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                        '96 ELECTION SNAPSHOT
                               VOL.1 #17


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CONTENTS:
   CAMPAIGN '96: STATUS REPORT
   DOLE ACCUSES WHITE HOUSE OF ETHICAL LAPSES
   HILLARY CLINTON'S FINGERPRINTS FOUND ON MISSING WHITEWATER PAPERS
   DOLE TRIES TO BRIDGE REPUBLICAN PARTY ABORTION DIVIDE
   CLINTON ON EMPLOYMENT FIGURES
   MAYOR URGES CLINTON NOT TO VISIT OVER OPPOSITION TO GAY MARRIAGE
   PROFILE: TRENT LOTT
   SENATE FAILS AGAIN TO PASS BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT
   CLINTON AND ELECTIONS: HOME AND AWAY
   CLINTON PRESENTS FIRST-TIME HOME BUYER PLAN
   REPUBLICANS/CLINTON AT ODDS OVER DRUG POLICY
   REPUBLICANS STEP UP CRITICISM OF CLINTON'S HAITI POLICY
   SENATORS THURMOND AND WARNER FACING PRIMARY CHALLENGES
   DOLE AND CLINTON CONTINUE TO WIN BIG IN STATE PRIMARIES
   HUCKABEE BOWS OUT OF SENATE RACE TO BECOME ARKANSAS GOVERNOR
   AMERICAN MUSLIMS SEEK TO INFLUENCE POLITICS IN U.S.
   CAMPAIGN TRAIL TIDBITS
   POLLING PRISMS
   JOURNALISTIC JUXTAPOSITIONS
   PUNDIT PEARLS
   EDITORIAL EXCERPTS
   CAMPAIGN '96: WHITEWATER'S POLITICAL CROSSCURRENTS
   GINGRICH ON ISRAELI ELECTIONS/PEACE PROCESS/CLINTON POLICY
   FREE OFFER FROM PUBLISHER
   =========================
   ---------------
   CAMPAIGN '96: STATUS REPORT

   JIM MALONE
   WASHINGTON

   President Clinton continues to hold a strong lead in U.S.
public opinion polls despite the latest twists and turns in the
Whitewater affair and more aggressive campaigning by his likely
November opponent, Senator Bob Dole.
   The latest poll from The New York Times newspaper and CBS
television news shows the president up by 19-points over Senator
Dole, 54 to 35 percent. The Clinton lead is holding despite the
recent Whitewater-related convictions in Arkansas and Senator
Dole's attempts to score political points on issues such as crime
and taxes.
   This week the president tried to get a head start on the
popular idea of cutting taxes. Addressing graduates at Princeton
University in New Jersey, Mr. Clinton proposed an education tax
credit worth 1,500 dollars which he says would make it easier for
young people to attend local colleges and universities:
   "Nearly every American is within driving distance of a
community college and by and large they are more affordable than
the four-year schools."
   The Dole campaign is considering some hefty tax cut proposals
of its own, even though Senator Dole historically has opposed big
tax breaks, preferring instead to focus on cutting the budget
deficit. Campaigning in Virginia, Bob Dole was quick to cast
doubt on President Clinton's renewed interest in cutting taxes:
   "He says I am going to cut your taxes, I am going to give you
an education credit. Well, there he goes again. Who knows what
taxes he will increase if he should be re-elected."
   Despite his big lead in the polls, some political pundits are
predicting trouble ahead for the president because of the
Whitewater investigation. University of Virginia professor of
government Larry Sabato says the legal and political
ramifications of the Whitewater probe will likely haunt the
Clinton White House all the way through to election day on
November 5th:
   "Whitewater can only get worse for the Clintons because it is
already apparent that the special independent counsel is moving
up the chain, going one step at a time up the ladder leading to
the White House, leading to the president and the first lady,
maybe particularly the first lady. So this is a constant worry
for the Clintons during the election year."
   Another analyst, political consultant Stuart Rothenberg, says
Republicans will do all they can to keep the Whitewater case in
the news. He says Republicans will also try to link it to the
general issue of President Clinton's character:
   "The Republicans argument against the president is based on
integrity leading to a question of public policy. It starts with
"you cannot really trust Bill Clinton; you cannot trust the
administration and he cannot tell the truth." And then it jumps
to, "he will not tell you the truth about what he is going to do
in a second term." So the underpinning of the Republican argument
has been strengthened and they can now go on to make that
connection to politics in the second term."
   Public opinion surveys indicate that American voters do have
concerns about the Clinton's involvement in Whitewater, a tangled
web of financial transactions stemming from Bill Clinton's tenure
as governor in his home state of Arkansas. But for now the polls
show that most voters do not yet regard Whitewater as another
Watergate scandal. In fact, The New York Times/CBS poll showed
that crime and drugs were at the top of the list of issues which
worry voters the most.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   DOLE ACCUSES WHITE HOUSE OF ETHICAL LAPSES

   VICTOR BEATTIE
   WASHINGTON

   Retiring Senate leader Bob Dole, the presumptive Republican
presidential nominee, has lashed out at what he calls the ethical
lapses of the Clinton Administration. Senator Dole called on
President Clinton to apologize hundreds of people, including many
prominent Republicans, whose classified files were obtained three
years ago by the White House:
   Senator Dole, campaigning Saturday in Georgia, scoffs at a
White House suggestion that what he calls a "dirt-digging
expedition" was an unfortunate bureaucratic mistake. Last week,
the White House acknowledged it obtained the secret documents
from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1993.
   Mr. Dole says the people whose files are involved, many from
the former Bush administration, reads like a Clinton enemies
list:
   "I believe President Clinton owes an apology, he owes an
apology to the individuals involved and to all Americans for this
sad invasion of privacy."
   Mr. Dole, referring to the Whitewater and White House travel
office affairs, both the objects of investigations, says it is
part of a series of ethical lapses by the White House.
   The president says he is satisfied the incident was a mistake
made by an army aide trying to update the list of those who
should have access to the White House grounds. Clinton campaign
aide Ann Lewis says the fact the files stopped at the letter "G"
prove it was an honest mistake:
   "If one were seriously trying to carry out the kinds of
searches Senator Dole is charging it would have gone a little
further than the letter G."
   A White House spokesman, Mark Fabiani, who calls the Dole
statement a wild political charge, says the files were never
accessed and have been removed by the FBI.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   HILLARY CLINTON'S FINGERPRINTS FOUND ON MISSING WHITEWATER PAPERS

   DAVID SWAN
   SENATE

   The special U.S. Senate committee investigating the Whitewater
affair has confirmed the first lady's fingerprints were found on
long-missing documents on the matter. However, the White House
says it is pleased by the disclosure.
   One of Whitewater's biggest mysteries is how billing records
from Hillary Rodham Clinton's old law firm suddenly appeared in
the White House living quarters last year. The FBI analyzed
fingerprints found on the papers. The Senate committee's
Republican lawyer, Michael Chertoff, announced the results:
   "There are two fingerprints that have been identified as being
those of the first lady. There are four fingerprints that are
identified as being those of Vincent Foster."
   The White House says Mrs. Clinton did review the papers, but
only in 1992 when questions about the matter first came up, and
not last year. It was also known they were handled by Mr. Foster,
her one-time law partner and later a White House counsel, who
committed suicide in 1993.
   Investigators did not find prints of White House aides or
associates who Republicans suspect of a cover-up. A presidential
spokesman says the findings undermine the Republicans' theories.
Mr. Chertoff says the committee will probe the matter for two
more weeks before delivering a final Whitewater report.
   The analysis did uncover three other previously unknown sets
of prints, all apparently belonging to law firm staffers. And
officials can not rule out the possibility that others handled
the documents at some point. But the committee's Democratic
lawyer, Richard Ben-Veniste, says the findings mean little, or as
he put it, are not the equivalent of a missing murder weapon:
   "So when we look at this un-cover-up, with all the hoopla
about fingerprints and so forth, we find nothing startling is
contained in them."
   The Whitewater affair has heated up in recent days with the
conviction of three of President Clinton's associates on fraud
and conspiracy charges. The fingerprint report may ease some of
the pressure but the case is still under investigation and is not
likely to be settled before election day.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   DOLE TRIES TO BRIDGE REPUBLICAN PARTY ABORTION DIVIDE

   JIM MALONE
   WASHINGTON

   Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole is calling for
tolerance from both sides in the party's divisive debate over
abortion. Senator Dole says he remains committed to the
Republican Party's pro-life platform but would like to see a
declaration of tolerance included at this year's party convention
in San Diego.
   No issue is more divisive for Republicans than abortion and
Senator Dole has taken the first step in bridging the gap between
pro-life conservatives and pro-choice moderates.
   In a bid to reassure some religious conservatives, Senator
Dole says he will not seek or accept a retreat in the party's
pro-life plank in the Republican platform. But he also says he
would like to recognize the difference of opinion within
Republican ranks with a declaration of tolerance aimed at
appeasing pro-choice moderates who are threatening a fight over
the abortion issue at the party convention in August:
   "We hope to have a plank in our platform that will reach out
to all Republicans so everybody will understand that we can have
diversity in our party and still reach out to people who have
different views."
   At least one prominent pro-choice Republican is encouraged by
the Dole statement.
   New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman is one of several
influential Republican governors who would like to moderate the
existing pro-life language in the party platform which calls for
a constitutional ban on abortion:
   "He (Dole) is the nominee of the Republican Party. He wants to
be president of the United States. He understands that within our
party there are many good and caring conscientious people who can
and do disagree on the issue of choice (on abortion) and he wants
to reach out and make sure that they understand that there is a
place for them in this party."
   At the White House, President Clinton says he welcomes all
efforts to calm the rhetoric on abortion. But he warns that sharp
differences remain between the two major parties on the abortion
issue:
   "But when you lower the rhetoric, the stark difference in
policies remains there. He (dole) is in favor of a constitutional
amendment to ban abortion and I am not. So there is a real
difference there that I do not think can be papered over. But I
think anything that restores civility in this debate is a
positive thing and I applaud him for saying that."
   Senator Dole's suggestion also received a boost from the
influential head of the Christian Coalition, Ralph Reed. Mr. Reed
says the statement on tolerance might be acceptable to religious
conservatives in the Republican Party if it recognizes the
diversity of opinion on issues other than abortion as well.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CLINTON ON EMPLOYMENT FIGURES

   JILL MOSS
   WASHINGTON

   President Clinton has hailed Friday employment reports as a
sign the economy can grow without sparking inflation. The Labor
Department says 348,000 non-farm jobs were added to the economy
in May, more than twice what analysts had expected. Meanwhile,
the unemployment rate rose two-tenths of one percent last month,
to five-point-six percent, due to an expanding labor force. The
better-than-expected job growth could prompt the U.S. central
bank to raise interest rates next month.
   President Clinton told reporters in a rose garden briefing
that may's surge in job creation further proves the U.S. economy
can thrive without sparking inflation.
   However, the U.S. central bank, known as the Federal Reserve,
or "Fed", is likely to view the positive employment report as a
sign inflation is rising, thus prompting a hike in interest
rates. President Clinton says this is not necessary because there
is no sign of inflationary pressures:
   "There is no evidence of inflation in this economy. These jobs
are being created by the productivity of American businesses and
the American work force. The fed will now have a month to
evaluate this, they don't meet until next month some time, and if
they see that we are producing this level of job growth with no
inflation, then I would think that interest rates should stay
down."
   The Federal Reserve's policy-setting committee meets on July
second. Analysts say officials could elect to increase the
federal funds rate on overnight bank loans by as much as one-half
point.
   President Clinton also downplayed the effect the jobs report
has had on the financial markets. Share prices are lower on wall
street amid investor fear of a future interest rate hike. The
president said Wall Street takes its direction from the economy,
and that since he took office, the dow index has gained about
two-thousand points.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   MAYOR URGES CLINTON NOT TO VISIT OVER OPPOSITION TO GAY MARRIAGE

   DAVE BORGIDA
   WHITE HOUSE

   President Clinton is defending his record on homosexual rights
but insisting he will not change his opposition to same-sex
marriages. The issue came up during a brief session with
reporters Friday because the mayor of San Francisco, California,
where there is a large homosexual community, is urging the
president to cancel a planned appearance there this Sunday.
   Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco is urging the president to
cancel his appearance to avoid possible protests by the city's
active homosexual community, which is angry about the president's
opposition to same-sex marriages.
   The president supports pending legislation in Congress that
defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Final
approval of the legislation would make homosexual couples
ineligible for various federal benefits granted to heterosexual
married couples.
   Asked if he would take Mayor Brown's advice to avoid the city
this weekend, President Clinton praised the Democrat but said he
had no plans to cancel his visit or change his views on same-sex
marriages:
   "I believe the record is clear, I don't think any president
has ever been more sensitive to the fundamental human concerns or
the legitimate interests of gay Americans than I have and I have
been roundly criticized for it in many quarters. But from the
time I ran for office in 1992, I expressed my position on the
whole concept of marriage and the law, that is, it has been my
position all along, I can't change that position, I have no
intention of changing it."
   In an upcoming issue of "The Advocate," the self-described
national gay and lesbian newsmagazine, the president says he
believes marriage is an institution for the union of a man and a
woman. In an interview, he says he is proud of his record in
ending discrimination against homosexuals and proud that he has
more openly homosexual individuals serving in appointed positions
than in any previous administration.
   But regarding the controversy surrounding homosexuals in the
military, which erupted early in his presidency, the president
says, in his words, "there are some things I think I should have
done differently." He says he now believes he needed to build a
broader consensus on the issue before moving forward.
   The president initially wanted to unconditionally lift the ban
on homosexuals in uniform, but strong political and military
opposition forced him to craft a compromise, called the "don't
ask, don't tell" policy. It allows homosexuals to remain in
uniform, but many homosexual rights groups charged it fell short
of the full acceptance they sought. They charged the president
was backing away from his pledges to them in order to attract
more politically-conservative votes.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   PROFILE: TRENT LOTT

   DAVID SWAN
   SENATE

   On Tuesday, Bob Dole is leaving the U.S. Senate to become a
full-time presidential candidate, which means his fellow
Republicans will need to elect a new majority leader. They are
likely to choose Senator Trent Lott of (the southern state of)
Mississippi.
   Mr. Lott spent 16 years in the House of Representatives and
moved to the senate in 1988. As assistant Republican leader, he
runs things when Mr. Dole is away.
   Mr. Lott is now poised to succeed Mr. Dole, bringing a new
generation and new style of leadership to power. He and House
speaker Newt Gingrich are products of the young conservative
movement in the Republican Party, which gradually turned congress
to the right and eventually ended years of Democratic control.
   Like many of his colleagues, Mr. Lott is considered less prone
to compromise and more of a hardline partisan than older
Republicans. Still, his opinions on many key issues are much like
his predecessor's. Both he and Bob Dole would amend the
constitution to balance the federal budget. Says Lott:
   "It is the only way that we have that I have seen to pull our
children and our grandchildren out of the sea of government debt.
It's the only means we have to force government to live within
its means."
   On foreign affairs, Mr. Lott often clashes with the White
House and sometimes other Republicans. In a split with Senator
Dole, he refused to give even grudging support to the use of
American troops to keep peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
   Mr. Lott also voted to lift the arms embargo on Bosnia and
limit U.S. military action in Haiti. But he may go along with the
Clinton Administration on another matter, 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."
   Mr. Lott inherits a Senate where little has been done in the
past several weeks. With Mr. Dole running for president and
Democrats doing their best to thwart him, neither side has had
much luck in pushing its priorities through. Democratic leader
Tom Daschle says the change in the guard could help break the
logjam, and perhaps make it possible to move the bills that have
been stalled:
   "I have enjoyed my relationship with Senator Lott. I know him
well enough to know that I can work with him and I would hope
that we could get a lot of things done. I would like to see real
progress on a number of these issues. If we can take presidential
politics at least in part out of the daily Senate agenda I think
there's a real possibility we could do some things."
   Even with the presidential race moving off Capitol Hill, Mr.
Lott is taking over amid the heightened political pressure and
tight work schedule of an election year. He also faces the
challenge of replacing Mr. Dole, one of the party's most
respected figures and the only leader many Senate Republicans
have known.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   SENATE FAILS AGAIN TO PASS BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT

   DAVID SWAN
   SENATE

   The U.S. Senate has once again failed to pass a constitutional
amendment to balance the nation's budget and do away with the
annual federal deficit in the next several years.
   The amendment failed when it reached the Senate floor in March
of last year. Majority leader Bob Dole knew it would win even
fewer votes this time. But the Republican presidential contender
hopes to win by losing, to show the voters he wants to balance
the budget and convince them President Clinton does not.
   In one of his final appearances on the Senate floor, Mr. Dole
said ending deficit spending is the most crucial thing congress
can do for the country:
   "And I'm hopeful that if it doesn't happen today, it'll happen
maybe later this year. Maybe next year, the White House will not
lobby against it. Maybe somebody'll be there to lobby for it."
   Sixty-four senators voted for the amendment, with just 35
against, which was not enough for the needed two-thirds majority.
Opponents charge the plan would do nothing by itself to balance
the budget, but would leave hard decisions to congress, and would
take years to put into effect.
   In a long, colorful speech, democratic Senator Robert Byrd
denounced the amendment as a gimmick, and sarcastically likened
the plan to a case of religious fakery:
   "Come on in, politicians! Come on in! Walk the sawdust trail!
Get baptized in the holy water of the balanced budget amendment.
Hallelujah, come in! And then go about your business, go on about
your business and sin, sin, sin."
   While both parties are committed to a balanced budget in
principle, they remain at odds on the massive spending cuts the
plan requires. President Clinton says the two sides should go
back to work, settle whatever issues they can, and let the voters
decide the rest:
   "Whatever happens in that vote today, the Congress ought to
come back, pass the savings we have in common, give the American
people a balanced budget, take the differences between them and
then take that to the voters in November. Let the voters resolve
the differences."
   The White House says it will ask Republicans to resume the
budget negotiations that broke off earlier in the year, but that
talks would not start until after Mr. Dole leaves the Senate.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CLINTON AND ELECTIONS: HOME AND AWAY

   DAVID BORGIDA
   WHITE HOUSE

   Election fever is gripping the Clinton White House this month.
While the president's own re-election campaign is picking up in
intensity, significant elections have taken place in Israel and
are to take place June 16th in Russia. Despite the loss of Shimon
Peres, the preferred U.S. choice for Israeli Prime Minister.
There is at least publicly a sense of confidence at the White
House that, when June gives way to July, everything will turn out
just fine.
   For the president's key domestic and foreign policy advisers,
June is the political equivalent of the last month of the world
cup and Olympics happening all at once. Few at the White House
can remember a month when so much of such historic political
consequence would be determined.
   The election of Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel's prime minister
has ignited new focus on the Middle East peace process here.
After the election, President Clinton spoke with him, and also
sent letters to Arab leaders to reassure them of his continued
support for the peace process. There are reports he will meet in
the weeks ahead with Mr. Netanyahu and with Jordan's King
Hussein.
   The administration view has been that while it supported Mr.
Peres, it is hopeful it can work with Mr. Netanyahu.
   And now, while the president's re-election bid against
presumptive Republican candidate Bob Dole heats up at home, there
is the Russian presidential election to worry about. In less than
two weeks, the contest between Russian President Boris Yeltsin
and his communist party challenger Gennady Zyuganov will take
place. Polls show Mr. Yeltsin has a narrow lead over Mr.
Zyuganov, and that's good news here. But public opinion polls in
Russia are viewed as somewhat unreliable.
   Rebounding from the Peres defeat, the administration finds
itself the target of criticism that it too directly supported Mr.
Peres and is doing the same with Mr. Yeltsin.
   In an interview, Russian analyst David Kramer of Washington's
Carnegie Endowment levels that charge:
   "I think the administration has engaged in too much wishful
thinking when it comes to the Russian election. I think for quite
a while now they have hitched up with Boris Yeltsin much too
closely, have personalized relations. And while obviously you
have to deal with the president of the country, I think the
administration has been too closely tied to him and as a result
has assumed that Yeltsin is going to win and will continue to
lead Russia on a reform path. I think the administration has not
done an adequate job in preparing for the possibility of a
post-Yeltsin Russia. And I think perhaps the election of
Netanyahu in Israel may have been a bit of a wake-up call for the
Russia-watchers in the White House, that they too should consider
the possibilities in case the White House's man does not win in
Russia."
   Clinton spokesman David Johnson reacts:
   "We have dealt with President Yeltsin as the elected leader of
Russia, elected by the people of Russia, and a proponent of
reform. And that's been American policy, to work with reform, on
reform, and with reformers."
   The results of the Russian elections are not just viewed here
in the context of Russia's future. There is a domestic U.S.
political component.
   Should President Yeltsin lose, Senator Bob Dole is expected to
lash out loud and frequently at President Clinton's Russia
policy, repeating the charge made by Mr. Kramer of the Carnegie
endowment and others, that the Clinton policy was tied too
directly to Boris Yeltsin. That strategy by Mr. Dole, well behind
the president in U.S. polls, is expected by White House
officials, including spokesman David Johnson:
   "I fully expect every relationship in the world to be a part
of the political process as the Americans go forward into an
election campaign season and debate how best to deal with our
relationships abroad. It's not going to surprise me at all if
there are speeches about various parts of the world by the
president's opponent in the forthcoming election. But I think
that we have been a good steward and the president has been a
good steward of his responsibility with Russia. We've done a
great deal to assist Russia in the process of democratic reform
and in the process of economic reform."
   Mr. Johnson also notes it is also important to keep in mind
that the administration sees the holding of democratic elections
in Israel and Russia in and of themselves to be solid
achievements that might not have taken place without solid and
steady U.S. support.
   In an interview, the Clinton spokesman was asked if June,
1996, will be remembered as a key month in the Clinton first
term, a time when two key relationships with friends were
re-defined. He offers a diplomatic response:
   "As the saying goes, predictions are very difficult,
especially about the future."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CLINTON PRESENTS FIRST-TIME HOME BUYER PLAN

   DEBORAH TATE
   WHITE HOUSE

   President Clinton has announced a plan to make buying a home
more affordable for working Americans. It is the second time this
week that Mr. Clinton has offered a financial break to middle
class voters ahead of November's elections.
   Under President Clinton's plan, first-time homebuyers will
save an average of 200 dollars in initial mortgage insurance
premiiums for homes purchased with government-backed loans
through the Federal Housing Administration, the FHA.
   The plan is expected to cost about 20 million dollars a year,
and would be offset by savings in other FHA operations.
   Speaking in Washington at a homeownership conference organized
by the department of housing and urban development Thursday, the
president noted it was the second time in two years his
administration has reduced mortgage insurance premiums. That, he
says, along with some streamlining of FHA operations, will make
homebuying more affordable:
   "This will enable FHA to say, 'okay, we did it'. With the 1994
cut, with this cut, with the streamlining, we will cut average
closing costs from 4,400 dollars to 3,400 dollars, to try to make
the dream of homeownership more achievable to young, hard-working
people so they can get off to a good start."
   It is the second financial break Mr. Clinton offered
middle-income Americans this week. On Tuesday, he proposed a
1,500 dollar tax credit for parents of students attending the
first two years of college.
   Republican lawmakers immediately criticized Mr. Clinton's
homebuying initiative as an election-year ploy. They argued that
their balanced budget plan would do more for homebuyers by
reducing interest rates.
   But housing Secretary Henry Cisneros dismissed the Republican
criticism. He says administration policies have increased the
number of homeowners by more than three million families over the
past three years.
   Mr. Clinton says he wants that number to continue to increase.
But as he campaigns for re-election, the president, himself, is
in no hurry to join the ranks of private homeowners.
   He made that clear at an informal outdoor appearance with
reporters, when he spoke about the first home he ever owned
before he became governor of Arkansas.
   Clinton: Do you know how much my first home cost? About
20-thousand, five-hundred dollars, for 1,100 square feet.
   Reporter: It is time for a new one, isn't it?
   Clinton: I hope not. I hope I got a little more time on that
   ---------------

   ---------------
   REPUBLICANS/CLINTON AT ODDS OVER DRUG POLICY

   PAULA WOLFSON
   CONGRESS

   Republicans in the U.S. Congress and the Clinton
Administration are strongly at odds over drug policy. ON reports
at a congressional hearing in which they feuded over the best
ways to combat drug trafficking in the western hemisphere.
   Few states feel the pain of the drug wars as strongly as
Florida. It is the destination of choice for many drug smugglers.
And its representatives in Congress are furious.
   Republican Clay Shaw, whose district lies on the east coast of
Florida, says:
   "The United States has a choice. And that choice is between
saving our children or saving polite relationships with other
countries. The answer to that question is very simple. We need to
choose our children. We need to choose the future of this
country. We must do whatever is necessary to wipe out the illegal
importation of these terrible drugs."
   Next week, lawmakers will vote on legislation to put
conditions on aid to Mexico. A proposed amendment to the foreign
aid budget links the flow of assistance to co-operation in the
anti-drug campaign.
   The leader of the administration's war on drugs acknowledges
that most of the dangerous substances that enter the United
States slip across the Mexican border. General Barry McCaffrey
told members of the House western hemisphere subcommittee that
the Pacific rim and Mexico account for about 70 percent of the
drugs that end up on American streets:
   "Another 30 percent of drugs coming to the country, we think,
comes through the Caribbean corridor. Of that, the biggest source
of threat to the United States we believe is Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands. We have mounted a major operation that we believe
will have some success over the next couple of years."
   Some members of Congress are concerned about the drug related
activities of another Caribbean island, cuba. News reports say
prosecutors in Miami came close to indicting Cuban leaders on
drug trafficking charges a few years ago. The head of the Drug
Enforcement Administration, Thomas Constantine, told lawmakers it
is extremely difficult to corroborate the evidence:
   "We have visual observations. We have tangential information.
But when we get down to trying to put a criminal case together in
the United States where we can make an arrest or secure an
indictment, that is contingent upon having first hand
information, it is like a 'best evidence" type of rule, from
either a witness, from a wiretap, from a consensual overhearing
device, from a citizen or number of citizens who can corroborate
information. That is difficult, in fact, almost impossible, in
Cuba."
   But congressmen of Cuban descent fought back. Republican
Lincoln Diaz Balart of Florida said he has talked to a former
Cuban military officer who cooperated with prosecutors:
   "I spoke with the highest ranking Cuban defector ever, General
Raphael Del Pino, who was before he defected not only the second
in command in the Cuban air force, but in charge of safeguarding
Cuban airspace. He told me that he personally testified before
the grand jury in Miami as did major Florentino Aspillaga,
another defector. And they personally provided the grand jury
with much of the evidence for this indictment."
   During their appearance before the hemispheric affairs
subcommittee, the administration officials sought to downplay
Cuba's role in the drug wars. They said at a time of limited
financial resources, the United States should focus on those
countries responsible for the vast majority of the cocaine,
heroin and other illegal drugs that reach America's shores.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   REPUBLICANS STEP UP CRITICISM OF CLINTON'S HAITI POLICY

   PAULA WOLFSON
   CONGRESS

   Republicans in the U.S. Congress are stepping up their attacks
on the Clinton Administration's Haiti policy. They say the White
House is withholding important information from the legislature
and the public.
   The chairmen of two key congressional committees say the
administration has engaged in a cover-up.
   Benjamin Gilman, head of the House International Relations
Committee, says it is time for the White House to tell the truth
about the political killings that occurred in Haiti after the
return of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The New York Republican says
the Clinton Administration may be trying to hide some potentially
embarrassing evidence:
   "For nearly a year our committees have tried to get to the
bottom of these killings which left at least 22 people dead
before the December presidential elections in Haiti. Responses to
our requests for documents have been unduly slow and incomplete.
Testimony at hearings has been evasive and misleading."
   All the same, Mr. Gilman says congressional investigators have
managed to collect enough information to lead to some disturbing
conclusions:
   "Senior Department of State officials systematically sought to
discredit troubling reports of political violence in Haiti and to
discourage reporting on that subject both internally and in the
media. Administration officials were aware that death squads were
operating even out of the presidential palace under the direction
of key security aides to president Aristide a full year before
this was acknowledged in any congressional testimony."
   Congressman Gilman has sent a letter to the president calling
for the immediate release of all documents regarding political
killings in Haiti. As well as those that deal with the
possibility administration officials tried to tamper with the
activities of intelligence agents in the field.
   The Republican chairman of the intelligence committee, Larry
Combest of Texas, who co-signed the letter, says:
   "We don't feel that we have had the complete cooperation of
the president or the administration by any stretch of the
imagination."
   The intelligence committee has conducted its Haiti inquiry
behind closed doors. But the international relations panel has
held a number of public hearings on the State Department's role
in Haiti. The White House has been asked to send top officials to
Capitol Hill for yet another go-around with the International
Relations Committee on June 26th.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   SENATORS THURMOND AND WARNER FACING PRIMARY CHALLENGES
   By Stuart Gorin

   South Carolina's living legend, 93-year-old Senator Strom
Thurmond, doesn't believe in retirement. Already the oldest
senator in U.S. history, he is running for reelection and would
be 100 years old if he wins again and completes his term.
   Thurmond began his political career in the South Carolina
State Senate as a Democrat in 1933. He later became governor and
in 1948 ran for the U.S. presidency as a "Dixiecrat" or States'
Rights Party candidate -- and won 39 electoral votes. He came to
the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in 1954 but ten years later
switched to the Republican Party.
   The primary election is June 11, and this time around there is
Republican opposition from three candidates, including State
Representative Harold Worley, a businessman who says Thurmond is
"simply too old" and "no longer physically or mentally capable of
service." In turn, Thurmond's campaign denies the charges and
calls Worley a "nuisance" candidate.
   Critics say that as chairman of the Senate Armed Services
Committee, Thurmond is bolstered by a protective staff and that
he is not keeping up with developments in military technology.
   On the Democratic side, the only candidate running is textile
millionaire Elliott Close, who has never held political office.
   Thurmond remains popular in his home state and draws big
crowds to his campaign events. However recent public opinion
polls in South Carolina show that most voters think he should
finally retire, even though many say they will vote for him again
anyway.
   Says Rice University political science professor Earl Black,
"a once safe seat now becomes vulnerable and age is the main
reason. When someone is in his 90s, it would be unusual if age
were not an issue."
   But the Richmond Times-Dispatch says Thurmond represents "the
quandary of many Republicans over the movement to limit the
number of terms a senator or House member can serve" and the
"odds-on betting in South Carolina" is that he will be reelected.
   In Virgina, meanwhile, Republican Senator John Warner faces a
strong primary challenge June 11 from former federal budget
director James Miller. The two have been involved in harsh
rhetoric over which is the "true conservative."
   Warner accuses Miller of proposing spending that would have
increased the national deficit. And Miller says that Warner has
voted on the floor of the Senate to raise taxes and to finance
abortions with federal funds.
   Warner, the three-term incumbent, snubbed the party's state
convention May 31, further annoying leaders who were upset by his
refusal two years ago to support the Senate bid of Iran-Contra
figure Oliver North, and by his endorsement of a third candidate
who split the vote. North closely lost an attempt to unseat
Democratic Senator Chuck Robb, whom the Republicans felt was
vulnerable on character issues.
   North, who defeated Miller in the 1994 primary, attended the
convention to deliver a ringing endorsement of his former rival.
North told the 3,000 convention delegates that "Warner has so
divided the party," Bob Dole could lose the state to President
Clinton.
   The delegates, by a better than three-to-one margin, then
chose Miller over Warner in a non-binding straw poll vote.
   Later dismissing the results, Warner said "They can hold all
the straw polls they want. The one that counts is June 11." Since
the primary is open in Virginia, Warner is counting on support
from independents and Democrats who cross over to vote. Warner, a
one-time secretary of the Navy and a former husband of actress
Elizabeth Taylor, also has the advantage of money, organization
and name recognition.
   According to University of Virginia political analyst William
Wood, "Republicans should be winning. Instead, their bickering
probably cost them one Senate seat, North's, and may cost them
another, Warner's. This is personal and visceral."
   The candidate on the Democratic side in the November election
will be millionaire telecommunications executive Mark Warner, no
relation to the senator.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   DOLE AND CLINTON CONTINUE TO WIN BIG IN STATE PRIMARIES
   By David Pitts

   Senator Bob Dole continues to rack up big state primary
victories. He claimed easy wins in the June 4 Republican
presidential primaries in New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico and
Alabama. President Clinton also handily won the Democratic races
in those four states.
   Dole won more than 75 percent of the vote in every state
except Montana, where he gained 60 percent. Clinton won more than
80 percent of the vote in one state and more than 90 percent in
the other three.
   Most attention focused on the New Jersey Republican U.S.
Senate primary. In this crucial state for both Dole and Clinton
in November, Congressman Robert Torricelli ran unopposed in the
Democratic primary, and Dick Zimmer, a three-term congressman,
easily beat two opponents to win the Republican nomination.
Torricelli and Zimmer will compete against each other in November
for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Bill Bradley.
   National leaders from both parties have indicated they will
provide campaign support and financing for their respective
candidates since the outcome of the race in November is
considered up for grabs at this date.
   In Alabama, the retirement of another Democratic U.S. senator,
Howell Heflin, resulted in a wide open race that will necessitate
a June 25 runoff since no candidate gained a majority. Whoever
wins the Republican race there, however, is given a good chance
of winning in November since Alabama is one of the southern
states becoming increasingly Republican, experts say.
   Noteworthy results of elections in other states June 4 are:
   -- Iowa: Democratic incumbent Senator Tom Harkin was unopposed
for nomination. In the Republican Senate primary, Congressman Jim
Ross Lightfoot beat state legislators Steve Grubbs and Maggie
Tinsman.
   -- Montana: Democratic incumbent Senator Max Baucus was
unopposed for nomination. In the Republican Senate primary,
Lieutenant Governor Dennis Rehberg defeated businessman Ed
Borcherdt and former lawmaker Jack McDonald. In the race for
governor, Republican incumbent Marc Racicot won over law
professor Bob Natelson. Former state senator Chet Blaylock won
the Democratic nomination, beating lawyer Bob Kelleher.
   -- New Mexico: Republican incumbent Senator Pete Domenici was
unopposed for nomination. In the Democratic Senate primary race,
Bernalillo County party chairman Art Trujillo beat lawyer Eric
Treiseman.
   -- South Dakota: Republican incumbent Senator Larry Pressler
was unopposed for nomination; so was Democratic Congressman Tim
Johnson for the Senate seat.
   -- North Carolina: Because no one in the May 7 primary got 40
percent of the vote as required, a runoff took place June 4 for
two House seats. In the 7th Congressional District, where
Democratic Congressman Charlie Rose is retiring, Democrat Mike
McIntyre defeated Rose Marie Lowry-Townsend. Bill Caster beat
Robert Anderson in the Republican runoff contest. In the 8th
Congressional District, newcomer Curtis Blackwood defeated car
dealer Sherrill Morgan to win the Republican nomination to face
Democratic Congressman Bill Hefner in November.
   In addition to the presidential primaries and races for
national office, there were elections June 4 in many states for
local office. These local races normally do not attract national
attention in the U.S. media unless there is an unusual angle or a
famous -- and sometimes infamous -- name involved.
   The most famous name in the local races June 4 was Roosevelt.
In Long Beach, California, H. Delano Roosevelt, grandson of
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), won a seat on the Long
Beach City Council in a runoff election.
   The young Roosevelt's prescriptions for government activism
are more modest than those of his grandfather, however. He
campaigned on a platform of more police and more crosswalks. "The
thing FDR and I have in common, what we've always done in my
family, is we're going to be there for the little guy," Roosevelt
said after his narrow victory.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   HUCKABEE BOWS OUT OF SENATE RACE TO BECOME ARKANSAS GOVERNOR

   After Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker was convicted in the
Whitewater trial and said he would resign, Lieutenant Governor
Mike Huckabee, who automatically ascends to the post, announced
he would drop out of the U.S. Senate race in order to serve out
Tucker's remaining two and a half year term.
   Huckabee won the Republican Senate primary in Arkansas just a
week earlier, and polls had him the front-runner in the November
race to fill the seat of retiring Democratic Senator David Pryor.
   Noting that Huckabee's "personal desire was to stay in the
Senate race," the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette said his decision "to
do what is best for Arkansas instead of what is best for himself
was a ray of sunshine in an Arkansas political landscape darkened
by scandal."
   Republican leaders felt Huckabee's decision could jeopardize
their party's best chance to claim a U.S. Senate seat since the
1860s Reconstruction following the Civil War. They assumed that
Republican Congressman Tim Hutchinson would take Huckabee's
place, but he announced he would not be a candidate for the
Senate, and the leaders were looking for someone else.
   The Democrats will have a runoff election June 11 to determine
their challenger.
   Said political consultant Jerry Russell, who has represented
both Democrats and Republicans in the state, "The Republicans
have been trying to build a credible second party in Arkansas for
a number of years. You can obviously build a party better from
the governor's office than you can from the U.S. Senate."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   AMERICAN MUSLIMS SEEK TO INFLUENCE POLITICS IN U.S.
   By Ahmed Qutub

   Leaders of the American Muslim community, believing Islam to
be the fastest growing religion in the United States, are seeking
to empower their community by encouraging its members to get
actively and directly involved in the American political process.
   "It is of little surprise that our impact, as a community, on
national and local politicians has, by and large, been minimal,"
declared Khaled Saffuri, Executive Director of the newly formed
National Muslims for a Better America (NMBA). In the last
presidential election, he added, not a single national
Muslim-American political action committee was in existence.
   Although official figures on the Muslim population are not
available, Fareed Nu'man, author of a 1992 report on "The Muslim
Population in the United States," estimates the number of Muslims
to be between five and eight million. He said that a total of
5,000 Americans convert to Islam each year, 4,000 of them are
Afro-Americans.
   Saffuri, who is also the assistant executive director of the
American Muslim Council (AMC), considered to be the largest
organization that promotes Muslim causes in America, said that
the creation of NMBA was prompted by the realization of American
Muslim leaders that "political empowerment is driven by three
main factors -- votes, funds and organization." This explains the
purpose of the organization which is "solely dedicated to
promoting issues of common concern to Muslim Americans" and to
"gain friends in Congress," he said.
   "We need to help these friends win in the elections. We need
to support those candidates who share our views on critical
issues. Our sister organization, the American Muslim Council,
succeeded in developing close ties to a number of key
representatives and senators," Saffuri said. "Thanks to our
congressional friends, American Muslims were allowed, for the
first time, to testify before the House Judiciary Committee. We
were able to express our views and concerns before Congress and
the American public."
   What the new American Muslim political action committee plans
to do, according to Saffuri, is to make sure that "our interests
and viewpoints on issues of concern to Muslim Americans are
represented" and that our "political contributions" go to "reward
our friends and make new ones."
   However, he said, the "major objective of the NMBA PAC is to
support all Muslim-American political candidates."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CAMPAIGN TRAIL TIDBITS

   -- Republican State Party Chairmen: State party officials who
attended a closed-door strategy session at the Republican
National Committee (RNC) headquarters reportedly are "much more
optimistic" about Bob Dole's presidential campaign than they were
a month ago. Sources said the state chairmen were briefed about
the mood of the electorate and the campaign issues that have the
strongest appeal among swing voters. Addressing the group at a
luncheon session, RNC Chairman Haley Barbour said the officials
should keep their message focused on policy issues like cutting
taxes, a balanced budget and welfare reform, and avoid being
diverted by the Whitewater scandal. "The jury's verdict speaks
for itself. There's nothing we can add to it," Barbour said.
   -- Dole Campaign Strategist: Republican political operative
Ken Khachigian, who has just been appointed senior national
adviser to the Dole campaign, said one of his main assignments
will be to help the Republican presidential hopeful win
California. President Clinton currently has a commanding lead in
the nation's largest state. Predicting that he will be able to
cut that lead to single digits and force the president to focus
on California at the expense of other states, Khachigian said the
campaign would be hard but fair.
   -- Dole, Clinton "Numbers": Bob Dole says his "numbers" are
better than Bill Clinton's -- not in the opinion polls, but in
the doctor's office. He's talking about cholesterol, blood
pressure and weight. Both candidates have released the results of
their latest medical exams and both, according to their doctors,
are in terrific shape. But Dole's numbers are slightly better.
His cholesterol count is 182, compared to Clinton's 191; his
blood pressure is 104 over 70, compared to Clinton's 126 over 70;
and his weight is 172 pounds, compared to Clinton's 216 pounds.
   ---------------

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

   -- A national poll by Newsweek Magazine May 30-31, shows that
despite the Whitewater convictions in Arkansas, President Clinton
continues to lead Republican Bob Dole by 17 points, but that the
president's number slipped to under 50 percent. By a two-to-one
margin, however, the survey also shows that the respondents
believe the administration is knowingly covering up information
damaging to the Clintons.
   -- According to a May 28-29 CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey,
Clinton's lead over Dole dropped to 16 points from a 20-point
lead reported two weeks earlier. Sixty percent of the respondents
said they believed Clinton is "hiding something" about
Whitewater, compared to 51 percent last July.
   -- Following Bob Dole's announcement that he is stepping down
from the Senate to campaign for president, CBS News asked in a
public opinion poll if the move was a necessary one. By a
two-to-one margin, respondents agreed, instead of believing that
Dole could have still campaigned effectively. However, despite
all of the media coverage, 28 percent of the respondents said
they had not heard anything about Dole's announcement.
   ---------------

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

   -- Human Events political correspondent John Gizzi: "The Dole
campaign hopes that character will be the cutting issue in the
race against Clinton. Dole operatives believe their candidate
comes from a generation that was as good as its word, that had
noble character and values, and that the president from the next
generation has none of them. Dole, however, has had difficulty
talking about himself.... And Bill Clinton, whatever his beliefs,
has demonstrated that he can act and sound sensitive."
   -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer Ron Hutcheson: "Make no
mistake about it: The race for the Republican vice presidential
nomination is in full swing. While Bob Dole focuses on his
November showdown with President Clinton, a host of ambitious
Republicans are locked in a behind-the-scenes battle for the
chance to join the outgoing Senate majority leader on the
Republican ticket. The rules of the game are simple. Rule 1: Act
like you don't want the job. Rule 2: Do everything you can to get
it, without being too obvious."
   -- Washington Times writer Eric Felten: "Mr. Clinton's most
recent effort to reinvent himself along conservative lines was
his declaration that he would sign legislation blocking the
recognition of homosexual marriages. It may have seemed like a
safe ploy to White House strategists.... But in California the
homosexual vote could be the difference between winning and
losing a close contest. Further, in California, homosexuals will
actually have a choice beyond the Democratic and Republican
candidates given that loony-left activist Ralph Nader is running
as the presidential candidate for the Green Party."
   -- New York Times writer Steven Weisman: "The White House's
mixed and even contradictory signals on balancing the budget are
a legitimate issue of character for Mr. Clinton. But so are Mr.
Dole's newfound opposition to affirmative action, which he had
favored all his career, and his shifts in the last year on
environmental issues and budget and tax cuts."
   -- Reuter writer Gene Gibbons: "The conviction of President
Bill Clinton's former associates on Whitewater-related fraud
charges should serve as a reality check for anyone who believes
the polls and expects Clinton to coast to reelection.... More
neutral observers predicted the verdict would hurt Clinton by
reinforcing doubts about his character, which is already under
attack by his Republican foes."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   PUNDIT PEARLS

   -- Democratic National Committee former chairman David
Wilhelm: "The great irony of the 1994 midterm elections is that
an economically insecure electorate, frustrated with the lack of
progress of the Democratic Congress on issues such as health care
and political reform, turned in anger to Republican candidates
devoted to an agenda destined to aggravate that insecurity at
every turn. Is it any wonder that Dole's polling numbers have
dropped through the floor upon his return from the primary wars
as he attempts to shepherd the initiatives of the Republican
Congress on issues such as the minimum wage, the budget and
environmental protection?"
   -- Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist: "After
three years of Bill Clinton, Americans are understandably worried
about their personal economic security.... Last year, Bill
Clinton closed the government rather than sign a balanced budget
that cut taxes for Americans and reformed welfare. This year,
Americans can vote for economic growth and job creation, more
take home pay and more opportunities by electing a president who
will sign a balanced budget rather than spend his time defending
the interests of the trial lawyers, union bosses and the welfare
state."
   -- Democratic political activist Ted Van Dyk: "We are midway
through the campaign year, and the nominating process is over. In
this circumstance, our only option, of course, is to stick by the
Clintons until and unless courts of law move against them.... By
our late August convention, it may well be that the charges and
rumors will have been resolved and put to rest. However, if
disastrous news hits the Clintons between now and late August,
the responsibility of party delegates will be clear. It will be
to call on the president voluntarily to step down and to make way
for a substitute nominee -- logically, Vice President Al Gore,
whose reputation for personal integrity is unsullied and who has
kept full distance from Whitewater and related matters."
   -- American University political scientist Allan Lichtman:
"Republicans today have made the three same mistakes of 50 years
ago: threatening popular programs, seeming to favor the rich and
appearing to favor special interests. Republican leaders are
compounding their errors by urging Dole to run on a platform of
drastic tax cuts. This suicide strategy hands President Clinton
yet another chance to show how Republicans favor millionaires
over ordinary citizens. Clinton has learned a big lesson -- that
Democrats must above all not be seen as the party of big
government. The Republican leadership has yet to learn that their
party must above all not be seen as the party of the rich."
   -- National Patriot Party executive committee member
Jacqueline Salit: "The significance of the Reform Party is not
whether it will spoil things for Dole or Clinton, but whether it
will spoil things for the two-party racket that controls our
government and has run it and America into the ground.... In the
next presidential election, Reform will qualify for a chunk of
those (public fund) dollars and use them, among other things, to
propel a genuine revamping of campaign finance laws. The notion
that Perot will not be a factor in 1996, or that he will simply
stage some kind of rerun of 1992, represents an oversight of
profound magnitude."
   ---------------

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

   -- Washington Post: "The candidates are moving, both of them,
against what we persist in regarding as their own better
instincts toward a bidding war on taxes. Who can propose to cut
the most, even as they chastise one another for failure to
achieve the fiscal order that the cuts keep out of reach?... Or
they say that spending cuts are the answer, the way to make the
math come out. But which spending cuts? You wait for the answer
in vain."
   -- New York Times: "The investment history of Whitewater, the
financial connections between the Clintons and James and Susan
McDougal, and the operations of Madison Guaranty were legitimate
subjects of inquiry among people interested in clean government
and fair law enforcement. At this moment, no one can say where
the inquiry will lead, but it seems beyond dispute that Congress
and the Justice Department were right to begin their
investigations. It can also be said that Mr. Starr, though
unwisely burdened with conflicts of interest, came to court with
a solid case."
   -- Des Moines (Iowa) Register: "Is it too much to ask that the
Whitewater investigation concentrate on the original question?
The question is whether the Clintons engaged in wrongdoing.
Surely a high-powered lawyer like Starr, with a crack staff, an
unlimited budget and almost two years on the case, can begin to
supply the answer. If there's evidence of criminal wrongdoing by
the Clintons, let it be presented. If not, let them be
exonerated. But don't drag it out by prosecuting everyone who
ever knew the Clintons."
   ---------------

   ---------------
   CAMPAIGN '96: WHITEWATER'S POLITICAL CROSSCURRENTS

   TOM MAHONEY
   WASHINGTON

   Last week (5-28), a jury in Little Rock, Arkansas, found
President Clinton's former business partners and the state's
current governor guilty of fraud and conspiracy in a series of
financial dealings involving loans and real estate transactions.
   Independent counsel Kenneth Starr has been investigating this
complex mix of financial, real estate and political developments
known as Whitewater, as have lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
   Even before the verdicts were announced, administration
officials were emphasizing that Mr. Clinton was not on trial in
this case and that he had not been charged with any wrongdoing.
Mr. Clinton was a witness for the defense. During his videotaped
testimony, the president strongly denied an allegation by a key
witness for the prosecution.
   David hale, a former judge and convicted felon, claimed that
Mr. Clinton was involved in a conspiracy to defraud the U.S.
government of 300,000 dollars while serving as governor of
Arkansas.
   Political analyst Stuart Rothenberg says he was surprised by
last week's verdicts. And the editor of the Rothenberg political
report thinks this opens up a whole new discussion of the
Whitewater issue and it raises the political stakes for Bill
Clinton:
   "I think it hurts him in two ways. One, it just changes the
subject. It changes the discussion. Over the last few days, we
haven't been talking about minimum wage or how old is Bob Dole
and how inept is the campaign. We've been talking about
Whitewater and the Clintons and integrity.
   "And the second point is the Republicans argument against the
president is based on integrity leading to a question of public
policy. It starts with, 'you can't really trust Bill Clinton, you
can't trust the administration... He can't tell the truth.' And
then it jumps to, 'he won't tell you the truth about what he's
gonna do in a second term.' so the underpinning of the Republican
argument has been strengthened."
   Emily Rooney, director of political coverage for the Fox News
Service, says she doesn't think Whitewater has taken on greater
significance since the Little Rock verdicts:
   "The Sunday [network television] talk shows all had one
segment or so devoted to it, but I don't think the discussion has
overtaken the American populace to much extent. I mean...I'm
always amazed at how things don't seem to stick to President
Clinton and this could be yet another example of where it won't.
   "It does change the subject permanently, because it will be
with us through the election. But, I fear that people are still
not overly interested in the topic and it doesn't seem to be one
that's really caught their imagination. It goes back to the old
[perception], the worse thing they [the Clintons] did was get
themselves involved in a bad land deal and lose some money."
   Recent polls since last Tuesday's verdicts indicate no
significant change in American attitudes about the president and
his job approval rating. Stuart Rothenberg thinks the public
discounts a lot of this ethics and character argument against the
president. And Emily Rooney wonders how the opposition
Republicans are going to make the Whitewater verdicts an
election-year issue that resonates with the American people.
   Tim Poor, Washington correspondent for the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch, who has covered the Whitewater story, believes
that will be a tough act for the GOP:
   "Until they can show, or the special prosecutor or the press
or someone can show, that the president or his wife did something
wrong, illegal... They haven't shown that. This recent trial
didn't really give us a lot of new information in that regard.
   "There's still just a lot of smoke where the president and the
first lady are concerned and until the fire is there, I think the
public is going to have a hard time buying its [whitewater's]
significance."
   Professor and political analyst Larry Sabato is the author of
a new book, dirty little secrets: The persistence of corruption
in American politics. He believes Whitewater developments can
only get worse for the Clintons:
   "It's already apparent that the special, independent counsel
is moving up the chain, going one step at a time up the ladder
leading to the White House, leading to the president and the
first lady, maybe particularly the first lady. So this is a
constant worry for the Clintons during the election year.
   "The only advantage for them may be that the legal process is
so slow that this may be a post-election event rather than a
pre-election one. Of course it means if (Mr.) Clinton is
reelected, he's in for a very difficult second term."
   Professor Sabato, who teaches political science at the
University of Virginia, points out that this has happened once
before, when Richard Nixon won easy reelection. But later in his
second term, along came the Watergate scandal and Mr. Nixon's
resigning the presidency in disgrace.
   Such concerns prompted a commentary (n Monday's Wall Street
Journal by democratic consultant Ted Van Dyk. He worried out loud
that, depending on Whitewater developments prior to the party's
national convention in late August, democrats should be prepared
to thank Bill Clinton for a job well done and nominate someone
else, presumably Vice President Al gore, for the top spot on the
ticket.
   Larry Sabato says that despite his book's focus on persistent
corruption in American politics, he remains optimistic that
people will work to improve the system:
   "We need to remember that the American system is flexible and
it's resilient and if we choose to focus on the problems, we can
solve them. The mechanisms are there for reform and it's only a
matter of time before we do reform the system.
   Opinions about Whitewater's present and future political
significance vary. But in the larger context of American
politics, it now seems that this subject will remain a campaign
issue until the November 5th presidential election. Less clear,
at present, is the extent to which this matter will affect
Americans' choice of their next president.
   ---------------

   ---------------
   GINGRICH ON ISRAELI ELECTIONS/PEACE PROCESS/CLINTON POLICY

   VICTOR BEATTIE
   WASHINGTON

   House speaker Newt Gingrich says he believes Israeli prime
minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu will continue the Mideast peace
process but will be tougher and more direct than his
predecessors. Speaker Gingrich also took aim at the Clinton
Administration for what he calls its tendency to build foreign
policy around personalities.
   Speaker Gingrich says Israel's desire for security is very
real and he believes prime minister-elect Netanyahu, with whom he
spoke by telephone Sunday, will balance that with the country's
need for peace with its Arab neighbors:
   "Peace has to come with a security component that's real and I
think that (Mr.) Netanyahu is going to do every thing he can to
make sure that progress continues but also to insist that it be
real progress and not just paper documents signed by diplomats
with nice press conferences while people die in the streets but
that, in fact, there be steps taken to try to minimize the danger
to the average Israeli citizen."
   Speaker Gingrich has known Mr. Netanyahu for years and expects
him to be tough, direct and honest in negotiations with Israel's
Arab neighbors and that, he says, may advance the peace process.
   The House speaker also criticized the Clinton Administration
for its tacit support of Shimon Peres for prime minister and
President Boris Yeltsin in his bid for re-election in Russia:
   "Building your foreign policy around a series of personalities
is ultimately very dangerous."
   Mr. Gingrich says while the United States should support
democracy and market reform it cannot pick the leadership of
other countries. He says personalities come and go and may not
pursue the policies they campaigned on.
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