Diary Entry - 02/06/1985
Key Facts
President Reagan celebrates his 74th birthday.
President Reagan delivers the State of the Union Address.
Happy birthday to me. It was a nice day & I am touched by some of the greetings from staff groups with everyone signing the cards.
A meeting with Congressional leadership (Repub.). Everyone got into the act giving a kind of preview of what I’ll be saying tonite. Bob Michel then presented me with a cake. We have a little strain. Yesterday appearing before a committee Dave Stockman blasted the mil. as being more devoted to preserving their pensions than they are to Nat. Security. He’d been badgered for 3 hours by some like Sen. Metzenbaum and sort of exploded emotionally but still should never have sounded off as he did.
Later our people were backgrounding the T.V. anchor people at a lunch. I stopped by & rcvd. a chorus of “Happy B.D.” Dick Darmans son—born Feb. 6 1981 came in for a photo. The young Vietnamese girl who came to this country 10 yrs. ago—not knowing one word of Eng. came by. She is graduating in May from West Point. She’ll be in the gallery tonite & I’m introducing her.
And— Well—it’s done & over with. The speech went over fine & the Cadet & Mother Hale of Harlem received a great ovation. Calls to W.H. came in 10 to 1 favorable.
