CONVENTION '96: WHO IS DICK MORRIS?

(11 of 11)

By then, of course, Morris may be out of the game. "When this is over, I'm going to leave consulting," he says. With as much as $45 million to be spent on television during the general election and Morris getting a piece of it (he won't say how much), he'll have enough money to retire. But being out of politics would surely make him restless. "I've never met anyone with as much need to be on a plane scheming and plotting as Dick," says media consultant Goodman. But after a campaign he compares with "climbing Everest," what other race could get his juices flowing? Al Gore's in 2000? Though a host of Republicans have vowed not to let him back into the G.O.P., some predict he'll wind up next to Trent Lott, the most interesting Republican around. And even if he does bow out, the outside-the-box strategy he and Clinton popularized will surely be used by others.

Recently Morris has been coming out of the shadows to claim his share of credit for Clinton's lead. Morris' message is that, like Clinton, he has been misunderstood. He wants people to know, for example, that he and Clinton both have concerns about the welfare bill that Clinton has signed. At the convention, Clinton will promise to "finish the job" with tax incentives and other proposals designed to create 1 million jobs for welfare recipients. Morris is confident that next year Clinton will be able to fix the bill's biggest problems--food-stamp cuts and the benefits it strips from legal immigrants. "Welfare reform is a process, not a bill," Morris says. "This was a historic beginning, not the end of the story. I'm convinced the story has a happy ending."

In short, Morris wants to be known as brilliant and true blue, not brilliant and double-crossing. It's the ultimate spin and, for Morris, the ultimate professional challenge: himself as a client. It makes those who work with him smile because it shows that on some level, the egotist remains insecure. As a pro, White House colleagues say, Morris should know that his reputation can be scrubbed only by a Clinton victory. He's the next political millionaire: Carville '96. He should be content that people think he's a great strategist. And they will--as long as Clinton wins.