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The interim conclusion is that while the world around him has changed, Ronald Reagan remains the same. Over Christmas he wore a necktie that played Jingle Bells when he pressed a tiny switch. He's brought in one of his old word wizards, Ken Khachigian, to help sculpt his State of the Union address, which Reagan is counting on to be boffo theater and rekindle the lost love. When his crew of surgeons watched him sip hot water before a radio address, he reassured them, "Both a minister and Frank Sinatra said they used hot water to help their voices, so it must be true."
With guidance like that, the President better have some of the old magic. Maybe he does. When he showed up for that radio talk, he was proudly toting the wand that was given to him a few weeks ago by Magician Doug Henning (The Magic Show).