European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 20, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes George will Bush Cabinet boasts experience expertise George Bush s inauguration Bash is wrapped less in red White and Blue Bunting than in Gray worsted. By the composition of his Cabinet heavily weighted with people who have carried the weight of office before Bush has completed a process that Ron Ald Reagan began. It is the transformation of the Republican  party now is reconciled to the reality of modern government s role in life. Republicans recognize that governance is a dignified difficult Learned vocation for seasoned professionals such As Bush has chosen. Reagan s contribution to this process was his almost Complete acceptance of the welfare state that evolved at a remarkably steady Pace under his predecessors of both parties for half a Century. Republicans remain free to talk like jeffersonian celebrating that govern ment which governs least. But they live in and want to be the dominant party in Hamilton s America. It has a Strong Central government that requires a professional political class for the executive Branch. Until recently conservative ideology caused Man republicans to regard service in Washington As Akin to jury duty. Perhaps it had to be done but it was not supposed to be fun or fulfilling or for Long. Bush remarkably seamless transition testifies to a change. The passage into the Bush Era began Well before the election with the installation of Bush supporters at Treasury Nicholas Brady and Justice Richard Thornburgh. It Speaks Well of Bush s self Confidence that he has not been afraid to cobble together a Large part of his administration from material at hand in Reagan s Washington. The most interesting person inthe upper reaches of Bush s administration Richard Darman has been Here before. Indeed he barely left. During last autumn s Campaign conservatives sent delicious thrills of terror Down one another s spines by saying if Dukakis is elected the government will fall into the hands of intellectuals grown in that Hothouse of unreal ism the Kennedy school of government  Bush won but the government is to a considerable extent in the hands of card carrying Kennedy schooler Darman 45, who is head of the office of management and budget. A graduate of Reagan s White House and Limbaker s Treasury department Darman is devising a strategy for complying with Gramm Rudman deficit reduction targets. Darman is the right Man to test Bush s theory that we can grow our Way to sufficient balance in the budget. Darman believes that recessions Are not necessary Are not inherent in the cyclical working of capital ism. Rather recessions happen because policy Mak ers in the Public and private sectors make mistakes. John Wheeler to m we Nephew Gecse leave my utu6 Puppy pcx5, the science of economics and the Art of business management Are sufficiently advanced that such mis takes can be avoided indefinitely. If he is right then Bush is right no new taxes Are needed. We shall see. For now Darman is the most intellectually self assured Man Washington has seen since Darman s Boon companion David Stockman went off to write his kiss and Tell memoirs which told the sad Story of Stockman s misplaced certitude. As Bush begins his presidency the most alarming imbalance in Washington is not budgetary it is institutional. Bush the Model of the Republican Man of government must win for the executive Branch the struggle for supremacy. Bush is the first president in 12 years who has served in Congress. Under Jimmy Carter and Rea Gan Congress already provoked by Richard Nixon grew More assertive and grasping. Bush May think he can work Well within the system that candidate Rea Gan a decade ago denounced As the Washington buddy  Bush May think the get along by going along approach is just the application of Kinder arid gentler ism. But it is a recipe for continued congressional Ascendancy. Bush should remember that he is the beneficiary of the great change wrought by the Advent of broadcasting and other technologies of mass mobilizations. Presidents have Only recently acquired Polit ical weight because of Broad participation in presidential elections. Malcolm Shaw a British professor of politics says it was not until the 1920s that presi dents were elected by receiving the votes of More than 10 percent of the free  even the Strong presidents received less Jackson 5.8 in 1832lincoln 6.8 in 1860cleveland 8.8 in 1884teddy Roosevelt 9.3 in 1904wilson 8.9 in today the executive Branch is More suited than Congress to republicans who regard governance As a profession rather than something Akin to jury duty. The size of the modern presidential electorate facilitates and justifies Energy in the executive which is a leading character in the definition of Good gov  so said Hamilton. His hour has com around at last As a conservatism come of age. Washington Post writers group Reagan restored Confidence in Vietnam vets As Ronald Reagan departs on important part of his legacy should be noted he brought the Vietnam veterans Home. The Good done by that action will last for decades. He brought us Home by according us respect and by opening the door to our continuing service  creating Harvest of seasoned leaders. His Means were heart tone and personal involve ment. The alienation Between returned sol Diers and their country was still in 1980, a huge wound something new to Ameri can life. The Healing wrought since then was not inevitable How it occurred de serves telling. The Story has three parts. The first Wasin Early 1981, when the president asked veterans in his transition team what he could do. We suggested finding Success Ful vets to help their Fellows who need it. He approved and located our Effort inthe action Agency. There we organized the Vietnam vet Erans leadership program in 50 cities. It started with Federal funds but now i privately funded by vets themselves. It finds jobs and help for vets fights the stereotype of veterans As losers and builds teamwork among veterans civic groups and government. The teamwork has Cut the number of deeply hurting Vietnam vets from 600,000 to 300,000, of some 3 million who served in the War zone. It has drawn talented vets into other civic work. An example is mothers against drunk driving where Vietnam Veteran Board members have since 1984, Dou bled the budget to $22 million and upped chapters from 300 to 400. Part two of this Story was the symbolic event that opened the door for reconciliation of America with its Vietnam vet Erans the dedication of the Vietnam veterans memorial on the mall. The president saved the memorial. Yearly 1982, opponents of the design had led Interior Secretary James Watt to withhold our construction permit. Then came a sudden unexpected Call to me As chairman of the memorial fund. The White House wanted to see our scale Model. Could you bring it by in 45 min utes we could and did and soon afterwards the permit was issued. The first lady advised us. Boosted fund raising and stood by us in the de sign struggle. More than 30 million people have visited the memorial 5 million a year. Nations navigate by Symbol. Memorials symbolize giving oneself for others and they knit our country together. Like a Stone striking a Pond the Wall radiates bands of Healing. The flood of acceptance and memory made it possible to install a Long delayed unknown Viet Nam Soldier s Tomb at Arlington Ceme Tery. The president s spontaneous fare Well and Blessing at the interment is a National memory. The third part of our Story i presidential appointments. In the pre ceding administration 30 Vietnam Veter ans held senior government positions. By inn j resident Reaban had appointed a v was tappin8 a Strong source of idealism and commitment  am �n8 the 60 million citizens in the baby Boom Vietnam generation. These appointments contributed tothe new Public perception of Vietnam vets. In 1981 i knew men who kept Viet Nam service off their resumes. Now it Isa big plus. The change is not confined to political party or vocation. The 100th Congress had six Vietnam vets in the Senate Over twice their statistical share in the . Population and the share is now triple with the addition of Robert Kerrey d neb., and Charles Robb d-va., in the recent elections. The list of Vietnam veterans who Are cos publishers editors producers an leaders in practically every other walk of life is too Long for this article. But i think what i wrote in the Washington Post 10years ago has proved True that Vietnam veterans will emerge during the 1980s As a major Reservoir of National  and i think a great part of this has happened because of a president who believes in us. The most. Intimate and endur ing part of this legacy is for our kids. The children of every Vietnam Veteran now have a Pride about their dads that could have been much longer delayed or even denied. They will carry in their lives an affirmation of the values of service . This Story is crystallized in words that every vet feels when he sees a Friend s name on the Wall we will keep giving just As you did until we die. John Wheeler a Washington lawyer and Vietnam vet eran is president of the Center for the Vietnam Genera Tion. He contributed this column to the Washington Post