Hello there, I'm Chuck Todd. This is the Chuck Todd cast. George Shultz became Secretary

of State in July 1982 and he held the position until the end of the Reagan administration

overseeing the end of the Cold War, the U.S. back-contra's in Nicaragua, and the announcement

of the Strategic Defense Initiative. Shultz's story tracks with a bygone era of Republican

politics. He also served as a Treasury Secretary, Labor Secretary, and Director of the Office

of Management and Budget, all of those in previous Republican administrations. According

to a new book, which includes notes from Shultz's aid, Raymond Sites, Shultz saw the Reagan-formed

policy shop as, quote, the worst organization I'd ever seen. I'm joined now by Phil Tothman.

He's the author of, in the nation's service, the life and times of George P. Shultzville.

Welcome to the Toddcast. Thank you. Pleasure to be here.

So when I think about George Shultz, you know, we think about the great wise men of Washington

and reporters like yourself and myself, we always gravitate towards these people. And

it is always one of these things I was as deep as Jim Baker's resume is. As deep as Leon

Pennett's resume is, who sort of are the two, I would argue, like the, I guess the North

stars these days of that bygone era. George Shultz's resume is deeper.

It was. Four cabinet posts, you know, as you said. Nobody else, right? So he and, you know,

one other person, Elliot Richardson. Oh, right. Okay. But, you know, three under Nixon and one

under Reagan, extraordinary, you know, performance across two administrations.

What, what job did he like the best? Secretary of State. Of course.

Of course. And there's not even, it's never a contest, is there?

But it was also, I think, the toughest one for him.

Tougher than OMB? Yeah, you know, listen, he arrived here in 82, as you said, you know,

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