Here's another interesting article...Clinton's two-track presidency...
Sunday, October 4, 1998
Clinton's two-track presidency
By Terence Hunt
Like a man juggling two jobs, President Clinton is running a two-track presidency.
On one track, he tries to fix the world economy, stop the bloodshed in Kosovo and battle Republican tax cuts in Congress.
On the other, he struggles to save his presidency.
''Richard Nixon had the same problem,'' said presidential scholar Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution. ''The presidency and the problems of the presidency go on, have to be met day by day by somebody. The question is how distracting or debilitating it is working on two tracks.''
In public, Clinton seems confident and upbeat, above the roar of impeachment talk and the avalanche of documents spilling from Capitol Hill. He berates Congress for failing to pass spending bills or acting on his education agenda. He celebrates the first budget surplus in a generation and talks about doing the people's business.
He is energized by polls showing that his job approval rating remains high and that Americans are weary of the Monica Lewinsky affair.
In private, though, a contrite Clinton spends hours on the telephone talking to House and Senate members, apologizing for his conduct and seeking forgiveness and support. He consults with lawyers and prays with clergymen summoned to help him find redemption.
Clinton privately seethes that the media are obsessed with the sex-and-perjury allegations and mostly ignore his agenda. Everything in the White House is shown through the scandal prism, the president's lieutenants complain. Departing press secretary Mike McCurry lamented that for the past eight months, ''It's been Monica, Monica, Monica, Monica. And you know that and I know that.''
Hess said Clinton's handling of the dual challenge has been ''quite remarkable up to date, at least the visible evidence.''
Still, many analysts believe Clinton's presidency has been irreparably damaged and his power has been diminished. They worry that his troubles are distracting him from problems that cry out for leadership.
In the midst of it all, Clinton recalled, a friend wrote him a letter saying that peace and prosperity were not a bad legacy. ''Sort of a blunt letter but there's something to be said for that,'' Clinton said -- failing to mention that his presidency is sure to be remembered for humiliating controversy as well.
Behind the scenes, there is an intense White House effort to counter the impeachment talk. A new team of lawyers and lobbyists has been assembled to help Clinton's battle-weary staff. ''It has taken an enormous toll,'' a senior presidential aide said.
Friday was McCurry's last day. Presidential counselor Rahm Emanuel is heading for the door soon, expected to be followed by chief of staff Erskine Bowles.
Reaching out for help, the White House has turned to two dozen Washington lawyers, lobbyists, pollsters and consultants in a daily conference call. Many are White House veterans -- ''people who have earned every one of their gray hairs,'' an admiring administration official said. ''It's enormously important to gain perspective and experience.''
White House aides are heartened that some congressional Democrats have recovered their voices and have begun to defend Clinton, attacking Republicans and portraying the impeachment inquiry as unfair.
Vice President Al Gore took up the White House cry that Clinton is focused on real issues while Republicans are preoccupied with getting the president.
''When we say health care, they say investigation,'' Gore said. ''When we say educate our kids, they say investigation. When we say protect the environment, they say investigation. Personal partisan attacks on the president -- that's the only thing that unites the Republican Party in 1998.''
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