Crowley Political Report

Nicolle Wallace remembers that while she was Gov. Jeb Bush's press secretary she came to admire Hillary Clinton.

At the time, Clinton was going through the humiliation of her husband's affair with Monica Lewinski.

"I remember being so astounded by her grace and dignity," Wallace told Andrea Mithchell today on MSNBC. "I have always been a fan of hers."

Wallace spent more than five years in the George W. Bush White House. She later worked with Sarah Palin during the 2006 presidential campaign. Wallace did her best to help Palin but the Alaska governor wanted none of it.

Now Wallace as a new novel Eighteen Acres about a woman president.

During her interview with Mitchell, Wallace made an interesting observation. While the nation has never had a woman president, said Wallace, "I find it more stunning that we have never had a woman White House chief of staff. . .It is astounding to me."

Nicolle Wallace is married to Mark Wallace who worked on Jeb Bush's 1994 and 1998 campaigns. The Wallaces met during the 2000 presidential election.