James A. Baker III was, at one time, one of the most powerful men in Washington. He helped get Gerald Ford the Presidential nomination in 1976 (although Ford lost to Carter), then helped the Reagan campaign in 1980. He worked for Reagan and George H. W. Bush as Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, and White House Chief of Staff.
Baker was born into an influential family in Houston, Texas and grew up obeying his father's every command, even after he was married with children his father still dictated what type of car he should buy. "Never get into politics" his father lectured him, and Baker obeyed until his dad died. One of Baker's best friends, George Bush, asked for his help with his Senate campaign in 1970. Baker was known in Washington as a "fixer". He knew everyone and knew how to make things happen. He considered running for President himself after Bush lost in 1992. While it was interesting and I enjoyed it, I was a little disappointed we didn't get to see more of Baker as just a husband and a father. I know he's intensely careful about his public image, it was just unfortunate that he wasn't willing to open up more and share a personal side.
I loved this quote, and think it applies today more than ever: "We in this country have been going through a long, dark night of self-criticism. We have been telling ourselves that America has tried to run the world, that it is corrupt, that many of our institutions have failed us and need to be “dismantled” under the guise of “reform”. Confession may be good for the soul, but there comes a time when too much confession makes us weaker rather than stronger. Sure we make mistakes, but who in this world doesn’t?".
No comments:
Post a Comment