One of the Reagan era's biggest boasts--that it reversed the 1970s "decade of neglect" in the military--really irked former President Ford , who blamed congressional Democrats and Jimmy Carter for slashing the Pentagon budget. But only now are we learning that Ford, who served from 1974 to 1977, squawked when former Vice President Bush made the claim at the 1984 recommissioning of the USS Iowa. In a letter to "George" uncovered by historian Gil Troy , Ford flashed: "It is not accurate to lump the Ford administration in the same category with President Carter on defense matters." He also vented at Reagan Chief of Staff James Baker , who had suggested new language the prez and veep could use to fight Walter Mondale in the 1984 election. "I resent being lumped in with Carter and the Democratic Congresses on this vital issue," wrote Ford. For Troy, whose Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s is out this week, it was shocking correspondence. "I've rarely seen this kind of back and forth," he said, "and certainly not at the president-to-president level."

Posted by: Jonathan Singer / 9:35 AM | Basie! Home