MAY I BE EXCUSED?

President Clinton says he took some comfort from a new book by one of theVietnamwar's chief architects. Asked by CNN White House correspondent Wolf Blitzer whether he felt vindicated by former President Defense Secretary Robert McNamara's statement this week that the war was a terrible mistake, Clinton replied, "Yes, I do; I know that sounds self-serving, but I do." The conversation occurred off-camera Thursday after CNN taped an interview. White House press secretary Mike McCurry confirmed the exchange today, adding that McNamara's admission "vindicates the views of millions of Americans, including President Clinton, that the Vietnam War was a sorry episode in American history and that those who opposed the war had good grounds for doing so."