THE WHITE HOUSE: Making Hay

It was pure Jerry Ford. Out in the Midwest, where he feels at home, a welcome if not a beloved figure, the President last week was relishing what he calls a "working vacation." He was doing what comes naturally: chatting with an earnest 4-H'er about the calories in a pineapple milkshake, patting the beefy flank of a prizewinning steer, comparing a wooden porch swing to the one owned by "a girl I used to court." But the brief Western trip had its serious side. The President's approval rating had dropped to 45% in the Gallup poll and to 38%...

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