All the presidents' man

摘要

DURING THE confusion that followed the attempt on Ronald Reagan's life in 1981, Alexander Haig, the secretary of state, proclaimed at the White House podium: "I am in control." Breathless and sweating, Haig reassured no one. While he floundered, someone else took command. James Baker, the chief of staff, monitored Reagan's condition, kept the government running and crisply briefed colleagues. Throughout the tense day Mr Baker proved unflappable, say Susan Glasser and Peter Baker (no relation to their subject) in a new biography. Widely regarded as the most effective chief of staff ever, Mr Baker ran the White House for both Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He was also Reagan's treasury secretary and Bush's secretary of state, and led five presidential campaigns. Pragmatism and competence were his hallmarks. "There was little idealism involved and a fair degree of opportunism," write the authors of "The Man Who Ran Washington". By their account, Mr Baker "was not above political hardball to advance his team's chances at the ballot box. He never lost sight of what was good for Jim Baker." But he got things done.