WASHINGTON -- Understated. Self-effacing. Nonthreatening. Refreshingly old-fashioned. Don't let these cool descriptors from friends and colleagues fool you: As the vice president's chief of staff, Bruce Reed plays Mr. Fix-It, guiding Joe Biden's role as a driving force behind the Obama administration's agenda. With the White House wrestling Congress over gun control and tax-and-spending priorities, Reed's deep ties to the Oval Office and reputation for getting along with both parties make him a central character in some of Washington's biggest political battles. Those who know Reed say his low-key style and consensus-oriented approach to deal-making are the keys to how he's managed time and again to bridge an ever-widening gap between Democrats and Republicans – even when it rankles partisan Democrats who see concessions to the GOP as selling out. "It gets characterized from an ideological perspective, meaning centrist vs.