Part 2 Chapter 6 Summary

LBJ was raring to go, even before his swearing in. He wanted a choice committee assignment and tried to induce Texas's senior senator into helping him, but was offered only Agriculture for starters, with Foreign Relations as a later possibility. Carl Hayden, Chairman of the Rules Committee that allocated space, informed LBJ that seniority governed office assignments in the SOB. LBJ was convinced that meeting face-to-face with Hayden, with Vice President-elect Alben Barkley (the departing Majority Leader of the Senate), Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn and former Attorney General Tom Clark (a fellow Texan) would do more good than phone calls, so he flew to Washington in December, determined to make his mark. He parked his car in the space nearest to the door, only to be challenged by a policeman and his successful cowing of the cop was the...