True Compass (63 page)

Discussing the signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, with President Obama, former President Bill Clinton, and Vice President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, April 21, 2009.
Brooks Kraft/Corbis

On the grounds of the White House, April 21, 2009.
Pete Souza/MAI /Landov

Acknowledgments

The greatest blessing to me of my more recent years has been my wife Vicki's presence in my life. Indeed, I would never have engaged in this endeavor had she not helped me to talk more openly about feelings that had long since been shut away. Our conversations are long, our banter is fast, and her humor keeps life fun. Words are very much a part of our lives, but it is also the quiet moments when, hand in hand, we invite the stillness in, which truly sustains my faith and touches my heart.

Vicki understood the story I wanted to tell before I did. She helped me address aspects of my life I'd never expressed to anyone before, and she gave me the guidance and confidence to proceed.

This project began in 2004 at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, where I have worked closely with James Sterling Young, the director of the Edward M. Kennedy Oral History Project. The oral history served as a basis for many additional conversations with my collaborator on this project, Ron Powers, and my editor, Jonathan Karp.

Ron's gifts as a prose stylist were immediately apparent to me from his acclaimed biography of Mark Twain. Over the past two years, he has infused my stories with his gift for language, his humor, his intelligence, and his compassion. It has been an honor to work with such a dedicated and talented writer.

The judgment and integrity of my attorney Robert Barnett is a matter of fact. He has been a consummate adviser and literary representative in every aspect of this process.

At the Hachette Book Group, we are especially grateful to Chief Executive Officer David Young for supporting this project. Jamie Raab, the publisher of Grand Central Publishing, has been an enthusiastic advocate from our first meeting, and we are deeply grateful for her passion and conviction throughout this process. My publisher and editor, Jonathan Karp, understood this book from the beginning and has been a wise counselor every step of the way. He has prodded me, questioned me, coaxed me, and helped me tell my story in a way that was honest and true to myself. Jon is brilliant and talented, and working with him has been a real gift.

Brendan O'Malley, PhD, and a true son of Boston's Irish community, provided masterful historic research and fact-checking; his talents added immeasurably to the work.

I'm deeply grateful to my friend and attorney Greg Craig who was also part of our team, providing, as always, superb advice and sound judgment.

Thanks as well to Deneen Howell for her outstanding legal work.

Judy Campbell and Caroline Gannon facilitated the many meetings and interviews that went into the writing of this book, and they kept my papers organized. I could not have completed the book on time without them.

Bob Shrum and Linda Semans Donovan joined together to interview me (Bob) and film me (Linda) about the book, and they produced a superb short film. I thank them both for their amazing talent, enormous contribution to the project, and most of all, for decades of friendship.

I am deeply grateful to Stephanie Cutter for all of her advice and assistance. She is the consummate professional and a master of communications.

Jim Young conducted the oral history interviews that formed the basis of much of the book. With his insight as an historian, he prodded me to think about aspects of my life and public service in new and deeper ways.

Kathy Kruse has been a liaison, organizer, facilitator and all around magician. In addition, she and Diane Pyles have been indispensable in gathering photographs from our home collection.

This book was enhanced and improved by the contributions of several outstanding public servants who are my former and present staff members, who worked on some of the issues and events covered in the book and took some of their private time to review relevant passages of the book to help confirm my recollection. I give a warm and sincere thanks to George Abrams, Jeff Blattner, David Burke, Phil Caper, James Flug, Larry Horowitz, Paul Kirk, Nick Littlefield, Michael Myers, David Nexon, Barbara Souliotis, Trina Vargo, and Sharon Waxman. I also thank Eric Mogilnicki for his help along the way and Carey Parker for the indispensable role he's played in every aspect of my public life since 1970.

Special thanks to: Twelve's superb director of publicity, Cary Goldstein; art director Anne Twomey; Denis Reggie, the extraordinary photographer (and my brother-in-law) who shot the cover photo; managing editor Bob Castillo; copy editor Roland Ottewell; interior designer Ellen Rosenblatt, production manager Tom Whatley; indexer Kay Banning; photo researcher Kristine Smith; chief operating officer Kenneth Michaels; production director Antoinette Marotta; advertising director Martha Otis; sales director Christine Barba; counselors Eric Rayman and Carol Ross; Joe Gargan; Twelve assistants Colin Shepherd and Laura Lee Timko; typist Meredith Fletcher of Castleton College; transcribers Connie Procaccini and Gary Girton; literary agent Jim Hornfischer (who represented Ron Powers); Ron's wife, Honoree Fleming; and everyone else at Hachette and beyond who has contributed to bringing this book to you.

Bibliography

We consulted many books and magazine articles in our research, and we gratefully acknowledge the following works.

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