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                        '96 ELECTION SNAPSHOT
                               VOL.1 #15


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CONTENTS:
   CAMPAIGN '96 STATUS REPORT
   CLINTON RAISES $1 MILLION IN ST. LOUIS
   DOLE LASHES OUT AT CLINTON ASIA POLICY
   CLINTON ON CHINA MFN
   CLINTON SIGNS SEX OFFENDER LEGISLATION
   CAMPAIGN '96: BOB DOLE'S HIGH-STAKES DECISION
   CLINTON ON CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
   NEW BUDGET BATTLE UNDERWAY
   DOLE'S DECISION
   DOLE TAKES CAMPAIGN TO AMERICA'S HEARTLAND
   U.S. OPINION ROUNDUP: SENATOR DOLE'S RESIGNATION
   RACE IS ON FOR SENATE LEADER POST VACATED BY DOLE
   ADMINISTRATION ON DOLE RESIGNATION ANNOUNCEMENT
   GINGRICH ON DOLE RESIGNATION ANNOUNCEMENT
   CONGRESS-WHITE HOUSE HEADED TOWARD CLASH OVER DEFENSE SPENDING
   DOLE BOWS OUT OF U.S. SENATE TO PURSUE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
   DOLE WINS WEST VIRGINIA, NEBRASKA PRIMARIES
   U.S. POLICY TOWARD ASIA WOULD HARDEN UNDER DOLE
   BUCHANAN SAYS DOLE IN "TOUGH" SITUATION BUT CAN STILL WIN
   THE INTERNET -- NEWEST TOOL IN THE POLITICIAN'S KIT
   POLLING PRISMS
   JOURNALISTIC JUXTAPOSITIONS
   EDITORIAL EXCERPTS
   CONGRESSIONAL BABY MAKES HISTORY
   REPORT ARMS SMUGGLING TO BOSNIA GREATER THAN ADMINISTRATION ADMITS
   D'AMATO WARNS REPUBLICANS TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE
   CLINTON POLITICS
   FREE OFFER FROM PUBLISHER
   =========================
   ---------------
   CAMPAIGN '96 STATUS REPORT

   JIM MALONE
   WASHINGTON

   Bob Dole's decision to leave the Senate and focus fulltime on
his presidential campaign is dominating this week's political
news here in the United States.
   Even Bob Dole's close friends in the Senate did not know it
was coming. They knew he was thinking about giving up the job of
Senate majority leader. But quitting the Senate outright and
ending his 35-year career in Congress? That was a shocker.
   Mr. Dole's Senate colleague from Kansas and longtime friend,
Nancy Kassebaum, says she did notice recently that Senator Dole
was unhappy in trying to fill two roles, that of presidential
candidate and leader of the Senate:
   "He seems to be really quite comfortable and happy with the
decision. And as I watched him over the last several weeks he
just was so enmeshed in the nitty-gritty (detail) and the day to
day machinations of the Senate, it was very hard to get on beyond
that to the broader goals and agenda of his campaign."
   In a way, the Democrats in Congress made his decision easier.
They are as united as they have been in years. Senate Democrats
have brought the place to a standstill. They apparently were
taking careful notes when the Republicans stalled and killed
President Clinton's health care reform plan in 1994. In the end,
it was clear that Senator Dole's strategy to run for president
from the floor of the United States Senate was not going to work.
Something had to give.
   Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour sees the
Dole decision as the real beginning of the 1996 presidential
campaign:
   "As you saw Bob Dole yesterday, eloquent, earnest, sincere,
straightforward, people will be able to see Bob Dole without him
being pulled back by his Senate duties, his obligations to
Kansas. And he will have time to fully concentrate on running for
president."
   Democrats were just as surprised by Senator Dole's gambit.
Several Democratic senators joined their Republican colleagues at
the Dole announcement in a rare show of bipartisan respect for
Senator Dole's long and distinguished congressional career.
   But it did not take long for Democrats to go on the offensive.
Senator Chris Dodd also serves as co-chairman of the Democratic
National Committee:
   "It is a political gimmick, frankly, and I appreciate it. It
has certainly resonance here. But most Americans could care less
about this stuff. They worry about their jobs, their education,
their health care. You can change your clothes, change your
makeup, change the location of where you are but you still have
to have a message that people care about."
   Senator Dole's challenge now is to develop a compelling
message and vision which will give voters a reason to reject bill
Clinton's bid for a second four-year term. At the same time,
leaving congress allows Mr. Dole an opportunity to put some
distance between himself and a Newt Gingrich-led Republican
congress which continues to register low approval ratings in
public opinion polls.
   Bob Dole has lived in Washington since 1960 but he has never
forgotten his smalltown roots in Russell, Kansas. And so now as
he sheds the power and prestige of the Senate, he will attempt to
return to those smalltown, mid-america roots one last time in a
bid for the highest office in the land.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CLINTON RAISES $1 MILLION IN ST. LOUIS

   NICK SIMEONE
   ST. LOUIS

   President Clinton has helped his Democratic Party raise more
than a million dollars in campaign funds by attending three
events in the city of St. Louis Friday. His trip to the
mid-western city is one of many the White House expects the
president to make around the country before the Democratic
Party's presidential nominating convention in August.
   With his presumed Republican presidential opponent Bob Dole
now on a nationwide campaign swing, President Clinton went to
America's heartland Friday to raise money for Democrats. During a
party fund-raising dinner here, he praised congressman Richard
Gephardt and his fellow Democrats for a host of legislative
issues that he says have made America stronger. But, Mr. Clinton
says much work still needs to be done:
   "We still have a chance to pass the right sort of budget, to
pass a good welfare reform plan, to pass the Kennedy/Kassebaum
bill that will say to people if you loose your job or if someone
in your family gets sick, you can still keep your health
insurance. I believe we can do these things."
   Senator Bob Dole, who will quit the Senate next month to
devote full time to his Republican run for the White House, is on
a 17-city election tour. A White House spokesman says in the
coming days, the president will as well be on the road on a
fairly regular basis as the campaign season begins in earnest.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   DOLE LASHES OUT AT CLINTON ASIA POLICY

   VICTOR BEATTIE
   WASHINGTON

   Senate leader Robert Dole, the presumptive Republican
presidential nominee, has lashed out at what he calls fundamental
flaws in President Clinton's Asia policy. Mr. Dole's dramatic
decision to end his 27-year Senate career has so far failed to
give him a needed boost against the president in the latest
public opinion polls.
   Senator Dole, responding to a major foreign policy address on
China by Secretary of State Warren Christopher, criticized it for
its ambiguity toward Taiwan. He also took aim at what he calls
the administration's silence on China's nuclear cooperation with
Iran.
   On another issue, Mr. Dole called on President Clinton to
suspend talks with North Korea until Pyongyang resumes a direct
dialogue with South Korea. He says Mr. Clinton's policy toward
North Korea is misguided and encourages North Korean provocations
similar to one Friday involving North Korean troops shooting into
the air within the de-militarized zone separating the Koreas.
   Following his dramatic decision Wednesday to resign from the
senate, Mr. Dole Friday promised to be active campaigner for the
presidency:
   "We're getting out to where the people are, to talk to the
people, go their farms, go to their businesses and go to the
hospitals, go the homeless shelters. I've got a legislative
record in all these areas, but I want to go out and touch and
feel the people and learn."
   The Senate leader is campaigning in the nation's south this
weekend.
   Despite Mr. Dole's resignation, Mr. Clinton maintains a 22
percent lead over the Kansas Republican. Most of the respondents
believe Mr. Dole was right in resigning.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CLINTON ON CHINA MFN

   DEBORAH TATE
   WHITE HOUSE

   President Clinton says he supports extension of most favored
nation trade status for China. In a speech in Washington Thursday
night, Mr. Clinton says renewing the trade privileges would help
strengthen relations between Washington and Beijing.
   Although many U.S. lawmakers and human rights groups oppose
extending MFN to China this year, President Clinton indicated he
supports the move as a way to improve U.S. -Sino relations.
   He made his comments in a speech in Washington to the
Asian-american Pacific caucus, an Asian-American lobby group:
   "I want a growing understanding between our two countries. I
realize that neither of us is perfect, and both of us will have a
great say over what the future looks like. We have to work hard
to understand each other, and to work together. That's why I am
committed to securing the extension of MFN treatment for China"
   The president is expected to make a formal announcement on the
issue on Monday.
   The president's comments come a day after the United States
outlined trade sanctions against Beijing for what Washington says
is China's violations of U.S. intellectual property rights.
   China has retaliated by outlining its own sanctions on
American goods.
   Mr. Clinton, however, defended the U.S. sanctions, saying the
United States has to insist on fairness in trade and protect
American businesses that are losing money as a result of China's
violations of U.S. copyrights:
   "Today, we are losing as much as two billion dollars in
opportunities, many belonging to Asian-Pacific Americans in
Washington state, Oregon, California, new England, in the middle
west, all across the country. I have no choice, but to take
strong action to try to protect the work of all Americans, and it
is their right to be rewarded in the international marketplace."
   Sanctions are to go into effect June 17th, unless a compromise
is reached before then.
   U.S.-Sino relations have been strained over other issues, as
well, from China's recent military exercises off the coast of
Taiwan to China's sale of nuclear-related technology to Pakistan.
   In his speech, Mr. Clinton renewed his appeal to Taiwan and
China to resolve their differences peacefully. And he said the
united states would insist that commitments are kept in the area
of non-proliferation.
   The administration this week decided not to impose sanctions
on China for its nuclear-related deal to Pakistan after Beijing
promised it would not make such sales in the future.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CLINTON SIGNS SEX OFFENDER LEGISLATION

   DAVID BORGIDA
   WHITE HOUSE

   President Clinton is warning criminals who prey on children
they have nowhere to hide. In signing a new law that requires
states to make public information about convicted child
molesters, the president said he would work to defend the law
against those who say it violates civil liberties.
   Seven year old Megan Kanka of New Jersey was raped and
murdered two years ago, allegedly by a convicted child molester
who lived in her neighborhood. Now President Clinton has signed
into law congressionally-approved legislation that seeks to
prevent similar crimes from happening again.
   In signing what is now called "Megan's Law," which requires
community notification of the presence of a dangerous offender,
President Clinton Friday delivered a message:
   "We respect people's rights, but today America proclaims there
is no greater right than a parent's right to raise a child in
safety and in love. Today America warns, if you dare to prey on
our children, the law will follow you wherever you go, state to
state, town to town."
   Some civil libertarians say Megan's Law violates the rights of
offenders, but President Clinton said he believes the law should
be upheld if it is subject to a legal challenge:
   "Before we went forward with this, in consultation with the
Congress, including the leaders of Congress who are here now, we
did a great deal of legal research on it, and we felt we could
defend it. And we felt that it was right. Congress has done its
job, and now it is our job to get out there and defend this law.
And we intend to do it, if it is challenged. And in the
meanwhile, we intend to enforce it."
   The president signed the legislation into law during a White
House ceremony attended by Megan Kanka's parents and others
active in the national fight to prevent violence against
children.
   John Walsh, whose son Adam was killed in 1981, has been a
leader in this fight, hosting a popular television program called
"America's Most Wanted."
   He told reporters after the ceremony, it is time for America
to concentrate on victim's rights:
   "This is letting parents know that the fox is in the hen's
house. I personally am sick of tracking on my show repeat
offender pedophiles and child murderers that get out after six or
seven years and are paroled into small communities and no one
knows in that community that this guy killed a child and served
only six years."
   The signing of Megan's law culminates a week of high-profile
anti-crime events here at the White House. Earlier in the week,
President Clinton announced a tougher strategy aimed at curbing
youth gang violence, and then he announced new federal funding
for more police officers around the country. Crime has
consistently been at the top of the list of voter concerns.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CAMPAIGN '96: BOB DOLE'S HIGH-STAKES DECISION

   TOM MAHONEY
   WASHINGTON

   Political Washington is still buzzing over Bob Dole's decision
Wednesday to leave the U.S. Senate after 27 years. The Senate
majority leader and presumptive Republican presidential candidate
said his resignation will take effect on or before June 11th.
   As the soon-to-become full-time candidate attended a
hastily-arranged campaign appearance in Illinois Thursday,
Republicans were applauding his decision as a bold move. For
their part, Democrats described the senator's resignation as an
act of political desperation.
   Bob Dole's voice was filled with emotion Wednesday when he
told colleagues and supporters that, after serving 35 years in
congress, he has nowhere to go but the White House, or home to
Kansas. But leaving the Senate and his powerful post as majority
leader, with instant access to the Washington press corps, means
candidate Dole and his message must now sustain media interest on
the campaign trail.
   Oaklahoma's governor Frank Keating said he thinks it will be
good for Bob Dole to get away from Washington. He was among the
nation's 31 Republican governors who stood as one in voicing
their support for Senator Dole's decision:
   "I think the important thing for Bob Dole is to have some
quiet time. To come out to Hennessey, Oklahoma, or to go to
Lincoln, Nebraska, or to sundown, Texas, and to listen to people
and to talk to people and become, once again, an ordinary
American. To get away from Washington.
   "The average American doesn't understand the culture of
Washington, doesn't particularly like the behavior of the
political class in Washington. And I think for Senator Dole to
have a chance he needs to do precisely that. A little quiet time
isn't such a bad thing."
   When it comes to campaigning, Governor Keating says candidate
Dole has to say: "I am the person who best reflects the values
and the judgment and the vision of average Americans." According
to the governor, President Clinton in his first term has said a
number of things that do resonate with Americans, but what he
does is precisely the opposite. Governor Keating thinks Bob
dole's decision to leave the Senate sends the right signal and
that he will receive all the media attention he wants away from
Washington:
   "What Bob Dole needs is an opportunity to get away from that
fishbowl, that incredibly busy, that incredibly intolerant
political environment of the Senate floor. I think that's why his
decision was so gutsy and so bold. And I think the American
public will now look at him as a candidate, as opposed to some
guy that's running for office who would much prefer to be the
Senate majority leader."
   Senator Dole phoned President Clinton before making his
announcement. White House spokesman Mike McCurry described their
five-minute conversation as warm and personal. Mr. McCurry told
reporters the majority leader's decision would not affect Mr.
Clinton's legislative agenda or his campaign activities
   Conservative commentator Arianna [r-e-ah-na] Huffington said
that Bob Dole's decision was very courageous, and she believes
his moving announcement was received as such by the American
public:
   "As you know, I have been a Dole critic, especially of his
inability to connect with the voters. Well, yesterday he
connected. He spoke from the heart. He spoke in a forthright
manner and effectively; he drew a contrast between himself and
the president. He was closing [limiting] his options and he was,
somehow without even mentioning Clinton, that here is a president
who has never closed any options.
   "He has always left all his options open, both in his personal
life and in his public life. Whether it's about taxes or about
his marriage, he is a typical self-indulgent baby-boomer."
   When it comes to getting out and telling his story to the
American people, Ms. Huffington acknowledges that Bob Dole is not
as good a campaigner or as good a speaker as President Clinton.
But she sees other qualities:
   "At least he knows who he is and I think that will come across
if he is liberated from the legislative agenda of the Senate and
from the whole psychological mind-set of being a senator and a
majority leader. We'll see how it plays out, but I do believe it
is very much the right step."
   According to Fred Barnes, executive editor of the conservative
Weekly Standard, Bob Dole's bold decision makes him the leader of
the Republican Party and elevates his standing alongside
President Clinton. He says there is bound to be some apprehension
at the White House, particularly if Senator Dole begins to define
his vision for the country and show how he and Bill Clinton
differ on issues.
   political analyst stuart Rothenberg emphasizes this dramatic
move by Senator Dole is not without risks. The editor of the
Rothenberg political report feels that Bob Dole is neither a
vision candidate nor an issues candidate. He says the senator's
strength as a presidential candidate is based on his power and
influence in Washington:
   "I think he still has a lot to prove when he goes around the
country and kisses babies, and gives speeches and shakes hands.
He still has to prove that he's a campaigner. This is a risky
move...It distances him from Washington and from a political
institution, Congress, which is not beloved.
   "On the other hand, it puts much more focus on his campaign
skills, his personal charisma and his communication abilities.
And those are not normally thought of as his strongest points."
   Bob Dole gave himself and the nation a political wake-up call
Wednesday. The departing Senate majority leader has chosen the
towns and cities of America over the corridors of Congress to
make his case and pursue his burning desire to become president
of the United States.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CLINTON ON CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

   DAVID BORGIDA
   WHITE HOUSE

   President Clinton has told U.S. business executives they can
be both successful and responsible employers at the same time.
His message of corporate responsibility was delivered during
remarks at the White House conference on corporate citizenship,
held on the Georgetown University campus in Washington D.C.
Thursday.
   With more and more American women in the work-force, creating
a greater need for child day-care and flexible work schedules,
U.S. business executives are facing a dilemma: Do they spend more
to provide support for employees and risk lowering profits, or do
they maintain an environment in which employees seek personal
support on their own?
   To President Clinton, the answer is clear:
   "You can do the right thing and make money. You can be
successful in the American free enterprise system by having
better and stronger relationships and ties with your employees."
   In remarks to the executives Thursday, President Clinton
expressed appreciation to those executives who do a lot for their
employees, who provide day care facilities, even recreational
facilities, offer flexible work hours, and health and retirement
security to employees.
   He says such so-called "family-friendly" businesses enhance,
not reduce, productivity:
   "What I want to see us do is to elevate the good practices
that are going on, show how they are consistent with making money
and succeeding in the free enterprise system, and hope that we
can reinforce that kind of conduct that so many of you have
brought to bear in your own companies and with your own
employees."
   The president acknowledged moving toward this
"family-friendly" ethic will take some time:
   "Let me say that I know that this is not an issue that can be
solved in a day or in a year, and that this is not a question of
finding an answer. What we have to do is to join together in a
great journey as Americans to continue to deal with these issues
as we go through this dynamic economy."
   Some Republicans were quick to suggest the president had a
political agenda in hosting the conference, to score political
points with the business community, traditional Republican
allies. The chairman of the House Republican conference called
the White House conference a "gimmick" that offers the wrong
remedies for economic growth.
   But not surprisingly, the Clinton White House saw it
differently, saying the purpose of the conference is to propel a
national dialogue on meeting the challenges of the new global
marketplace.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   NEW BUDGET BATTLE UNDERWAY

   PAULA WOLFSON
   CONGRESS

   The budget battle of 1997 is now officially underway in the
U.S. Congress. The House of Representatives has passed the first
in a series of key bills The debate in the House chamber sounded
very familiar.
   No one in Washington is likely to ever forget the 1996 budget
wars, the bitterness, the rhetoric, the endless negotiations, and
two partial government shutdowns.
   Now Congress is working on a spending plan for the next fiscal
year. And if the first round of debate in the House was any
indication, little has changed.
   No one doubted for one minute that the House would ultimately
approve a set of spending guidelines for 1997 drafted by
Republican leaders. Budget committee chairman John Kasich (of
Ohio) said the party wants to balance the budget by shrinking the
power of the federal government and handing more responsibility
back to the people and their local elected officials:
   "We (the Republicans) are about (stand for) the power of the
individual and we are not about the power of Washington
bureaucracy. We are systematically taking power, money and
influence from this city and sending it home (sending it to local
governments)."
   But the Republicans knew going into the debate that President
Clinton opposed the bill. And they knew House Democrats would
blast the plan, accusing the Republicans of cutting needed social
programs in order to offset a tax cut and an increase in defense.
Congressman mel watt (of North Carolina) said no one in his party
is questioning the need to balance the budget. He said their
difference with the Republicans is over how to spread the pain of
spending cuts.
   This is not about whether we balance the federal budget or
not. We have passed that point. The question is what kind of
priorities we set while we balance the federal budget.
   do we continue to build up a military that is already spending
one hundred times more than any other country in the world? And
do we do that at the expense of ordinary average working people
who need health care, who need education, who need the
environment protected?
   The bill passed by the House is designed solely to provide
guidance for various committees as they draft specific spending
bills for individual government departments and agencies. It does
not have to be signed into law by the president. The Senate is
considering similar legislation.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   DOLE'S DECISION

   DAVID SWAN
   SENATE

   U.S. Senate majority leader Bob Dole is turning his attention
back to old-fashioned presidential politics after stunning
Washington with the news he is leaving the Senate. The move
allows him to devote all his time and energy to running for
president, while avoiding the pitfalls of campaigning from the
Senate floor.
   It was called "the battle of Pennsylvania Avenue," the warfare
between the White House and Congress, with Bob Dole trying to
dethrone President Clinton and run the Senate at the same time.
It seemed like a logical strategy, a veteran lawmaker using
Congress as a pulpit and keeping his face in the public eye.
Instead, Mr. Dole's home base turned into a quagmire as Democrats
fought back and blocked his every move.
   Minority leader Tom Daschle took a hard line against Mr. Dole
and his colleagues. When Republicans sought to roll back the
gasoline tax, Democrats demanded a vote on their favorite issue,
raising the wage for the country's lowest-paid workers.
   The deadlock stopped the Senate from acting on anything, and
as Republican Arlen Specter points out, it kept the presidential
candidate bogged down in Washington:
   "We all know what campaigns are. Campaigns are getting out and
meeting the people and letting them see you and touch you and
hear you and have the interaction and to be able to focus on the
campaign and the issues as opposed to the practices and
procedures in the Senate."
   But Democrats were not Mr. Dole's only headache on capitol
hill. He sometimes clashed with the more combative Republicans in
the House of Representatives.
   Tension surfaced during the recent budget crisis when the
senator tried to reopen the government and the House kept it shut
down:
   "I know there are some of my colleagues in the House who feel
just as strongly the other way. But I don't quite understand the
logic of all that."
   Democrats are quick to say Mr. Dole's retirement signals
retreat from an extreme conservative agenda, and from House
speaker Newt Gingrich, one of the country's most controversial
politicians. Senator Chris Dodd says Mr. Dole would still be here
otherwise:
   "This was the first time in four decades the Republicans had a
chance to lead. If it were successful, Bob Dole would be sleeping
on the floor of the United States Senate. He would be wrapping
himself in the United States Senate. The fact is its a failure.
And so this campaign was a failure."
   Mr. Dole's departure does not mean his party will lose a seat.
The Republican governor of Kansas will appoint another Republican
to succeed him at least temporarily. But after a dozen years,
Senate Republicans must choose a new leader. At least two and
perhaps three or four lawmakers are expected to run for the post.
   For now, assistant majority leader Trent Lott of Mississippi
is said to be the leading candidate. Mr. Lott is younger than Mr.
Dole, somewhat more conservative and perhaps less prone to
compromise with Democrats. Last year, he voted against a
resolution of support for the U.S. troop deployment in Bosnia,
which Mr. Dole favored. However, Mr. Lott recently suggested he
may go along with the White House on another key issue, renewing
most-favored-nation trade status for China:
   "I did vote for MFN for China I think twice in recent years,
I'd like for us to continue to have trading opportunities with
them but I don't think they've always dealt with us in good
faith."
   No matter who becomes the next Republican leader, Bob Dole's
decision seems likely to achieve at least one of its goals,
moving the presidential race off the Senate floor. Democratic
leader Daschle predicts things will be more normal for the rest
of the year:
   "This is going to be more of a congressional battle now than a
presidential battle, at least on a day-to-day basis. That isn't
to say we'll be divorced from presidential politics. That's not
likely to happen. But I don't think it'll be as evident. I don't
think it'll be as dominant."
   Mr. Dole must now prepare for the challenge of being a
full-time presidential candidate, running against an incumbent
and trailing badly in opinion polls. And for the first time in 27
years, the Senate is facing a session without Senator Dole.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   DOLE TAKES CAMPAIGN TO AMERICA'S HEARTLAND

   JIM MALONE
   WASHINGTON

   Senator Bob Dole took his presidential campaign into the U.S.
heartland Thursday, one day after his announcement that he will
resign his Senate seat to focus full-time on the race for the
White House.
   At least one public opinion poll indicates most Americans
approve of Mr. Dole's decision to quit the Senate and devote all
of his efforts to winning the presidency.
   With that in mind, Senator Dole addressed an enthusiastic
rally in Chicago, telling supporters that he is not drawn to the
glories of the presidency, but to its challenges:
   "I must say it was very difficult yesterday to say, in effect,
farewell to the Senate. But in my view I had a commitment to the
American people, to you. I am now the Republican nominee (for
president), not in the state of Kansas, not in the United States
Senate, but in America. And my responsibility is to everybody in
America, Republicans and independents and Democrats."
   Although there was little new in his speech, there was a
stylistic change, Mr. Dole did not wear his trademark necktie and
dark suit.
   The Clinton campaign dismissed the speech as, in the words of
one official, completely bankrupt of ideas. But Dole aides say
his campaigning will intensify in the weeks ahead.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   U.S. OPINION ROUNDUP: SENATOR DOLE'S RESIGNATION

   ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
   WASHINGTON

   The surprise resignation from Congress after almost four
decades by Kansas Senator Bob Dole, has Washington political
analysts spinning this week. Mr. Dole surprised even members of
his own Republican party by announcing that he would resign his
seat in the Senate to devote his full time and effort to
campaigning for president.
   In Mr. Dole's native Midwest, the Chicago Tribune calls the
move "Bob Dole's riverboat gamble," adding:
   : "His resignation represents an attempt to jettison baggage
that was weighing him down. It remains to be seen whether this
move will efface voter's impressions of him as a creature of
Congress. Whether it does or not, [Mr.] Dole must act now to
seize control of his campaign and his message reconnecting with
the American public by invoking traditional GOP themes of
personal freedom and fiscal responsibility."
   "The [Chicago] Sun Times describes the move as "a courageous
gamble," adding:
   By resigning from the Senate  Bob Dole has done a tremendous
favor for himself, his party and his country."
   In Kansas, his home, where he has represented the people in
Congress since 1961, Thursday's Wichita Eagle, the state's
largest daily, notes:
   "..Kansas' loss is potentially the nation's gain. Mr. Dole is
resigning from the Senate to give himself more time and
ideological freedom to run for president. By coming out of the
shadow of the U.S. Senate, Mr. Dole can liberate himself from the
machinations of congress. He can distance himself from some of
the more unpopular programs pushed by the extreme Republican
conservatives. He can re-establish himself as a man of profound
integrity, intelligence and yes, humor and compassion."
   In the Kansas capital, the Topeka Capital-Journal, greeted the
news like a political earthquake:
   "The shaking you felt shortly after two P.M. Topeka time
Wednesday was the political landscape shifting under your feet.
And it may have left Bob Dole on much firmer ground than before.
[However] the day was bittersweet not just for [Mr.] Dole, but
for Kansas. We lose a political legend and a legislative
virtuoso. It will be decades before Kansas ever sees his like
again, if ever. The only thing that could take the sting of his
resignation away would be to attend his inauguration next
January."
   And in Mr. Dole's hometown, the Russell [Kansas] Daily news
writes:
   "We were shocked that he totally resigned from the Senate, but
we certainly can understand why. He needed relief from the day to
day maneuvering history has shown... It is an impossibility to
serve in the Senate majority leader's post and run successfully
for the presidency at the same time.  His [Senate] duties
recently had become a detriment. His moves will make him a
stronger candidate..."
   Elsewhere, the Dallas Morning News, says of the move:
   "Now that Mr. Dole is leaving behind the legislature. He may
be able to focus more sharply. If he can articulate himself well
enough, the Midwestern Republican has traditionalist beliefs that
could be reassuring to America's restive mood.  But can Mr. Dole
express his instincts? They sometimes seem buried deep beneath
the tough exterior he developed to cope physically and
politically. in the next five months Bob Dole must reach out to
the American public in a personal way. Wednesday was a good
start."
   Still in Texas, the Houston Chronicle makes this point: "No
man can be in two places at once;" adding:
   "Now that [Mr.] Dole is leaving the Senate, he can be on the
campaign trail where he is needed to make his case for his
presidential candidacy. If he loses he will be going home as an
ordinary citizen. People are apt to appreciate that readiness to
sacrifice."
   The Wall Street Journal reacts favorably, laying out the
redefined task that lies ahead:
   "Mr. Dole must persuade voters that only by changing
presidents can they get the kind of change they've been seeking
from Washington. Needless to say, standing in the well of the
Senate wasn't helping Mr. Dole make that case. The miasma of
Congress was confusing the real issues at stake. Count us among
those who think this presidential election is a long way from
over, notwithstanding the polls  Mr. Dole, moreover, has
strengths that a public which knows him only from the Senate may
yet rediscover. Now the real campaign begins."
   In Northern California, the San Francisco Chronicle chimes in:
   "Bob Dole's decision to leave the Senate was not only a wise
move for his candidacy, but should be good for a Congress mired
in gridlock and an American public that wants and deserves better
than a trivial presidential campaign. And the quality of the
debate, will benefit greatly if his focus moves from the Senate
agenda item of the day to his vision of how to lead the nation."
   The national, weekday paper USA Today, takes a historical view
of the decision:
   "The good news for [Mr.] Dole is that with the exception of
[John F.] Kennedy, every president who took office by election
between Franklin Roosevelt and Bill Clinton was not holding
public office when he ran. 'there's a lot to be said for the
notion that a person has to be out of work to be elected
president,' said then-Senator Lloyd Bentsen. Bob Dole's
resignation, at first so shocking, in fact looks like a shrewd
move to get on the right side of history."
   And in the nation's capital, the Washington Post calls it a
"good move," exclaiming:
   "...Bob Dole is running for an office that is (as he would
say) 'about' executive power, not legislative bratwurst [a
popular German sausage, here an allusion to the mixing of various
ideas into each bill in Congress]. He is seeking an enormous job
and trust for which he may have much political background that
can be helpful but which requires an entirely different kind of
instinct and commitment, a presidential one. He risked a lot
yesterday [5/15] in stepping down to show [,] if he can [,] that
he has those instincts and understands the nature of the
commitments. That's the test for him, and the virtue of the
liberating step he has taken."
   Lastly the Portland Press Herald" says of the announcement:
   "[Mr.] Dole's bold stroke has invigorated not only his
campaign but the whole campaign for president in the final four
years of the 20th century. The man with 'nowhere to go but the
White House or home' has carried the fight to the White House's
current occupant, and the real campaign is about to begin."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   RACE IS ON FOR SENATE LEADER POST VACATED BY DOLE

   The question of who will succeed Senator Robert Dole as Senate
majority leader has become a Capitol Hill preoccupation. Dole
announced May 15 that he would leave the Senate by June 11 to
devote full time to campaigning for the presidency. He is the
presumptive Republican nominee for president.
   Majority Whip Trent Lott of Mississippi, who holds the number
two position in the Senate Republican hierarchy, said he expects
a vote on the top leadership position will take place in the next
few weeks. He is assumed to be a candidate, although he has not
yet officially announced. The senior Senator from Mississippi,
Thad Cochran, who heads the Senate Republican Conference, has
announced he is a candidate for the top position. Senator Don
Nickles of Oklahoma, who chairs the Senate Republican Policy
Committee, is rumored to be thinking about getting in the race,
but now it appears he will run for the number two position.
   Senate Budget Chairman Pete Domenici of New Mexico and Senate
Governmental Affairs Chairman Ted Stevens of Alaska also have
indicated they might run for the majority leader position.
   Lott's election to the Majority Whip position in 1994 caused
some friction among Republicans because he defeated a Dole ally,
Alan Simpson of Wyoming, and moved ahead of Senator Cochran in
the Republican hierarchy in the Senate.
   Lott said he does not envision much of a change in policies
and tactics as a result of the new leaders. "It won't affect the
agenda at all," he said. "The agenda is in place." He also noted
that there are only 60 to 65 working days left in the session for
the new leaders to make their mark.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   ADMINISTRATION ON DOLE RESIGNATION ANNOUNCEMENT

   DEBORAH TATE
   WHITE HOUSE

   The Clinton Administration says the decision by senate
majority leader Bob Dole, the presumptive Republican presidential
nominee, to leave the Senate to campaign full time is not
expected to alter the course of the president's campaign or his
legislative agenda. President Clinton sent Senator Dole a letter
thanking him for his years of service, and saying he looked
forward to dealing with him on the campaign trail.
   In his letter to Senator Dole, President Clinton says he looks
forward to participating with candidate Dole this campaign season
in leading what he calls "a great national debate about how best
to move the country into the future". Mr. Clinton says it is one
of the most important jobs in a democracy.
   The president, in his letter, also vows to work with Mr.
Dole's successor in the Senate to work on the administration's
legislative agenda.
   Similar comments were made by Clinton spokesman Mike McCurry
earlier in the day:
   "We have got to balance the budget, we have to reform welfare,
we have to expand health care, we have to provide tax relief to
working Americans, and he will remain committed to that agenda,
and we look forward to working with whatever leadership the
Republicans in the Senate constitute."
   Mr. McCurry told reporters that Mr. Dole called Mr. Clinton to
inform him of his decision to leave the senate just hours before
publicly announcing the surprise move.
   The spokesman describes the five-minute conversation as "warm
and personal". He says Mr. Clinton thanked Mr. Dole for his
service to the country, as the president did in his letter to the
senator later in the day:
   "The president said to Senator Dole that he has done a lot of
things for his country, and he ought rightfully be proud of his
35 years of service in the United States Congress, and the
president thanked Senator Dole for his service. He said he knew
it must have been a tough decision to make because the president
knew he so loved the Senate, and so loved the work he did there."
   Mr. McCurry indicated the senator's decision is not expected
to have an impact on the president's own campaign.
   Although Mr. Clinton continues to lead Mr. Dole by some 20
percentage points in public opinion polls, Mr. McCurry says the
president does not believe the senator's decision to leave office
is an act of political desperation.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   GINGRICH ON DOLE RESIGNATION ANNOUNCEMENT

   PAULA WOLFSON
   CONGRESS

   Bob Dole's decision to leave the U.S. Senate and campaign full
time for the presidency caught many people by surprise. Even
house speaker Newt Gingrich got only a few hours warning.
   When Senator Dole made his announcement, the speaker of the
House was nearby.
   Mr. Gingrich later admitted that while he thought Bob Dole
might give up his leadership duties, he had no inkling he would
leave the senate:
   "It was frankly a bolder move than I could have counselled."
   The speaker said Mr. Dole's decision was positive and will
enable him to focus on the campaign without dealing with the
day-to-day distractions of running the Senate:
   "I thought it was a very courageous decision. They thought it
through, talked it out and implemented it, I thought, with great
discipline. I am very impressed with their boldness and
decisiveness"
   Mr. Gingrich said he is ready to work with a new Senate
majority leader. But he added that Bob Dole, as the expected
presidential nominee, is the leader of the party.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CONGRESS-WHITE HOUSE HEADED TOWARD CLASH OVER DEFENSE SPENDING

   PAULA WOLFSON
   CONGRESS

   The U.S. Congress is headed towards another clash with the
Clinton Administration over defense spending. The House of
Representatives has voted to add more than 12 billion dollars to
the president's proposed 1997 budget for the Pentagon.
   Republicans want defense spending to go up. The president
wants it to go down. And the chances for compromise now seem
slim,
   for the Republican majority in the house, the vote on the
defense bill was a chance to challenge the White House, and bring
their differences on defense to the attention of the voting
public.
   During the debate, Republicans argued the military is not
getting the money it needs, and the Clinton Administration is
ignoring important security concerns. They said almost 267
billion dollars should be spent on defense in the next fiscal
year, with most of the money going for new equipment. Republican
Jim Saxton of New Jersey spoke for many members of his party:
   "The administration is eager to sing the praises of our
military but it is simply unwilling to provide the necessary
support needed to ensure that we continue to have a capable
modern force."
   But opponents argued the defense budget can be trimmed.
Democrat Patricia Schroeder of Colorado said America needs to
rethink its defense priorities, and the military can not be
immune from the cuts needed to balance the federal budget:
   "Anybody who votes for this bill today and tells you they are
a deficit hawk, that they really want to bring the deficit down,
is absolutely wrong."
   The Republicans also used the bill to highlight differences
with the president on social issues. The legislation reaffirms
the ban on abortions in military hospitals overseas, calls for
the immediate discharge of military personnel infected with the
virus that causes AIDS, and bans the sale of sexually explicit
magazines at military bases.
   But there was one victory during the defense debate for the
White House. Lawmakers turned down a bid by conservative
Republicans to put strict conditions on the Nunn-lugar program,
which provides funds to help dismantle military weapons in the
former Soviet Union.
   Representative Gerald Solomon of New York led the campaign to
link Nunn-Lugar funding to Russian behavior in areas ranging from
arms control to the conflict in Chechnya:
   "We have done nothing to stem Russia's reactionary slide over
the past two or three years. We have set no boundaries on
Russia's behavior whatsoever while shelling out hundreds of
millions of American taxpayer dollars."
   But opponents urged the House to remember the upcoming Russian
elections. And many agreed with Mississippi Democrat Gene Taylor
that Nunn-Lugar is too valuable to weigh down with conditions. He
said since the United States is still struggling with a missile
defense system, the only way to deal with the arsenal left behind
by the Soviet Union is to dismantle the weapons on the ground:
   "Our nation does not have the ability to stop a single missile
coming from the former Soviet Union pointed our way."
   The 580-page defense authorization bill made little mention of
Republican demands for an anti-missile defense system. That issue
will be handled in a separate piece of legislation sponsored in
the House by speaker Newt Gingrich and in the Senate by outgoing
majority leader Bob Dole.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   DOLE BOWS OUT OF U.S. SENATE TO PURSUE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
   By Stuart Gorin

   Bob Dole, the quintessential politician who wanted to run for
the presidency while continuing his duties as the Senate majority
leader, shocked America's political community May 15 by
announcing he was resigning the Senate seat he has held for more
than a quarter-century.
   In a brief, but emotional, nationally televised speech
delivered before 600 supporters at a Senate building, Dole said
his "time to leave this office has come" and that on or before
June 11 he would "leave behind all the trappings of power, all
comfort, and all security" of the Congress and focus totally on
his sagging presidential campaign.
   "I will seek the presidency with nothing to fall back on but
the judgment of the people and nowhere to go but the White House
or home," Dole said.
   Political observers saw the move as a dramatic step needed to
reinvigorate his campaign and boost Republican morale. His formal
anointment as the party's presidential nominee will not come
until the Republican National Convention in August but he has
more than enough convention delegates to assure the nomination.
   Dole trails President Clinton in public opinion polls by large
margins and had been under pressure from his fellow Republicans
to concentrate on the presidential campaign. Until now, he had
long maintained that he would be able to carry out his Senate
leadership duties without hurting his presidential chances.
   Despite his reputation of being among Washington's power
elite, he has been mired in his congressional leadership position
in recent weeks. Partisan bickering had brought gridlock to the
Senate over such issues as balancing the federal budget,
increasing the minimum wage, and decreasing the federal gasoline
tax.
   There has been tension within the Republican Senate
leadership, especially between party whip (second-in-command)
Trent Lott and several others, including Thad Cochran, the other
senator from Lott's home state of Mississippi and the party's
conference chairman. Lott and Cochran are both expected to fight
to succeed Dole as majority leader. Others expected to join the
fray are Senators Don Nickles of Oklahoma and Pete Domenici of
New Mexico.
   Dole's regular Senate seat is not up until 1998, and under
Kansas rules, the governor will appoint a successor until that
time. Always the politician, Dole announced his departure date as
June 11 to ensure this scenario for Republican Governor Bill
Graves to follow. If the seat became vacant prior to that date, a
special election would be required.
   There will still be a Senate election in Kansas this year,
however, since Nancy Kassebaum is retiring from the state's other
seat.
   Dole, who is 72, is running for president for a third time. He
has been on Capitol Hill for 36 years, first serving in the House
of Representatives and then moving to the Senate in 1968. He has
been the Republican leader of the Senate for the past 12 years.
   Dole said he felt he has to communicate more directly with
voters and tell them more about who he is and where he would like
to take the country. According to the Washington Post, Republican
research has found many voters are willing to consider an
alternative to Clinton but do not know enough about Dole to be
comfortable with him as president.
   Until now, Dole's campaign primarily had been confined to
weekends or to delivering evening speeches which often had been
overlooked because they occurred past newspaper and television
network deadlines.
   There was bipartisan shock throughout Washington when word of
Dole's plans became known. Republican loyalists did not believe
he would relinquish the Senate post he loved so much. Democrats
were split on whether Dole's move was an act of desperation or a
clever attempt to break free from the negative public perception
that surrounds the Republican Congress.
   At the White House, spokesman Mike McCurry said Dole
telephoned the president for what Clinton called "a warm personal
conversation" during which Dole revealed his intention to resign.
"The senator," McCurry quoted Clinton as saying, "succeeded in
surprising us all."
   During the five minute call, McCurry said, Clinton told Dole
"he had done a lot of things for his country and he ought
rightfully to be proud of his 35 years service in the United
States Congress. The president thanked Senator Dole for his
service. He said he knew it must be a tough decision to make,
because the president knew that Senator Dole so loved the Senate
and so loved the work that he did there."
   McCurry told a questioner "I have no idea" how Dole's action
will affect the "dynamic" of the campaign. He said the president
will press his own legislative agenda and hopes such things as
the minimum wage will be enacted before Dole's departure. McCurry
said there are no plans to change the president's political
course -- Clinton will continue to make political speeches and
raise funds without declaring his own candidacy.
   According to Hearst Newspapers writer Stewart Powell, Dole now
"sheds the political liabilities of a marriage of necessity with
House Speaker Newt Gingrich" and "shifts the focus of the 1996
presidential campaign from the struggle between the White House
and a Republican Congress to a struggle between Clinton and
Dole."
   Noting that Dole gains more than he loses from his decision,
University of Wisconsin political scientist Charles Jones said
"You can't be way out in front articulating a vision for the
country when you're running the Senate. Leading the Senate is a
corralling kind of leadership. You have to nudge and cajole."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   DOLE WINS WEST VIRGINIA, NEBRASKA PRIMARIES
   By David Pitts

   It no longer gets much attention in the U.S. news media, but
Senator Bob Dole continues to score primary victories, increasing
the number of delegates he will take to the Republican National
Convention this August. He already has more than enough to win
the presidential nomination.
   In the West Virginia primary May 14 -- with 93 percent of the
precincts reporting -- Dole won 69 percent of the vote.
Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan did better than expected,
garnering 16 percent of the vote. Experts say this may be due to
the fact that Buchanan tapped into the unhappiness of many voters
with the condition of the state's economy. West Virginia
currently has the highest unemployment rate in the nation -- 8.7
percent.
   The other former candidates for the Republican nomination were
still on the ballot and trailed Dole and Buchanan. Steve Forbes
got five percent, Alan Keyes four percent, Lamar Alexander three
percent and Phil Gramm two percent. Richard Lugar and Morry
Taylor each got one percent.
   In the May 14 Nebraska primary -- with all the precincts
reporting -- Dole won 76 percent of the vote, Buchanan got ten
percent, Forbes six percent, Keyes three percent, and Alexander
three percent. Robert Dornan and Lugar each got one percent.
   In total, 24 delegates were at stake in Nebraska and 18 in
West Virginia, all allocated by direct election. The next contest
is May 17, a state convention in Missouri which sends 36
delegates to the convention. On May 21, President Clinton's home
state of Arkansas will hold its primary. Twenty Republican
delegates are at stake there.
   Most interest May 14 focused on the gubernatorial contest in
West Virginia. Businessman Cecil Underwood, who was governor of
the state back in the 1950s, beat two rivals to win the
Republican nomination. State Senator Charlotte Pritt won the
Democratic gubernatorial nomination, beating a field of ten other
candidates. Democratic Governor Gaston Caperton is barred by law
from running for a third consecutive term.
   Incumbent U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller swamped his only
challenger, Bruce Barilla, a janitor, to win the Democratic
nomination. He will confront Betty Burks, a nurse's aide who won
the Republican nomination, in the November general election.
   In Nebraska, Omaha investment banker Chuck Hagel won the
Republican Senate primary. He will face two-term governor Ben
Nelson in the November election to fill the term of retiring
Democratic Senator Jim Exon.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   U.S. POLICY TOWARD ASIA WOULD HARDEN UNDER DOLE
   By Alexander M. Sullivan

   There will be a sharper edge to U.S. policy toward Asia,
should departing Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole become
president.
   The presumptive Republican challenger in November's
presidential election has selectively endorsed parts of President
Clinton's foreign policy while accusing the incumbent of failure
to implement good ideas.
   Dole's first definitive statement on foreign policy for the
presidential campaign illustrates the remarkable consistency of
American positions from administration to administration, while
providing the usual narrow battleground for differences in
methodology and approach.
   In a Dole presidency, the United States would be providing
entities like Taiwan, Japan and South Korea with defensive
missiles, would press North Korea to resume talks with South
Korea, and would take a harder tack on trade issues involving
China and Japan.
   As befits an incumbent administration, the president's aides
are playing down the impact of Dole's maiden speech on foreign
policy issues. "Kerfuffle," White House Press Secretary Mike
McCurry commented, choosing a little-known word of Scottish
derivation connoting froth. "Fluff and dust," Vice President Gore
added.
   Dole's campaign fired back with its own definition of
kerfuffle -- "a complimentary term describing advocacy of foreign
policy based on American leadership, strength and consistency --
as opposed to weak global leadership, vacillation and
inconsistency characterizing the foreign policy of the current
American president."
   Dole, of course, has a long foreign policy record of his own
as minority and majority leader of the U.S. Senate. With some
exceptions, he is a free trader who supports a strong military
posture and close ties to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
   His complaint about Clinton echoes the results of many public
opinion surveys over the last three years, which give the
president high marks for overall performance in office and less
approval for the manner in which he conducts the nation's
business.
   The senator told the Center for Strategic and International
Studies last week that "President Clinton's foreign policy track
record of weakness and indecision, and double talk and
incoherence, has diminished American credibility and undermined
American interests."
   The result in the Pacific Basin, Dole charges, is that the
United States is viewed as "drifting and defensive, with an
uncertain course and an untrusted voice."
   To remedy that perceived failing, Dole proposes "a Pacific
Democracy Defense Program" to deal with security threats, and a
more coherent approach to trade issues involving China and Japan.
   The Republican hopeful contends that South Korea, Japan and
the United States "have territory or military forces under direct
threat of missile attack today and should be provided the means
to defend themselves." Japan and Korea, he asserts, "face a clear
and present danger from ballistic missiles and should be our top
priority under the Pacific Democracy Defense Program." Asserting
that the "resources and experience" for missile defense programs
are available, Dole adds, "it's time to move past paper studies
to the deployment decisions."
   Without mentioning the administration's framework agreement
with North Korea on eventual elimination of Pyongyang's nuclear
weapons program, Dole contends the administration conceded too
much in its proposal for four-party peace talks and its
negotiations on missile nonproliferation.
   "Clinton," the senator declares, "should cease bilateral
contacts with North Korea on proliferation and diplomatic
normalization until North Korea resumes direct discussions with
South Korea, as it committed itself to do five years ago."
   Dole accuses Clinton of "ambiguity" in relations with China, a
nation with the key to stability in Asia. "I don't believe," the
senator says, "that there's a more complex relationship in the
world than our relationship with China, and not one that will
have ultimately greater historical consequences."
   The United States, he notes, should have a clear strategic
goal: "a China which does not threaten its neighbors and a China
that plays by the rules of the international system of
nonproliferation and trade, a China which is peaceful, prosperous
and free."
   To reach that U.S. goal, he argues, Washington must convince
Beijing that "undermining the stability of regional balances of
power will carry an international price."
   He suggests Clinton's ambiguity on Taiwan "sends a signal of
uncertainty" that could lead either Beijing or Taipei to
miscalculate. "Our policy should be unmistakably resolute," he
contends. "If force is used against Taiwan, America will
respond." The administration bases its policy on the Taiwan
Relations Act, which does not specify a remedy for possible
aggression.
   Dole adds that the administration policy of withholding
information "on missile threats or missile technology" from
Taiwan "must be changed. There's no more clearly defensive and
clearly necessary weapons system for Taiwan than effective
missile defense."
   On trade, Dole would warn the Chinese that they "must live up
to the trade agreements" they have made, and would "move to a
targeted and proportional response" to violations. He would
endorse Chinese membership in the World Trade Organization "only
after it demonstrates a willingness to play by the accepted
rules" of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
   The senator notes that Chinese trade policy impinges on Japan,
South Korea, the European Union and the ASEAN nations, and he
faults Clinton for his "woefully inadequate" effort to build a
trade coalition among those groupings.
   Dole defends Clinton's decision to renew Most Favored Nation
tariff treatment of Chinese exports to the United States,
asserting that continued trade "offers the prospect for
continuing change" inside China. Dole claims capitalism has
already eroded government control in some provinces, and asserts
that "market forces will predominate as China needs to import
food and energy and capital and technology." He suggests he would
do more to "encourage the fragile opening" gained through trade
by more mass communications, larger exchange programs and
programs of the National Endowment for Democracy.
   The senator calls Washington's security ties with Tokyo the
most important in Asia, but he faults Clinton's position on
trade. Although the administration mentions with pride the 20
separate trade agreements negotiated with Tokyo, Dole accuses
Clinton of provoking -- and losing -- a 1994 trade war with
Japan. He criticizes the president for choosing "uncoordinated
and contradictory tactics" which shunned cooperation "with the
forces in Japan favoring deregulation, competition and economic
reform."
   As a result, he charges, there "has been an increase in both
the bilateral trade deficit and in Japanese ... nationalism.
Japan must open its sanctuary market and level the playing
field."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   BUCHANAN SAYS DOLE IN "TOUGH" SITUATION BUT CAN STILL WIN

   Agreeing that Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole is in a
"tough" situation behind President Clinton in the public opinion
polls, Dole's chief competitor for the nomination, conservative
commentator Pat Buchanan, says the departing Senate majority
leader can still win the election.
   "I think the country does not want to re-elect Bill and
Hillary Clinton and the issues are there for the Republicans to
win if they will seize them," Buchanan said in a recent
television interview.
   Appearing on the NBC "Meet the Press" program May 12, Buchanan
said all that Dole has to do is "get the Buchanan voters and the
Perot voters and the Reagan Democrats" and "take our issues --
jobs, lousy trade deals, immigration legal and illegal, no more
foreign aid."
   Buchanan, an ardent opponent of America's most-favored-nation
(MFN) trade policy with China, commended Dole for being
consistent in his support for continuing that policy but chided
him for being "wrong" on the issue. President Clinton has opted
for "a policy of appeasement with China, and the problem is the
policy is not working," Buchanan said.
   He said that if Dole would "take the lead in this battle," he
could win it and Clinton would cave in and establish "a much more
hard-line, realistic policy toward China that's not belligerent,
but I think is correct."
   Asked if ending MFN would create a Cold War with China,
Buchanan disagreed, saying "the American tariffs on China's trade
would still be lower than their tariffs on our trade" and China
would still be in a position of having to sell to the United
States.
   Buchanan still has not dropped out of the presidential race,
but after Dole won enough convention delegates to assure his
nomination, Buchanan asked his supporters for advice about a
third-party candidacy. On the interview program, he said his
supporters were "very divided over what we ought to do" but he
added that a third-party run would hand the election over to
Clinton and should be motivated by something "more than simply
ego or bruised feelings."
   Asked if he would bolt the Republican Party, which he said he
has served "my whole life," should Dole name a pro-choice running
mate, Buchanan, who ardently supports the right to life,
anti-abortion position, said "the only realistic one" would be
retired General Colin Powell, who previously has said he is not
interested in running.
   But "that would create a real stir at the Republican Party. I
think he would have someone nominated against General Powell on
the floor," Buchanan added. Avoiding a direct response when asked
if he could or would support a Dole-Powell ticket, Buchanan said,
"I'm going to that Republican convention as a Republican. I hope
to leave as one."
   He also said he does not know at this time if he is going to
speak at the August nominating convention, or if he does, whether
he will be allotted time during prime television hours.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   THE INTERNET -- NEWEST TOOL IN THE POLITICIAN'S KIT
   By Judy Aita

   While political consultants see the Internet as peripheral to
local campaigns, their candidates have been able to get on the
World Wide Web at little or no cost -- either by letting amateur
computer enthusiasts volunteer to design web pages, or through
the largess of businesses or educational institutions which let
candidates have time and space on existing sites.
   But the national political committees see the Internet as part
of their total communications program. They have hired small
staffs to coordinate and edit what goes on their web pages; they
have retained companies to manage their web sites.
   Linda Sinoway of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) said
"we do view it as a serious communications tool. However, at this
point it is not a major communications tool the way television
is, radio is. We view it as an emerging technology that will be
where radio and television are in a couple of years."
   "With some audiences it is already a major communications
tool, especially for college students, where 90 percent of them
have free access to the web and use it all the time," Sinoway
said. "They are getting comfortable using the web and the whole
Internet as a tool to get their information, to interact with
people.... As they get older, the Internet is definitely going to
grow."
   Sinoway, who is editor of the Democratic National Committee
(DNC) web site, said that people "can get the information, get it
from us directly, unfiltered through the media and they can make
their own decisions.... That's going to be the number one use of
it."
   The Internet also is a "way for people in the states to stay
involved in the campaign," she added.
   Since most of the individual state Democratic parties are
"on-line," communication has become easier, Sinoway said. Press
releases and other information on the web site can be accessed
quickly and cheaply rather than using the mail or faxes.
   People can volunteer, join the Democratic Party, contribute
money to the campaigns, and make their opinions known to the
committee on-line. DNC staff members then get in contact with
those who sign on and match them with local committees, Sinoway
pointed out, adding "It's exceeding our expectations."
   Sinoway acknowledged that the Internet is "a political tool in
its infancy" that has unexplored potential beyond being a
super-postal service. One exception, she said, is the belief by
some political analysts that House Speaker Thomas Foley was
defeated in 1994 by a negative "counter campaign" on the
Internet.
   "There will be those types of counter campaigns around the
higher profile candidates" in 1996, Sinoway predicted.
   "Candidates should do a web site so they look like they're
part of the times, the new technology, and the future is not
getting by them. But at the same time they should not put a lot
of their communications resources into it," Sinoway said.
   "A web page can take a lot of money and staff time...but
candidates should make sure somebody is paying attention and
keeping their page fresh as well as monitoring what's going on
out there because they don't want to be blind-sided by an
Internet attack," she said.
   But the key reason to be part of the web, Sinoway said, is
"because everything changes so quickly, everybody -- whether its
television, radio, newspapers or political parties -- wants to be
able to control what's happening and how they are going to be
affected" by the Internet.
   "Which is one reason we've gotten involved -- we want to
determine how politics are done over the Internet. We don't want
other people deciding that for us," Sinoway said.
   "We are very happy we invested the resources into this. It is
nice to know that at least in one medium you're getting your
message directly to voters completely unfiltered through the
press," she added.
   The analysis was similar at the Republican headquarters, where
Virginia Hume of the Republican National Committee (RNC) said
that "the Internet's great for us."
   "There's synergy between our overarching communications plan
and the Internet because the whole foundation of our
communications strategy is to find ways to deliver information to
voters unfiltered by traditional media gatekeepers and to do it
as cost effectively as possible," Hume said.
   "We have astronomical fax costs getting thousands of releases
to the press and our network of spokespeople all over the
country, and the Internet is a much less expensive way to reach a
lot of people," Hume said. "It also enables us to put a lot of
information -- such as ten-page backgrounders on welfare reform
-- where people who seek that information can find it."
   "There is a grass-roots activation aspect to the Internet
because the people who are naturally your base are always looking
for information, ways to get the message out about Republican
ideas, policies, legislation, etc. And this is a great way for us
to supply it to them," she said. "So we love it."
   "At this point, the Internet's first function is not a tool to
attract new voters or activate new volunteers, although it can be
and I'm sure it is in some instances," Hume said. "It is
primarily a way to inform, give factual information to somewhat
sympathetic people who are seeking that information. I can't
possibly exaggerate how important that is to us," Hume said.
   "We never really saw the Internet as a revolution necessarily;
there was more of an evolution. It is another way to add to our
television show, which we broadcast every week, to our magazine
'Rising Tide,' which comes out every two months, our weekly
Monday briefings and get information to consumers," Hume said.
   "The Internet is just another great way to do that and a great
benefit because it is so cost effective," she added.
   "Internet addresses have worked their way into people's
vernacular in terms of being on business cards, stationery,
advertisements, so it is important, but I don't think anybody
should give up other marketing tools" for the Internet, she said.
   The RNC also likes the so-called "chat rooms," the web sites
where candidates can "talk" directly with individuals by typing
on a computer, Hume said.
   "We found in 1992 that we were trying to dictate ideas from
the top down and we didn't do very well in the presidential
election, so soliciting ideas and thoughts from the bottom up is
a great idea for us," she said. "We don't want to be in an ivory
tower."
   "We have our own chat room; we have a very interactive
site...'guest book' comments have wound up being a great way to
gauge how people across America are feeling about any particular
issue," Hume said. "The thousands of comments are looked at by
everyone at RNC headquarters, and we take it really, really
seriously."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   POLLING PRISMS

   -- The latest survey by CNN/USA Today/Gallup, this time of 856
adults nationwide, shows Clinton retaining a 20 percent margin
over Dole, 58-38 percent. With possible third party candidate
Ross Perot added to the equation, Clinton still finishes ahead of
Dole, 47-32 percent, with Perot receiving 19 percent. In the same
survey, 49 percent of the respondents believe the Republican
Congress has been a failure, while 43 percent see it as a
success.
   -- The Center for Policy Alternatives commissioned a poll of
1,200 voters between the ages of 18 and 24 and reports that
Clinton leads Dole by a margin of 48-31 percent. Also, 38 percent
of the young voters identify themselves as Democrats while only
30 percent do so as Republicans.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   JOURNALISTIC JUXTAPOSITIONS

   -- U.S. News and World Report columnist Michael Barone: "Why
are voters willing to settle for Clinton? One reason is that he
is finally showing the sense of command voters want in a
president. For more than two years, he seemed to be following the
lead of Democratic congressional leaders, then the first lady,
then Newt Gingrich. But his vetoes of the Republican budget and
welfare reform bills, plus his foreign policy leadership, have
made him appear to be in charge."
   -- Syndicated columnist George Will: "Regarding foreign
policy, the country is safer than at any time since the 1920s.
The stakes of politics were lowered by the end of the Cold War.
The electorate's standards have been lowered, too. That is one
reason why Clinton is president, and why Dole's strengths of
experience, integrity and character may have less salience than
he hopes they will in the contrast with Clinton. However, the
country also is more conservative than at any time since the
1920s, so the conservative party's candidate has an advantage
Dole has barely begun to exploit."
   -- Roll Call editor Morton Kondracke: "If Dole is elected,
it's likely that policy toward Russia will be marginally tougher
than it's been under Clinton, but policy toward China will be
less tough. Dole indicated that he would lean on China to stop
selling nuclear materials to Iran and Pakistan, but would not
impose sanctions. However, Dole implied that he would be more
protective of Taiwan than Clinton has been -- even though that
surely would complicate U.S.-China relations.... Like most
Republicans, Dole would be more aggressive in developing missile
defenses than Clinton has been, but administration officials
claim they are willing to extend such defenses to Taiwan and
South Korea soon, should the need arise. Dole's rhetoric aside,
U.S. foreign policy won't change much next year whoever is
elected. That's good."
   -- Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr.: "Dole cannot
disown his record. He and his congressional colleagues ultimately
will have to stand together, and that will include defending what
happened last year. Republicans are feuding a lot in public
because they haven't yet figured out how Dole can do both things
-- defend last year and establish his independence this year --
at the same time. The discouragement among Republicans can be
measured by the revival of talk, especially among moderates, that
only a Colin Powell vice presidential candidacy can save the
ticket."
   -- Christian Science Monitor columnist Godfrey Sperling:
"There remains a realistic chance that a Dole-Powell combination
might emerge. Indeed, one of my sources -- who is working hard to
stir up support for Powell among public officials and at the
grassroots level -- tells me that it 'really now is up to Dole'
when it comes to how this story is going to play out. He says the
'philosophical direction' that Dole takes between now and the
Republican convention will be decisive in determining Powell's
answer.... The general, he says, is as conservative as Dole on
most economic issues. But, he adds, Powell would want Dole to
moderate, not harden, his stance on social issues."
   -- Syndicated columnist Mark Shields: "Clearly, Dole was at
fault in not opposing House Republican excesses last year.
Perceived Republican threats to the environment, education and
the elderly cripple the party today.... Bob Dole deserves much
more from the Republican Party he has served and led than the
narrow-minded, mean-spirited backbiting that has lately been his
lot. The Republican Party could begin with an apology for the
albatross of unpopularity it has imposed upon the man from
Kansas."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   EDITORIAL EXCERPTS

   -- Baltimore Sun: "In a speech that can be properly described
as presidential, Senator Bob Dole has held to his belief in a
policy of normal trading relations with China.... His stand will
not be popular with the likes of Pat Buchanan and Jesse Helms,
who regularly push nationalist hot buttons in trying to goad the
Republican Party toward protectionism.... Senator Dole, in
addressing Asia policy, went a long way toward seizing leadership
on the China question from an administration that rushed to
threaten sanctions in advance of his speech. And to his credit,
he shunned one-upmanship in favor of statesmanship."
   -- Washington Times: "Dole has begun the task of formulating a
Republican vision of U.S. foreign policy. This is not a moment
too soon. For one thing, during the three plus years of the
Clinton administration, Republicans have been mostly content to
react to the president's various and sometimes rather bizarre
ideas and initiatives -- excepting the issue of international
trade, where they have given President Clinton his most important
foreign policy victories.... While elections are not usually lost
or won on foreign policy issues in the absence of a major
external threat or prolonged U.S. international involvement, it
could well play an important role this time around."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CONGRESSIONAL BABY MAKES HISTORY

   A little bit of American history occurred May 10 with the
birth of Susan Ruby Paxon. She is the third baby born to a
sitting member of the U.S. Congress, but the first ever to have
both parents serving in the House of Representatives.
   Next on the agenda for daddy Bill Paxon and mommy Susan
Molinari Paxon is to focus on their re-election campaigns. The
two Republicans represent different districts in New York State.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   REPORT ARMS SMUGGLING TO BOSNIA GREATER THAN ADMINISTRATION ADMITS

   VICTOR BEATTIE
   WASHINGTON

   A published report says at least eight countries secretly sent
arms shipments to Bosnia and Croatia despite a U.N. arms embargo.
The Washington Post says the Clinton Administration took no
action to stop the flow of weapons, an issue which is soon to be
the topic of congressional hearings,
   The Washington Post, citing U.S. and Bosnian officials, says
the arms smuggling was more extensive than the shipments from
Iran and Turkey acknowledged by the Clinton Administration. The
newspaper says Pakistan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Hungary
and Argentina were also involved in shipping arms to Bosnia and
Croatia.
   The previous Bush Administration opposed the smuggling when it
learned of it in 1992. But White House national security adviser
Anthony Lake said the Clinton Administration felt it was
important the Bosnians were able to defend themselves. He said
the United States never engaged in covert activities to support
the arms smuggling.
   A White House spokesman Sunday did not confirm the report but
said it is well-known Iran was the principal supplier of arms to
Bosnia. He said the U.N. resolution creating the embargo required
observance, not enforcement of the ban.
   The issue is likely to become part of the political debate in
this year's U.S. presidential election according to George
Washington University foreign policy expert maurice east:
   "It seems to me that the upcoming election will make this more
of an issue than otherwise would be the case."
   The smuggling issue is to be the focus of congressional
hearings in coming weeks.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   D'AMATO WARNS REPUBLICANS TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE

   JANE BERGER
   WASHINGTON

   Republican Senator Alfonse D'Amato of New York has warned his
party it needs to be more inclusive and tolerant to win the 1996
presidential election. Senator D'Amato and unsuccessful
presidential contender Pat Buchanan discussed the issue Sunday in
a U.S. television interview (NBC Meet The Press).
   Senator D'Amato said the Republican Party's conservative stand
on social issues during the 1992 presidential race sent the wrong
message to some Americans and frightened many others.
   Mr. D'Amato's comments came after he sharply criticized some
of his Republican colleagues in Congress for their harsh
rhetoric, including proposals for sharp cuts in health care and
environmental programs. The senator also said Mr. Buchanan should
refrain from trying to impose his personal views on others.
   Senator D'Amato said the party's middle-American political
base is moving farther and farther from its financial base, which
he identified as lobbyists, corporate contributors, and country
club Republicans. He said the party needs to return to its
traditional themes and be tolerant of those with differing views:
   "I believe that if we were to go back to the themes that
people want smaller government, less spending, cutting taxes, let
us do by way of action and put those forth, a better criminal
justice system. We have the capacity to enact these laws, and if
they are not enacted, they will only be stopped by a 1Democratic
filibuster in the Senate or by the president vetoing this
legislation. And that is the kind of thing we should be doing. Do
not get into these questions as it relates to the moral fiber and
issues because people have a right to be different, to have their
own view, and they do not want a party that is going to impose
some kind of moral standards on individuals."
   In a separate interview, television commentator Pat Buchanan
said he does not believe the Republicans should change their
official stand on moral issues, including absolute opposition to
abortion and an increase in homosexual rights. Mr. Buchanan said
pro-abortion Republicans have lost the battle to change the party
position, and he said he believes the presumptive presidential
nominee, majority leader Bob Dole, will support a pro-life or
anti-abortion position:
   "There was a very orchestrated attack about two weeks ago on
the right-to-life plank (position), and one after another
governor came out saying we are going to take it out. And Senator
Dole had remained silent, so it looked like we were going to have
to fight this out all over again. But I do think in the last week
we have won the battle. I think the other side has gone pretty
silent. I do not think they have the votes in the platform
committee. I do not think they have the votes on the floor. I
think Senator Dole ultimately will side with us."
   Mr. Buchanan indicated he is leaning against an independent
presidential candidacy. He said unless the Republicans make a
sharp turn toward the left, he expects to remain in the party.
   On another matter, Mr. Buchanan called for Senator Dole to
oppose renewal of most-favored-nation trading status for China,
which lowers U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports. Mr. Buchanan said
he does not want a confrontation with China, but he said Beijing
should be punished for its continuing human rights violations,
for selling nuclear technology to Pakistan, and for stealing U.S.
intellectual property.
   Senator D'Amato said he too, believes China should be firmly
warned if they continue to ignore bilateral trade agreements, MFN
status will be discontinued.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CLINTON POLITICS

   DEBORAH TATE
   WHITE HOUSE

   President Clinton continues to maintain a comfortable lead in
public opinion polls over Senate majority leader Bob Dole, his
presumptive Republican challenger in November's presidential
election. But with the vote six-months away, Mr. Clinton and his
campaign are not leaving anything to chance.
   President Clinton has yet to formally announce his candidacy
for re-election, but his campaign office in Washington is in full
operation.
   Although Mr. Clinton wants to put off for as long as possible
the appearance of looking like a candidate, his re-election
strategy is clear.
   Beginning last year, Mr. Clinton moved toward the political
center, and embraced the Republican goal of a balanced budget.
   He has seized traditionally Republican issues, like family
values and responsibility, themes he discussed in a commencement
address at Pennsylvania State University last week:
   "The teen mother who leaves school for a life on welfare, a
father who walks away from or abuses a family, a criminal who
preys upon the rest of us, the neighbors who turn their backs on
the children in need, I say to you we cannot tolerate this
anymore if you really want your vision of the 21st century to
become real."
   Vision, that is a word Mr. Clinton uses in most of his
speeches now.
   As Republican Senator Bob Dole struggles to express a coherent
vision in his campaign to unseat the president, Mr. Clinton
spells out his own, as he did in his penn state speech:
   "My vision is pretty simple and straightforward: I want an
America in which all Americans without regard to their race or
their gender or their station in life, who are willing to work
hard have a chance to live out their dreams. I want an America
that remains the world's strongest force for peace and freedom
and prosperity. And I want an America that is no longer being
driven apart by our differences, but instead is coming together
around our shared values and respect for our diversity."
   He argues his policies can bring Americans together, while
those being proposed by Republicans will drive a wedge between
Americans. He portrays Republicans as extremists for their
efforts to reduce spending on education, the environment, and
government health insurance for the poor and the elderly.
   As Mr. Clinton goes on the offense against Republicans, his
campaign is quick to play defense against Republican attacks.
   Last month, for instance, a day after Mr. Dole criticized Mr.
Clinton's judicial appointments as judges who coddle criminals, a
television commercial aired around the country touting the
president's record on fighting crime.
   Mr. Clinton is also ready to defend himself against personal
attacks. The president, for example, is sometimes ridiculed for
his tendency to show his emotions and talk about his feelings.
   At a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Washington
last week, the president responded:
   "The other thing we have got to have is a little bit of heart.
You know, they make fun of me sometimes. They say Bill Clinton is
too emotional, he feels your pain, and all that kind of stuff.
When they lay you down for the last time, what are you going to
remember? You wish you spent a little more time at the office?
No. You are going to think about your children, your family, the
people you liked, the people you loved, how it felt to learn and
experience things for the first time, the music that made you
feel alive and big. That is what makes life worth living."
   So far, the Clinton strategy appears to be working, with the
president maintaining his lead over Mr. Dole in opinion polls.
   But the election is still six-months away, and the Clinton
campaign acknowledges approval ratings can change dramatically
during that period of time.
   At this time four-years ago, President George Bush was
16-percentage points ahead, he then went on to lose the election
to Mr. Clinton.
   So President Clinton is urging his fellow Democrats not to
become complacent.
   It is an appeal he repeated at the DNC fundraiser last week:
   "If you want this to come out in a way that you believe in,
then you have leave here tonight committed to doing everything
you can to reach every friend, every neighbor, every person you
come in contact with, to try to convince that person that this is
the road we should walk together into the 21st century."
   Mr. Clinton's deputy campaign manager Ann Lewis puts it
another way, telling "The New York Times", in her words, you do
not win the campaign for votes in the fall if you do not win the
campaign for public opinion first in the spring.
   ---------------

   ---------------
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