Tevi Troy reviews for the Wall Street Journal a new biography of a major 20th-century American political figure.
A first-term White House chief of staff faces three great tasks: avoid scandal, get the president re-elected and leave without getting fired. It is remarkable how few chiefs of staff, over the past several decades, have accomplished all three. But James A. Baker managed to do so, guiding Ronald Reagan’s White House in the early 1980s and going on to powerful cabinet positions under Reagan and George H.W. Bush. In “The Man Who Ran Washington,” veteran reporters Peter Baker (no relation) and Susan Glasser, a husband-and-wife team, offer an illuminating biographical portrait of Mr. Baker, one that describes the arc of his career and, along the way, tells us something about how executive power is wielded in the nation’s capital. …
… As the authors make clear, Mr. Baker flourished in each of his positions because of his adherence to what might be called the Baker Method: working hard, maintaining smooth relationships with Congress, relying on a recurring team of talented aides, and, of course, keeping up a constant stream of media leaks to guide journalists and reinforce the Baker narrative. Mr. Baker was not above stepping away from a situation when things were headed in a bad direction—in 1992, for example, he was careful to avoid giving a speech touting George H.W. Bush’s proposed second-term economic agenda just when it seemed clear that Bush was unlikely to win the upcoming election. Nor was he reluctant to undercut adversaries: In the Reagan White House, he frequently clashed with Ed Meese. … But Mr. Baker didn’t hold grudges. Years after retiring from government service, he was called back to co-head the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. When Rudy Giuliani neglected to show up to the group’s meetings, and Mr. Baker needed another Republican to fill his shoes, he offered the position to his old rival Mr. Meese, who graciously accepted.