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THE RAGIN' CAJUN: Carville, 47, is a constant study in coiled tension; he holds his body Marine-style rigid; his brooding brow and his closely cropped, sparse hair all convey the same message as the T shirts and pressed jeans that he favors: This is not a man to be messed with. As Carville describes himself: "I walk the edge between being colorful and controversial."
Carville was a late bloomer -- a Vietnam-era Marine (who was never sent to Vietnam); a Louisiana lawyer reluctant to practice; a political hired gun who moved into the front rank of Democratic consultants only by masterminding last year's upset Pennsylvania Senate victory of Harris Wofford. Carville first met Clinton last summer through another client, Georgia Governor Zell Miller, and joined the campaign in November. Carville's first impression of Clinton: "So this is what major league pitching looks like." But baptism in the big leagues can be brutal, and so it was for Carville, who field-marshaled Clinton's give-no-ground-defense against the fusillade of charges -- ranging from adultery to draft dodging -- that almost destroyed the candidate before the New Hampshire primary.
Yet by April, Carville was a little lost. As an admirer within the Clinton camp puts it: "When James isn't in charge, he tends to lose interest." It wasn't that Carville loafed, it was more that he craved a new adrenaline high. As even he admits, "After the New York primary, I was working, but I didn't put my helmet back on until after California." Now the first among equals in the campaign, Carville is the Count of the Counterpunch, calling the political ploys and postures, the stratagems and sound bites that make up daily campaign gamesmanship.
If Carville is motivated by one principle, it is "Hit 'em back hard." Nothing better reflects his combative personality than the inspirational slogans he posts in the war room. On the central issue of the campaign: THE ECONOMY, STUPID. And on the need for rapid response: SPEED KILLS -- BUSH. Carville's ambitions begin and end with politics, for as he says, "I wouldn't live in a country whose government would have me in it."
THE ALTER EGO: Stephanopoulos' influence in the campaign is no secret -- he is handed over 100 telephone-message slips a day. But still, as a campaign insider puts it: "Everybody underestimates him. He looks like he's 14 years old." With a shock of dark brown hair, a boyish face and an imperturbable, almost brusque manner, Stephanopoulos, 31, is the ultimate quick study. Joining the campaign last summer, after being heavily wooed by Bob Kerrey, Stephanopoulos became Clinton's constant traveling companion throughout the primaries. His mastery of Clinton's ideas and his ability to anticipate the candidate's reactions to any situation is uncanny. Stephanopoulos' explanation: "He's a great teacher."