Ummm, I suppose Jim Brady is in charge of the obituary database too. I mean, unless it was intentional to post this story from 1987 instead of the current news of Mr. Weinberger's death. Still think it is a pretty odd choice to title the headline “Weinberger to Step Down”. Maybe a euphemism for hell?
Weinberger to Step Down: Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger has decided to resign because of the deteriorating health of his wife, Jane, and President Reagan is expected to name national security adviser Frank C. Carlucci as the new defense secretary, administration officials said last night. ... Weinberger, 70, has held a powerful seat in Reagan's Cabinet, enhanced in part by his long personal relationship with the president and his easy access to the Oval Office. As defense secretary, Weinberger served as a strong advocate for Reagan's ambitious $ 2 trillion rearmament program, even in the face of growing pressure for cutbacks from a Congress worried about the deficit.Aided by former Assistant Secretary Richard N. Perle, Weinberger was also a frequent opponent of arms control proposals advocated by Secretary of State George P. Shultz, and he was particularly forceful in resisting limits on the president's missile defense program, the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).
While officials said Weinberger's departure is not the result of pressure from within the administration, it may presage a new approach to arms control in the final year of Reagan's presidency. Carlucci, who previously served as deputy defense secretary under Weinberger, is known within the administration as a more pragmatic and flexible policymaker than Weinberger on arms control issues.
And, of course, the resignation in 1987 had nothing to do with the Iran-Contra scandal, nothing at all.
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