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Politics : Clinton's Scandals: Is this corruption the worst ever? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brad Bolen who wrote (3294)	8/27/1998 9:49:00 AM
From: Catfish	Respond to of 13994

THURSDAY AUGUST 27, 1998 A domestic 'wag the dog' plot Taxpayer group warns of Clinton's next move By David M. Bresnahan Copyright 1998 WorldNetDaily.com "Wag the dog" did not work using foreign affairs, so now Bill Clinton is planning a domestic "wag the dog" scenario to distract attention from his growing personal problems, according to a taxpayer watchdog group. "We talked with leadership of the Republican Party earlier this week and they're very concerned that he is going to attempt some sort of domestic version of 'wag the dog.' Divert all of our attention away from his potential perjury and potential obstruction of justice to other things that have nothing to do with his legal problems," said Peter Cleary of American's for Tax Reform. Cleary says Clinton's plan is to veto the appropriations bill that funds the departments of Commerce, Justice, and State. "We find it more than interesting, and more than just a coincidence, that that is also where Ken Starr's funds come from -- the Justice Department," said Cleary. House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-MO, has said the Democrats have more than enough votes to uphold a veto in such a scenario. Republicans say Gephardt's comments signal that he plans to help Clinton shut down the government to help Clinton's damage control. "They're signaling a plan to divert public attention from the president's appalling lack of leadership and multiple scandals -- even if it means not giving children, veterans and seniors the benefits they need," said Republican National Committee Chairman Jim Nicholson. Clinton has made it clear that he will veto the present appropriations bill and shut down the federal government if he doesn't get his way. He insists that the bill must include funds for the Commerce Department to revise the way the census is conducted. Republicans say Clinton is using the census debate as an excuse to cover his real plans, to use the tax surplus to fund new programs and services for pet projects and leave a legacy when his term ends. Republicans and Cleary say the public cannot be fooled any longer by Clinton's tactics. Cleary pointed out that whether Clinton's attack on alleged terrorist sites in Afghanistan and Sudan was intended as "wag the dog" or not, it did not distract attention from the Monica Lewinsky scandal for more than a day. The public is becoming educated about the damage control methods Clinton is trying to use. "We've had six years of him telling us one thing and meaning another," said Cleary. "We have to look at the fact that when he shuts this government down, that's what he's really trying to do -- divert our attention. My advice would be to close his zipper, not the government." Clinton has stated his reason to veto the appropriations bill and shut down the budget was the lack of funds for a revised method of conducting the census. Clinton wanted to conduct "statistical sampling," which some say is unconstitutional. Congress did not provide money for the Commerce Department for the Clinton census plan. Congress filed suit against Clinton to stop his census plan, and on Monday the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of congress, striking a blow to Clinton's excuse for shutting down the government. The court ruled that a statistical census would not be acceptable for use in determining congressional boundaries. The only method acceptable to the court would be "actual enumeration," which means counting each and every person in America. Clinton wanted to take only a sampling of people, much the same way controversial polls are taken. Republicans are now waiting to hear what Clinton's next reason will be to veto the appropriations bill. They claim that no matter what they offer, Clinton will not sign it because he needs to shut down government to create a sufficiently large domestic distraction. Republicans insist that they have designed a budget based on last year's agreement to end the deficit. This year's bill is in keeping with the agreement made last year to balance the budget. Clinton wants to fund some pet projects with the tax surplus. Republicans are arguing over whether to use the surplus to bail out social security, provide a tax cut, or do some of both. Clinton has also stated he will not agree to a continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels while both sides work things out. In 1996 when Clinton refused to sign a continuing resolution, the government came to a halt, federal workers were not paid, and Clinton blamed the Republicans. This time Republicans say the public can no longer be fooled so easily. The editorial page of the "Wall Street Journal" yesterday claimed its editors could see right through Clinton's tactics. "We await smoke signals from the White House telling us what the next veto excuse will be." David Bresnahan, a contributing editor for WorldNetDaily, hosts "Talk USA Investigative Reports" (http://talkusa.com) and is the author of "Cover Up: The Art and Science of Political Deception." His e-mail address worldnetdaily.com