The Presidency: Learning How to Build a Barn

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.