For the past two years [J. Bonnie Newman], as White House director of administration, had to worry about the TelePrompTer. She returned to New Hampshire last month to start a radio station and, she hopes, to help Bush's re-election effort. In her first interview since her return, Newman revealed some of the inner workings of the White House and how it reflects the personality of George Bush.

Newman, 45, of Hampton, has a long resume: dean of students at the University of New Hampshire; executive director of the Forum on New Hampshire's Future, a bipartisan group of civic leaders; chief of staff to US Rep. Judd Gregg, now governor; former president of the Business and Industry Association, a lobbying group. She campaigned for Gregg, for former President Ronald Reagan, for Bush. She had been in the White House before, as Reagan's deputy personnel director, and she headed the US Economic Development Administration.

The informality created obstacles, Newman said, because Bush is liable to suddenly pick up the phone for an informal, personal contact with lawmakers or world leaders: the First Networker. This networking is widely credited with helping preserve unity among the allies during pre-war negotiations, but she said it made life difficult for the people who kept the lines open.