European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 28, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pos surgical presidency crowding in White House new York times during president reagans we Klong Hospi for cancer the White House kept passing the word that the president was champing at the bit and itching to get Back to the confident refrain was that his illness would have no discernible political his return to the White House a week As he stood on the Balcony of the residence smiling and waving to presented a striking picture of the robustness his aides had been talking but the abdominal surgery to remove a cancerous polyp has raised questions not Only about the condition of Rea but also about his presidency speculation that the White House itself prompted Early during the weeks of convalescence from his three hour operation on july administration officials the president will have a reduced As one put we will try to make As Many decisions As we can without involving him where we can get an and if there is a difference of opinion and it cant be ironed we will make it Crisp and succinct and take it to in talking about the weeks White House officials noted that from the Start Reagan has spared himself the minor details of government while weighing in on important issues and thus business has gone on seemingly with briefings on Nicaragua and the Geneva arms control new officials have been including James Miller a conservative economist and chairman of the Federal Trade commis As director of the office of management and Bud last week Reagan met with president i Xian Ian of but for the most he will operate out of his East Wing residence under a routine necessary for his convalescence and characterized by his staff As War ranted by what they term the absence of pressing Busi but the fact remains that the 74yearold president will serve out his term with the physical and emotional strains of regular examinations for the political effect is As incalculable As the in the Long the most significant change May be in the manner of operating the White House in this where even More than in most others Access is equated with Donald Regan has become the presidents link to the outside and will continue to serve in that senior aides the chief of staff is More firmly fixed on a path that began before the controlling not Only the paper that goes before the but whom he issues Are crowding in on the some administration officials and members of Congress Are wondering whether reagans Calm and Gallant confrontation with cancer generated enough Public sympathy to translate into needed leverage with a Balky despite a heavy flow of mail to the White one Reagan strategist i dont see sympathy As a fac Tor on the current much is at for Reagan was generally perceived to be on the defensive before he went into the and even As he con valences he must scramble to get his political Agenda Back on track and make this crucial opening period of his second term productive before Congress recesses without some his Hopes for overhauling the tax system in the fall will grow two pet Reagan the 1986 budget and legis lation to give the president broader veto Power to Cope with Federal Are deadlocked in re publicans Are openly appealing for reagans help in breaking the putting him on the in an obvious bid to draw the president into the prickly negotiations Between the House and Senate Over the the Senate majority Bob said last my View is that the president can sort of step into the breach now and maybe put it if he does it very Larry the White House fended off that contending that the budget was now the problem of Congress since Reagan had fashioned a framework for Compromise two ave eks but White House strategists privately acknowledge that presidential pressure May be with the president so rapidly on the mend Dole has also been urging the White House to have him use his political muscle to overcome a filibuster against the Republican measure to give the president vastly in creased veto Power Over spending this is going to be a key test of the presidents Power at this Dole said in a Telephone its one of his key weve got it on the floor and we need a cloture vote to the White House said  give us a big push with the the Lin item veto used in 43 states has Long been on the Reagan strictly the proposal sponsored by Mack a Georgia would not empower the president to veto every single item in the Feder Al but it would break up the 13 appropriations Bills and the annual Catchall continuing Resolution into scores if not hundreds of separate offering the presi Dent much wider discretion for his veto than he now from his sickbed the week Reagan gave a in a letter to Mattingly he called the legislation a powerful tool against wasteful or extravagant spending by the Federal even the Mattingly Camp fell three votes Short of cutting off a in the Reagan has gone after swing votes by phoning two Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Dave Duran Burger of and two Lloyd bunt san of Texas and Howell Heflin of the problem is that there Are two filibusters to one on parliamentary procedure and the other on the substance of the and White House aides arc unsure that Reagan will have the leverage to do on the Reagan aides arc politically wary be cause they sense no real Giveand take Between the House and Senate aimed at Compromise but rather an Effort by each Side to pass the blame to the other in the event of the House is saying we got it off our Back and now its on the senates said one White House and when the Senate produces a coun till go the other the White House docs not want to get the presi Dent involved too deeply at this stage of his co Vales the hardest As an aide put May be keeping the president restrained from what he wants to do and doing no More than Nancy Reagan thinks he is up to reagans return to the White House with first lady on the residence being cheered by up photo a photo a photo first lady at White House Boston pops White House chief of staff Regan with president at Hospital As he was there to do what vice presidents should do George Bush by Gerald Boyd new York times vice president George Bush said last week that he Felt the Burden of his own responsibility More heavily when president Reagan went into surgery july 13 than he did when the president was shot in in the first interview he has granted since being acting president for eight hours on the Day of reagans Bush said his sense of his responsibility was heightened by the More defined role he played that before the Reagan signed a letter that temporarily turned Power Over to speaking in a Calm and relaxed Bush suggested that the Lack of an element of which was present when Reagan was shot four years had also allowed him More time to reflect on the Gravity of the situation while Reagan was hospitalized this the vice president strongly denied that he had been shunted aside by Donald the White House chief of and said that the most difficult moment of the period was the uncertainty when it was unclear How reagans operation to remove a Colon polyp would go or what would be that feeling the vice president As reagans doctors began providing encouraging while Reagan was under anaesthesia at the naval medical Center in the Transfer of Power temporarily made Bush the acting according to White House in a letter on presidential Reagan i have and it is my intention and that vice president George Bush shall discharge these Powers and duties in my Stead commencing with the administration of anaesthesia to the president signed another letter that evening re claiming those Bush said that he had spent the time relaxing at his official residence at the naval he spent the he engaged in the same sort of activities that occupy Reagan in weekends at the presidential Retreat at Camp playing Reading and talking on the Bush said he Felt the Gravity of his role More so than in 1981 because of the letter Reagan signed authorizing the shift of the president did not sign such a letter when he had surgery after being shot in an assassination attempt March asked if he Felt his obligations More heavily in the most recent health Bush i think its probably a Little More so than the after the shooting because it was More How to describe he noted that there were fewer question Marks about the presidents health in the most recent but with the actual transferring of Power there was somewhat of a different speaking of his role in the eight Day period that Reagan was away from the White House for the Colon Bush said that he had attempted to balance what he perceived As appropriate behaviour for the vice president with emotions with which he Felt i Pride myself on having a reasonable Good sense of How to act in this Bush i was not concerned that i was stepping into the Lime nor was i concerned that i was being elbowed out of the nor was i fascinated by the speculation on whether i was in it too much or out of because i really just think from the Way it worked it worked pretty youve got to do what comes natural and youve got to do what you feel is he for better or for i Hope i found the proper balance Between those two who spoke in his West Wing office Down the Hall from the presidents Oval said that throughout much of that week he and the White House operated in a manner similar to that in the period when the president was hospitalized in in not sure that and the Way people there want Bush and i think that most people around the country Felt that things went along he said he did not know if his actions had Hurt or enhanced his Public standing in Light of a possible 1988 bid for the Republican the relationship Between the vice president and the chief of has been the subject of some speculation since Regan assumed responsibility for the Day today operations of the White House during the presidents Bush stood in for Reagan at two meetings with Senate finance committee members and at a ceremony to announce the selection of a teacher to ride in the space i was there to do what vice presidents should Bush it was More of doing things the Way i thought they should be done and going about my Bush said that there was no sense of tension Between himself and he that there had been a disagreement Over whether he should return to Washington from Maine the Day of reagans Bush had gone to his summer House in Kennebunkport for the weekend but decided on the Day of reagans surgery to return to there was a difference in coming he but i never had the feeling that somebody was trying to say that dont come Back because we want you off on the there was nothing like its very unfair to Don absolutely Bush said that the desire to have him remain at his Home in Kennebunkport had to do with not height eng tension to what was supposed to be a routine contributing to allegations that Bush role within the administration had been diminished was what appeared to be a delay in Bush visit to Reagan at the the visit occurred five Days after the president was the president had already seen his Nancy Regan Robert his National Security advis and Larry the White House Bush said he had been scheduled to see Reagan two Days but the visit was cancelled at the last in fact i was about to get into the car and go out there when somebody said he was so i let him he it never occurred to me that there was any great urgency to do even on a symbolic Bush said of the Hospital i Hope that most people sense that in this vice presi the president has been so generous with Access that i can walk in there and see him anytime i want Bush asked about his schedule during reagans recovery which doctors have estimated would take seven to eight Bush said there would probably not be a lot of activities in that period because much of official Washington would be on he there would be Little change in his 14 the stars and stripes july the stars and stripes Page 15