■ Dole on a roll? Glowing from successful filibuster of spending bill, Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole is signaling that GOP may be able to stop President Clinton’s tax package in Finance Committee. If all 9 committee Republicans stick together, he would need to peel off only one of the 11 Democrats. Sens. David Boren (Okla.), John Breaux (La.), and Kent Conrad (N.D.) are considered possibles to jump off the donkey. However, GOP leaders Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, and Phil Gramm are urging committee to allow tax proposals to reach Senate floor so Democrats would have to put their votes on record. . . . Talking about 1996 presidential contenders, Dole told Cook County (Ill.) Republicans in April: “We’ll all be out there.” . . . Battle for GOP gubernatorial nomination in N.J. has moderate Christine Todd Whitman still ahead of fellow moderate Cary Edwards and conservative Jim Wallwork, despite feeding her “elitist” image by, among other bungles, getting extension on tax filing till after primary day. State committee, meanwhile, is raising funds for November race against incumbent Democrat Jim Florio; phone number: 800 BURY JIM. … At press time, Wisconsin race to fill vacated House seat of Defense Secretary Les Aspin appears headed for recount—Democrat Peter Barca up by 600 votes over conservative Republican Mark Neumann. … A letter from postmaster of U.S. House to Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.) says 1.25 million postcards have been received opposing Freedom of Choice Act. . . . Some 75,000 copies of William Bennett’s Index of Leading Cultural Indicators have been ordered, making it more successful than any other Heritage Foundation publication. . . . David Brock’s The Real Anita Hill (Free Press) is #7 on Waldenbooks sales list and #5 on May 2 Washington Post bestseller list.
■ A group of GOP Hill staffers points out unfortunate consequences of meeting Mr. Clinton. On February 5, Clinton met with Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who announced his resignation three weeks later. On February 8, he met with Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Ozal, who died in April. On February 11 he met with French President François Mitterrand, whose party suffered a humiliating defeat in March. . . . Vice President Al Gore refused to attend Ozal’s funeral, arguing that’s not what he was elected to do. . . . Meanwhile, in background of front-page Washington Post photograph of two policy wonks poring over documents in some executive-branch building were portraits of Bill Clinton and the First Lady. White House Credit Union has also replaced stern Al Gore with smiling Hillary Clinton. … At farewell reception at Pentagon for Lt. Gen. Martin Brandtner, Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell toasted former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney by saying, “Welcome back, boss,” sparking long, unanimous burst of applause. . . . Texas Rep. Dick Armey on President’s $7.4-billion plan for national service: “It would be cheaper just to buy students a new car for graduation.” . . . House Ways & Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, whose committee will play critical role in passage of a Clinton health-care package, said the proposal “amounts to the domestic equivalent of Star Wars.” . . . Richard Stearns—Oxford classmate of Clinton’s, McGovern campaign worker, and Massachusetts superior-court judge—is being touted as FBI director if current director, William Sessions, either steps down or is removed. . . . Evans & Novak report that Ronald Reagan could have appointed successor to Justice Byron White. Friends of White told chief of staff Howard Baker in 1987 that White would take FBI directorship if offered unconditionally. Instead, Baker asked if he would like to be considered in the usual way, to which White had to reply no. . . . Michael Blumenthal, Treasury Secretary under Jimmy Carter, is number one on list to be ambassador to Germany. Blumenthal and his family fled the Nazi regime there in 1939.
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