Press: Just Bray It Again, Sam

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Donaldson savors the "terribly good exposure" and high pay (about $450,000) on the White House beat. He has already held the post longer than any of his first-string network rivals and almost twice as long as one of his most celebrated predecessors, NBC Anchor Tom Brokaw. Says Donaldson: "It takes a certain resiliency to persevere in covering the White House—or, a critic might say, a dullness of wit." He has tried out as anchor on ABC's Sunday-night newscast and on Nightline when Ted Koppel is away. But whatever else he may do in his career, he is unlikely to find a job that better suits his talents and temperament than jousting with Presidents. "I love this business," he says. "Every day it is victory or defeat, and you do not have to wait to see which."

—By William A. Henry III. Reported by Anne Constable/Washington