The Stupidest Thing I Ever Did

And I’ve done a lot of stupid ones. But there it was 1992, the President had just been elected, and names were being bandied about for various positions. One was Robert Rubin for Secretary of the Treasury.

A Wall Streeter I respected — I will never say who — told me he thought Rubin would be a disaster; and fearing (stupidly) that the Arkansans might not be Wall Street savvy, I felt the need to drop a note to Bruce Lindsey, who was handling much of the appointment process, and pass that opinion along. Not that I had ever met Bruce Lindsey, let alone Robert Rubin.

The main thing, of course, is that my note had no impact, so no harm was done. But I feel like a complete idiot, because after four years in the job, Treasury Secretary Rubin has been acclaimed worldwide with near unanimity as a superb choice.

Tomorrow: Why Clinton Didn’t Name ME Treasury Secretary