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- <text id=93TT1678>
- <title>
- May 10, 1993: Leon's Lament
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1993
- May 10, 1993 Ascent of a Woman: Hillary Clinton
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- THE WEEK
- NATION, Page 21
- Leon's Lament
- </hdr>
- <body>
- <p> Panetta, reading from his own scripture, may have spoken
- truth
- </p>
- <p> As if Bosnia and Bob Dole weren't enough, now Bill Clinton
- had to contend with a depression. Leon Panetta's depression,
- that is. On the 97th day of the Administration's first 100, as
- Cabinet colleagues burnished their leader's record, the Office
- of Management and Budget head volunteered that Clinton's North
- American Free Trade Agreement was "dead" in Congress, his
- Russian-aid request endangered, and even parts of his huge
- budget proposal threatened unless he "defines his priorities."
- Panetta's suggested definition: Postpone introducing Hillary's
- health plan until after a June budget vote.
- </p>
- <p> Clinton was at first reported to be "extremely upset,"
- then avuncularly forgiving--Panetta needed "bucking up."
- Next, denial set in: a nuanced refusal that NAFTA was in trouble
- and a loud rejection of further health-plan delay. To some it
- makes little sense to postpone the health plan if it is going
- to make up a large part of the budget. But many Democrats, even
- in the Administration, agree that Clinton is oversubscribed. And
- on Friday the President added one more brick to his load; a
- government takeover of the student-loan program, which will
- lower collegians' interest rate 0.5% but cost 25 billion
- Republican-lambastable dollars over five years.
- </p>
-
- </body>
- </article>
- </text>
-
-