Chris Whipple, "The Gatekeepers"

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Chris Whipple, "The Gatekeepers: How the White House

Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency" (2017)

 

 

미국의 전 재무장관 Robert Rubin이 (뉴욕 타임즈) "By the Book" 인터뷰에서 "some terrific nonfiction books, such as Chris Whipple’s “The Gatekeepers,” that provide insight into how government and policymaking function"이라고 해서 이 책을 읽게 되었는데, 지난 반세기 동안 미국 정치를, 특히 후보 경선을 포함한 대선 과정을, 상당한 관심을 가지고 흥미롭게 지켜보았던 터라 더욱 재밌었다.

 

 

History News Network 서평에서:

 

Whipple’s style is lively and engaging, and he peppers the pages with colorful quotes and marvelous anecdotes. He’s done his homework, interviewing all 17 former chiefs and two presidents, as well as combing through the memoirs of those who had died.

 

 

New York Journal of Books 서평에서:

 

 

Even though the President of the United States commands awe-inspiring power and has the ability to change history, he is not an Egyptian Pharaoh or God Emperor of Dune. As Whipple recounts, “‘Poor Ike!’ his predecessor Harry Truman had quipped upon Eisenhower’s election. ‘He’ll sit here and he’ll say, “Do this! Do that!” And nothing will happen! It won’t be a bit like the Army.” (Italics in original.)

 

The Gatekeepers is an illuminating chronicle of the monumental burdens shouldered by the White House Chief of Staff. It also shows the triumphs garnered by chiefs who were able to restrain the president, brave enough to say no, thus saving the republic from disgrace and disaster.

 

 

본문에서:

 

"One of the things I am most proud of is that all of the presidents I have worked for have said, 'Jim Baker was able to tell me what he really thought, whether I wanted to hear it or not.' You have to be willing to do that. You have to be willing to speak truth to power." (p. 113)

 

"The people who don't succeed as White House chief of staff are people who like the chief part of the job and not the staff part of the job," says Baker. "You've got to remember that you're staff even though you're powerful." (p. 179)