Reagan's Cutting Edge

At 7:30 on a Sunday night, David Stockman sits alone at a conference table in the cavernous, ornate sanctum of the director of the Office of Management and Budget, poring with total concentration over computer printouts and tables of figures. When a visitor arrives to keep a dinner date, Stockman appears disappointed. "Is it that time already? I need five more minutes." Before the words are out, his gaze has returned to the papers.

Finally, the OMB director struggles into his jacket and overcoat and starts down the corridor. "We've got just two more...

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