Nation: Inside the Jerry Ford Drama

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Ford's next stop was a breakfast at the Detroit Athletic Club with the editors of TIME. Ford admitted that he had had a good meeting with Reagan the day before, "the best one I've had." But, he said of the vice presidency, "my top aides know I have not changed my mind." However, when asked if those aides had conveyed that to Reagan's top aides, Ford coyly replied: "You'll have to ask them."

Talk of the "Ford option" grew more excited at another breakfast, this one called by Brock. Munching coffee rolls and drinking orange juice and coffee in Brock's elegant Plaza suite were Greenspan, Rhodes, Michel, Senators Howard Baker and Robert Dole, Governors Bill Clements of Texas and James Thompson of Illinois and Pollsters Bob Teeter and Tully Plesser. Said Michel about Ford's Today answers: "Jerry left a crack in the door." Teeter showed the group his private polling figures on nationwide responses to various Reagan tickets. Ford as running mate would pull a hefty 11% more than any of the other likely candidates.

Many in the group were delighted by the Ford prospect. Baker was cautious about the idea of tampering with presidential powers. "Well, I've got some worries about it," he told his colleagues, "but I'll go along." Only one man tried to put a damper on the whole idea. Rhodes, who had kept quiet as others chatted on, finally broke his silence. "It can't happen," he said of a Reagan-Ford pairing. "If it does, a lot of people have taken leave of their senses."

When the group decided to ask Brock to present formally their views to Ford, Rhodes objected. "I will have no part of it," he said. He agreed that he would not try to dissuade Ford from running, but he asked: "What the hell would he want to spend the next four years of his life as the Vice President for?" Responded Brock: "We can remake the vice presidency." Rhodes was unmoved. Said he: "If you try to do that, the President's staff isn't going to stand still for it. It just can't last. In the second place, would it be good for the country to bifurcate the presidency?" Said Rhodes later: "I couldn't believe what I was hearing."

Wednesday Midmorning: The Marathon

Brock and a few others from his breakfast arranged a meeting with Ford at 10 a.m., at which Thompson made a strong case that Ford could serve his nation best by helping to unseat Jimmy Carter. A few even argued that it would be difficult for Reagan to beat Carter without Ford on the ticket. Ford ended the meeting by agreeing to listen to any proposals they might be able to work out with the Reagan staff on just what his role in a Reagan White House would be.

But if he could not bring himself to say no, Ford remained highly skeptical. At a 10:30 a.m. meeting with Aides Barrett and Marsh, joined by Kissinger and Greenspan, Ford pleaded that it was unfair to Reagan to continue the dialogue. But at 11:15 a.m., Reagan's man Casey called; he wanted to meet with Ford's people. "O.K.," Ford said, "you guys can talk to them." But he had not changed his mind about running. "Make sure that's understood."