Best Chief of Staff?

[dw93]

I would say Leon Panneta. 1994 and 1995 were, in my view, the make or break for the Clinton Presidency (more so than 1998, which was when the Lewinsky scandal and impeachment were going on), and Panneta probably at least had a small part in Clinton's comeback.

Howard Baker would come in second for me, as he came in after the disaster that was Don Regan (who in my view was the worst, at least the worst Chief of Staff post Halderman) and Howard Baker also came in after Reagan came clean about Iran Contra, so he like Panneta also came in at a "make or break" point for the Reagan Presidency, even though Reagan was term limited at that point.

James Baker did a respectable job in Reagan's first term as well, and Haig also did a respectable job considering all that he had to deal with. McDonough did a decent job to, as it seems like the Obama White House was better managed in the second term than it was in the first with Rahm (who I've always loathed politically) and Daley.