Author: Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of Defense
Title: Stuff Happens
Surprise revelation: Meant from the start to invade Iran; hit the ‘Q’ key by mistake on his BlackBerry.
Author: Elaine Chao, secretary of Labor and wife of Senator Mitch McConnell
Title: Seven Years in Labor and Not a Penny in Overtime
Surprise revelation: Kept her fingers crossed behind her back during her swearing-in in 2001.
Author: John Snow, secretary of the Treasury and former CEO of CSX
Title: Blinding Snow: Why the Housing Mess Isn’t My Fault
Surprise revelation: His wife still has to balance his checkbook.
Author: Josh Bolten, White House chief of staff and motorcycle enthusiast
Title: Oval Office Harley: My Wild White House Ride
Surprise revelation: Wore the same clothes for all of 2007 as part of his Hell’s Angels initiation.
Author: Margaret Spellings, secretary of Education
Title: Spellings Test: Leave No Child Behind!
Surprise revelation: Once accidentally left her own children behind at Six Flags. Dan Snyder agreed to return them only for a $50 fee.
Author: Carlos Gutierrez, secretary of Commerce and former CEO of Kellogg’s
Title: Snap, Crackle, and Pop: CAFTA, the Doha Round, and Other Stories From My Electrifying Time Negotiating Trade Policy
Surprise revelation: Lost key provisions of US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement to Colombian president Álvaro Uribe in late-night Texas Hold ’Em poker game.
Author: Paul Wolfowitz, defense official and World Bank chair
Title: Invade This!
Surprise revelation: Modeled his leadership style after Meryl Streep character in The Devil Wears Prada.
This article first appeared in the October 2008 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.
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