Seasoned for Combat

Don Regan was in good humor last Friday morning when he discussed his new job with TIME White House Correspondents Laurence I. Barrett and Barrett Seaman. With a big grin, he displayed a baseball bat aides had given him as a weapon in his new post. But he was also serious in describing his fighting trim. "At age 25," he said of his World War II service in the Marines, "I had 900 men under me in battle. If you don't think that seasons you for combat in Washington later in your life, you're crazy." Other highlights of the interview:

Q. Why was the job switch made now?

A. I could see that there was a vacuum about to happen here. With Clark out, Meese and Deaver going, and Baker having tired blood, something had to give. To use a hockey analogy, the change had to be made on the fly. You don't have the luxury of waiting. So you have to take an experienced person who knows the issues, who understands some of the play. There's no good time to change in an ongoing thing like this.

Q. How do you see this in terms of influencing policy?

A. I'm not interested in how I can influence policy. I'm interested in how Reagan's plans and policies get developed and actually become part of American life.

Q. Will you use your new proximity to the President to try to win him over to further cuts in defense spending?

A. I'm a team player. Once he's made a decision, I'll see that it's carried out. You get all kinds of opinions, and you want people around you who are not yes-men, who will speak up forcefully. But once that decision is made, you also want people who will carry it out, not undercut it.

Q. What about the art of compromise in the legislative process?

A. A lot of people say that's my weakness. I admit I've not run for office or managed someone's campaign. But I've been a close observer of the Washington scene. I've followed it all my life. So I don't come to Washington as a complete stranger, a fellow from below Chambers Street in Manhattan.

Q. Others suggest that Jim Baker made his record with patience, by knowing when to lie back and wait. Your reputation goes the opposite way: you're known ! as someone who charges ahead.

A. I give the activist impression when I want. But behind it, I have a very well-thought-out plan. I never do anything rash. People will underestimate me, if they don't think through what I've done. It was said, for example, that when I came to Washington, I would never be able to stand the heat, that I would wilt in a year. It was later said that good old fumbling Don doesn't know the Washington procedure. Now, four years later, I'm still here.