Mark Leibovich, International Herald-TribuneSenator Hillary Rodham Clinton was gracious in her full-throated endorsement of Senator Barack Obama.
"Gracious" and "full-throated" might be overstating the case by just an order of magnitude or two, but go on.
But that does not mean all is forgiven by others in the Clinton universe.
For proof, look no further than Doug Band, chief gatekeeper to former President Bill Clinton. Band keeps close track of the past allies and beneficiaries of the Clintons who supported Obama's campaign, three Clinton associates and campaign officials said. Indeed, he is widely known as a member of the Clinton inner circle whose memory is particularly acute on the matter of who has been there for the couple — and who has not.
"The Clintons get hundreds of requests for favors every week," said Terry McAuliffe, the chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. "Clearly, the people you're going to do stuff for in the future are the people who have been there for you." McAuliffe, who knows of Band's diligent scorekeeping, emphasized that "revenge is not what the Clintons are about."
Oh, no, not at all. Not at all.
The accounting is more about being practical, he said, adding, "You have to keep track of this."
It's business. Just business.
Band, who declined to comment, is hardly alone in tallying those considered to have crossed the former candidate or the former president in recent months by supporting Obama. As the Obama bandwagon has swelled, so have the lists of people Clinton loyalists regard as some variation of