LUGAR . . . DON'T CALL ME RICHARD

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) made it official: he is running for president. The former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, who said he wants to be known as Dick, portrayed himself as a trustworthy international affairs expert who is better qualified than President Clinton in that area. "I'm somebody who tells the truth, points out what our problems are . . . and is prepared to offer recommendations about how we solve them," Lugar said. He chastised the president for his "bogus" portrayal of Republicans as isolationists. Lugar also said he is confident that he will be able to compete on the campaign trail with much less money than better-financed rivals. TIME chief political correspondent Michael Kramer agrees: "The money thing is way overblown."