, 1994.

  360 Two promises were unmet: Int. Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993.

  360 Clinton asked Dick Morris: Int. Richard Morris, July 27, 1994.

  361 Clinton directed Morris: Ibid.

  361 The administration drafted: Ints. Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993, and James McDougal, April 22, 1994.

  361 the poultry industry: WP, March 22, 1992, David Maraniss and Michael Weisskopf. “The chicken connection is symbolized by the fact that a legislator, Sen. Joe Yates, is on the payroll of the poultry federation as director of industrial relations. Six lawmakers last year were guests of the federation for an all-expenses-paid golf outing out of state, state ethics records show, and four more were hosted by Don Tyson at a marlin-fishing vacation in Mexico.”

  361 When he arrived at the terminal: Int. Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  362 As Clinton “pounded like crazy”: Ibid.

  362 “Whenever we’d pass”: Ibid.

  363 Labor leader J. Bill Becker groused: Int. J. Bill Becker, Jan. 7, 1992.

  363 “Clinton was so friendly”: Int. Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993.

  363 “I have no time to be governor!”: Int. Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  363 Clinton’s staff arranged a summit: Int. Rudy Moore, July 16, 1993.

  364 “Will you commit larceny today?”: Int. Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  364 “RW—see if you can work him in”: Rudy Moore note in White’s files.

  364 he now occasionally answered to “Baby”: Int. Harry Truman Moore, June 15, 1994.

  364 “It was not easy for a boy”: Int. Ray Smith. Jr., April 25, 1994.

  364 Three executive assistants: Ints. Rudy Moore, June 10 and July 15, 1993; Steve Smith, July 15, 1993.

  365 As Clinton came to power: The account of the clear-cutting debate is drawn largely from a WP article, May 26, 1992: “Clinton’s Hard Lesson In Pragmatism,” Michael Weisskopf and David Maraniss.

  365 On a helicopter tour: Int. Steve Smith, July 14, 1993

  366 The task force held thirteen hearings: Ibid

  366 In private meetings: Int. John Ed Anthony, April 1992.

  366 “Every log driver”: Ibid.

  366 “Every time I go south”: Ibid Also int. Steve Smith, July 14, 1993.

  367 It was also around that time: Int. Steve Smith, July 15, 1993.

  367 Smith had mostly loved working: Ibid.

  367 “Bill never really bothered us” Int. John Ed Anthony, April 1992.

  368 he played golf at a country club: Int. Duke Watts, May 6, 1993. (Although Clinton later developed a penchant for mulligans when his tee shots strayed, as a teenager, according to Watts, he was more honest than many of his friends. Watts said that in tournaments most of the boys would try to get in flights below their true abilities, whereas Clinton would always play in a more difficult flight. His golf talents outshone his abilities in the country club pool. Pat Parker, a lifeguard at Belevedere Country Club, once had to save a struggling Clinton who had knocked himself out doing a bellyflop off the high dive.)

  368 Rudy Moore often told the story: Int. Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993.

  369 Rodham’s father taught her how: Hillary Clinton White House press conference, April 22, 1994.

  369 “our prevailing, acquisitive”: Transcript, Hillary Rodham Commencement Address, May 31, 1969. From Wellesley College archives.

  369 Blair, a Springdale lawyer: Int. Jim Blair, Sept. 6, 1994.

  370 They had all read Joan Didion’s: Int. Diane Blair, June 10, 1993.

  370 Blair was abandoned: Int. Jim Blair, Sept. 6, 1994.

  370 By the time he recruited Rodham: Ibid.

  370 Clients were plentiful: WP, April 10, 1994, Sharon LaFraniere and Charles R. Babcock; Wall Street Journal, April 1, 1994, Jeffrey Taylor and Bruce Ingersoll.

  371 Blair could have kept: Int. Jim Blair, Sept. 6, 1994.

  371 Playing the commodities market: Perhaps the clearest essay on the subject was James K. Glassman’s “Hillary’s Cows,” The New Republic, May 16, 1994.

  372 “I thought it was terrible”: Int. Diane Blair, Aug. 19, 1994.

  372 She seemed to get a break: WP, May 27. 1994: “Hillary Clinton Futures Trades Detailed,” Charles R. Babcock.

  372 “They weren’t going to hassle me”: Int. Jim Blair, Sept. 6, 1994.

  373 She had less good fortune that year: The first national article detailing the Whitewater land deal was by New York Times investigative reporter Jeff Gerth, March 8, 1992. There had been less detailed articles in Little Rock newspapers earlier. Clinton critic Roy Drew, a stock market consultant, would later claim that he pointed Gerth in the direction of McDougal. Another Clinton antagonist, Sheffield Nelson, also pushed the story to national reporters during the early stages of the presidential campaign.

  373 He could often be found: Ints. Steve Smith, April 26, 1994; Rudy Moore, April 27, 1994; and Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  373 McDougal had encountered them: Int. Jim McDougal, April 22, 1994.

  373 He had been making land deals: Ibid

  374 “It was a beautiful development”: Int. Susan McDougal, March 10, 1992.

  374 One day they were invited to tea: Int. Mandy Merck, May 14, 1993.

  375 “I’m beginning to think”: Ibid.

  375 “He walked all over”: Arkansas Gazette, Feb. 29, 1980: “Girl Born to Clinton and Wife.”

  375 “That’s a nice song”: Int. Carolyn Yeldell Staley, July 12, 1993.

  376 Clinton told Rodham that White: Int. Bill Clinton, Jan. 20, 1992.

  376 a bad situation deteriorated: The account of Clinton’s handling of the Fort Chaffee crisis is drawn largely from WP, Oct. 22, 1992: “Cuban Refugee Uprising Offers View of Clinton’s Reaction to Crisis,” David Maraniss. Also from documents at the Carter
Library, and interviews with Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993; Ron Addington, April 5, 1994, and Jody Powell, Sept. 8, 1994.

  378 Eidenberg, the White House official: Int. Eugene Eidenberg, October 1992.

  378 “Don’t answer it”: Int. Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  379 “Rudy, they’re killing me”: Int. Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993.

  379 White was in the room: Int. Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  379 Clinton nonetheless promised: Transcript of Clinton conversations with White House aide Gene Eidenberg, Carter Library, Atlanta, Georgia.

  380 “kick and fuss and holler”: Int. Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993.

  380 On the afternoon of August 4: Int. Eugene Eidenberg, October 1992. Also Carter Library documents on conversation with Jimmy Carter.

  381 “I understand”: Transcript of Eidenberg statement at Fort Chaffee, Carter Library.

  381 Rodham derided him: Int. Fred Altshuler, June 24, 1993.

  381 Wagner understood: Int. Carl Wagner, June 28, 1993.

  382 Merck was covering the convention: Int. Mandy Merck, May 14, 1993.

  382 Clinton changed the subject. Ibid.

  382 “Energize us”: Int. Carolyn Yeldell Staley, June 8, 1993.

  382 Simply putting together: Transcript, Address by Bill Clinton, Democratic National Convention, 1980. From governor’s archives.

  383 “What else”: Int. Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  383 A child had broken his record: Int. Rudy Moore, July 16.

  383 To Moore, he seemed distracted: Ints. Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993, and Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  384 Clinton could not believe: Ibid.

  384 which so enraged Virginia Dwire: Int. Melinda Gassaway, Sentinel-Record editor, April 25, 1994.

  384 The marks against Morris: Int. Rudy Moore, Aug. 18, 1994.

  385 “had gone from being”: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 1, 1994.

  385 “We need Dick”: Ibid.

  385 “the last straw”: Int. Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  385 “God, I’m an idiot!”: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 1, 1994.

  386 He found a deck of cards: Int. Richard Mason, June 30, 1994.

  Twenty-One: The Only Track

  387 They had an open line: Int. Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993.

  387 she was trembling slightly: Int. Gloria Cabe, Sept. 13, 1994.

  388 He phoned Bill Simmons: Int. Bill Simmons, Jan. 12, 1992.

  388 although when David Broder: Int. David Broder, July 2, 1993.

  388 “The guy screwed me”: Int. Rick Stearns, March 4, 1993.

  388 One day he invited several aides: Int. Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  389 Brown offered him a job: Int. Mickey Kantor, Sept. 14, 1994.

  390 During a trip to Fayetteville: Int. Diane Blair, June 10, 1993.

  390 “It’s the only track”: Ibid.

  390 Then he called her one night: Int. Billie Carr, Dec. 15, 1992.

  390 “Woody! Hey, Woody!”: Int. Woody Bassett, June 21, 1993.

  390 “Here’s an idea”: Ints. Rudy Moore, July 16, 1993, and Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  391 Rodham called Dick Morris: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 1, 1994.

  391 And Clinton called Betsey Wright: Int. Betsey Wright, June 27, 1993.

  391 She had assumed the role of bad cop: Int. Rudy Moore, July 16, 1993.

  391 He told Wright that he needed: Int. Betsey Wright, June 27, 1993.

  391 Within days of taking the call: Ints. Betsey Wright, June 27, 1993, and Gloria Cabe, Sept. 13, 1994.

  392 The youngest former governor: Ints. Carolyn Yeldell Staley, July 12, 1993; Betsey Wright, June 27, 1993: and Gloria Cabe, Sept. 13, 1994.

  392 He looked pathetic: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 1, 1994.

  393 “I’ve been thinking a lot”: Letter to Don Jones, 1981.

  393 Rodham offered a more political: Arkansas Gazette, Feb. 22, 1981.

  393 “I knew what she had gone”: Int. Fred Altshuler, June 24, 1993.

  395 The traveling show of 1981: Int. Randy White, April 11, 1994.

  395 The AFL-CIO summer convention: Arkansas Gazette, June 18, 1981, John Brummett, p. 1.

  396 “When someone is beating you”: Int. Doug Wallace, April 21, 1994.

  396 “The rug had been pulled out”: Int. Rudy Moore, June 10, 1993. Also, Bill Clinton letter to Rudy Moore, no date.

  397 Jack Germond and Jules Witcover: Arkansas Gazette, July 10, 1981: “Columnists Are Wrong, Clinton Says.”

  397 It did not start out as a pleasant: Ints. Dick Morris, Aug. 1, 1994, and Betsey Wright, Aug. 25, 1994.

  397 Morris and Wright began to construct: Ibid.

  398 “You have to recognize your sins”: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 1, 1994.

  399 The ads began running: Arkansas Gazette, Feb. 9, 1981: “Clinton Makes It Official, Uses Taped Television Ad,” p. 1.

  399 “Hillary’s gonna have to”: Int. Ray Smith, April 25, 1994.

  399 “What were people wearing?”: Int. Carolyn Yeldell Staley, June 8, 1993.

  399 Clinton recalled a conversation: “Hillary the Pol,” The New Yorker, May 30, 1994, Connie Bruck.

  400 All that changed: Arkansas Gazette, Feb. 28, 1981: “Rodham Takes Leave to Join Campaign as ‘Mrs. Bill Clinton.ߣ” 400 “‘No,’ came the ice cold answer”: Times-News editorial reprinted in Arkansas Gazette, March 7, 1982.

  400 People hated it: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 1, 1994.

  401 “Bill Clinton on the Low Road”: Arkansas Gazette, April 28, 1982.

  401 “said he would tear our heads off”: Arkansas Gazette, May 16, 1982.

  401 “The polls showed a tremendous”: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 1, 1994.

  402 “Tucker had a record”: Int. Betsey Wright, June 27, 1993.

  402 “Hell, he knew what was at stake”: Int. Woody Bassett, June 21, 1993.

  402 Young black professionals: Ints. Carol Willis, June 30, 1993, and Rodney Slater, Aug. 7, 1992.

  403 “We felt like we were behind”: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 1, 1994.

  403 “They’re about ready”: Int. Carol Willis, June 30, 1993.

  404 They set up a stage: Ints. Betsey Wright, June 27, 1993, and Gloria Cabe, Sept. 13, 1994.

  Twenty-two: The Permanent Campaign

  405 Already that day: Arkansas Gazette, Jan. 12, 1983: “Inaugurated Before Huge Crowd,” p. 1; “Religious Service Starts Inaugural,” p. 18. Also, int. Betsey Wright, Aug. 25. 1994.

  405 “He realized that he needed”: Int. Paul Root, July 13, 1993.

  406 They were freewheeling: Int. Gloria Cabe, Sept. 13, 1994.

  406 The bad news had started: Int. Betsey Wright, Aug. 25, 1994.

  406 In the end, he worried: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 4, 1994.

  407 “an almost Catholic splitting”: Ibid.

  408 Clinton had called Starr: Int. John Robert Starr, Jan. 12, 1992.

  408 “His entire strategy in governing”: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 4, 1994.

  408 Although Morris conducted the polls: lnts. Betsey Wright, Aug. 25, 1994, and Dick Morris, Aug. 4, 1994.

  409 “one of the most embarrassing defeats”: Arkansas Gazette, Feb. 20, 1983: “Clinton Wants Others to Lead,” Ernest Dumas.

  409 The state highway director was now shocked: Arkansas Gazette, March 3, 1983: “Called Double-crosser by Henry Gray.”

  409 “Wasn’t Weak, Vacillating”: Arkansas Gazette, March 25, 1983.

  409 Clinton was eager to become known: lnts. Betsey Wright, Aug. 25, 1994, and Dick Morris, Aug. 4, 1994.

  410 “He knew he couldn’t succeed”: Ibid

  410 Trotter bitterly cited: Arkansas Gazette, Aug. 16, 1983.

  410 In some schools: Int. Paul Root, July 13, 1993, and Root documents as governor’s education aide.

  411 There was a national context: Arkansas Gazette, April 23, 1983: “National Report Blueprint for Arkansas.”

  411 “This guarantees that I will have”: Arkansas Gazette, April 23, 1983.

  411 The inadequacies the committee members found
: From report of Education Standards Committee, 1983. Also documents of Paul Root, education aide.

  411 “I think we’ve elected the wrong Clinton!”: Arkansas Gazette, July 29, 1983.

  411 Clinton and Morris experimented: Int. Dick Morris, Aug. 4, 1994.

  412 It was a concept: lnts. Gloria Cabe, Sept. 13, 1994, and Dick Morris, Aug. 4, 1994. (Gloria Cabe’s daughter had a teacher who marked wrong student test answers that gave a precise number to the question of how old the United States was rather than parroting the imprecise answer in their textbook, “about 200 years.”)

  412 Frank White, the former governor: Arkansas Gazette, Sept. 8, 1983. Also int. Dick Morris, Aug. 4, 1994.

  412 When Morris polled on the teacher tests: lnts. Dick Morris, Aug. 1 and 4, 1994.

  412 On the day before: Int. Betsey Wright, Aug. 25, 1994.

  413 Clinton formed a finance committee: Arkansas Gazette, Sept. 29, 1993.

  413 “In the life of our state”: Transcript, Governor Bill Clinton Address to Joint Session, Oct. 4, 1983.

  414 Carol Willis and other black: Int. Carol Willis, June 30, 1993.

  414 He cornered Vada Sheid: Int. Vada Sheid, July 28, 1993.

  415 At a meeting in the governor’s office: Int. J. Bill Becker, Jan. 7, 1992. Also Arkansas Gazette, Nov. 9, 1983, John Brummett.

  415 “Clinton’s lying to you!”: Int. J. Bill Becker, Jan. 7, 1992.

  415 The substantive results: From Paul Root documents on Arkansas education. Also numerous Arkansas Gazette articles 1986-87.

  416 Jogging was the craze: Int. Jim Blair, June 10, 1993.

  416 Clinton had focused: Int. Bill Clinton, Jan. 20, 1992.

  417 Clinton asked one of his colleagues: Arkansas Gazette, Aug. 12, 1984, based on New York magazine article by Richard Reeves.

  417 “Harry Truman would tell us”: Transcript, Speech honoring Harry Truman by Governor Bill Clinton, Democratic National Convention, July 16, 1984.

  Twenty-three: Relationships

  419 This time it began: lnts. Robert Gibbs, Aug. 11, 1994, and Larry Gleghorn, Aug. 11, 1994.

  419 both Gibbs and Gleghorn knew the Clintons: Ibid

  419 though he detested the memory: Int. Virginia Kelley, Jan. 13, 1992. Also WP, Jan. 24, 1993. “Oh, Brother,” Laura Blumenfeld.