by Douglas Stanglin; Richard Z. Chesnoff; Kenneth T. Walsh; Gary Cohen; Robin Knight
In the aftermath of the recent attack on the White House, the Secret Service has persuaded the president to alter his routine when he is outside the Executive Mansion. Among the changes: Clinton will reduce the time he spends shaking hands in open areas. Instead, he will greet well-wishers indoors or in other, more secluded locations. And while the president refuses to stop jogging around the Mall in Washington -- one of the busiest areas in the capital -- he has agreed to alter his route and change the time of his jogs. He also will run more often on somewhat more distant but better-protected government property, such as Fort McNair on the Potomac and the Naval Observatory, site of the vice president's official residence. Early in Clinton's presidency, a $30,000 quarter-mile jogging track was built on the White House south lawn, but he still prefers running through the heart of Washington, because he insists that a president should not be cut off from ordinary American citizens. Aides say that Clinton has not shown a particular interest in Francisco Duran, the man accused of wielding the assault rifle. He is also said to feel that there is not much that either he or the Secret Service can do to stop someone intent on harming him. Says a White House aide: "The president accepted a long time ago that that was a fact of life."
