Smiles and Sharp Elbows

摘要

The labor leaders gathered in the private room at the Hay-Adams Hotel late last September weren't ready to endorse Al Gore. They wanted to know how—and even whether—he could win the Democratic nomination. Bill Bradley had become the media's darling, surging to the lead in polls in New Hampshire and New York. He'd raised tons of cash, and was closing in on Gore's fund-raising totals. As for the vice president, he was, to put it bluntly, floundering: firing longtime aides, shuffling campaign staff, groping for a theme, changing suits and styles like a runway model. "Those were dark days," recalls Tad Devine, now a top Gore adviser.