Baker reacts to ‘surrender monkey’ press

12:24 p.m.

Between prime-time Senate hearings and crowded press conferences today, elder statesman and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III was shown today’s New York Post, which on the cover portrays him as a “surrender monkey.”

Beneath that wartime headline are two shaggy crouched monkeys with the faces of Mr. Baker and former Rep. Lee Hamilton.

“Lovely,” he said as he took the paper in his hands and reviewed it closely.

“If we’re getting attacked by this rag, you know we’re doing something right,” he said.

On the widescreen television nearby, President Bush was holding a press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mr. Bush was saying how he would tell Syria to stop destabilizing things in Iraq.

Mr. Baker — widely beloved for his skills at diplomacy — offered no reaction to Mr. Bush’s strategy. He simply picked up the New York Post, opened past the cover bearing his visage, and began reading the five pages of coverage.