To help win over Koop, Ira Magaziner, leader of the health-care task force, traveled to the doctor’s Vermont home in July to brief him on the emerging plan. On Mrs. Clinton’s other side, the White House plans to seat a recognizable face representing the small-business community or the senior citizens’ lobby. “If [Florida Rep.] Claude Pepper were alive, he’d be there,” said a top aide, explaining the kind of person they want. Some of the more than 100,000 people who wrote the Clintons about their medical problems will also be given prime seats as part of the White House effort to put a human face on the health-care reform package.
To prevent leaks, White House aides will brief key members of Congress verbally on the proposal after the president puts the finishing touches on it over the weekend. An earlier version of the plan was handed over to the media less than 24 hours after it was given to the lawmakers. This time, no copies will be distributed. “We may be dumb, but we’re not that dumb,” says an aide.
