We're in a Trough

Reagan wins the Adelman vote but loses ground elsewhere

For a moment the scene was reminiscent of the heady days of 1981, when White House arm twisting won vote after vote in Congress by unexpectedly wide margins. There was Ronald Reagan grinning before the cameras again, this time at a quickie news conference called to celebrate the Senate's confirmation of Kenneth Adelman, 36, as director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency by a vote of 57 to 42. Said the President: "I am deeply gratified."

But the illusion of triumph lasted for only the...