Former TN senator, Howard Baker, died yesterday or perhaps the day before. He was a very effective legislator, concerned more with getting things done than party politics, which likely didn't help him when he ran for president. He also was called to serve as Reagan's chief of staff to bring stability to the White House after the Iran-Contra scandal was revealed.

He was also crucial after Reagan's Supreme Court nominee, Robert Bork, was rejected by the Senate around 1987. Edwin Meese and Reagan were enraged and sought to find other nominees as extreme in their views. Douglas Ginsburg was nominated, but had to withdraw as a history of marijuana use was revealed. Baker, a pragmatic conservative, was responsible for persuading the Administration to nominate judge from the Ninth Circuit, Anthony Kennedy from California, who was a conservative who had no problem breezing through the confirmation process.

Baker was also thought of as a possible Supreme Court appointment, and he likely would have been very similar to to Anthony Kennedy.