George W. Bush bombs at first showcase for presidential hopefuls for year 2000, Midwest Republican Leadership Conference in Indianapolis. Afterward, in defensive spin mode, Bush implausibly claimed to have been interrupted by applause forty times and, equally implausibly, avowed: “This was purely an attempt to help the Midwestern Republican Parties, and had I known this was going to be some giant beauty contest where people were going to make a huge scene out of this… . I might not have done it.” . . . According to Bob Novak, Family Research Council president Gary Bauer is seriously considering a presidential run in 2000. Bauer says: “I certainly want my issues cum im the year 2000. If nobody’s going to take those issues. . . . I’ll cross that bridge when it comes.” . . . New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith (R.) flirts with entering presidential race, but 59 per cent of folks back home in New Hampshire say he shouldn’t. . . . Newt Gingrich tells audience at Indianapolis GOP confab, “There are things I would like to do like a flat tax with virtual elimination of the IRS,” then immediately afterward denies having said it… . According to Roll Call, Gingrich plans to convene informal “coup watch” meetings. Saturday Night Live reportedly wants the Speaker as guest host. .. . Ronald Reagan’s talk-show-host son, Michael, goes after political consultants in his new book The City on the Hill. “The people who nearly sank Ronald Reagan’s campaign in 1980 . . . are still around today,” he writes. “From what [ve seen, people like John Sears and Charlie Black don’t give a rodent’s rear bumper about the Republican cause or conservative values.”
According to the Media Research Center, Time magazine’s Margaret Carlson blames the system for Al Gore’s transgressions: “What we’ve done is we’ve got a face on a corrupt system and we’re doubting the probity-who would ever have thought that you would doubt the probity of Vice President Al Gore and three nuns? So it seems to me you’ve got to look at the system when the system is corrupting people that you would not otherwise…” .. . Euphemism watch: First the fundraiser at the Buddhist temple was “community outreach,” then a “finance-related event,” now a “donormaintenance” meeting. . . . One typical Gore call-sheet instructs him to call Federal Express executive Fred Smith: “. . . our Administration has been very responsive to his company, especially in opening up Japan, and his business is good. He can raise $25,000 especially if he wants to, and he will, but it will require that you ask him.” Gore, meanwhile, is already dispensing federal largesse in his presidential bid. On tecent trp to. New Hampshire he brought with him $2.5million Department of Transportation grant for Manchester Airport. … An emissary from Sen. Bob Kerrey (D., Neb.) has reportedly encouraged Nebraska Lieut. Gov. Kim Robak (D.) to look at a Senate run in 2000, fucling speculation that Kerrey will opt to run for President instead of re-election to Senate that year.
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