BAIT SHOP
"The suspect unfairly tried to use the race card," complained Bill Richardson on Tuesday, in response to Wen Ho Lee's charge on "60 Minutes" that he was fired from his job at Los Alamos because he was the only Asian-American scientist in his weapons-design group. Added Richardson: "He tried to portray himself as a victim after he massively violated our security system."

Richardson knows plenty about playing the race card: He did it himself in April, when the Clinton administration was desperately trying to contain damage from the then-unreleased Cox Report. In a speech to Asian-American scientists in New York, he warned that "those who have questioned the patriotism of Asian-Pacific Americans are also sowing the seeds of a darker xenophobia."

Perhaps he's decided, since then, that race has no part in this discussion. If so, good for him. Now he should condemn President Clinton, who played his own race card last week in a truly bizarre forum: a press release issued from Air Force One expressing his "special gratitude" to Chang Lin Tien, former chancellor of UC-Berkeley, for starting work on the National Science Board. "It is intolerable that the patriotism of Asian-Pacific American scientists be questioned in the wake of recent allegations of espionage at one of our national laboratories," said Clinton. "Racism and stereotyping have no place in our One America in the 21st century."

At different times, both Clinton and Richardson have said that some are questioning the patriotism of Asian Americans. It would be interesting to know who they're talking about. Neither of them, however, has named any names. Only Wen Ho Lee has pointed a finger at a real person or entity, charging racism. And he pointed it at the Clinton administration.

WATTS UP
Could Oklahoma Republican J.C. Watts be having second thoughts about joining the House leadership? The job of conference chairman may be more demanding, and thankless, than he had expected: As his predecessor John Boehner found out, House Republicans are quick to blame political setbacks on a failure of communications-and the conference chairman is in charge of communications strategy. Already, some Republicans are beginning to criticize Watts.

The communications strategy he has adopted for himself doesn't seem to be working too well. He went to Speaker Denny Hastert last week to complain that Majority Whip Tom DeLay's office had invaded his turf by passing out talking points to members. Because the door to Hastert's office was open, rumors quickly spread. Watts's office confirmed the story in response to media inquiries, apparently not realizing that it would make him look petty-and force him to spend several days fielding questions about dissension in the leadership.