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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I postponed writing this book for many years. Beginning in 1969, at the end of the Johnson-Humphrey administration,I began to be approached by agents, publishers,colleagues,and friends suggesting I write a firsthand account about government and politics “as it really was” from the inside. I knew what they meant.Too many books and articles written by former government and campaign figures, it seemed to me, pulled their punches in talking about people and events. Similar accounts by writers and journalists—even those praised as inside accounts—by necessity had to be written from outside vantage points. Real insiders pulled their punches because they might be serving in the future with people whom they otherwise might treat ungently in their accounts— and they feared being treated ungently in return. Even the most skillful journalists and authors, being once removed, had to rely on accounts of others. Too much of what I read did not fully reflect what I personally saw taking place. I delayed,however,because I had an aversion to accounts,written immediately after campaigns or administrations, in which authors who had participated directly in them related conversations and events that at the time had been private or confidential.I also hesitated to express opinions that were anything less than candid about people who were still active in the political process. Along the way, though, I mentally collected material that I believed could be usefully made part of the historical record. I have not participated in a national political campaign since 1992.Most of the people I worked with and observed are no longer on the active list. This thus seemed the time to write the book which many had suggested I write over a number of previous years. I wish especially to thank friends and former colleagues who over time have urged me to write this book: John Stewart, Al Eisele, Ken Bode, Richard M. Cohen, Stephen Schlesinger , Jim Dickenson, Win Griffith, Shelby Scates, Milton Gwirtzman, R. W. ( John) Apple, Adam Yarmolinsky, Tom McCoy, and Steve Stark, xi among others. Most have written good books of their own. I owe special thanks to my partner, Jeri Smith-Fornara, whose encouragement and idealism have energized me during the drafting and editing process. She has had her own distinguished career in the consumer, environmental, and women’s movements and in the Democratic Party. Her son David and his fiancée, Teresa, have become additions to my family. On a deeper level I must acknowledge the impulses and experiences that led me to stay in a public arena I entered almost by accident.I have made special note in this book of the values and experiences shared by my Depressionborn generation.The popular song of the era,“Brother,CanYou Spare a Dime,” still brings instant tears to my eyes.The novels of Steinbeck and Dos Passos, the paintings of the Ashcan School, and the remembered voice of Franklin Delano Roosevelt all became part of me and helped me fight through the discouraging times that go with the territory of national politics. I must acknowledge not only my parents but numerous teachers, coaches, and professors who encouraged me during my growing-up years. Then there are the many people for whom I worked along the way and who were willing to tolerate my independence because they saw some compensating talent in me. They range from Frank Geri, a junior-high coach and teacher, who hired me for my first full-time summer job, to Georg Meyers, a SeattleTimes sports editor, who hired me for my first full-time daily newspaper job, to such household names as Walter Hallstein, Jean Monnet, Hubert Humphrey, Andrew Cordier, George McGovern, Terry Sanford, Cyrus Vance, and Paul Tsongas, who gave me great latitude to pursue our mutual work as I thought best. Some put their own reputations at risk in doing so. I owe special acknowledgment to my late wife, Jean, and my four children , who put up with my absences and working hours over the years as I threw myself into causes and pursuits that sometimes did not work out. I am grateful to the University of Washington Press team that helped bring this volume from rough idea to finished book.They include Michael Duckworth, Mary Ribesky, Anna Eberhard Friedlander, and Beth Fuget. Although I do not know their identities, I wish to thank seven anonymous readers recruited by the UW Press, who raised various questions about my working manuscript...

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