Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State
Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State
Nany Evans oral history.indd - Washington Secretary of State
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the weekends, organize and put together a campaign, raise money. And he never asked<br />
for money. Somebody else had to do that. And he had to campaign out here and then<br />
go back and do his work there. So it was particularly hard on Dan. He was doing all the<br />
running around. And he got grumpier, and grumpier as the campaign wore on. He really<br />
did. And so it was really hard, really, really hard. But he won the election.<br />
Hughes: During those six years while you were at Evergreen, did it ever occur to you that<br />
there would be any other kind <strong>of</strong> political jobs that would interest him? Most people<br />
were surprised that he actually took the Senate appointment. There’s an interesting take<br />
on all this that I got from interviewing Booth Gardner. I know now that you’re a good<br />
friend <strong>of</strong> Booth’s, so I’m sure you’ve heard this, but Booth told me that near the end <strong>of</strong><br />
his second term he asked Dan for his advice about whether to run for the Senate and<br />
Dan said, “You’re not a legislator, you’re a manager. The gridlock will really frustrate you.”<br />
Because that’s what Dan really found out from serving in the Senate. In terms <strong>of</strong> political<br />
temperament, (he and Booth) were really peas in a pod, unlike Slade who just loves —<br />
<strong>Evans</strong>: Slade loves it. He likes the process. Exactly right. I don’t think Slade fully understands<br />
why Dan never really got into being a Senator.<br />
Hughes: By the way, did you read that remarkable book about the 9/11 Commission that<br />
just came out?<br />
<strong>Evans</strong>: I’ve read parts <strong>of</strong> it.<br />
Hughes: Well, did you read the part about Slade and Jamie Gorelick, a deputy attorney<br />
general during the Clinton Administration? She served on the 9/11 Commission with Slade.<br />
<strong>Evans</strong>: Very smart lady.<br />
Hughes: Yes. And John Ashcr<strong>of</strong>t’s people tried to say that it was her fault that intelligence<br />
information about terrorists wasn’t shared (because <strong>of</strong> a policy memo she had written).<br />
All <strong>of</strong> a sudden she realized what was happening as Ashcr<strong>of</strong>t’s testimony unfolded during<br />
the 9/11 Commission hearings and she just froze. And Slade put his hand over on hers and<br />
said, (whispering) “Let me take care <strong>of</strong> this.” Slade just proceeded to eviscerate Ashcr<strong>of</strong>t<br />
because he has such a strong sense <strong>of</strong> fairness. Everyone stylizes Slade Gorton as being this<br />
über partisan person, and here he is defending this liberal Clintonian Democrat.<br />
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