Managers take trial heat

House managers pursuing the impeachment trial of President Clinton are facing trouble at home, and with Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Henry J. Hyde, R-Ill., got bad news in a Chicago Tribune poll showing that more voters in his district approve of President Clinton's job performance than his own. More than a third "say they now have a lower opinion" of Hyde, the Judiciary Committee chairman's hometown paper reported. (Chicago Tribune, 1/31)

House trial manager Bill McCollum, R-Fla., got the news in an unscientific newspaper poll of residents in Orlando, a Republican stronghold. Of the more than 15,000 callers to The Orlando Sentinel's "Soundoff" poll, 60 percent said they did not approve of McCollum's role in the impeachment drama.

The Sentinel's Mike Griffin warned that McCollum's high-profile status in targeting Clinton has national Democrats "taking a hard look" at financing a challenge. Griffin wrote that McCollum "could be vulnerable" if an opponent "reminded voters of his penchant to focus on national issues, such as the Waco tragedy, over local concerns." (The Orlando Sentinel, 1/31)

Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt has not given up on his personal crusade against another star of the House impeachment drive-Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga. Flynt says he plans to release "more details" about Barr's troubles with his ex-wife. Flynt: "Whoever runs against Bob Barr is definitely going to have all our investigative material made available to them, because this guy is a hypocrite." (Time magazine, 1/31)

Other House managers generating bad press at home include Rep. James Rogan, R-Calif., who is already targeted for a challenge. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a poll showing that nearly half of his district's voters say they are less likely to vote for Rogan because he is a House manager. (The Washington Post, 1/31)

Friendly Fire

Other House Republicans are getting worried about the scorched-earth tactics of their impeachment trial managers. Brian E. Crowley of The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post reported that some House Republicans fear "that they could lose control of the House" and are "increasingly exasperated with what they see as a futile effort to continue the trial." Some are "breaking ranks" with their GOP colleagues.

Meanwhile, party pollsters, such as the Tarrance Group, "are telling members of Congress that when voters are asked if they would vote" Democrat or Republican, "significant numbers are opposing the GOP." Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr., R-Fla., said, "I'm confused, and I think a lot of people are. Do the House managers know something we don't know? I don't think so, and this thing isn't going to change unless there is something dramatically new. There are no Senators that are on the fence. Everyone has made up their mind."

Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla.: "I want the Senate to wrap it up. People are furious at Republicans. We have some damage to repair. . . . We could certainly lose the House. People are tired of it. Some Republicans have demonstrated a persistent determination to be the divining rod of what is moral and what is not. Now that's coming back to haunt us." (The Palm Beach Post, 1/31)

When in Doubt, Raise Money

Rep. Lindsey O. Graham, R-S.C., is taking no chances with potential fallout from his role as an impeachment trial manager. The (Charleston) Post and Courier reported that Graham is using the impeachment saga to raise money. In a fund-raising letter, Graham wrote, "As visibility increases for many Republicans due to the impeachment process, the likelihood for opposition in the next election also increases." Furman University professor Danielle Vinson: "This is just routine stuff. . . . I also think he's probably right to be concerned." (The Post and Courier, 1/31)

'Weird Alternative Lifestyles'

Some House managers have begun the autopsy on the impeachment story. Rep. Christopher B. Cannon, R-Utah, said that "in hindsight," the "rush to release" Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's report "as fast as possible on the Internet was a colossal mistake."

Cannon said that although the Clinton White House condones "weird alternative lifestyles," there was "no reason for us to talk about it." Cannon: "But it's clear that if you look at all the appointees, all the political appointees in this Administration, that is a huge theme."

White House spokesperson Roger Salazar dismissed Cannon's comments: "I'm not going to even address it." Cannon said sarcastically: "The mood at the time was very clear-we had guys like Rush Limbaugh on those shows demanding the release. It was America's right." (The Salt Lake Tribune, 1/25)

Listen for the Echo

Bill Adair of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times uncovered some behind-the-scenes Democratic maneuvering in the impeachment debate with a recent report on Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle, D-S.D. Noting that Daschle had vowed not to pressure Senators, Adair reported that the party leader distributed "talking points" urging Democrats to oppose a Republican censure plan. Titled "Findings of Fact Have No Legitimate Place in the Impeachment Trial," the Daschle memo urged Senators to say, "The Republican plan seeks to punish the President-and put him at further legal risk-by making findings of fact regarding criminality. But the President is not being afforded the basic procedural protections that a criminal defendant would be afforded in any court in America." (St. Petersburg Times, 2/2)

Is Compassion Mushy?

Texas Gov. George W. Bush's advocacy of a new "compassionate conservatism" continues to stir debate within Republican ranks. White House hopefuls Dan Quayle, Gary L. Bauer, and Lamar Alexander have all criticized Bush for the catchy phrase. Their complaints prompted columnist Arianna Huffington to respond: "In one fell swoop, three of the party's presidential contenders lashed out at the only governing philosophy that can move conservatism beyond its two-dimensional anti-government message. Playing right into the hands of conservatism's enemies, they equated compassion with sentimentality and mushiness."

More Huffington: "Bereft of an agenda that includes those Americans left behind, conservatism becomes indeed an impoverished ideology. . . .To watch Christian conservatives attack what is at the heart of Christ's message is to realize just how lost in the political desert they are." (Los Angeles Times, 2/2)

Now, If Randall Cunningham Were There

Has Gov. Jesse Ventura of Minnesota lost his touch for drawing a crowd? His Reform Party's Super Bowl bash in Minnesota, "marketed as a unique political event focused on family fun," was "less than a smash," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Ventura and the party promoters were expecting hundreds, perhaps thousands, to attend, but there were only about 100 people in the bar and restaurant where "Ventura greeted people before the Super Bowl kickoff." Reform Party spokesperson Diane Goldman: "We're obviously disappointed." She added that "a Vikingless game and rare good weather" may have "tempted many supporters to do other things."

Ventura "greeted the supporters" with "a brief exhortation" to have a "hell of a time." He "urged folks to go easy on the drinks if they had to drive, joking that he didn't need to be so careful because he now has an official driver." (Star Tribune, 2/1)

Universal Appeal

Two months after her failed bid for Venezuela's presidency, former Miss Universe Irene Saez "says she's running for state governor," the Associated Press reported. Saez, 37, told reporters "that she is officially a candidate" in the March 14 governor's race in Nueva Esparta state, which includes the popular tourist destination Margarita Island. The incumbent, Rafael Tovar, was re-elected in November "but died after an operation three weeks ago."

Saez: "A lot of polls have been conducted and the support of the people of Nueva Esparta is impressive." For months during the presidential race, "the 6-foot-1 blonde led polls," but the 1981 Miss Universe dropped in popularity ratings after accepting the endorsement of a "discredited traditional political party, the social Christian COPEI." (Associated Press, 1/30)

Quotables

"President Clinton has driven him crazy."-ABC's George R. Stephanopoulos on reports that Kenneth Starr may seek to indict Clinton in office (This Week, 1/31)

"If it goes on much longer, the bad news is Clinton will not be able to have another sex scandal in this term."-David Letterman on the Senate impeachment trial (Late Show, CBS, 1/29)

"Well it is clear that the Republican strategists in some ways are in kindergarten and the President's strategists are college graduates with perhaps a Harvard law degree."-Republican pollster Frank Luntz (Upfront Tonight, CNBC, 2/1) "Yes, I would defend him. . . . And I would win."-Harvard Law School professor Alan M. Dershowitz on Hitler (Yale Daily News, 2/2)