By the time Democratic fund raisers put the bite on insurance tycoon Walter Kaye, he had already been softened up. There was the holiday card from President Clinton's re-election campaign and the invitation to a White House Christmas party, not to mention the Executive Mansion reception for New Yorkers, the dinner for the most generous Democratic benefactors and a gathering of the Hillary Rodham Clinton Fan Club.
The White House courtship of Kaye was never casual. While disguised as a social minuet, it was really part of a high-tech operation situated not far from the Oval Office and used to track...