The latest test was intended to help Bill Clinton decide whether to approve building the system for up to $60 billion or return to the drawing board. Under a law passed last year, Clinton must deploy a national missile-defense system as soon as it is feasible. The White House, never keen on the project but fearful of giving the Republicans an election issue, set a goal of 2005, the year some intelligence projections say North Korea and other countries could have long-range missiles capable of hitting targets on U.S. soil. But last week’s fiasco could give Clinton a way out of building the system, opposed by Russia and the European allies as a treaty buster that will lead to another arms race. “This administration was looking for a way to kick the can down the road,” said a Pentagon official. One possibility: Clinton may stall and let his successor sort out the mess.
After the celebration following the House’s recent approval of normalized trade relations with China, the bill is languishing in the Senate. And Majority Leader Trent Lott is in no rush to move it along. Haunted by memories of past budget fights where Clinton embarrassed the GOP into giving him billions more for domestic spending, Lott plans to keep the White House in line by holding the China trade bill hostage. A messy fight before the election could harm the Republicans. “It’s a statement to the president,” says a GOP strategist. “We’ll give you your legacy, if you don’t play games with appropriations.”
Is the White House maneuvering to postpone the first federal execution in 37 years until after Election Day? White House aides say the president granted an unexpected temporary reprieve to Juan Raul Garza, a convicted drug trafficker and murderer, in order to give the Justice Department time to complete new clemency regulations for federal death-row inmates. But some close to the case see presidential politics at work. The Clinton administration has long championed the death penalty, but the flap over Gov. George W. Bush’s role overseeing Texas’s record number of executions has made the White House wary of the issue. Some key Justice aides weren’t even consulted before the president’s announcement. Even more significant, one administration official told NEWSWEEK, the new Justice regulations will set no limit on how long the president can take to decide on a clemency request. “If the president wants to delay [the Garza case] until after the election, he can delay it.”
When the Veepstakes began, the list of running mates was long. Still is. But as the conventions approach, names will get whittled away as strategy takes center stage. Here’s what people are saying over the airwaves, in the papers and on the Web:
Royal Flush: Bush has to show his cards first. ‘Nightmare scenario’: he picks ‘such an attention-grabber’ that Gore’s pool of slim pickin’s looks even slimmer. (N.Y. Times Mag.)
Full House: Bush can’t afford to scare off women, moderates. Gov. Tom Ridge, helps W’s cause: he’s pro-choice and from Pa., a key electoral state. But when the center is happy, the right’s not.
A Pair: Gore’s two-pronged attack: secure his base, fend off Naderites. Gephardt can help with blacks, labor.
The Ace: Who better to strengthen W’s ‘outsider’ image than the gov. of a state like Okla.? A group of 20 swing voters said Frank Keating was a leader-not a pol.
For more information on voters and the veepstakes, log on to newsweek.msnbc.com
NEWSWEEK.COM LIVE VOTE What should Jerusalem’s future be?
- The city should be a self-governing Vatican-style state. 2. It should be divided between the Jews and the Palestinians. 3. Israel should have control over it. 4. A new Palestinian state should incorporate it.
VOTE ON NEWSWEEK.MSNBC.COM BY 5 P.M., EDT, JULY 14 LAST WEEK’S LIVE VOTE How would you review the Harry Potter books? (2,798 responses)
80% They’re wonderful. 9% They’re just OK. But any book is better than TV. 6% They’re “cultish” and a little disturbing. 6% They’re a publicity campaign–not literature.
It takes a lot to shock residents of Berkeley. or just a latte. Cops in this California city are stopping drivers and slapping them with coupons good for free nonalcoholic beverages at a local cafe if they’re caught driving safely and courteously. “I’ve never seen anyone I’ve stopped look so happy,” said Officer Matt Meredith after pulling over a woman for yielding at a crosswalk at a busy intersection. The “Good Driver Recognition Program,” which started with 70 certificates bought with police-officer donations, is now expanding. The cops are armed with $5,000 in city funds for even more positive reinforcement. Soon drivers may get tickets… for the movies.
It might be the most coveted real estate in Manhattan: a table at Alain Ducasse’s new restaurant in the Essex House. Ravenous to taste-test the $160 prix fixe menu? PERI asked food experts for tips on getting an unfamous foot in the door:
GQ’s Alan Richman suggested going for lunch and blowing $600 on wine. “They’ll remember you.”
Fake fame, urged Mark Setlock, star of “Fully Committed,” a play about an always-booked restaurant. “You never said you were that Paul Newman.”
Ruth Reichl, Gourmet’s editor, said exploit cancellations. “Use what wiles you can to get those tables.”
At Ducasse, they frown on such ruses. “Just call and give us your information.”
Sure. The name’s M-A-D-O-N-N-A.
When times are flush, wine flows freely. Last year alone, Americans downed an average of two gallons each. What’s next? Wine accessories that are part fun, part function. Some faves:
Inflate this ice bucket, and it looks like a kiddie pool for adult fun.
Sturdy lowballs outperform stemware at picnics on uneven terrain.
Digital thermometer takes your Beaujolais’s temp, then displays it in a digital readout.
4)Give Miss Butterfly, the season’s must-have corkscrew, a twirl.
- This puzzle requires concentration, but liberating the merlot inside is good motivation.
Cory Erving’s shopping trip was supposed to last 20 minutes. The 19-year-old son of basketball legend Julius (Dr. J) Erving had taken his car to buy bread for the family’s Memorial Day picnic. But when he didn’t return, police launched an intensive search. Last week authorities found Cory in his black Volkswagen, submerged in a murky, 8-foot-deep pond less than a mile from his home near Orlando, Fla. No foul play is suspected. Though Cory had a learning disability, a history of drug and alcohol abuse and run-ins with the law, his family says he was turning his life around: he had a job in a sandwich shop and was taking classes toward a high-school equivalency diploma.
Fred Lane, the Carolina Panthers’ career rushing leader, was shot to death by his wife, Deidra, during a domestic dispute, police say. He was 24.
Mike Morgan has played for 12 pro teams, more than any athlete in any major sport. As this year’s elite battle in the All-Star game, peri checks in with a journeyman:
PERI: When you’re traded, what do you say to your wife? MM: Kassie’s usually the one answering the phone when it happens. I’m off fishing or hunting in the mountains. She’ll say, “We’re on our way to”–wherever. Her dad’s a retired colonel, so when it comes to packing up, it’s easy.
You’ve been pitching for 22 years. When does it end? Giving up is not in my vocabulary. I consider myself a winner. I’ve always said that as long as my phone keeps ringing, I’m going to keep flinging.
Not to be accused of discrimination, Islamic law forbids alcohol, even for its slugs. A garden center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, recently asked Westfield Products for a non-alcoholic variety of its beer-based slug trap, as beer is banned in the Muslim country. Ever obliging, the English company tested a virgin model and the pests were none the wiser. The Saudis bought 100 of the traps, ending both life and the party for slugs.
CONVENTIONAL WISDOMWatching the Muggles Edition
The CW has some ideas for Beltway Reality shows. “Glass House”: 500 cameras in and around the Oval Office. “Campaign Survivor”: Only one can win in nationwide vote!
C.W. Clinton = Trying for Carteresque Camp David magic. But it’s tough par five with no mulligans. Fox + Mexico’s new prez knocks out ruling party for first time in 71 years. Que hombre! Venus + Big sister beats little sister, then takes Wimbledon. Where’s men’s tennis? On Mars. World Cup - Ruling body disses Africa when it needed it most, giving Germany 2006 event. Red card! Nuke Shield - Fails even a phony-baloney test. Time to deep-six this megabillion-dollar fiasco. Harry Potter + Yes, the CW loves that kids read more than videogame boxes. Needed: Anti-hype spell.
