The Man Who'll Replace Rummy

Bob Gates is a Bush family hand from way back. But he'll need all his skills, and lucky stones too, as he takes on the second-hardest job in Washington.

The last time presumptive Pentagon boss Robert M. Gates faced Senate confirmation — for CIA director in 1991— he put a small good luck charm in his pocket. It was a smooth, white, oblong stone he'd picked up while hiking in Washington state's Olympic range. Gates put it in his pocket to remind him during the tough confirmation hearings that there was life after Washington if his nomination went down to defeat.