For Democratic Advisers, A Season of Tough Choices

Former White House political director Douglas B. Sosnik and Clinton pollster Stanley Greenberg are with Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.). Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) has Clinton administration veterans Ronald A. Klain, Antony Blinken and Evan Ryan. Jennifer Palmieri, a former White House spokeswoman, is helping former senator John Edwards (N.C.). And one former Clinton Cabinet member, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, is running against his former boss's wife himself.

"Most Democratic political professionals over the age of 25 who came to Washington passed through the Clinton administration at some point unless they spent their entire career on the Hill," said Reed, Bill Clinton's domestic policy adviser and now president of the Democratic Leadership Council. "It would be hard to fill a campaign without some people who had the '90s on their resumes."

For some, the choice was not that hard. "The Clintons, for me and for many of us who worked for him, we owe them our loyalty," said Steve Ricchetti, who was deputy White House chief of staff. "They have been very generous personally and gave me my biggest opportunities in public service. It's not something you forget."

Yet others have not forgotten the personal slights, policy struggles and turf battles; after eight years, the Clinton White House was left with its share of scar tissue. Hillary Clinton inspired deep affection and loyalty among her own staff, but she could be demanding, and her temper sometimes singed those outside her inner circle.

For that matter, her husband could be tough to work for as well. Some who served in the West Wing emerged bruised by the experience, disenchanted with the conduct that led to his impeachment and leery of returning for Clinton the Sequel.

They do not couch their decisions this year in those terms, though, at least not publicly. They explain their neutrality or affiliations by the complex rules of political allegiance -- an old boss who came calling, a new job that prevents partisan activity, more recent involvement with another candidate, the sorts of word-of-mouth encounters that can bring teams together by happenstance more than by design.

Sosnik and Greenberg went back to Dodd, their original sponsor in politics. Dodd was Greenberg's first client. Sosnik drove Dodd in his 1980 campaign and became his chief of staff. "I first worked for Chris Dodd over 25 years ago and have always considered him my mentor," Sosnik said. "He taught me that there is nothing more important in life as well as in politics than being loyal to your friends."

Others calculated that another candidate would be more likely to win or would be a better president than Hillary Clinton. Lake said he was impressed with Obama. "This is the first time I've been excited by somebody since 1992, when I was doing foreign policy with Bill Clinton," he said. As for Hillary Clinton, he said: "I think highly of her. It's not that I'm trying to help somebody run against her. I'm helping somebody I think can be a great president."

Under other circumstances, Emanuel would be a natural for the Obama camp. But Emanuel was a rambunctious 31-year-old when he joined Clinton's campaign in 1991 as one of the original members of the Little Rock war room and followed the candidate to the White House. Although he was demoted at one point -- reportedly at the instigation of the first lady -- he eventually became one of the president's closest aides.

Emanuel declared on television early last year that he was supporting Clinton, but that was before Obama expressed interest in running. Now he is officially neutral. And both sides are lobbying him to take a top campaign post. "I'm going to call Rahm and talk the issue through with him and see what he thinks," said Mickey Kantor, who chaired Bill Clinton's campaign in 1992 and is now backing Hillary Clinton.

Obama has been calling, too. He had dinner with Emanuel on Thursday, which the congressman called a longstanding personal engagement. Asked where Emanuel will come down in the 2008 race, Obama recently told the Chicago Tribune: "Rahm knows the right thing to do."

If he does, he is not saying what the right thing is. "I have two friends in this. I just got off a two-year national campaign. It took everything out of me," Emanuel said. "There's a time for governing and a time for campaigning, and I'm in the governing mode right now."

As for picking sides, he said: "There will be an appropriate time. But now is not the appropriate time."

Staff writer Anne E. Kornblut contributed to this report.