Five Cabinet members speak for Gore, pitch diversity

As President Clinton's Cabinet secretaries approach the end of their terms, Vice President Gore's presidential campaign has tapped five of them to whip up support for his campaign during this week's Democratic National Convention, while the Democratic National Committee has enlisted several others to make the rounds with convention delegates.

"People love Cabinet members," a DNC spokeswoman said. "Our delegates are way into the issues." Gore already plucked former Commerce Secretary William Daley from the Clinton administration to head his presidential campaign, and has given prominent convention assignments to current Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta, HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo, Labor Secretary Alexis Herman, Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater and Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, a DNC spokeswoman said.

Education Secretary Richard Riley, HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, EPA Administrator Carol Browner- who has Cabinet rank-and acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Hershel Gober also have lent star power to the convention by speaking before several state delegation meetings.

Clinton boasted in his convention speech Monday of an administration that "really looks like America," and his Cabinet has used its diversity to cultivate key Democratic constituencies on issues of race, religion and ethnicity.

Richardson, a prominent Hispanic politician who represented New Mexico in the House, told reporters after a brief Tuesday speech to the Texas delegation that Democrats must work to counter GOP presidential nominee George W. Bush's efforts to court Hispanic voters in key states. "I think all of us know that Texas is going to be hard to win," Richardson said.

"But the Latino vote in Florida and California and Illinois and Ohio-the Latino is transforming American politics because of the size and the numbers and the political sophistication. We're going to be players for years to come."

Mineta, the first Asian-American Cabinet member and a former House member from California, touted the diversity of Clinton's administration before an Iowa delegation gathering Monday. The Gore campaign has tasked Herman, who is African-American, with serving as a liaison to the black community to promote Gore's choice of a Jewish running mate, Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.