Learning How to Build a Barn

By Hugh Sidey

The Presidency

For the moment the spirit of Lyndon Johnson and his frequent counselor, the prophet Isaiah ("Come now, and let us reason together"), are back in style.

At the White House and on the Hill, the leaders have even dusted off the Ball Rule of Power, named after former Under Secretary of State George Ball, who understood that getting close to a President relieved many frustrations of a policymaker. Said Ball: "Nothing propinks like propinquity."

The ghost of the old Speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn, has also risen and spoken: "Any jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a carpenter to build it."

Two events in the past few days have brought the White House and the Congress closer together on foreign policy than they have been in many a month, and everybody seems to be benefiting except our adversaries, the Soviet Union and its friends.

Why both the Carter and Reagan Administrations found it so difficult to listen to the voices of the past, to reach out for guidance to men and women experienced in the ways of this city, remains a mystery. There is much accumulated wisdom in these streets, and when properly refined and weighed, it can benefit any President.

When the struggle over the War Powers Act began last month, the man who designed that legislation, former New York Senator Jacob Javits, went to the Capitol to urge its use. His body is crippled by Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), but his mind is still honed by his love of reason and country. He would have preferred a six-month limit on presidential authority to keep the Marines in Lebanon instead of the 18-month limit President Reagan wanted. But when it was apparent the six-month limit did not have the necessary votes to pass, he wanted his old chamber to vote for 18 months. That is the statesmanlike way he had done it in his great years in the Senate, when he could move like an athlete and think even quicker, his intelligence and concern brightening the chamber. Thanks in part to Jacob Javits, the Congress and the President are in Lebanon together, which is the only way our peace force can really be sustained in its difficult mission.

The U.S. Government was also in harmony in Geneva, where last week another round of START began. The President agreed to propose a congressional idea to seek a "build-down" in nuclear missiles and warheads. The political impact was evident. The Soviets were thrown on the defensive; the antinuclear protesters were given a moment's pause. The nation for once saw a creative act of foreign policy embraced by both political parties. Good feeling flowed down the streets. But it took a struggle to get such results.

A fortnight ago, the Reagan aides assembled their charts and facts in the White House Situation Room to show the President's Commission on Strategic Forces how the White House planned to approach the members of Congress advocating the build-down idea. Instantly the commission members, all old hands in the power game, could sense the resistance. The White House, they knew, would again irritate the men on the Hill by emphasizing the areas of difference, the doubts and anticipated inflexibilities of Reagan. Men like James Schlesinger, the former Defense Secretary; Lloyd Cutler, a former Carter aide; and Richard Helms, former director of the CIA, challenged the briefers from the National Security Council. Strengthen and clarify the language, the old pros said. Get rid of the accusatory slogan "It takes two" on almost every chart depicting Soviet-U.S. negotiating positions. Of course it takes both the U.S. and the Soviets to forge an agreement, the men said. The legislators know that. Save the sloganeering for the Soviets. Emphasize the points of agreement. Reach out to Congress.

Judge William Clark, the President's National Security aide, listened quietly. Reagan got the word. He signed on. Maybe if this nation reasons together and propinks enough, we can build a barn. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.