Reviews
"Nobody was better at getting things done than James A. Baker. In a book that is at once fascinating, coolly revealing, and at moments touching, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have given us a biography worthy of one of the most important figures of the late American Century. If you want to understand power in Washington--or anywhere, for that matter--this is the book for you." --Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas, authors of The Wise Men "To capture the sweep and relevance of one of the most influential figures in American life requires two of the great reporters and observers of our time. Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have written a grand, precise, and engaging American tale that gallops from Houston Country Club to the convention floor, to the Oval Office and all over the globe, capturing James Baker's ambition, influence, and style as well as telling the story of power and America at the end of an age." --John Dickerson, author of The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency "Peter Baker and Susan Glasser's The Man Who Ran Washington is an erudite, searching, affectionate biography. Showcasing elegant writing, critical detachment, and encyclopedic knowledge of U.S. presidential history, every page glows with excellence. It's an epic study of how one brazen Texan married the crude American political power dynamic with old-fashioned velvet diplomacy to help win the Cold War. A stunning achievement!" --Douglas Brinkley, author of American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race "No one has ever captured James Baker's historical importance and essential nature as well as Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have in this superlatively reported history. This is a history not only of a man but of late twentieth century politics in America, and though there are some things I saw from a different angle, that isn't the point. The point is that a great history of a serious man has been produced, and deserves huzzahs and cheers." --Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal columnist and author of What I Saw at the Revolution " The Man Who Ran Washington is a must-read tour de force of political history and biography. Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, two of our best journalists and scholars, bring us the life of one of the nation's most important secretaries of state and presidential counselors, showing James Baker near the center of more than thirty years of important American and world history." --Michael Beschloss, author of Presidents of War, "A masterclass in political biography." --The Economist "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. . . often has the feel of a novel." --The Wall Street Journal "Enthralling, comprehensive . . . The authors rightly highlight the dimensions of Baker''s illustrious career that show so much about what is broken in the current American political system." --The New York Times Book Review "The Man Who Ran Washington . . . will rank alongside it as among the very best books about American political life in the late 20th century." --The Washington Post "Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, a husband and wife team, deliver a masterly biography." --The Guardian "A fascinating look at political power." --The New York Times "Immensely informative, nuanced and judicious." --Minnesota Star Tribune "Nobody was better at getting things done than James A. Baker. In a book that is at once fascinating, coolly revealing, and at moments touching, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have given us a biography worthy of one of the most important figures of the late American Century. If you want to understand power in Washington--or anywhere, for that matter--this is the book for you." --Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas, authors of The Wise Men "To capture the sweep and relevance of one of the most influential figures in American life requires two of the great reporters and observers of our time. Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have written a grand, precise, and engaging American tale that gallops from Houston Country Club to the convention floor, to the Oval Office and all over the globe, capturing James Baker''s ambition, influence, and style as well as telling the story of power and America at the end of an age." --John Dickerson, author of The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency "A fascinating perspective on power and influence. . . in their nuanced portrait of Baker, he emerges as far more interesting than his taciturn image as White House chief of staff, secretary of state, secretary of treasury." -- The National Book Review "A riveting and, at times, moving read." --Derek Burney, Policy Magazine "Peter Baker and Susan Glasser''s The Man Who Ran Washington is an erudite, searching, affectionate biography. Showcasing elegant writing, critical detachment, and encyclopedic knowledge of U.S. presidential history, every page glows with excellence. It''s an epic study of how one brazen Texan married the crude American political power dynamic with old-fashioned velvet diplomacy to help win the Cold War. A stunning achievement!" --Douglas Brinkley, author of American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race "No one has ever captured James Baker''s historical importance and essential nature as well as Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have in this superlatively reported history. This is a history not only of a man but of late twentieth century politics in America, and though there are some things I saw from a different angle, that isn''t the point. The point is that a great history of a serious man has been produced, and deserves huzzahs and cheers." --Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal columnist and author of What I Saw at the Revolution " The Man Who Ran Washington is a must-read tour de force of political history and biography. Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, two of our best journalists and scholars, bring us the life of one of the nation''s most important secretaries of state and presidential counselors, showing James Baker near the center of more than thirty years of important American and world history." --Michael Beschloss, author of Presidents of War "In the best of the biographic tradition, the authors tell of an important and consequential man in a consequential era." --Neil Hassler, RealClearDefense, "A masterclass in political biography." --The Economist "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. . . often has the feel of a novel." --The Wall Street Journal "Enthralling, comprehensive . . . The authors rightly highlight the dimensions of Baker's illustrious career that show so much about what is broken in the current American political system." --The New York Times Book Review "A fascinating look at political power." --The New York Times "Immensely informative, nuanced and judicious." --Minnesota Star Tribune "Nobody was better at getting things done than James A. Baker. In a book that is at once fascinating, coolly revealing, and at moments touching, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have given us a biography worthy of one of the most important figures of the late American Century. If you want to understand power in Washington--or anywhere, for that matter--this is the book for you." --Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas, authors of The Wise Men "To capture the sweep and relevance of one of the most influential figures in American life requires two of the great reporters and observers of our time. Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have written a grand, precise, and engaging American tale that gallops from Houston Country Club to the convention floor, to the Oval Office and all over the globe, capturing James Baker's ambition, influence, and style as well as telling the story of power and America at the end of an age." --John Dickerson, author of The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency "Peter Baker and Susan Glasser's The Man Who Ran Washington is an erudite, searching, affectionate biography. Showcasing elegant writing, critical detachment, and encyclopedic knowledge of U.S. presidential history, every page glows with excellence. It's an epic study of how one brazen Texan married the crude American political power dynamic with old-fashioned velvet diplomacy to help win the Cold War. A stunning achievement!" --Douglas Brinkley, author of American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race "No one has ever captured James Baker's historical importance and essential nature as well as Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have in this superlatively reported history. This is a history not only of a man but of late twentieth century politics in America, and though there are some things I saw from a different angle, that isn't the point. The point is that a great history of a serious man has been produced, and deserves huzzahs and cheers." --Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal columnist and author of What I Saw at the Revolution " The Man Who Ran Washington is a must-read tour de force of political history and biography. Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, two of our best journalists and scholars, bring us the life of one of the nation's most important secretaries of state and presidential counselors, showing James Baker near the center of more than thirty years of important American and world history." --Michael Beschloss, author of Presidents of War, "Nobody was better at getting things done than James A. Baker. In a book that is at once fascinating, coolly revealing, and at moments touching, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser have given us a biography worthy of one of the most important figures of the late American Century. If you want to understand power in Washington--or anywhere, for that matter--this is the book for you." --Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas, authors of The Wise Men "Peter Baker and Susan Glasser's The Man Who Ran Washington is an erudite, searching, affectionate biography. Showcasing elegant writing, critical detachment, and encyclopedic knowledge of U.S. presidential history, every page glows with excellence. It's an epic study of how one brazen Texan married the crude American political power dynamic with old-fashioned velvet diplomacy to help win the Cold War. A stunning achievement!" --Douglas Brinkley, author of American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race " The Man Who Ran Washington is a must-read tour de force of political history and biography. Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, two of our best journalists and scholars, bring us the life of one of the nation's most important secretaries of state and presidential counselors, showing James Baker near the center of more than thirty years of important American and world history." --Michael Beschloss, author of Presidents of War
