As George Bush took the oath of office last week, another, less heralded transition was quietly taking place in news bureaus throughout the capital. ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson, who became the embodiment of the White House press corps during the Reagan era, stepped aside after twelve years on the beat to co-anchor a new ABC prime-time news hour due later this year. The Washington Post's Lou Cannon, who started covering Reagan in his early days in California, began a leave of absence to write a book about the Reagan presidency.
Like the incoming Bush Cabinet, the new White House press...