James Baker

Since 1970, James Addison Baker III has been an active figure in American politics and the Republican Party, a career highlighted by his tenure as Secretary of State from 1989 to 1992.

At a talk at a private girls school in Virginia on May 2, 2009, James Baker made statements in support of a military draft. He commented that although one would risk his/her political career if they came out in support of the draft, "it sure would raise the stakes. Everybody would understand a lot better what we have at stake when we go to war."USNews and World Report: James Baker Backs Reinstating the Draft (May 3, 2009)

1. Gerald Ford
2. Ronald Reagan
3. George H. W. Bush
4. George W. Bush

Baker has been controversial on both sides of the ideological spectrum. Much criticism of Baker has come from the left—particularly for his role aiding the George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign in efforts to halt vote counts in Florida, as well as his alleged financial interests in Iraq. However, his later career has also been marked by criticism from fellow Republicans. He was targeted in 2006 for the relatively dove-ish conclusions of his Iraq Study Group, and in 2008 for joining four other former Secretaries of State to call for the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.

Baker is a longtime friend and associate of President George H. W. Bush. Their professional affiliation goes back to Bush's unsuccessful 1970 Texas Senate campaign, which Baker managed. He has served as Secretary of the Treasury and White House Chief of Staff, and co-chaired the Iraq Study Group commissioned by Congress in 2006 to assess US policy in Iraq.

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• Associated Press: 5 Ex-Chief Diplomats: Close Guantanamo (March 27, 2008)
  • "It gives us a very, very bad name, not just internationally," [Baker] said. "I have a great deal of difficulty understanding how we can hold someone, pick someone up, particularly someone who might be an American citizen — even if they were caught somewhere abroad, acting against American interests — and hold them without ever giving them an opportunity to appear before a magistrate."
• The Washington Post: James Baker Backs McCain (February 28, 2008)
• CBS News: James Baker to Endorse McCain (February 28, 2008)
• CBS News: James Baker's New Test in Diplomacy (December 6, 2006)