NO SO FAST:

Moments after President Clinton concluded his press conference, House Speaker Newt Gingrich gave one of his own in Seattle, calling the President's remarks "a political game." Gingrich swatted away Clinton's claims about how close the two sides had come to a budget truce, jotting down the key numbers in the budget negotiations on a huge tablet as the cameras rolled. Having sent financial markets reeling the day before with his tough prognosis for budget peace, Gingrich remained grim, calling Clinton's comments "very, very disappointing." But Gingrich sidestepped Clinton's central point, notes TIME's Michael Duffy. "On the budget, Clinton positioned himself well by stating repeatedly he wanted a balanced budget as badly as the Republicans did, and had now proposed one using their CBO rules. Whether or not he actually wants one, now he definitely can't get blamed for not producing one."