The Dirty Little Secret Is That The

There Is An Institutional Cynicism That Causes Reporters To Question Everything The President Says, And The Motives Of Everything The President And His Administration Try To Accomplish.

During My Years As A Press Secretary, I Developed A Powerful Internal Filter, Which Worked To Strip All Things 'off Message' From My Thoughts Before They Came Out Of My Mouth. It Didn't Always Work, Of Course, And I Said More Than A Few Things I Regretted.

One Thing I Think Is Least Realistic Is That There Were Five People That Made Decisions In The Fictional 'west Wing.' In Real Life, There Are About Five Million People That Weigh In.

Democrats Single Out Glaring Examples Of Tax Preferences Or Spending Priorities That Favor The Wealthy And Republicans Cry 'class Warfare!'

You As The Press Secretary Have To Protect The President's Interests And The White House's Interests More Broadly. And A Lot Of People Inside The White House, As You Learned, Sometimes With Painful Experience, Have Competing Agendas, Have Differing Points Of View, Have Priorities They're Trying To Protect.