"Slim and none," says TIME White House correspondent Jay Branegan. "That call for bipartisanship was made in a partisan way, and on the big stuff like Social Security and Medicare, theres just too much work to be done." But the incremental President may have a shot at some small gains. "Hell probably win again on taxes," says Branegan. "The Republicans are in too much disarray, and the clamor for broad cuts is still a lot louder on the Hill than it is with voters." Gun control is another possibility -- though Clinton is just as happy if that one pays off for Gore and the Democrats (Hillary included) next November. Likeliest scenario: The GOP, worried about 2000, gives a little and promises a lot. And Clinton keeps on talking -- Friday afternoons droning hour-plus press conference was just an appetizer -- and Al Gore heads into the imminent primaries with a very long wish list, courtesy of his frustrated boss.
Clinton Takes A Quack at the Home Front
Bill Clinton desperately wants to convince us hes a duck with two good legs. "There will be plenty of time for politics in the months to come," he pleaded at a press conference Friday. "The summer should be a season of progress." With the war in Kosovo over and China in no mood for engagement, Clinton cited "renewed energy for the domestic agenda" and asked, essentially, for just a few more legislative shots at a non-Monica legacy before his time runs out. "America plainly is on the right track. But we will be judged by what we do with this opportunity -- whether we seize it or squander it in petty bickering and partisan animosity." So what are the chances that Clinton gets to clear his plate?