Standing by the man

In 1992, when Bill Clinton had problems with an Arkansas woman who talked too much, he brought out wife Hillary to face down a 60 Minutes questioner and stand by her man. In 1996, with Mr. Clinton in jeopardy of another Arkansas woman's talking too much, he can bring out a much more powerful weapon: the presidential pardon. Four years ago, it was Gennifer Flowers, the former barroom crooner, whose story to the news media almost brought down his campaign. Today, it is Susan McDougal, the Whitewater felon, whose story to a grand jury could bring down his presidency. Perhaps that's why on Sept. 23 Mr. Clinton sent to the jailed Ms. McDougal the not-so-subtle message that a pardon may be waiting Nov. 6, the day after Election Day. He said on PBS, after ripping Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr, that while he hadn't to date considered pardons for those convicted in Whitewater-related crimes, "I have regular meetings [on pardons] and I review those cases as they come up." Pro-Clinton Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen sees the "whisper of an offer" in the comments. Or as the reliably liberal USA Today editorial column cynically put it: "He might as well have said, 'Stick by me and I'll stick by you.'" Remember: Ms. McDougal went to jail early for contempt of court; she refused a judge's order to answer questions before a grand jury concerning whether President Clinton lied when he testified in her defense. If he was telling the truth, all she has to do is say so. Why won't she? It's looking more and more--and not just to conservatives--like she's waiting for the better offer.

The dreaded "L" word

After weeks of glancing blows, the flagging campaign of Robert Dole finally landed a solid left jab when the Republican challenger called President Clinton a "closet liberal." That apparently was an insult for which the president would not stand. In an interchange with reporters Sept. 23, Mr. Clinton insisted his record as chief executive was clear proof that he is not a liberal. Regrettably for Mr. Clinton, his disavowal of any liberal inclinations fell on the third anniversary of the unveiling of his never-enacted health reform plan. Mr. Dole was quick to remind voters that the mind-boggling Clinton plan would have been the largest government program of them all, entailing higher taxes, new entitlements, new and expanded bureaucracies, and federal control of medical education. With help from Republicans in Congress, the president made incremental progress on his health care agenda Sept. 26, signing a bill forcing health insurers to pay the costs of two-day hospital stays for new mothers and their babies. The signing came at a Rose Garden ceremony with smiling moms and dads in the audience. Circumstances were quite different when the president signed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) Sept. 21. The weekend signing came, without any ceremony, just before 1 a.m.--after morning newspapers already had been printed. DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing homosexual "marriage" and gives states the right not to recognize such unions either. Mr. Clinton's decision to sign the bill did not sit well with many of his homosexual supporters. The next day, some of them showed up to protest as the president arrived at church.

Campaign round-up

Ross Perot continued to try to shove his way into the 1996 presidential debates. The billionaire businessman and head of the Reform Party filed a lawsuit claiming his constitutional rights were violated when the Commission on Presidential Debates said he shouldn't be included because he had no chance of being elected. Mr. Perot received 19 percent of the popular vote in 1992 but won no electoral votes. Despite polls showing him down by 8 to 12 points, Bob Dole is predicting a come-from-behind victory. His optimistic outlook was boosted by a surprising finish Sept. 21 in Louisiana's general primary for an open U.S. Senate seat. State Rep. Woody Jenkins, a pro-life conservative Republican predicted by pollsters to finish third or fourth, won convincingly, outdistancing the number two finisher, a Democrat, by five percentage points. Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee boldly predicted a GOP pick-up of 20 House seats in the Nov. 5 election. President Clinton campaigned against that possibility, asking voters to elect a Congress "that agrees with me." Democrats were cheered Sept. 26 when the House Ethics Committee voted unanimously to expand its investigation into possible violations of tax laws by Speaker Newt Gingrich in connection with the financing of a college class he taught.

Beat the clock

Champing at the bit to go home to campaign, House members went into high gear, expediting spending bills dealing with water projects, military intelligence, and immigration. The immigration bill would deny certain federal benefits to non-citizens and prevents illegals from taking American jobs. Separately, the House voted to end free public education for children of future illegal immigrants. Senate prospects for several of the House-passed bills were uncertain.

Rates held steady

The Federal Reserve pleased both Democrats and Republicans by deciding not to raise short-term interest rates at its Sept. 24 policy meeting. Democrats feared a rate boost close to Election Day would hurt their prospects. Republicans took the Fed inaction as a sign that the economy is slowing down, a problem they claim Democrats have caused by supporting higher taxes and expanded regulation of business. The Census Bureau, meanwhile, issued a good news/bad news report on incomes. The good news: Median household income was up to $34,076, the first real increase in six years. The bad news: Median income still is lower than it was in 1989.

Gag rule?

Despite Senate failure to muster the institutional courage to override President Clinton's veto of the partial-birth abortion ban (see p. 18), the issue isn't going to go away quietly. A Roman Catholic Air Force Reserve chaplain filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington claiming his rights of free speech and religious freedom were violated when the military told him he couldn't urge his parishioners to write to Congress about overriding the president's veto. The restriction came in a Defense Department directive issued several days after the Catholic church called for a postcard-writing campaign to protest the Clinton veto. The directive said military members on active duty could not use their "official authority or influence [to solicit] votes for a particular issue."

Fed Web

Need a passport or a statement of your Social Security earnings? It's as close as your modem, sort of. The White House has expanded its home page on the World Wide Web to provide a gateway to "commonly requested federal services." The catch: You can request on-line, but the response, in many cases, comes by old-fashioned mail. The White House web site is at www.whitehouse.gov.

Message and messenger

Affirmative action supporters and critics clashed with each other--and with police--Sept. 25 at California State University at Northridge, just outside the Student Union where former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke was arguing in favor of the California Civil Rights Initiative. The initiative, to be voted on in November, would bar state and local governments from giving preferential treatment in hiring, contracting, and college admissions based on race or gender (see WORLD, Sept. 14). Mr. Duke, as a Louisiana state representative in 1990, sponsored one of the nation's first bills aimed at dismantling affirmative action. Opponents of the measure invited Mr. Duke to California in hopes of tainting CCRI as racist.

Counting the cost

Continuing a virtually unbroken string of increases, the cost of a college education has risen again for the 1996-97 school year, going up an average of six percent at public four-year colleges and universities and five percent at private institutions. Public colleges, however, continue to be a tuition bargain compared to private ones. In its annual survey, the College Board found the average cost of tuition and fees at public colleges is now $2,966; for private colleges, $12,823. Whether public or private, room and board adds another $4,000 to $5,000 a year. Women entering the Virginia Military Institute will get no concession on the price cadets have to pay physically. Pressured by a recent U.S. Supreme court ruling, VMI's board voted Sept. 21 to rescind its all-male policy. But "female cadets will be treated precisely the same as . . . male cadets," said Superintendent Josiah Bunting. Translation: Female cadets must have the same "buzz" haircuts given to first-year men and meet the same physical training requirements as their male counterparts. Karen Johnson, vice president of the National Organization for Women, accused VMI of wanting "to create a hostile environment . . . to discourage women from applying."

Assurance insurance

At the request of San Francisco's "transgender community," a city supervisor plans to introduce a resolution calling for insurance coverage for sex-change operations. Such surgery can cost between $10,000 and $20,000, not counting psychiatric evaluations and hormone treatments. The coordinator of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and HIV Discrimination Unit of the city's Human Rights Commission concedes that, even in San Francisco, getting the resolution passed will be tough.

Hell fire

Richard Allen Davis, convicted of the 1993 kidnap-murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, was formally sentenced to death Sept. 26, but not before creating an uproar in the courtroom. Mr. Davis, who has spent most of his adult life behind bars, again denied molesting the girl and claimed that Polly had told him she had been sexually abused by her own father, Marc Klaas. Mr. Klaas, who was in the courtroom, leapt to his feet, shouting, "Burn in hell, Davis!" He tried to lunge at the convicted murderer but was restrained by deputies. Under California law, Mr. Davis's death sentence will be appealed automatically. Legal experts say the appeal process could take years.

Unnecessary offense?

Israel's decision to excavate a new entrance to a tunnel running beneath Muslim shrines in Jerusalem touched off days of fighting and bloodshed. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called the excavation, beneath the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa mosque, "a crime against our religious and holy places." Rock-throwing protests by Muslims soon escalated into firefights between Israeli soldiers and the police force of Arafat's Palestinian Authority. In an attempt to put down the growing uprising, the Israeli Defense Ministry called out helicopter gunships and armored vehicles. By Sept. 27, about 70 had been killed, mostly Palestinians, in what The Washington Post described as "the broadest eruption of violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since Israel conquered [those] territories in 1967." The tunnel excavation became a rallying point for Palestinian anger over the Israeli government's uncompromising stand against ceding control of any part of Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly that his government will never relinquish full sovereignty over Jerusalem.

Bombing plans fizzle

In London, police seized about 10 tons of explosives Sept. 23 in predawn raids on suspected hideouts of the Irish Republican Army. Five men were arrested, and another was shot to death. Authorities said the raids prevented "imminent" IRA truck- bomb attacks, such as the one in June that wounded 200 people in Manchester. The IRA has carried out a bombing campaign for 20 years to protest British control of Northern Ireland.

House call

Putting to rest widespread rumors that Russian President Boris Yeltsin was too ill to govern, famed American heart specialist Michael DeBakey announced that Mr. Yeltsin's "general condition is not bad at all." After examining Mr. Yeltsin in Moscow, Dr. DeBakey confirmed that the Russian president needs a triple or quadruple bypass but said he was "very optimistic that Mr. Yeltsin's operation will go well." Surgery is tentatively scheduled for early November.

Test-ban treaty

At the United Nations Sept. 24, representatives of more than 50 nations, including all five declared nuclear powers--the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, and France--signed a treaty banning nuclear weapons testing. India, believed to have a covert nuclear weapons program, has said it will not sign. The treaty, which requires approval of national legislatures, would not block development of nuclear weapons, only the testing of them.