e that informal networking is rampant in the most important bureaucracy in the land, the White House. A complex pattern of informal networks has formed in the Clinton White House, which is the subject of the article "Crisscrossed with Connections . . . West Wing is a Networker's Dream" by Burt Solomon. The author's purpose in writing the article is to explain how Clinton's White House works.
The major point made by the author is that the most successful networks in the White House are based on prior contacts of either Bill or Hillary Rodham Clinton's. Both Clinton and his wife have separate networking circles, with some overlap between the two. For instance, Harold Ickes, White House deputy chief of staff has known Hillary Clinton longer than he has known the president.
Approximately five or six networking circles exist in the White House. One group centers on the people who worked in the "war room" campaigning for the president. Another circle of associates came up with Clinton from Arkansas. Vice President Al Gore has his own group. Some savvy Wh
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