It was past midnight last Wednesday when the phone started ringing inside Bill Daley's Washington home. Roused from his sleep, the Commerce Secretary groped for the receiver and heard Al Gore on the line. Soon Gore was asking Daley to leave Bill Clinton's Cabinet and take over as chairman of Gore's campaign. After a deep breath, Daley said he'd like to discuss the matter over a cup of coffee.
"O.K., I'll hold the phone," the Vice President replied. "Go make some coffee."
Daley laughed. "You mean you want to talk now?"
"Yeah, I'll hold. Make some coffee."
Gore couldn't afford to...