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- GRAPEVINE, Page 11
-
-
- By SOPHFRONIA SCOTT GREGORY
-
- He Plays Well in K.C.
-
- If GEORGE BUSH finds recent polls gloomy, he can very well
- cheer himself up with the rosy sentiments flowing from Kuwait.
- The President is still vastly popular in the oil-rich country.
- So much so in fact that the U.S. embassy there has tactfully
- had to refuse offers from Kuwaitis eager to help bankroll the
- presidential campaign. "We'd rather stay with the man we know,"
- says one Kuwaiti. With such excitement, one wouldn't guess that
- the country is about to hold its own parliamentary elections
- next month. Gatherings meant to discuss local politics are now
- dominated by satellite TV broadcasts of the U.S. elections sent
- via CNN. And despite Bush's trailing Clinton in the polls, the
- Kuwaitis have victory on the brain. Says one: "If Bush gets
- re-elected, we'll slaughter a sheep to celebrate."
-
- Rethinking the Retrial?
-
- The Iran-Contra trial of the CIA's Clair George ended in
- a hung jury last month, but independent counsel LAWRENCE WALSH
- was on the case, immediately requesting a retrial; one was set
- for Oct. 19. Now it seems Walsh is having second thoughts about
- that decision. Reportedly shocked over his failure to get a
- majority of the jury to convict on even one of the nine counts
- George is charged with, Walsh is consulting top legal eagles on
- whether to proceed. He's already feeling the heat from George
- supporters attacking the idea of another wasteful
- million-dollar trial. Besides, a second unsuccessful trial could
- undercut his last major effort, the trial of former Defense
- Secretary Caspar Weinberger, which begins Jan. 5.
-
- The Mac Attack
-
- BILL CLINTON's answer to the Bush campaign's emphasis on
- noneconomic issues has been to show that he, unlike the
- President, has a plan. His latest strategy involves using
- Macintosh computers to launch a high-tech assault intended to
- inform voters of exactly what that plan is. Drop by your local
- Democratic Party headquarters, and you too can access the Bill
- Clinton Interactive Kiosk, a multimedia presentation complete
- with moving pictures in which voters can view the candidate
- speaking to a rapt audience on 12 topics such as defense, the
- economy and welfare reform. Voters can even take home a printout
- of the Clinton positions. The program is far from boring, but
- music fans will be disappointed to learn that it does not
- include any saxophone breaks played by the candidate.
-
- Lightening Up
-
- Though his portly presence can be intense and forbidding,
- Acting Secretary of State LAWRENCE EAGLEBURGER is blowing light
- fresh air into Foggy Bottom with the force of a hurricane. One
- jaw-dropping sign of change can be found on the laminated
- luggage tags used on official trips. Instead of the staid State
- Department seal, the tags now feature the "Little Larry Logo,"
- a jolly caricature of Eagleburger, briefcase in hand, tootling
- off to his next destination.
-
- CAMPAIGN QUIZ
-
- Q:
-
- Which political party usually wins the White House when:
-
-
- A. California wines have a bad year?
-
- B. Bordeaux wines have a bad year?
-
- C. A National League team wins the World Series?
-
- D. Fashions that highlight large breasts are in style?
-
- E. Native Americans are featured as heroes in Westerns?
-
-
- A:
-
- A. Democrats
-
- B. Republicans
-
- C. Democrats
-
- D. Republicans
-
- E. Democrats
-
- HEAD COUNT
-
- Looks like two X chromosomes and the Anita Hill backlash
- may not be enough to get more women into Congress this year.
-
-
- PEAK NUMBER OF FEMALE CANDIDATES 250
-
- NUMBER REMAINING AFTER 35 STATE PRIMARIES 160
-
-
- Nothing to sneer at, surely, but will the final number
- sworn in next term be enough to constitute 1992 as Year of the
- Woman?
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