The Presidency by Hugh Sidey: Ready to Play Power Poker

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In the first days after the vote, Reagan was marvelously contradictory. In the Rose Garden, in front of the cameras, he confessed this might be a time for conciliation with Congress. Inside the White House with his budget experts, he thumped the table and said he was not ready to propose cuts in defense or tax increases to try to reduce the country's crushing deficits. With his presidency on the line, Ronald Reagan is going to have to play a different style of power poker the next two years. He understands that. Like any good gambler who wants to come out a winner, he will have to learn when to raise, when to bluff and, from time to time, when to cut his losses.