Getting Personal
According to a new RNC poll, Bill Clinton's personal approval rating has fallen to a new low. Only 36 per cent of polled registered voters approve of the President, and 52 per cent disapprove. The intensity is with his critics. Thirty-seven per cent strongly disapprove, only 17 per cent strongly approve. His drop in personal approval has been particularly steep among swing voters. Only 30 per cent of two key groups - suburban women and self-described independents - approve of the President. Although these polling numbers are separate from approval/disapproval ratings pertaining to Clinton's job performance, they should still provoke presidential uneasiness.

The Democrats' Dr. Death
Michigan Gov. John Engler (R.) woke up to good news on Wednesday: Geoffrey Feiger won the Democratic gubernatorial primary with 41 percent of the vote, narrowly beating the Labor-backed candidate, former state Sen. Doug Owen.

Feiger is best known as the loudmouth lawyer who represents that cold-blooded killer of old ladies, Jack Kevorkian. All year, Engler advisors had hoped that Feiger would win his primary; his reckless flamboyance probably will depress Democratic turnout in November (the party establishment despises Feiger) and drive independents into the open arms of the GOP, which lost control of the state's House of Representatives in 1996 but is now poised to regain it. The nomination of Feiger may be the best thing to happen to Michigan Republicans since Engler's narrow come-from-behind victory in 1990.

Missteps Revisited
A number of readers have taken us to task for the first half of yesterday's top Bulletin item: "GOP Scandal Missteps." We hope the following will clarify our earlier remarks on the counterproductive nature of Freeh and La Bella's testimony before Burton's committee.

Some of us at NR question whether, on balance, Freeh and La Bella's testimony was helpful. Since La Bella's report was leaked on July 22nd, we have known that he believes there is enough evidence of wrongdoing by covered persons to warrant the appointment of an independent counsel under the act's mandatory and discretionary provisions. We've known that, in a November 1997 memo to Janet Reno, Louis Freeh concluded, "It is difficult to imagine a more compelling situation for appointing an independent counsel."

In public testimony, both could be expected to cover for their boss, e.g. reasonable people can disagree with their conclusions; politics are not involved in Reno's decision; she should be given another three weeks to consider her decision; and their investigation would be irreparably harmed if their reports were shared (in confidence) with appropriate Members of Congress.

They reiterated what we knew and promoted excuses for Members who'd rather not demand that Reno obey the law.

An unexpected by-product of the hearing was Reno's heavy-handed attempt to blindside Republicans by appearing uninvited. That has apparently annoyed and fortified Members.

The contempt vote tomorrow will hopefully be successful. But opponents will cite Freeh or La Bella as allies in the fight to see that the damning report is not shared.