Respectfully, Hume Torch Is Passed

When Baier's son Paul, who was born with heart defects, was scheduled for a second open-heart surgery last year, President Bush invited the reporter and his wife, Amy, to bring him to the Oval Office for a visit. Bush had the White House physician keep him posted on the boy's progress. Paul, now 18 months, is doing well, though he faces more operations.

Baier has not been a pushover for the president, however. In an exit interview with Bush last month, he asked about criticism that Bush's "policies on interrogation techniques amounted to torture, and the policies for surveillance amounted to illegal wiretapping, and that America's image was hurt around the world and that made us less safe." As for the financial crisis, he asked: "Are you worried about being the Herbert Hoover of the 21st century?"

Under Hume, "Special Report" -- originally a temporary moniker during the Clinton impeachment scandal -- has for years been No. 1 in cable news at 6 p.m. He left to video tributes from Bush and Vice President Cheney. Baier will be competing against CNN's "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer and MSNBC's "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," where David Shuster is the new anchor, after David Gregory's move to "Meet the Press."

Baier says Fox has a conservative reputation "because of our opinion shows," but that "Special Report" and Shepard Smith's 7 p.m. newscast feature "a straight-down-the-middle presentation."

In the fall of 2007, Fox asked Baier to substitute for Hume on Fridays. "My palms were sweating," he says. "They had to call in the makeup lady five times. It was a bit of Albert Brooks. I was definitely feeling the pressure."

Baier gained enough confidence to win the job, but continues to view Hume with something approaching awe. "His shoes are so big, he's such a legend in this industry, that you feel a responsibility," Baier says.

Hume, for his part, envies his successor in one respect: "He has this radiant smile, which is a huge asset in the anchor chair. I was always trying to fight a natural tendency to scowl."