All the Devils Are Here [225]
We also drew heavily from the work that Congress has done in untangling the financial crisis. In particular, we relied on testimony that has been elicited, and documents unearthed, by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, and the Congressional Oversight Panel.
There are a handful of people we returned to again and again for insight. In particular, we owe a debt to Jason Thomas, John Hempton, and Andrew Feldstein, who were too gracious to call our questions dumb, even when they were. There is a long list of other people who can’t be named to whom we also owe our gratitude. They know who they are. Thank you.
We owe a huge debt to our good friend and agent Liz Darhansoff, who (once again!) talked us off the ledge more times than we can count. Ditto to our good friend and editor Adrian Zackheim, who, at several key points along the way, deftly pointed us in the right direction when we were getting lost in the thicket. At Portfolio we would also like to thank Will Weisser, Allison McLean, Jeff Miller, Alex Gigante, and especially Emily Angell and Courtney Young, who went above and beyond in getting us from sprawling manuscript to published book. In the early stages of our research, we were aided by our old friend Maggie Boitano. In the latter stages, we were ably assisted by two newer friends, Dan Slater and Zachery Kouwe, who chased down people, facts, and documents, often at the last minute.
Since there are two of us, we have two separate groups of friends and colleagues who helped us get through life as we were getting through this book. We would like to thank them now. Bethany first:
I’d like to thank Vanity Fair—in particular, Graydon Carter and Doug Stumpf—who have given me the freedom to explore the financial crisis and to take the time to write this book. I’d also like to thank Fortune, my longtime home, for teaching me the ropes of business journalism and allowing me to take months to write in-depth stories about, among other subjects, Fannie Mae. In addition, a special thanks to Ken Scigulinsky and Joe Ferrara, who served as unpaid research assistants and sources of ideas, debate, and inspiration.
On a personal note, I wouldn’t have survived the process of reporting and writing this book without the love and support—and great sense of humor—of my wonderful husband, Sean Berkowitz. I also owe a big thanks to my circle of extended family and friends who have put up with my general grumpiness and lack of time during this project. In particular, my love and gratitude go to my mother-in-law, Naomi Berkowitz, who has made sure that Laine was fed, clothed, and diapered while I panicked at my computer, and to Lyle and Dana Berkowitz. Thanks also to Bob and Karen Ranquist, the team at Ranquist Development, and Jennifer Lissner for friendship, professionalism well beyond the ordinary, and a marvelous place to live and work. I’d also like to thank Karen Muirhead, Indira Jusic Zisko, and Sara Rodriguez for the loving care they’ve provided my daughter, and the peace of mind they’ve provided me. Of course, a thank-you to Laine for being as accommodating as an infant can be. My parents, Robert and Helaine McLean, and my sister, Claire McLean, have always helped me keep book writing in perspective. I would be lost without Steve Baerson’s encyclopedic knowledge of history and extraordinary bookkeeping skills. And a final thank-you to my beloved Beast, who has now weathered two books and the corresponding loss of Frisbee time with as much grace as a bulldog can muster.
Joe’s thank-you’s:
The New York Times has been a wonderful home for me these last five years. Winnie O’Kelley took me aside not long before the crisis erupted in 2008 and told me in no uncertain terms that I would be well served to start focusing