Mending and Bending

Reagan delivers a conciliatory message, but hardly an inspiring one

On the surface, the speech sounded accommodating, even statesmanlike. Instead of a partisan pitch to "stay the course," it stressed the need for a "bipartisan spirit" of unity. It offered compassion rather than rigid ideology to those suffering from the recession, and it had soothing words for women, blacks, the elderly and others who have felt slighted by the Administration. There was even what seemed a bold cure for the dozen-digit deficit plaguing the economy: a "freeze" on the overall level of Government...