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Kissinger emphasized his belief that the U.S. must "catch up" with the Soviet Union in military strength. Like Reagan, however, he stopped short of calling for U.S. military superiority, as demanded by the G.O.P. platform. When pressed by reporters about whether catching up meant going beyond the Soviets, Kissinger became evasive. He said the issue is "not a numbers game" and that U.S. strength must be built up, "whatever label you give it." At the same time, however, Kissinger continues to believe that the U.S. should be willing to negotiate with the Soviets. He indicated that he had been assured that a Reagan Administration would be "prepared to negotiate to push back the specter of nuclear war, to reduce arms and to establish rules of international conduct on the basis of strict reciprocity and principle." Kissinger also warned that the U.S. must not abandon the Third World. Said he: "We have many true friends in the developing world ... They wait for our leadership; they require our protection."
On the third night of the convention came the moment that had eluded Reagan for twelve years. But first he had to endure a long, windy keynote speech by Michigan Congressman Guy Vander Jagt, who recited Henry Van Dyke's interminable America for Me* and quoted Thomas Jefferson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Finally, the speeches were over, and Reagan's name was put in nomination by his old friend Laxalt. The nomination was seconded by several people, and then the states began casting their ballots. Montana's 20 votes pushed Reagan's total above the 998 that he needed for the nomination, and pandemonium broke out. Some 12,000 red-white-and-blue balloons, which dozens of volunteers had spent nine hours blowing up, dropped from the ceiling as Manny Harmon's Convention Orchestra played Sousa marches.
Surrounded by Wife Nancy, Sons Michael, 35, and Ron, 22, and Daughters Patricia, 27, and Maureen, a broadly grinning Reagan watched the proceedings on TV from his 69th-floor suite in the Detroit Plaza Hotel. He gave his wife a victory kiss and then drove the short distance to the Joe Louis Arena to acknowledge the cheers of his supporters and to clear up the confusion over his running mate.
On the following night, after he had formally accepted the nomination and delivered the address witnessed by millions of Americans, Reagan again stood on the platform, this time with Bush at his side. The very fact that they were together indicated the political changes in the men and, more important, in their party. Both G.O.P. wings have set aside their differences to form a practical alliance. The glue that holds this coalition together is based largely on economic issues. But it also is helped by the poor performance of the Carter Administration and the fact that the new Republicanism is coming to life at a time when traditional party loyalty is waning, making shifts of allegiance easier for voters.
Presidential politics is, more than anything else, personality politics. The campaign will take many unexpected twists and turns before Election Day on Nov. 4. But last week, in Joe Louis Arena, the Republican Party seemed clearly to have stolen a march on the Democrats in the contest to form a new, right-center coalition and become the new majority.