Myers discusses Clinton's talents and flaws
Former White House press secretary discusses president as a boss and as a person
By KODI HIRST
Staff Writer
Dee Dee Myers, the
Washington editor of Vanity Fair and former White House press
secretary to President Clinton, said to a full house Tuesday night that
though Clinton was one of the most talented people she has ever met, he
also has what she called "an adolescent side."
Myers, the youngest and
first female White House press secretary, began her 50-minute speech with a
brief autobiography. She spoke mostly of her working relationship with the
president, whom she described as a "certain type of genius" as well as
immaturity.
"He too often doesn't want
to take the consequences of his behavior," Myers said.
When referring to Clinton's
talented side, Myers spoke of Clinton's constantly high public approval
despite the scandals.
"There is something about
him that makes people say, ŒHe's not perfect, but I think I can trust him
to fight for my best interests,'" Myers said.
Myers, who joined the
then-Arkansas governor's campaign for president in 1991, was skeptical of
Clinton's chances of beating popular incumbent George Bush.
"I didn't think Bill
Clinton had a chance," Myers said. "He believed he could win. I believed he
could win after I had spent some time with him."
Myers was convinced when
she sat down with Clinton and discovered he believed in the profound
ability of the government when it was in the right hands. He was one of the
few presidential candidates who knew exactly why he wanted the office,
Myers said.
Myers described her time as
White House press secretary as "a really incredible couple of years for
me."
"I got to participate in a
little slice of history," Myers said.
Myers said she found
Clinton to be an agreeable employer.
"Clinton was an easy boss
to work for," Myers said. "He had endless energy."
Myers remembered hearing
rumors about the private life of the president and realizing that he had
ups and downs in his marriage. Myers, who spent almost every day traveling
for three years with the president, never thought that Clinton would
jeopardize his presidency by having extramarital affairs.
"Obviously, I was wrong,"
Myers said.
Myers' time spent serving
as Clinton's press secretary never overlapped with the Monica Lewinsky
scandal, and Myers didn't meet Lewinsky until this year at the Vanity
Fair Oscar party.
"I actually said hello to
her," Myers said. "I wasn't going to be snobby."
In addition to talking
about Clinton's character, Myers also covered topics such as public
opinion's effect on policy and the media.
After delivering her
speech, Myers stepped down from the podium and engaged in a short
question-and-answer session with David Brancaccio, host of
Marketplace, the half-hour business and finance magazine program
produced by KUSC Radio. Questions were then taken from the floor.
Although the majority of
the crowd were freshmen fulfilling a Writing 140 requirement, others came
eager to hear Myers' political views.
"I'm hoping that she will
give us some insight to Clinton's White House," said Joseph Gentil, who
attended the talk with his son, a USC student. Gentil said he was curious
about the role of a White House press secretary.
Pharmacy Professor Joel Hay
said he attended to determine what Myers thought of the Lewinsky situation
and said that despite belonging to a different political party, he
respected Myers.
"I respect Dee Dee because
she has a lot of integrity, even though her politics are different than
mine," Hay said.
Nina Williams, a freshman
majoring in communication, said she wanted Myers to shed some light on the
political arena and her overall experience.
"Basically, I would like to
hear her views on the way politics is going now," Williams said.
Spectrum and the College of
Letters, Arts and Sciences co-sponsored the event.
Copyright 1999 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 136, No. 44 (Wednesday, March 31, 1999), beginning on page 1 and ending on page 12.