Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Democrats Show Unity on Lewinsky > WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rallying around their embattled > leader, Democratic activists from across the country > said Thursday that President Clinton's executive > privilege claim is necessary protection against > ``maniacal'' opponents -- and a smart delaying tactic > politically. > > With the party's Washington elite stressing party unity > at the White House, rank-and-file members of the > Democratic National Committee arrived in town to open > three days of meetings. They said Clinton's assertion > of executive privilege is not stirring interest outside > the Beltway, news sure to ease the jitters of some > presidential political advisers. > > ``I honestly can't say I recall any one person mention > the executive privilege issue to me,'' said Ed Marcus, > chairman of the Connecticut Democratic Party. > > ``Nobody cares,'' said Gary LaPaille of Illinois, > president of the party chairmen's association. > > Though no decision has been announced, sources close to > the matter say a federal judge has rejected Clinton's > attempt to invoke executive privilege to shield White > House aides from grand jury testimony. An appeal is > expected. > > A few Democratic activists suggested a possible Clinton > motive in claiming executive privilege: It delays > Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr's investigation > into his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. > > ``It's probably good strategy if you can get beyond the > election,'' said Rosalind Wyman of Los Angeles. > > Besides, she said, ``I just think they are so tired of > Ken Starr and his friends pushing them around that they > want to make his life as miserable as theirs.'' > > ``He's got to use whatever tool he can. He's up against > some maniacal people,'' said Yolanda Caraway, a > national committee member from Washington. > > While committee members gathered at a downtown hotel, > Clinton met with House and Senate Democratic leaders at > the White House to iron out a campaign fund-raising > strategy. Officials who attended the meeting said the > president agreed to be host for six events outside > Washington and three to six events inside Washington > between August and November, raising about $18 million. > > The money would be split evenly between the DNC and the > party's House and Senate campaign committees. Some > Democrats, especially Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, > wanted less money for the DNC, but they fell in line > Thursday. > > ``I want to do what I need to do to raise $18 (million) > to $20 million,'' the president told the leaders, > according to two Democrats at the meeting. > > Afterward, the leaders told reporters outside the White > House that Republican bungling is helping Clinton > survive the Monica Lewinsky investigation. ``Newt > Gingrich has become hysterical on the issue,'' said > Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J. > > According to a Democratic poll due to be unveiled at a > DNC news conference Friday, 75 percent of people > surveyed May 5 said they viewed the House speaker's > recent criticism of Clinton unfavorably. Nearly 400 > people were contacted in the survey conducted by Mark > Penn. > > Republicans questioned the Democrats' show of support. > ``If there is any unity, it is born of desperation > because they don't know when the next shoe will drop on > any of a dozen presidential scandals,'' said GOP > spokesman Mike Collins. > > Despite confident talk from the White House, some of > Clinton's political advisers are concerned that voters > will come to link his executive privilege fight to > Richard Nixon's effort to keep White House recordings > secret in 1974. > > In fact, several advisers don't want to delay Starr's > investigation; they want it to end while Clinton is > still high in the polls. One adviser outside the White > House is even discussing pulling together a few > like-minded supporters and making a personal pitch to > get Clinton to stop trying to shield his staff from > grand jury testimony. > > There is a split -- described as respectful and not > contentious -- between the president's legal and > political teams over whether Clinton should allow top > aides such as Bruce Lindsey and Sidney Blumenthal to > answer certain questions. > > His top government lawyer, White House counsel Charles > F.C. Ruff, wants Clinton to fight tooth-and-nail to > preserve the confidentiality of internal discussions > for future presidents. His top personal lawyer, David > Kendall, is leery about giving any ground to Starr. > > The lawyers don't usually share their arguments or > decisions with anybody outside their circle because of > a court gag order on the executive privilege case and > fear that Starr would subpoena any discussions not > covered by attorney-client privilege. That has left the > political advisers in the dark, though most aides > understand why they can't be told more. -- Two rules in life: 1. Don't tell people everything you know. 2. Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
