It wasn't enough, or perhaps it was too much. Ronald Reagan lost the Florida primary to Gerald Ford, who was privately furious at Reagan over the attacks. Reagan's campaign never recovered.  Even so, there was talk in Republican circles of inviting Reagan onto the ticket as Ford's running mate. Had Reagan's criticism of Ford diminished that possibility? "I don't think so. It was said in the heat of the campaign," said Gerald Ford's White House chief of staff. And who was he? A young fellow named Dick Cheney.

In the end, Ford won the nomination in 1976, and -- with Bob Dole as his running mate -- lost the election to Jimmy Carter.