father? >> you mean, by becoming a liberal as opposed to conservative? >> just by becoming sort of different. you were really a pendulum swing from him. >> if i thought that, i wouldn't have any trouble admitting it, but i really don't. i've always had a sense from as long as i can remember that i was myself. i didn't wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and say, i'm the president's son or ronald reagan's son. i'm me. so from a very early age, if i disagreed with him, we'd disagree, and i'd stick to my guns, which could be frustrating at times. >> did you ever, while he was in office, try to sit down with him and influence policy? >> not to a major extent, but, for instance, on the aids issue, i began to get the feeling they were really dragging their feet here, and we've got a major crisis on their hands. and he doesn't seem to quite get how serious this is. after, remember, the presidents are in kind of a bubble, and they rely on aides to bring them information, and the aids crisis was mostly affecting gay men and iv drug users, not a big