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The President sees positive dividends in his approach. "We have gotten some successes we might not have had otherwise. The Senate never would have ratified the Panama Canal treaties if we hadn't gone public. This time a year ago only 8% were for them and 78% against." He had the same view about the Middle East. "We have strengthened our ties with the Arab moderates. There were some elements of a potential peace settlement that had never been publicly debated: Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories, a recognition of Palestinian rights. This public scrutiny is what led to congressional approval of the arms package." He paused. "Whether this same approach will apply to the Turkish arms embargo, I don't know."
The dissonant points of view that arise from this government-by-debate are, nonetheless, confusing. One week National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski shouts at the Russians, and the next week Secretary of State Cyrus Vance cools things down. Administration officials say this is the President's tactical way of dealing with the Soviets; that Carter uses his aides to strike differing postures, deliberately keeping his own course ambiguous —and his options open. When the President wants to mute the voices, however, he does. "I don't think anyone who works with me," he said with obvious pride, "doubts that when the final judgment is to be made, I don't hesitate to make it."
What did Carter think about the charge that he had not reached enough for tested talent outside his circle of Georgians: "Well, I don't think it's an accurate description to say I am encapsulated or in an enclave and don't reach outside. The members of Congress confirm this; they say unanimously they have not had as much contact with the President or his top advisers or his Cabinet as they have with me. And I reach out to Congressmen because they represent the opinion and attitudes and perspective which cover the nation."
The President stood up and removed his jacket and put it over the back of a chair. Amy walked through the hedge in a wet swimsuit, her red-blonde hair stringy from the pool, and he pulled her to his side. She pressed against him as he continued talking about leadership, and finally broke away. Nothing distracted Carter. He caught the drift of a question almost before it was phrased, and when he answered too swiftly, he excused himself. Even in his own backyard he was quietly formal, reeling off facts and information without a glint of humor.
When the subject turned to the economy, Carter became even more intense.