Ethics Charges Don't Dent Clinton's Lead

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Oct. 25) -- President Bill Clinton's fund-raising prowess is awesome. He attended glittering dinners that raised a record $12 million in one night. In 1995 and 1996, Democrats collected more so-called "soft money" than the Republicans. But all that money is creating problems for the president.

Remember 1992, when Clinton promised the most ethical administration ever? What about now? The ethics charges are coming thick and fast about:

A Democratic operative who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in questionable or illegal contributions.
An illegal $250,000 contribution from a South Korean company that Democrats had to give back.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from non-U.S. citizens. Where did the money come from?
Donations from a convicted felon who was invited to the White House.
A fund-raiser in a Southern California Buddhist temple, with contributions from monks and nuns.

That's not to mention Whitewater, the travel office firings and the mishandling of sensitive FBI files.

Republican Bob Dole has seized on the issue.

"We have seen more than 30 Clinton officials investigated, fired or forced to resign due to ethical improprieties," Dole said in one speech. "We have seen four independent counsels at work, three investigating members of the Cabinet and one looking at the president himself."

How does the Clinton campaign respond? The president himself ignores the charges or changes the subject, as in the San Diego debate. "No attack ever created a job or educated a child or helped a family make ends meet," Clinton said. Wiriadinata

Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign runs ads accusing the accuser.

One ad declares, "Dole and the Republicans took $2.4 million from foreign interests. Foreign oil, foreign tobacco, foreign drug companies."

Another ad dismisses the charges as "just politics."

"I hear people question the president's character and integrity," said Marc Klaas, the father of slain Polly Klaas. "It's just politics."

Meanwhile, the voters say Dole, not Clinton, is the one running a negative campaign. That's because that's what the Clinton ads tell them.

One Democratic ad said Dole is "wrong to turn to desperate attacks."

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee quietly returns illegal contributions and keeps its controversial fund-raiser under wraps. The president never acknowledges wrongdoing and he never defends himself.

But he continues to charm his critics, like a Louisiana woman who complained to him at a rally this week about his veto of the late-term abortion bill. He explained his position and won her over.

Mr. Clinton's opponents warn about what might happen if the president is re-elected. This week, Ross Perot told a National Press Club audience, "We are headed toward a second Watergate with all this stuff going on and a constitutional crisis in 1997. Just remember where you heard it and put it in the bank."

But the bottom line for Clinton is it's working. The ethics charges have not dented his lead over Dole. When it comes to flat-out political cunning, you've got to hand it to this guy. So we will...the political Play of the Week, the Teflon prize, for a bravura display of political dexterity.

Polls show the voters are not convinced that Clinton is honest and trustworthy, but they believe he is honest and trustworthy enough to be president.

What does that mean? It could mean that he passes the threshold test of honesty, or it could mean that the voters have become awfully cynical about how honest they expect any politician to be.

This commentary originally appeared on CNN's "Inside Politics."

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