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Edward KocheEdward Koche
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Session:         Page of 617

to call her not to go into the race. It was that kind of thing. She sort of pre-empts it and people are afraid to take her on. It's amazing how they are afraid to take her on. That's all I can really tell you.

Then also she has this intense coterie around her - very personally supportive. Even her staff, who basically can't stand her because she misuses them and abuses them so that they quit in a few months -- it's rare to find someone on her staff who's there for a year. As I think I may have mentioned to you, I started my Washington career seven years ago, and there are still three or four people who started seven years ago with me on my staff, and nobody stays for less than a couple of years. And if they leave, it's because they've gotten married and unfortunately move away or they have children, and even in those cases -- my secretary in Washington has a child, so she comes in three days a week. She wants to work, and I want her to work. And my administrative assistant here started with me, Ronay Menschel. She just had a baby and so she took a month off, and now she's back and work full time. I mean I, think I inculcate a certain sense of accomplishment in my staff. They love it; I love them.

Bella, to her credit: very few people who leave her ever say anything other than, “Yes, she's terrible to work for, but isn't she great?” something like that. You have to give her credit to that extent, but she is vile. Jim worked for her -- Jim Capalino, who was here a moment ago. He said to me, “If I





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