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Inside the White House, the Presidents key aide, Don Rumsfeld, puts this June upsurge down to a rekindling of trust and respect for the man and the office —The intangible ingredient that holds and guides any nation, something that transcends policy differences and national problems.
When a President gives good will, it is hard not to return it, as Democrat Strauss found out at a recent Gridiron dinner. Strauss got up and, as is the custom, deftly skewered the Republicans and verbally poked the President. Ford did not try to combat such wit with more wit. Instead, he turned and praised Strauss as a man of high purpose and ability, someone who could be President himself. Those around Strauss were sure they heard the Democrat muller, as he glowed in the tribute, "Why, the son of a bitch."