No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing this book has afforded me the opportunity to revisit the historic and challenging events of my eight years of government service. In doing so, I have felt enormously grateful for the chance to work with such wonderful people, many of whom became and remain dear friends.

During those years in Washington the pressure was often high, and I was sustained by the love of my family and their unwavering support. The extraordinary, ordinary Rays and Rices were always there—just a phone call away.

This book simply would not have been possible without the dedication of Cameron Bell and Theo Milonopoulos. Cam and Theo led the project from its inception to its final stages, providing exemplary leadership and research, keen insights, and scrupulous attention to detail. Their drive for excellence greatly enhanced the manuscript.

I want to thank my senior research associate, Leisel Bogan, who contributed to story lines, offered helpful feedback, and supplied background information, as well as my invaluable research team: Kia Ghorashi, Justine Isola, Charles Nicas, and early on, Daniel Slate. Their precision in fact-checking and copyediting was both humbling and essential. The book also received important contributions from Mohammad Ali, Jenny Arriola, Amir Badat, Dianna Bai, Carolyn Forstein, Avery Halfon, and Philippe de Koning.

My team in California has been a blessing to me as they balance and support my many commitments. My new, indefatigable chief of staff, Georgia Godfrey, along with her excellent predecessors, Anne Lyons and Colby Cooper, have provided leadership and wise counsel over the years. Caroline Beswick and Julianne Jochmann kept me on schedule and organized, and my longtime assistant Marilyn Stanley remained indispensible throughout the production process. Others in my office—Natalie Davies, Blair Dawkins, Taylor Jackson, Emma Welch, Molly Welch—offered cheerful assistance.

The continued support of the Hoover Institution and Stanford University allowed me to complete this project. John Hennessy, John Etchemendy, John Raisian, Garth Saloner, Steven Denning and Roberta Bowman Denning, George and Charlotte Shultz, and Thomas and Barbara Stephenson have continuously welcomed me back home to Stanford with open arms.

I’d like to thank the team at Crown Publishing—specifically Tina Constable, David Drake, Laura Duffy, Linnea Knollmueller, Elizabeth Rendfleisch, Nathan Roberson, Robert Siek, and Penny Simon for their efforts on behalf of this book. And thank you to my talented editor, Rick Horgan, who challenged me to reflect and then gave me the space to write my story.

I am grateful for the trusted friends and colleagues who helped make the experience of government service a meaningful one. Many shared their thoughts, memories, and anecdotes for this book. President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were gracious in doing so. Steve Hadley, Steve Krasner, and Anja Manuel reviewed the manuscript, as did my Stanford colleagues David Kennedy and Amy Zegart. Thanks also to John Bellinger, Dan Fried, Jendayi Frazer, and David Welch, who read and commented on matters related to their expertise.

Many former colleagues also answered research inquiries as they arose. To Bill Burns, Nick Burns, Victor Cha, Eliot Cohen, Bob Conquest, Alexander Downer, Brian Gunderson, Carlos Gutierrez, Albert Hawkins, Michael Hayden, Chris Hill, Reuben Jeffrey, Anne Krueger, Jay Lefkowitz, Greg Manuel, Cindy Marble, Sean McCormack, Frank Miller, Kori Shake, Tom Shannon, James Sheehan, Shirin Tahir-Kheli, Fran Townsend, Matt Waxman, and Phil Zelikow, thank you for your kind and generous help.

During my research, the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia invited me to participate in their Presidential Oral History Program. Russell Riley, the program chair, and Katrina Kuhn, the program administrator, conducted useful group interviews with my former State and White House team. I am grateful to them for this terrific forum.

The professionals at the National Archives and Records Administration at the George W. Bush Presidential Library were relentless in their search for records and documents. Shannon Jarrett, the supervisory archivist, and archivists Peter Haligas and David Sabo guided me through the archives, and Jodie Steck willingly tracked down photos from my days at the White House.

I also appreciate the people in Washington who helped me access key records and documents. Those who facilitated the declassification review process deserve my particular thanks for their patience and efficiency. It was a pleasure working with Peggy Grafeld, Mark Ramee, and Clarence Finney at the State Department, and Bill Leary at the NSC.

Finally, I wish to thank Harry Rhoads and Liz Morrison at Washington Speakers Bureau as well as Suzanne Gluck, Wayne Kabak, Teri Tobias, and Steve Neal for their continuing support and advice.