The Presidency by Hugh Sidey: Too Close to See Clearly

The Presidency

The longest-running story from Washington in the past two years has been about the problems of Ronald Reagan's White House staff and Cabinet. The trials and tribulations of Meese-Deaver-Baker and Shultz-Clark-Weinberger have probably been covered as thoroughly as any specific issue of the economy or national security. The story keeps replaying day after day like a bad soap opera. Through it all has been the not-too-faint suggestion of an Executive structure stalled and befuddled by ignorance or enmity and always on the brink of explosion or collapse.

Political scientists meeting in Chicago recently disagreed. Their rather startling conclusions were reported by...

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