Howard Baker, Nancy Reagan
I have concluded that our best hope lies in letting Ronald Reagan be Ronald Reagan while letting Howard Baker govern as the new White House chief of staff in place of Donald Regan.
What Reagan enjoys most is the power, the pomp, the perks and the prestige of the presidency; massive media coverage; cheering crowds, state dinners (with all Washington vying for invitations); photo sessions with heads of state; and most of all, those monumental summit meetings, which command world-wide attention. His devotion to such activities does not allow, of course, much time for governing.
The obvious solution is to let Howard Baker govern while Reagan plays the role of President. If he will only do it.
My fear is that Reagan is in such an ideological rut so deeply worn that Baker may never get a chance to change course about such matters as taxation, military spending, support of contras, etc.
I say, let Reagan be President, and let Baker be prime minister.
And who knows, if Baker does a good job he might just get drafted as our next President. That is, if he still wants the job.
ROY W. DONLEY
Pacific Palisades
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