Clinton's Sneak Preview

WASHINGTON: He's appealed on the grounds of executive privilege, attorney-client privilege and the historic silence of the Secret Service. Now Clinton attorney David Kendall is pleading "fundamental fairness" in a bid to see Ken Starr's Lewinsky dossier before it heads to the Hill. "Elemental fairness dictates that we be allowed to respond to any 'report' you send to the House simultaneously with its transmission," Kendall wrote Starr on Monday. In other words, Clinton wants to steel himself against possible impeachment charges and claims a right to read Starr's report a week in advance -- plenty of time for the White House to offer its own spin.

That was enough to make Trent Lott contemptuous. "Why should they get special treatment?" asked the Senate Majority leader. "They'll get it when the House gets it." Still, for Kendall, this request is a surprisingly savvy political move. It won immediate support from Democrats, who are making administration-friendly noises for the first time in a week -- if only because they believe Clinton should have a chance to defend himself. Review and commentary is "an appropriate and professional courtesy," according to Rep. Jim Moran, a Virginia Democrat who says he fully expects the Lewinsky matter to lead to impeachment proceedings. Independent counsel history is on Kendall's side, too -- Iran-Contra prosecutors offered the White House right-of-reply. And the best part is that if Starr takes a hard line and denies his request, Kendall's boss gets to play the martyr. Who says politics isn't fair?