The Calls Were Wrong

Americans in a new TIME/CNN poll made clear that you may be able to fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but no matter how artfully Bill Clinton and Al Gore may explain the legality of their fund-raising techniques, mo st people think they acted improperly. In the survey, 60 percent felt that wheedling large contributors over the phone from the White House was wrong. Al Gore has said it was legal, but he'll never do it again; Bill Clinton has said he wasn't su re if he did it. While 47 percent say the President raised campaign funds in unethical ways, and 16 percent think he broke the law, a stunning 52 percent said that the President engaged in corrupt fund-raising activities. It wasnt all bad news for Clinton, though. While his approval ratings continue to hover near their all-time high, at 57 percent, only 24 percent think Newt Gingrich is doing a good job -- compared to 36 percent for Boris Yeltsin. Time for another photo-op with Newt and the b ig yellow dog.