What was the toughest part of the WH assistant press secretary job?
I seem to be focused on sleep deprivation and living in a bubble—but these, too, are challenges of working in a White House. The intensity of media scrutiny is without parallel—the press is literally feet from your desk. Can you give an example of that intense scrutiny at work in the West Wing? I was in the West Wing on 9-11 and was evacuated that morning with our colleagues in the media. We all re-entered the West Wing just a few hours later, when there was great uncertainty about many things from safety to the meaning of what this new era meant for our country. The news took over television and papers were dominated by 9-11 coverage. There were no commercials, no regular programming and the network anchors hosted all day long. There was a constant need for information. It was a difficult work environment, yet one where the media and WH staff worked together well. There was insatiable appetite for information that had to constantly be balanced with the need to verify and provide accur
