CARVILLE: "STARR ONE MISTAKE AWAY FROM LOSING KNEECAPS."
Carville: I Zapped
Starr's Charges
By THOMAS M. DeFRANK
Daily News Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON
resident Clinton's attack dog James Carville declared
victory in his scorched-earth campaign against
independent counsel Kenneth Starr yesterday, predicting
the prosecutor will not seek indictments against the President and
First Lady.
"I think it's most likely that we're going to have a report" instead
of indictments, Carville said, adding that Starr would likely
conclude that the risk of bringing such inflammatory prosecutions
and losing would be too great a gamble.
"Ken Starr is probably smart enough to know that if he did
something like that and it didn't work out, he'd be the most vilified
man in America," Carville said.
He took credit for raising public consciousness about what he's
repeatedly described as Starr's animosity toward the Clintons and
their friends. And he cited weekend polls that suggested a slight
majority of Americans now apparently believe that Starr, a
Republican, is guilty of partisanship.
Bolstered by the tacit encouragement of the President and First
Lady, Carville said he intends to keep speaking up about Starr's
alleged professional shortcomings. He did throw Starr a
back-handed compliment, however, acknowledging: "He's an
honest guy who has poor judgment."
Carville later told the Daily News that his appearance with
reporters was aimed at rekindling press coverage of his
Starr-bashing crusade and that he intends to remain vigilant.
"He's one more mistake away from not having any kneecaps,"
Carville chortled.
Carville was particularly incensed over weekend charges by Starr
defenders that Carville's activities may verge on obstruction of
justice.
"Ken Starr is the first extra-constitutional human being," Carville
said. "You can criticize Mother Teresa, you can criticize the Boy
Scouts of America, you can criticize the United Way. But if you
criticize Ken Starr, they want to send you to jail."
Deborah Gershman, a spokeswoman for the independent counsel's
office in Little Rock, Ark., said Starr would have no comment on
Carville's latest broadsides. |
