"But on the other hand," Bush added in the next breath, "I think he has disgraced the nation."

During the 2000 presidential campaign, Bush would say publicly that he intended to "restore the honor and dignity" of the office, but never directly referenced any of the Clinton scandals - and he never personally attacked the president himself.

At the GOP convention in Philadelphia that year, the Bush campaign went so far as to decline to allow an on-site tribute to the Republican House members who prosecuted Clinton's impeachment - one of Bush's first attempts to bring the now famous "new tone" to Washington.

Privately, however, Bush was more candid, acknowledging that while his past wasn't perfect, there was a key difference between how he and Clinton handled their respective problems.

"I did some things when I was young that were immature," he told Wead. "The difference between me and the president [is] I've learned. I am prepared to accept the responsibility of this office."

While always remaining civil on the campaign trail, the Times said, privately Bush could hardly contain his disdain for Al Gore, at one point telling Wead that the then-vice president was "pathologically a liar."

Editor's note: