The other side of Hillary Clinton

The occasion was just the sort of social event the Clintons are said to loathe: a gathering of Washington establishment insiders, clustered around candlelit tables for 10 to fete one of their own, media heavy Mortimer Zuckerman.

Seated next to Hillary Clinton at this dinner party last week was Bob Woodward, the veteran Washington Post reporter. Famous for his role in uncovering the Watergate scandal, Woodward was only a few days away from publishing his latest investigative chronicle, The Choice, a narrative of the 1996 presidential campaign. One of the principal subjects of Woodward's book is Hillary Clinton.

In his new book, Woodward writes that one of Mrs Clinton's favourite sayings, borrowed from Alcoholics Anonymous, is 'fake it till you make it'. Self-control, the First Lady tells her friends, is the key to survival.

Woodward quotes Hillary as saying: 'I really believe you can change the way you think and feel if you discipline yourself.' Sitting next to Woodward on this evening gave Mrs Clinton an opportunity to practise her theory.

Hillary could not have felt relaxed about Woodward's book. The White House had picked up rumours about a 'bombshell' that would embarrass the First Lady, as well as hints of other revelations that could possibly harm her husband's chances for re-election.

The week was already shaping up as a rough one for the Clintons: Whitewater was bubbling once again, and Republican congressmen, particularly House Government Reform and Oversight Committee chairman William Clinger, were gleefully beginning to probe Filegate, the latest White House scandal.