Janet Reno AND Pundit Pap for December 1st 1997

AN AMERICAN POLITICS DOUBLE FEATURE -- DAILY COMMENT & PUNDIT PAP
Janet Reno — Relentlessly Implacable
by Mac MacArthur

Attorney General Janet Reno
Monday, December 1st, 1997 -- New York (APJP) -- Well, you just have to hand it to Attorney General Janet Reno for staying the course, looking at the facts, examining the law and nixing any further waste of time and money on Republican witch hunts aimed at the President and Al Gore. If a high school student thinking about studying the law needs a heroine - Reno is it. She's tough, she takes abuse with the best of 'em, and she sticks to her guns.

She won't make her announcement today that an independent counsel is out, and not because she is crossing the T's and dotting the I's as the mainstream media would have you believe. No, she'll wait until tomorrow, because (1) the President is away at Camp David on a personal Thanksgiving holiday until tomorrow and (2) she'll do well to wait a day and listen to the venom that will be spewed by the GOP so her statement can be framed accordingly.

Anyone who reads me on a regular basis knows we don't coddle the White House, but this past year of GOP monkeyshines, which promise to only get worse after General Reno's announcement today deserved the unflinchingly harsh treatment we gave it.

Ms. Reno deserves kudos not only for standing by her ethics, but doing so knowing she'll face the wrath of insolent Republican leaders who'll see their bubble of criminal fantasy burst just in time for the 1998 election cycle and just in time for Americans to wake up to the fact that the Elephantine leadership of the House and Senate are prevaricators at best and anarchists at worst -- all for the want of power.

If Democrats are smart, they'll capitalize on Reno's wake up call to America and use the divisiveness of Republicans against them at every turn next season. I can just see the television ads now: "Do you want a nation controlled by taxpayer supported adolescent tricksters who think you're stupid enough to believe their lies."

It's rumored that Ms. Reno will also call off the dogs on Hazel O'Leary. We can't confirm that, but it's not a bad idea.

It's an ugly time when men like Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Orrin Hatch (R- Utah) will say Reno can "hide" behind narrow definitions of the law, but not "obscure" the greater need to investigate alleged fund-raising violations by the White House and the Democratic Party during the 1996 presidential campaign.

Hatch and Senator Arlen Specter, along with Senate-Thespian Fred Thompson were voracious mad dogs over the use of telephones at the President's home. Now, like the boy who cried wolf, they're all retreating and out and out lying saying they never thought the phone use was important nor criminal. Well give me a break "your holinesses" - Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Reno spent much of Sunday in her office studying her staff's findings on the White House phone calls. Deputy Attorneys General Eric Holder and Charles Labella were there with the facts, facts which didn't support a dime's worth of expenditure on these tired old charges. Holder, Labella and the task force have recommended against an independent counsel on the grounds that the 114-year-old statute barring solicitation of campaign contributions in federal offices was passed to prevent "shakedowns" of federal employees and has never been used to prosecute federal officials who phone private citizens from their homes or offices for donations.

Republican Senators Phil Gramm and Bob Smith know that only too well, yet Bob Smith scrunched his entire 400 pounds in his chair at the Thompson Committee hearings day after day and lambasted the White House for nothing more than his own treacherous "imagination" could conjure. Smith, who fancies himself as a Presidential contender, ought to try looking in a mirror in a search for two answers: First, is he a hypocrite?, and; Second, is he sane?

Focusing on the phone calls is "much too narrow," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the chairman of the Senate "Intelligence" Committee. Specter, appeared on ABC's laughable "This Week," yet he was the loudest mouth on the subject for months. Now he's switched to a new tack saying that it's beyond the questionable calls, and that president Clinton "personally directed" $27 million in "soft," or unregulated, money into ads promoting his candidacy. If those were advocacy ads, "There is a flat violation of federal election law, " Specter vomited.

Now Specter is no moron, so his lack of truthfulness should be shoved back in his face come election time. He, like many of the more vicious Republican incumbents, is scared to death this entire fiasco will come back to bite him in the polls. He's right. The list of potential "casualties" over the myriad $100 million dollar witch hunts fomented by Republicans could cost them the House and Senate next year. But Specter pushes on, committing hara-kiri all the way.

What's wrong with these people? Well, one answer is years of leadership by Haley Barbour. Newt Gingrich and the like -- arch felons if you ask me. All the time laundering "charitable" contributions and converting them to political use; stealing money from over-eager foreign businessmen in exchange for promises kept or not and who thought rightly that the GOP was up for sale; Then simultaneously accusing the White House of misconduct.

It's enough to make you puke.

Another Hatch fantasy is the "war" that's broken out between the FBI and the Justice Department. Hatch hints that FBI Director Louis Freeh want to continue investigating Clinton -- but that's not the case according to our sources. The reality is that Freeh, like all good law enforcement officers, wants to leave no stone unturned. That's to his credit. But for Hatch to suggest that the Director will resign over what is obviously Reno's best and most judicious course, is preposterous.

Then Hatch goes on to look like more of an ass telling Tim Russert on Meet the Press yesterday, "When you have a squabble between the attorney general and the head of the FBI, you know darn well that there's a reason to appoint an independent counsel and to get rid of the conflict of interest." Sure Orrin, and that's why you should have resigned yourself when under fire for your own malfeasance -- true or not.

Already the GOP has taken to the airwaves and the soap boxes in a pathetic attempt to strike preemptively at what is almost certain to be a moral slap-cleansing from voters in the Fall of 1998. Reno and Freeh, as a team, need only indict Haley Barbour and Newt Gingrich to topple the ugly Republican wedding cake once and for all.

And believe me, they do have the facts and the law in those cases.

Then decent Republicans, and there are many, can rebuild the party.

Hatch, appropriately named I'd say, told Tony Snow of Fox News Sunday that, "There are enough "facts" to lead anyone to the conclusion that crimes may have been committed by people covered by or associated with those covered by the Independent Counsel Act." Yet, when pressed Hatch couldn't come up with a single one.

He seems to be a liar, pure and simple and a disgrace to the people of Utah.

Other suicidal Republicans, hoping to control damage to their own sullied reputations, parroted Hatch yesterday and this morning in their home states and districts. But privately they are shaking with anger and fear over what promises to be revealed -- That the most vocal critics of Clinton/Gore are the among the guiltiest --- not for "probable" or "nominal" illegalities but "actual" and indictable campaign fraud and abuse.

The GOP dirt machine can run, but it cannot hide from American voters.

- Mac Smith

FOX NEWS SUNDAY

Tony Snow
Who else but Mr. Louis Farrakhan would anyone choose to wake up to on Sunday morning? Certainly not me. The entertainingly glib leader of the Black Muslim world seemed to enchant Tony Snow yesterday telling viewers that " I can be used as a tool for peace . . " . That's a good one. But then again maybe he can. Farrakhan announced he was going to Israel to sit down with political and religious leaders -- unfortunately not among them are the Jews -- who happen to run things in Israel. Farrakhan is obviously reaching out to the Jewish community, comparing the same "Abrahamic" traditions shared by Muslims and Jews. Fat chance.

But Snow pointed out, ever so gently, that The Reverend had called Judaism a "gutter religion." Farrakhan said, oh no, I meant the state of Israel has "perverted" the religion by lying, cheating and stealing. Oh boy, that will win him some friends at the Park Avenue Synagogue.

Snow, who has more guts than I -- Did you ever see those goons that "protect" Farrakhan? -- asked him whether his form of Islam was kind of a "watered down" version since he didn't insist that American Muslims go to the Haj. It seemed that his holiness got a bright idea right then and there -- probably thinking of the money he'd make on charter kickbacks -- saying that he hoped to bring 10,000 Black Muslims to Mecca next time out.

Snow also told Farrakhan that UN Ambassador Bill Richardson thinks his trip to Iraq -- another jaunt for peace -- is illegal.

"Well, poor Bill Richardson, who can't shake the hand of a Cuban or Sudanese Ambassador... Lee and Grant had respect for each other . . America has respect for Russia and even Reagan, who called the Soviets the 'evil empire' shook Gorbachev's hand."

Well, even he has a point there.

A quick check shows that Richardson may be all wet on this one -- if he said that - -which I doubt. It's perfectly legal for Farrakhan to take a trip to Iraq, as long as he doesn't leave from the U.S. - which he's not planning to do. The antiquated laws surrounding travel to places where we have enemies has been circumvented for years by students and tourists who go to Cuba via other more-friendly-to-American nations.

Farrakhan, thankfully, will submit a full report to the White House upon his return from tea with Saddam, but isn't expecting to be put on the President's task force on racism -- not because Clinton doesn't want to put him on -- but because people would throw "brickbats" at such an action. Farrakhan rationalizes this by citing his invitations from Ed Rendell, the Mayor of Philadelphia and Bill Daley, the Mayor of Chicago, but forgets to point out that only political shrewdness in inviting Farrakhan to cities with heavy Black voter populations got him there in the first place. he was being used and seems to not realize it.

Snow also asked an interesting, if not inane question: "Can a white man join the Nation of Islam?"

Farrakhan, after some muttering about swearing allegiance to Allah, said Yes, and I'll bet he'll get some off-the-wall takers this week.

The Rev did say something inspiring - "Organized hate is much more effective than disorganized love." How true -- something that the Republican leadership and Rush Limbaugh seems to have learned well.

Snow did have a scoop, at least for me, and that was that Farrakhan is in the midst of fighting cancer. Snow asked him if he was afraid to die. --- The implication being he might go to Hell, I imagine. But Farrakhan didn't pick up on that and merely said, "No," and mumbled something about meeting God on his own terms.

On his potential reconciliation with the American Jewish community Farrakhan said it could only come with "dialogue" but that this won't happen as long as Jews insist he apologize for his anti-Semitic remarks in the past, which, of course, he won't.

That makes sense?

Snow, knowing how to protect his back, also made great hoopla over how kind and wonderful Farrakhan's bodyguards were. Farrakhan gave a version of "you don't have to be paranoid for people to plot against you" story for why he traveled with an army. But if I were him, so would I.

Next up was the Senior Senator of Slime, Orrin Hatch, who peddled his brand of non-truth already steaming over Janet Reno's impending clean slate for President Clinton. The only Senator who makes Jesse Helms look decent.

Hatch was interview "En Banc" by a panel which included Margaret Carlson, and her ever-pudgier namesake Tucker Carlson who, at any moment might be tapped for a live appearance as "Bob's Big Boy" in several locations within the San Fernando Valley. Joining the "Carlsons" was Juan Williams, my favorite Washington Post columnist.

Snow led off asking Hatch whether it's true that Louis Freeh wanted an independent counsel appointed for the White House. Hatch, acting like he talked to Freeh most every morning over bagels, said "Yes, it's true."

But I suggest strongly that we'll all have to wait to hear from Louis Freeh himself on that one.

Snow followed with a statement that Hatch had said Freeh had been "rebuffed" by people at the Justice Department. Hatch dodged that question because he probably made it up in the first place, but did mutter something about "Reno may have done it." Williams butted in at this point, again all too excited about nothing and said "But she told Henry Hyde that she wouldn't decide the matter without first consulting with Freeh, so... you could have a war break out between Justice and the FBI."

As only Hatch can do it, he paused, sighed, and said, "War has already broken out. There are a lot of things that just don't add up. It says to anyone - Why not appoint and independent counsel? Keep in mind Jim McDougal ...and when it came to Nussbaum she appointed an independent counsel because he was counsel to the President. Now we have these fact that show federal law was violated."

Huh? What the heck do McDougal and Nussbaum have to do with the Pendleton Act?

Exactly nothing.

So Williams turns to Hatch and says, "You wouldn't want me to go on a 'fishing expedition' into your business dealings?..." Hah! - that's Williams-speak for "A crook like you wouldn't want Reno prying into your private and probably corrupt business practices based on mere rumor, like they did last time, would you?"

Hatch was open-jawed and stammering by then -- ignoring the thrust of William's question and moving along to talking about "abuse" of soft money being converted to hard money. He actually said, "I wonder how Bob Dole feels about the $3 million they (the DNC) haven't returned yet... " Omigosh - as if Bob Dole could have possibly won if Clinton and the DNC had $3 million less to spend out of about $200 million total.

Hatch also didn't seem to think that the 5th Amendment to the Constitution was very important. He whined about Huang and Trie and about 30 other people who he claims have taken the Fifth to " cover up something." Pleading the Fifth, posited Hatch -- A U.S. Senator mind you -- is "pretty much evidence" of guilt.

Hey Orrin, remember the McCarthy hearings?

You dimwit.

Margaret Carlson, being charming as always, tried to explain to Hatch that campaign laws are so full of holes that they can't be used as the basis for any prosecution and that this is why Reno had to rely on the Pendleton Act, which among stupid outdated laws, is at least understandable.

Hatch then says that Pendleton is "subject to interpretation.

He just doesn't click.

Then Tucker Carlson, whose belt looked like it was about to snap, put the BIG QUESTION To Hatch, "You oppose Bill Lan Lee," he said - stifling a belch - and then went on to pin Hatch to the mat with the fact that four liberal Clinton federal judge appointees weren't even questioned by Hatch's Judiciary Committee on their feelings about affirmative action.

I hate to say it, but it was a zinger question, although too sophisticated for the audience. Tucker, who stays up searching for mention of his name on the internet, must have stayed up all night thinking that one up. But I'll say one thing for him -- he threw a drink at that pitiful excuse for a human being - Grover Norquist -- last month.

Hatch was visibly shaken by Tucker's question and stuttered, "Bill Lee was the first one I 'spotted' - (as if he were out hunting escaped slaves.) . . but we will be more careful in the future. He didn't understand the cases... blah, blah, blah."

Sure, Bill Lee, one of the most eminent constitutional lawyers on the planet - didn't "understand" the cases? What he didn't understand was Hatch's bitter opposition to giving minorities an even shake when it comes to economic and educational opportunity.

Hatch also said that if the President gives Lee a recess appointment that it will be a "declaration of war" and claimed, untruthfully, that it would be the first time that a president ignored the wishes of a Senate committee. " Who thinks this stuff up? "I think lee would spend most of his time in front of my committee justifying his actions, " sniped Hatch. -- A harbinger of his little girl attitude toward governance.

Snow then asked whether Hatch thought Louis Freeh had any choice but to resign. Hatch avoided answering directly, much as most criminals learn to do, and launched into his tirade about Nussbaum -- again.

There was some boring talk with Secretary Pena on the upcoming Kyoto environmental conference, where attendees are already nervous that Japan will be shut down before they arrive.

Then on to an old face we haven't see for a while - None other than John Dingell, whore to the auto makers, who is one of the few Democrats opposing clean air and auto emission regulations. Of course, Dingell has no power, except through Republicans, so who cares. Dingell actually said that Gore was "scaring people" and that no one really knows the impact of dirty air and global warming . Dingell is out to roll back smog regulations.

Why not, he has to repay his contributors.

Dingell didn't abandon his Democrat roots altogether though. He sort of defended the next Teamster president, Jimmy Hoffa, Jr. this way. "I have to say, no one has charged him with any wrongdoing. We have to let union members elect whoever they choose."

Yes, that's right John.

Snow then asked the panel what would happen for Reno?

Williams: There will be trouble with Freeh.

Carlson, Margaret: "They will keep investigating, given her excessive amount of independent counsels - they are spending twice what they did to investigate the TWA crash."

Carlson, Tucker: "In a perverse way this would be good and it would let Carville get out on TV... and Chung was in the White House buying access - probably for the Chinese government." - Oh brother.

Snow doesn't let Williams answer, but instead poses a new question, " What if Freeh resigns?"

Carlson, Margaret : "His conduct will be really crucial. "

Williams: "That will be very damaging for the President, and Freeh will be pressured..."

Carlson, Tucker: "What does it say when the head of the FBI makes a statement like that...It's an amazing statement that "I don't trust you."

Yes, Tucker, but he won't make such a "statement."

Margaret Carlson took whippersnapper Tucker to task saying that this is just the FBI's usual thing -- let's do more investigating. Understandable. Williams pointed out that Freeh can't tolerate his agents pressuring him.

All tolled it was another meaningless question. Freeh won't resign over this. He, better than most, knows the White House isn't guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors. No matter how much people like Tucker Carlson -- who sends filthy notes on the internet -- wish it were so.

The discussion then moved to the President's Race Council and the statement made by it's Chairman, John Hope Franklin, who because he is totally apolitical, said, "We don't plan to accomplish anything... " A poor political choice, but probably a good observation.

Everyone agreed that the council didn't have enough racists on it. But someone mentioned that the President had appointed Abigail Thernstrom, part of the husband and wife team who think Blacks have it great in the USA.

Margaret Carlson remarked - "Well she'll sell a lot more books." Hah! Touché Margaret.

The recess appointment of Bill Lan Lee came up and only nitwit Tucker Carlson said Clinton would not defy the light-brained Orrin Hatch because "He (the President) has never stood behind a single nominee." Talk about an outrageously stupid and incorrect statement. First of all it's pretty well known that the President WILL appoint Lee despite and to spite Hatch. Hatch will have his own problems keeping his constituents from lynching him next year and that's why he's is running around saying "how much he likes and respects Lee." Even a child would see that as a sign that Clinton has already told Hatch he going to make the recess appointment.

Again, for the fourth week in a row, Tony Snow played the race card this time jocking it up with Tucker Carlson over "cloaking" racial preferences as affirmative action. Williams came unglued -- in a too-friendly way -- and said "What are you guys talking about?" and then Margaret Carlson jumped in as a kind of calmer and said the Republicans better come up with something to replace it (affirmative action) -- and she's so right. Even Tucker backed off saying that what Williams and Margaret Carlson were implying was true - but no one heard him because Snow was sort of shouting over him. Poor Tucker.

Snow's closing thoughts -- a kind of -- "What Thanksgiving Means to Me" qualified for an A+ in elementary school and a lofty place in the Snore Museum.

THE MCLAUGHLIN GROUP

John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin was at it again and doing a good job of making the Iraq hawks look like the idiots they are. By the way, a reader -- after reading my column Friday about Iraq, cancelled his subscription. Sadly, Harry Fagan, "cyber-senior" can't see the forest for the trees." This isn't the first time he's left us, and then come back.

But McLaughlin started with the International Monetary Fund and what he called the "Asian Flu" - a moniker for the economic meltdown of Indonesia, South Korea, and perhaps Japan. McLaughlin warned that a Japanese depression would result in big losses for US business because Tokyo would be able to produce goods far cheaper.

McLaughlin is right about Japan's precarious position, but wrong about them flooding US markets with cheaply made goods. First of all - they already do. Second, Japan has no natural resources of its own with which to make much of anything at all. With their currency being devalued against most others every day, she will have a great deal of trouble purchasing commodity goods for manufacturing.

So John, I'm sorry but you're all wet there.

However, one thing McLaughlin did miss was the close to $250 billion in US securities held by Japan and Japanese interests. If they sell, that will cause a problem. However, the street talk is that this is the last resort for them, inasmuch as US investment seems the only safe place besides certain niche markets in Europe.

Pat Buchanan crowed about the fact that the IMF had not yet gotten its $3 billion appropriation from Congress which might severely curtail their ability to bail out Asia. What Buchanan failed to say was that the money has already been allocated and will be appropriated as he well knew.

Eleanor Clift - sporting a new and "groovy" hair style, reminded Buchanan that we live in a global economy, but Buchanan parried that the Asian bailouts won't stop at $78 billion. Clift said that sometimes we have to bail out the George Soros' of this world in order to help the working family.

A newcomer, Lawrence Kudlow of National Review, was a regular jabberwocky of misinformation. He never stopped talking and made wild claims like "the Dow would go to 15,000."(twice what it is now) . Kudlow doesn't like the IMF. He thinks that supply-side economics is the key to everything, and that Reagan was the second coming.

Kondracke, for the first time, made a lot of sense reminding Kudlow that is wasn't the Reaganites who were responsible for our economic clout, but the Greenspan model, also adopted by the IMF that is the cause for our new-found prosperity. It is also Bill Clinton who implemented that model.

"You lower your deficit and the economy grows," said Mort.

Buchanan, back to ignorance -- which I thought might be gone last week-- claimed the model did not work in Mexico.

Clift kept going on about bailing out big shots and how you sometimes have to do it and McLaughlin cited China, and her serious problems in using only 58% of her capacity.

Kudlow said that was malarkey and trotted out the 10% per year growth in the China economy because they've linked their currency to the dollar and pointed out - correctly - that t Beijing was the force behind Hong Kong keeping its link to the dollar when they were faltering.

Buchanan went back to his cries about high quality goods pouring into the US and killing our economy, but evidently he hasn't read the trade laws which would not allow such a flood -- at least not for long. It's called "anti-dumping" regulations and they are stiff.

McLaughlin posed the question: Will it reach the U.S. on a scale of 1-10?

Buchanan: Now a 2 could be a 5

Clift: 0.5 - "We rely on trade." - whatever that meant.

Kondracke: Wavers

Buchanan actually said "people should get out of the stock market NOW and get into fixed instruments." to which everyone laughed and continued to laugh. By the way the market is up 135 points as I write.

On to Saddam and what McLaughlin dubbed "Palace Intrigue."

You may recall that McLaughlin is a seriously caller for calmness and diplomacy in what he, and I , see as a lose / lose situation for the US should it attack Iraq.

The McLaughlin panel was far less hawkish this week than last. Even Buchanan said the situation is "interesting." Kondracke offered that "Clinton looks great and that the President had forced Saddam to open up the "palaces" - yes, but to the wrong people.

But McLaughlin seemed worried about Secretary of "War" Bill Cohen's statement that a US reaction to Iraq would not be a "pinprick."

"That's code for kill Saddam," cracked McLaughlin.

Kudlow, true to his editorial slant claimed the White House had no clear objective and Clift said it was clear -- a two track policy: Cohen fires up the troops while Clinton pursues diplomacy.

Clift is correct.

Buchanan thought the we should actually "kill" Saddam, but that we will go after weapon manufacturing sites and will kill civilians instead.

On that note, Kondracke re-emerged as the closet hawk he is and said "He (Clinton) is going to bomb the Republican Guard and I hope he wipes them out!"

Great Mort, hang in there.

McLaughlin, over and over again made the good point that how can we unleash our military strength against Iraq when there has not been any actual aggression on their part.

Kondracke seemed to think that we should "punish" Saddam, but McLaughlin countered that doing that is "intrinsically immoral."

Kudlow, becoming professorial started in on the price of oil, which is going down, which to him "tells us that we no longer rely on Middle East oil and that's why we should not put stress on Saddam."

He made a good point.

Then the chat became wild again with talk of Anthrax and chemical weapons which Buchanan said Saddam had no delivery systems for, and McLaughlin said, "...so what, he can just spray it from anywhere," including Israel, who will then "do him in."

Clift argued that the Clinton Administration was no more immoral than when Israel took out the reactors and Kondracke reminded everyone of the obvious - that Saddam would have the needed delivery systems at some point in the near future. Of course, no one mentioned, including McLaughlin this week, as opposed to last, that Saddam could have infected the entire region with Anthrax in '91 and chose not to do so.

In closing, McLaughlin asked for Predictions on the increase in American GNP: The answers were all over the place from Clift's 0.5% to someone's 3%.

MEET THE PRESS

Tim Russert was back with U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson to begin yesterday's MTP. Richardson hung to the Cohen line that Saddam's invite to 117 foreign dignitaries to tour his "palaces" ad infinitum was "unacceptable" and that the inspections must be done by "professionals" -- code for "Americans."

Russert pointed out that this Iraq situation is costing taxpayers "millions" each week. Are you going to set a date certain to go or not go he asked.

Richardson sidestepped the question with, "That's for the President to decide, we believe that force brings stability... now we want unfettered access . . Saddam continues to thumb his nose at the international community ... and if this doesn't work we're not ruling out anything -- code for "I don't know. We want our way. We'll attack if we have to."

Then Richardson made some "tough" statements like "we believe we can achieve our goals and...unless he takes those steps to let the UNSCOM inspectors do their job...we must continue.... the sanctions will stay on, the international community is backing us, the security council is backing us and we believe, in the end, the security council resolutions will be observed."

"Saddam doesn't care about his own people," blurted Richardson, and one gave pause, wondering about his suitability for a "diplomatic" post especially in that the comment was made in answer to a question from Russert about containing Saddam without punishing the children of Iraq.

After that error, Richardson retreated a bit. "We are trying to increase aid, see if the system can work better. Saddam is ready to victimize the children...use them as shields, we are ready to send a message to the Iraqi people that we are ready to help more."

Right now, as I write the Iraqi foreign minister is on CNN outlining what he says is a U.S. plot to keep medical supplies and food away from Iraqi civilians.

Richardson pretended he knew nothing about Louis Farrakhan's planned trip to Iraq and the Middle East but said he thought it should be "sanctioned." " I hope he seeks State Department approval," he added.

Then Richardson said the oddest thing. He said," I don't have the details. The trip would not be helpful because we do not want to send Saddam a different signal from a "prominent American leader." Well. well, well -- wait 'til Clinton and Secretary Albright hear that.

The best was yet to come as Orrin Hatch met Barney Frank in an almost no-holds-barred contest which Frank won hands down, as usual.

Hatch opened on NBC with a statement that Janet Reno needs to appoint an independent prosecutor for Clinton /Gore "...to give the public the idea that politics is not being played here."

After I got up from rolling on the floor laughing, I was in time to hear Frank retort, " That's beyond us . . Anyone who believes you -- should stick to cartoons."

Then Frank whipped out the 20 page letter that the Republican jokels had sent Reno with their demands for her to appoint this or that prosecutor.

ASIDE: Has anyone ever thought that the GOP is making all this up, for the past year, to take the heat off their own people? I have.

Anyway, Frank said the letter was a joke. "Like we gave China Most Favored Nation status because of White House contributors..." he said, adding the zinger that Hatch had voted for MFN to China. Yet Hatch had signed the now infamous letter which basically trashed the Constitution's separation of powers and made demands on the Attorney General who is supposed to be independent of congressional political pressure -- so deftly applied by Hatch et al.

Hatch went back to his sorry song that he thought the phone calls were a "bogus" issue. "We are talking about misuse of soft and hard money, influence of foreigners, why are they taking the 5th . . ," but went on to say he didn't favor the independent counsel statute in the first place.

Talk about confused.

Hatch also brought up the "horrible" specter of an FBI/Justice feud.

Russert asked Hatch just what were the "lots of problems" that would occur if Reno did not appoint an independent counsel. He asked Hatch if he would try to impeach her.

Hatch became all flustered and red in the face at that, and told Russert off for suggesting an impeachment even though he stood silent as his henchmen called for just that only a month ago. He must have read the polls. He then started pulling names out of the air like Bob Litt (?) , one of Reno's advisers, as if he were Rasputin or something.

Hatch, then made another error, he brought up Dan Burton's investigation to which Barney Frank quipped:

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I don't think human beings can give any credibility to any investigation carried on by Dan Burton - Ha, ha, ha, ha! Frank is too much.

Frank continued the devastating assault on Hatch saying that technically Bob Smith and Phil Gramm, both high-profile Republican Senators , should be prosecuted because they have already admitted making fund raising calls from their taxpayer supported offices. He went on to cite Hatch's letter with Hatch trying to stop him in a rather embarrassing way. But Frank refused to stop and went on reading the letter to America underscoring the part where Hatch et al actually tells the Attorney General that Clinton hired John Huang so he could get money in exchange for influence on the China MFN issue.

"There is no substance here . . look at this paragraph where you say that Clinton made a national park in your home state of Utah in exchange for cash from Indonesian coal barons..!"

Hatch totally out of control, for him, said "It's important to investigate foreign money.

Frank again asked, "Did you or did you not vote for MFN status for China?"

"Yes, " said a defeated Hatch.

"Did you get paid for it?," fired Frank.

"Don't give me those crazies letters," plead Hatch -- desperate now.

"Crazy! Is Henry Hyde crazy?!" answered Frank, "You cannot give me even ONE specific that would trigger a criminal investigation.!"

At this point David Broder stepped in, as the wise one, and asked a deflecting question about whether Reno will be perceived to have overruled the FBI, the majority of congress and even Jimmy Carter, who was stupid enough to say a counsel should be appointed for Clinton.

Frank ignored Border, and then charged right back at Hatch, "You still haven't given me specifics," he spat at the now totally frazzled Utah Senator.

Broder again tried to disarm the situation asking about the partial soft money conversions by the DNC of money raised by Vice President Gore. A decent point.

Hatch bit, and said "yeah, that's another reason for an independent counsel. There are so many facts that don't square. You have the FBI saying . . there should be an investigation. Get it out of there. So they won't be accused of playing politics.

AND THEN IT DAWNED ON ME. This has been the strategy all along. The Republicans were trying to storm Reno in a futile attempt to get her to give up what THEY made a hot potato so they could whip the Democrats for four more years with yet another independent counsel which came up with nothing, yet muddied the water for the White House -- but more importantly for the Democrats in congress and the Vice President who is running openly for the 2000 Democratic nomination. Could they actually be that smart?

Hatch, unwittingly had let it fall from his own lips.

Hatch, laughably, said that if Reno dropped the counsel appointment, "the American people would be outraged."

Well, what planet has he been on. The American people don't care, and they say so every chance they get to talk with a pollster.

Hatch and Frank then duked it out on the Bill Lan Lee appointment and the possibility President Clinton will do a recess appointment which won't require Senate confirmation for almost two years

Russert wanted to know from Hatch what would happen if Clinton did so.

Hatch resorted to his old line that no president has ever ignored "the wishes of the Senate, blah, blah."

What arrogance.

Frank stabbed Hatch with, "Gee, I guess the President would be following the constitutional of the United States if he did that, so don't make it out like the Constitutional says the President has to listen to you. You ought to amend the Constitution if you think it's so bad. That's the problem, he should do it more often."

Hatch, weary from the battering he's been getting on Bill Lee went back to "Bill's a great guy" and let it go.

Then Russert, almost in league with Frank tossed this grenade: "Let's talk about Mr. Hormel, the President's appointment as Ambassador to Luxembourg. He's openly gay and some Republicans are blocking a full Senate vote to confirm him even though a Republican-controlled Committee recommended him."

Hatch, a well known, side of the mouth gay-basher retreated helter-skelter under the watchful eye of openly gay congressman Barney Frank saying, "I get tired of that stuff. It seems to me he deserves a full vote of the Senate and he would win. I'm for it."

To that Frank said, "Orrin, when you're right, you're right."

And that was that.

Frank -10, Hatch - 0

Russert's next guest was Joe Klein, Mr. "Anonymous" who wrote the insider book on the Clinton campaign which many in the White House consider a net gain.

Klein told Russert he thought Gore has trouble deciding what posture to take. He is in a very tough position said Klein. I think he was shocked with the press reaction to his "no controlling authority" statement on the fundraising phone calls.

Russert pointed out that even Tipper Gore was shocked at the amount of press scrutiny the Gores have had to bear since the Gore presidential candidacy kicked in after the Clinton swearing in this past January. Klein posed the idea that Gore has always been questionable on political ability, not on ethics. But now that has changed somewhat. Klein also pointed out that Gore never faced opposition in Tennessee and never really had to practice being a politician. He doubted whether Gore could do that now.

One will remember that Klein, in his book, said that even the President once remarked how Gore could have ever gotten this far due to his lack of political skills.

Gwen Ifill, a newcomer on Meet the Press this week, said that in 1988 Gore was fun to be around but that this year he was trying to "re-jigger" and figure out where he fits in. She added that Dick Gephardt is making a speech tomorrow on the "Future of the Democratic Party" without fulfilling his promise to first clear such an engagement with the office of the Vice President.

David Broder defended Gore saying he was great in the debates and in 88, but he had a tough time with the "touchy feely" and is about "as bad as Nixon" relating to people as people.

I have to say, I've known Al Gore since 1984. He's charming and aggressive enough. His problem is just a kind of shyness which he just cannot seem to escape. However, I disagree with the pundits on Gore. Even if he remains "unpolished" and awkward it will end up -- if handled correctly -- as a very big plus for him in 1999 and 2000 as people realize they want a "non-politician" in the White House and not some smooth talking pro.

You can take that to the bank.

Of course, talk at Meet The Press again turned to Iraq.

Gwen Ifill said that nothing has changed. We are still not going to lift the sanctions and the we still cannot get into the weapons sites. But she was right on when she added, "We can only threaten so many times."

Lisa Meyers added that "no one has a plan, not the congress, not the Pentagon. No one can "take him out."

Broder, as is usually the case added some words of wisdom, "... we tend to define this as a crisis - it is not a crisis -- it is a 'condition.' Let me give you a far-out notion - Over time the real relief could come from Iran. There are now some signs of political mediation in Iran - That gives us real leverage with Iraq. But Saddam is such a bad apple - He is not rational. The administration is not going to go for a military stunt - we are going to have to live with it.

Here that Mr. Fagan?

Most of the panel agreed that President Clinton would make a recess appointment of Bill Lee to the Justice Department's Civil Rights section.

THIS WEEK

This Week started off with a far too long interview with meaningless UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. I don't say that to be belligerent, but the truth is, that nothing much counts but what the US, China and Russia -- less so than before -- want. The position of Secretary General is largely ceremonial when it comes to policy formation. However the position is strong when it comes to spending money.

Annan had the gall to quietly threaten the US that it would lose it's vote in the Security Council if it didn't pay up on its $1 billion plus arrears. That was a stupid move unless he first cleared it with the White House. Such a statement will only infuriate Republican oppositionists and will do no good. There is a great bloc inside the GOP which would love to exit the UN permanently. Not a good idea.

Annan did let out one pearl. He told Sam Donaldson that Ambassador Butler - the head of the UNSCOM team will be talking to Iraq this week.

"Public diplomacy may not be what Iraq really has in mind, " said Annan.

Donaldson followed up, "...you suggest that when Butler returns the UN may be in a place to enforce?"

Annan simply replied, " Yes."

Donaldson and Roberts also hosted the team of Arlen Specter and Senator Bob Torricelli of New Jersey. It was "no contest" over the Reno, "non-appointment" debacle. It was no contest because Torricelli is as smart as a whip and Specter could only look tired and more like Nixon every minute. Torricelli said that what we're witnessing is a case of "rationalizing" to find a crime which is not there.

But it was a boring exchange. Torricelli must need Specter's vote on something.

As usual "This Week" broke down in the end with a round table discussion during which George Stephanopoulos, who is getting more annoying all the time, said of Iraq, "He'll get humanitarian aid if he plays by the rules." As if he had a pipeline to the Oval Office, which I understand is currently plugged. Cocky Cokie made an offhand remark that Saddam hasn't been "punished" for throwing out our inspectors and Bill Kristol reminded the group that Saddam had gone in, got the Kurds and emerged stronger than ever.

Stephanopoulos said something about getting more money from oil only if he agrees to give that money to "the kids."

Then "Cokie" egged George S. on saying, "...but still George , it doesn't help," and Sam jumped in with "Will the real George Stephanopoulos stand up!" to which George said, and I swear he said this: "I'm still for assassinating him."

Oh my. And this guy was in a responsible position in the White House? Now that's scary-- In many ways, and gives this writer pause.

Bill Kristol smarter than the young Stephanopoulos retorted "That's a little bit silly" but followed, "We should launch missiles and ground troops. We still have the ability to defeat him and replace him.

I turned off the tape in disgust when they began talking about pardoned turkeys and the problem they'll all have if they have to check their 100 pounds of carry-on luggage.