Just Making a Few Repairs

JIM BAKER’s return to the president’s side has been described to key Republicans as the “cold war pivot.” Having teamed up with Bush to kiss the communist threat goodbye, the honchos were told, Baker will now act as a sort of deputy President, managing the campaign, then leading a sweeping domestic agenda during a second Bush term. But the truth is that Baker is only making an emergency house call as Mr. Fix-It. If Bush wins re-election, Baker has told friends that he will help tool up a domestic strategy and hire the right folks to run it. then he’ll scoot right back to State. Says an aide: “A big part of it is putting the right crew in place, which we definitely don’t have right now.”