On the Prowl
ON THE PROWL 0 S 0 0 As Costly As a Cruise Missile How much have the global travels of Hillary Clinton been costing taxpayers? No one is sure. And it's difficult to find out—even if you're the...
...It was awkward that some staff were only there for the wine, but it was the kind of evening where the president figured any gesture would be appreciated," says the staffer...
...Clinton is apparently concerned she misread the relationship between Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton...
...Rule by Yellow Ribbon House Minority Whip David Bonior (D-Mich...
...In the last several months, Bradley has raised almost a million dollars in California, much of it in Hollywood...
...James Rogan has decided to both leave the House and not challenge Sen...
...On paper, Mrs...
...Her trips run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars," says a source on the first lady's staff...
...Jerrold Nadler, whose stout appetite made up for Estrich's dainty one...
...The report, to be published in the late fall, has Gore's campaign advisers extremely nervous, and they are talking about having Gore go public before the report's release in an effort to defuse its explosiveness...
...It's none of his business when and where we take 'fact-finding' missions," says the leadership member, just back from "fact-finding" in London and Paris...
...The congressman just wanted to make sure everyone knew he wasn't in China...
...He is, after all, one of the leaders of our nation," the staffer added...
...Madeleine Albright was surprised to learn that when the first lady journeys overseas, it isn't the White House that pays her travel tab...
...She's the first lady in a long time who has traveled extensively on her own, as her own person," says the aide...
...There is the travel, the security, the lodgings, Chelsea's tab if she's tagging along, as well as the costs of White House staff that accompanies her...
...Under orders, those calls were never returned...
...When Albright saw the tab for Clinton's recent trip to the Middle East, one of her aides called the first lady's staff to find out what was going on...
...George Pataki, a Giuliani-hater, has organized the influential Long Island Republican bosses behind Lazio and has helped steer more than S6 million into Lazio's war chest...
...Bonior rushed back to Washington to monitor the situation of POW Staff Sgt...
...Hastert and a group of Republican House members were scheduled to make a five-city road show in mid-April to discuss Social Security reform...
...Clinton did, even offering his own speechwriters to help Gore craft a speech for the Littleton memorial service...
...Clinton's trips are charged to the State Department, the Pentagon, and the Treasury Department...
...Rogan has told associates he wants to be active in California Republican fundraising, and intends to challenge Barbara Boxer in 2004...
...Dale Bumpers, fierce chihuahua Rahm Emanuel, and Rep...
...After sitting in on one of a number of "town hall" meetings in the aftermath of the Colorado high school shootings, he was overheard telling a staffer: "When you have one of these national tragedies, it presents you with wonderful opportunities...
...Rogan's Heroes Republicans on Capitol Hill were both surprised and—in at least one case — relieved that California Rep...
...Instead, Friends of Bill in La-La Land seem to prefer long-shooting Democratic long shot Bill Bradley...
...We're polling the hell out of Littleton," says an aide in Gore's White House office...
...And Gore isn't one to let an opportunity slip...
...The vice president sensed that this was an event that he could easily run with if the president gave him an opportunity...
...Hillary Rodham Clinton has told several New York Democratic Party operatives that she won't inform them of her decision about a Senate run until August or early September...
...But in the end, it's State that reimburses everyone else, including the Secret Service...
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...Some House members have complained that Hastert has too often attempted to control their every move, including travel plans overseas when the House is out of session...
...As of early May her exploratory trips to New York had cost more than $1 million in expenses and man-hours...
...The demographics aren't there and now our money won't be there either...
...Opportunity Costs These can't be easy times for Vice President Al Gore...
...cut short his participation in an Aspen Institute-sponsored trip to China when he learned that one of the three American soldiers captured by the Serbs at the start of the Kosovo war was a constituent...
...We're surrendering that district for 2000," said an RCCC source...
...Happiest about Rogan's decision is Republican Congressional Campaign Committee chief Tom Davis, who was dreading the idea of having to hand out huge bucks to Rogan to hold on to California's 27th District...
...Sharpton isn't a kingmaker," says the New York Democrat...
...And now he's squirming and kvetching about something else: Charles Lewis's Center for Public Integrity, which broke the Lincoln Bedroom scandal (among other Clinton-Gore fundraising illegalities), is said to be at work on a devastating report on Gore's fundraising activities over the past four years...
...Hastert's gruff manner isn't sitting well with everyone, however...
...I think Newt would have gone out on the road and received little or no attention for the events," says a House leader...
...That means sending the bills off to various Cabinet departments...
...Denny isn't about to waste our time and energy on an important issue if it isn't going to help us win back home or in Washington...
...In all, more than 15 "special assistants to the 12 June 1999 • The American Spectator president" and their dates were invited to the sit-down dinner or to take part in the pre-dinner cocktail hour...
...But Hastert canceled the plans as soon as it became clear that the Kosovo "crisis" would be the main focus of news coverage and peoples' attention...
...Rogan's plight is well known—a tough congressional district, impeachment baggage —but he isn't giving up on politics...
...And it's difficult to find out—even if you're the secretary of state...
...Rick Lazio is poised to give Mayor Rudy Giuliani a run for his money in the state's GOP Senate primary...
...The White House has never budgeted for this amount of travel, so we have to find creative means to finance a lot of it...
...We want her on the ballot," says one Manhattan Democratic source...
...Homeboys Speaker Dennis Hastert isn't going to waste a lot of time or hot air on issues he thinks Americans aren't going to focus on, and most of his colleagues think that's a wonderful thing...
...Chris Stone...
...Time magazine's Margaret Carlson attended on the arm of Fred DuVal, a special assistant to the president who dealt with impeachment issues...
...But he can raise money and has lots of pull in New York right now...
...To add new insult to his many injuries, big Al is finding Hollywood cool to his candidacy...
...Dianne Feinstein next year...
...Which explains all that great inside sourcing she had for "The Capital Gang," or why she now equates opposition to Clinton's Kosovo policy with Clinton-hating...
...He called the family to let them know he'd cut off an overseas trip," says a staff member...
...He and Jackson hate each other and Clinton is in the middle...
...As well, it appears that the New York Conservative Party will back Lazio, even though it's Giuliani who has been begging party chairman Mike Long for the slot...
...To that end, the guest list included a veritable who's who of Clinton shills, lackeys, and apologists: "Geraldo" regular and diet guru Susan Estrich, boyish impeachment lawyer Gregory Craig, orotundish ex-Sen...
...Such Democratic moneymen as Disney CEO Michael Eisner, cable-TV impresario Barry Diller, and stars Dustin Hoffman and Richard Dreyfuss have helped Bradley in a town that once belonged to Clinton, if not Clinton-Gore...
...Nita Lowey for the Senate seat...
...As for Hillary's domestic travel, it's covered by Treasury and the Pentagon, all at taxpayer expense...
...A focus group hired by the DNC watched the speech on television from Denver and gave Gore failing marks...
...How Lowey Can You Go...
...He wanted this to be a 'thank you' to those friends who stood by him during the impeachment scandal," says a White House staffer...
...Gore declined, and now he probably regrets it...
...The timetable doesn't suit us, but what can we do...
...The American Spectator • June 1999 13...
...On the Republican side, it looks more and more that moderate Rep...
...Bonior then had his staff send out a press release announcing that he had canceled his trip because a constituent had become a POW...
...In late February Sharpton had requested a meeting with Clinton and was rebuffed by her staff on the advice of Jackson...
...Thanks for Coming The May 4 White House dinner in honor of Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi was a twofer for President Clinton...
...In the midst of Kosovo, Littleton, and China nuke-spying, "this was the dinner Clinton felt he could afford to load up on political pay-backs...
...The Dems can have it...
...Now Sharpton, who despite his many flaws has more influence in New York City among black voters than Jackson, is backing Rep...
Vol. 32 • June 1999 • No. 6
