Haigiography

Washington loves nothing better than an in-house personal battle for political power. Politicians and press alike are titillated by any sign of contention among the high officials of government -- and especially when they involve the president himself. And so the temptation will have to be resisted to feed such conflict by gleeful rehearsal of all the details, imagined or otherwise, surrounding the struggle for foreign policy dominance which culminated in the White House designation of Vice-President George Bush as "crisis manager." The concern of all -- those watching and those watched -- should be with making the new government work and getting on with the substance of policy.

Organizational confusion is virtually inevitable in a new administration. No two presidents operate alike and, until it becomes clear how Mr. Reagan wants to function, there are bound to be bureaucratic strains as officials maneuver for position. The President certainly does not want a bitter rivalry in his ranks, and he apparently intends Mr. Bush to make certain of effective coor dination of interdepartmental policies in times of crisis.