The De Facto President

As Administration aides scrambled last week to deflect blame for the Iranian arms fiasco away from themselves, a good number of fingers were pointed directly at Ronald Reagan's increasingly visible and often imperious chief of staff. More than ever Donald Regan, 67, seems to be out front these days, projecting an aura that at times makes him seem both commanding and condescending. With a self-confidence burnished by nine years as the chief of Merrill Lynch, he has set up a hierarchical structure that puts him alone atop the upward flow of information. Combined with Reagan's inclination to rely on his staff...

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