Ex-White House official calls for smoother transitions

Ken Duberstein, former chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan, appealed for the restoration of working relationships between members of both political parties Wednesday at a panel discussion in Philadelphia on the transition from campaigning to governing.

Duberstein was the centerpiece of a panel assembled at WHYY-TV, a short jaunt from the Republican National Convention, by the Council for Excellence in Government (CEG). The veteran political hand twice took part in the transfer of presidential power, first when Reagan ousted Jimmy Carter in 1980 and then as coordinator of the Reagan-Bush exchange.

Duberstein was joined on the panel by Terry Smith, media correspondent for "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer," White House reporter Alexis Simendinger of National Journal and CEG President Patricia McGinness.

While acknowledging that the climate in Washington these days is inhospitable to bipartisanship, Duberstein stressed that communication, if not outright cooperation, between the new President and congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle is key to an effective transition. He highlighted the effort made by his office in early 1981 as an example.

"We made it a point to visit the offices of all 535 senators and representatives," said Duberstein, adding that many of the Democrats who defected to support Reagan's signature tax cut proposal first informally indicated a willingness to find common ground during these meetings.

Duberstein observed that, since he left government, the comity that once prevailed among even those of very different political views has virtually dried up.

The current political tensions threaten to shrink the pool of candidates that the next President will be able to tap, he said.

"The combat zone of Washington turns a lot of people away. The atmosphere is absolutely poisonous. When I was there, a typical FBI confirmation screening took six weeks. I hear it now takes six months," he said. "I think you desperately need that breath of fresh air that hopefully the next President will provide."

While concerned that the best and brightest might think twice before subjecting themselves to the scrutiny appointees must now endure, Duberstein used his own experience to conclude that able individuals will continue to embrace public service.

"When President Reagan asked me to come back to the White House in early 1988, in the depths of Iran-Contra, my wife was four months pregnant, I had just built a house with a 15-year mortgage and had started to make a little bit of money for the first time in my life. But when the President of the United States asks you to come home, you say yes."

Transcripts of this and other events in the CEG series are available at www.excelgov.org.