HEALTH CARE . . . SYRUP ON THE WAFFLE

President Clinton said his remarks yesterday on his commitment to universal coverage were widely misinterpreted. Clinton sent a tremor rolling when he appeared to back off his State of the Union threat to veto any health-care bill that failed to insure all Americans, suggesting he would settle for 95 percent coverage or so. Today he told reporters, "My goal is universal coverage. . . . I have always said that I was flexible on how to get to universal coverage and would be willing to compromise on that." TIME Washington correspondent Dick Thompson, who covers health-care politics, says Clinton didn't misspeak: "I think he was just tipping his own hand, that he really believes 95 percent is what he's going to get." What to watch for: a Clinton Cabinet member showing up in your town, lobbying "the people" on health care, to be paid for by employers. They've all been dispatched to do just that over the next few weeks.