Caught In The Town's Most Thankless Job

In a job where having an answer has not always meant the same thing as telling the truth, Michael McCurry had led a most charmed existence. Witty, candid and usually unflappable, McCurry was the rare White House press secretary whose reputation had not only survived but flourished--even as he brokered every day the conflicting interests of a scandal-prone President and a hard-bitten press corps. But as he stood gripping the briefing-room lectern last week, McCurry was showing uncustomary strain. He set his lips tightly when a reporter asked whether the press secretary could be sure that President Clinton's lawyers were giving...

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