Sinking a Name

The Navy surrenders

House Speaker Tip O'Neill and the President were involved in a second round of negotiations that concluded last week—not on the budget but on theology. O'Neill phoned Deputy White House Chief of Staff Michael Deaver to warn that the situation was looking grim. Deaver then convinced the President that policy had to be changed. An order went out through Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger to Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, who obediently bowed: a Navy attack submarine initially christened Corpus Christi (which means "body of Christ" in Latin) will be renamed, probably City of Corpus Christi. That...

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