Could you generally describe how the White House communications office operates on an average day? The basic organization of the White House communications operation hasn't changed much since Herb Klein invented it for President Nixon in 1972. There is a Communications Office that thinks about message and events and the picture and a Press Office that deals with the White House press corps -- and the press outside the White House. I like to say that the Communications Office is sort of the "product development" side of the House and the Press Office is "retail and sales." Obviously, the President's message doesn't get very far unless it passes successfully through the filter of the press, so a large part of the White House structure is devoted to this primary responsibility of getting information, ideas and arguments to the American people. What is a "press gaggle?" Each day the hand to hand combat between the press office and the press corps starts with the "gaggle" as in a gaggle of squawking geese. In my day, the reporters gathered around my desk and I ran through the President's schedule, took their temperature, tried to figure out if our plan for the day would work, reacted to any major breaking developments, and got a sense of what the press would be chasing that day. It was pretty relaxed and informal. I could joke around a bit because it was not on camera and no transcript was kept. I think it's been done a little more formally in the Bush White House, but I liked this first encounter of the day because it allowed you to get your bearings before you prepared for the formal press briefing which occurred in the early afternoon. You pioneered the practice of televising press briefings while you were press secretary. Why did you decide to start the practice of televised briefings and in retrospect do you think it was a good idea? Dumbest thing I ever did! I was used to televised briefings at the State Department and I thought the rules at the White House were weird when I first got there in 1995 (only the first five minutes at the beginning could be broadcast). The radio and TV folks (especially the radio guys who had to report every hour on the hour) said they were at a disadvantage since they could not use clips from the briefing. So I gradually increased the time they could broadcast until the whole briefing was eventually available. I did not count on the Monica Lewinsky matter turning the press briefing room into the kind of circus show it became during 1998. In retrospect, I should have imposed some limits, like "no live coverage of the briefing." Once TV could carry the briefing live, it became a daytime equivalent of a soap opera for the cable news channels. I think it made the briefing more "theater of the absurd" and less useful exchange of information for the press. What are your thoughts about the influence of technology on White House communications and the challenging pace of the news cycle? With all of the technology and advances in communication over the last decade -- especially the explosion of information available on the Internet -- there has to be a better way of keeping the American people informed about the President and the White House than having a single person -- the Press Secretary -- doing a briefing at a podium once a day. I don't think the press or the White House has figured out how to make full use of the communications technologies available. I also think everyone needs to slow down! Sometimes the reporting from the White House has this breathless quality because everyone has the ability to go live 24/7. The press would do well to report on the work of the President and the federal government by looking from other perspectives than 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And they could take a little time and let the story develop so that we can separate the truly consequential from the mildly titillating. In your view, what constitutes a good working relationship for the president and the press? There is disagreement about this, but I believe the Press Secretary needs to work for both the press and the President. I like to say the geography of the West Wing is a metaphor for the relationship -- the Press Secretary's office is exactly half way between the Oval Office and the Briefing Room. The Press Office has to be an advocate for the press and the public's right to know inside the White House. Sometimes you will loose out to other priorities, but at least the press will sense that someone is looking out after its interests. I also think that's the way to best serve the President. I don't believe that the modern presidency can work effectively if it is constantly at war with the media. I think it helps the President to have a channel of communication available to the press. And I believe that the relationship -- though it has to be adversarial -- can be more amicable. Everyone can do their jobs and be professional but I think it needs to be far less snarly. Which press secretary have you admired the most and why? The gold standard everyone would say is Jim Hagerty who was Eisenhower's Press Secretary. The transcripts of Ike's press conferences are amazing. There are points where the text reads "The President conferred with Mr. Hagerty." Imagine a presidential news conference today in which the President stopped mid-answer to go check with his Press Secretary! Hagerty was witty, knowledgeable, and knew the President and the White House inside out. More recently, my two role models were Jody Powell because he mastered the art of being a presidential confidante and simultaneously kept the press well informed. And Marlin Fitzwater because he had a devotion to public information -- he was a career government public information officer before working in the White House -- and he understood the indispensable need for humor and a lighter touch. What would you like to be most remembered about your tenure as press secretary? Well there is no doubt that I will be most remembered for the briefings I did in the aftermath of the Lewinsky story. That saddens me a bit because I think that whole tawdry business did no one any good. But maybe if the bottom line is that "Mike kept his cool and his sense of humor even when things were tough" then there is some solace in the fact that we eventually were able to get back to doing the business of the American people even when the President was wrestling with a crisis that was purely personal. The thing I would prefer to be remembered for is this: I tried as much as possible to make every briefing the White House gave an "on the record" briefing. I think there are way too many briefings by "senior White House officials" and I think that confuses the American people. They should know who is talking and who is accountable for the information being provided. I don't believe it ever detracts from the President to have his (or her!) senior aides talking on the record about the subjects they handle. I also believe there are many experts in the federal civil service who can help the press and the American people understand difficult issues and I believe we should see more of them and less of the political "spin doctors" who often clog the airwaves. I hope my service as Press Secretary will mostly be seen as a time when the White House tried to get good, authoritative, and accurate information out the door as much as possible. Maybe with a little spin now and then. But at least with a wink that made us laugh.