Stockman’s Book on Reagan

Anyone listening to David Stockman on the various TV interview shows, or reading the wrap-up of his book, “The Triumph of Politics,” in Newsweek magazine, or the review in The Times Book Review (April 27) should readily know who the real “snake oil vendor” is--David Stockman of course.

But the $64 question remains, why the true culprit responsible for all these shenanigans, Ronald Reagan himself, comes away without a blemish.

Here was Stockman as budget director, attempting to slash the federal welfare budget, and allowed free rein by his President, year after year and every inch of the way, and we are expected to believe that this sweet, old, kindly President was entirely innocent and unaware of the wily machinations under way.

Nonsense! It was only the Democrats in the Congress, not Ronald Reagan, who stymied the Reagan Revolution. Ronald Reagan, the Teflon President, gets credit from Stockman for saving the cuts, as for instance Social Security, when in truth he actually proposed cutting Social Security benefits early on, and was only turned away by a hornet’s nest of wrathful senior citizens.

It’s time the country knows who should be blamed, and to whom thanks are due, for the revolution that fortunately failed--at least for now.

HERBERT L. BREGSTEIN

Beverly Hills