The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 27, 1993, Page 2, Image 2
Associated Press Nl^WS DIGEST NefiSkan Edited by Todd Cooper X 1 I i V Y VJ JL-^LV_JJ—iVJ X Tu~d.,,*prti 27,19*3 Poll: 48 percent say Clinton breaks too many promises NEW YORK — As President Clinton nears his 100th day in office, almost half of Americans in an Asso ciated Press poll say he already has broken promises loo often. But about the same number consider him a strong leader. The leader ship measure could be cru cial for a presi dent trying to push an agenda of change after winning only 43 percent of the vote in No vember. Those _11_a _■ jwiii/U ii'gaiu Clinton as a strong leader 49 percent to 37 percent, with the rest unsure. More Americans than not say Clinton has set the right tone for his administration, by 44 percent to 40 percent. But 48 percent say he already has broken his promises too often, com pared with 34 percent who say he has kept his promises up to this point. Clinton complained Sunday that it was “just not realistic” to expect that he could have moved on all his cam paign commitments in his first 100 days. “That’s why you gel a four-year term, not a three-month term,” he said. The pollindicatesaquarterof those critical of broken promises still re spect Clinton’s leadership. People who voted for him are much less likely than others to fault him for breaking promises,butncarly a fourth arc with holding judgment or have a mixed assessment, the poll found. The national telephone poll of 1,014 adults was taken April 16-20 by ICR Survey Research Group of Media, Pa., part of AUS Consultants. Results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Clinton was under harsh media scrutiny while the poll was taken, with Republicans in Congress having scuttled his $16.3 billion economic stimulus and the standoff with armed cullists in Texas ending, in a fiery tragedy. But the poll asked respon dents to take a broad view of Clinton ’ s "opening months in office," 100 days as of Thursday. Most, 68 percent, say Clinton has accomplished about what they ex pected, 6 percent say more than they expected, 22 percent say less. Among the disappointed are 18 percent of Democrats and 18 percent of Clinton voters. Clinton gets higher marks for lead ership among women in the poll than among men, possibly because of his pushfor spending on social programs that traditionally are more popular with women than men. Also, die presi dent has taken favorable stands on controversial issues, such as abortion rights and homosexuals in the mili tary, in which polls show more male than female opposition. Two-thirds of those who said they voted for President Bush for re-elec tion give thumbs down to Clinton’s leadership. Ross Perot voters split about evenly in assessing Clinton. While 6 percent of voters refused to say how they cast ballots in No vember, those who did say seemed reluctant to acknowledge voting for the loser. Only 29 percent said they voted for Bush, who won 38 percent of the vote, and 17 percent said they backed Perot, who actually got 19 percent. Clinton got a four-point bo nus in the poll. Clinton’s first 100 days Qm In these opening months 1 in office, do you think I President Clinton has set the right tone for his administration or not? N^Answer^.-Right tone: Qm Do you think £ President Clinton has ■ accomplished: Just about what you expected him to accomplish: 68% ^-\ Less than you More than you expected in expected: his first months of office: 22% e% From what you have seen thus far, do you think Bill Clinton has shown he is a strong leader, or not: Strong leader: 49% Q| Which do you agree g with more: President Clinton has Kept Ns promises up to this point: 34% President Clnton has already broken hie promisee too often: 48% Source: AP National phone pole of1,014 adults taken April 16-20 by ICR Survey Research Group of MedW Pa.. partofAUS Contuttante. Margin of error 3 percentage points, plus or minus. Because of rounding, ■urns may not total 100%. Arson investigators say cultists purposely started fire WACO, Texas (AP) — Branch Davidians started the quickly spreading Tire that con sumed their prairie fortress a week ago, killing an estimated 86 people, independent arson investigators said Monday. “We believe ft was intentionally set by persons inside the compound,” said Paul Gray, who headed the investigation team. “At least two locations were significantly distantenough from each other that they couldn ’t have been set by the same source at the same lime.” The findings supported FBI claims that the fire was set by cult members. Some of the nine survivors have claimed the fire began when a lank knocked over a lantern. Earlier today, a fugitive Davidian accused of plotting to illegally make machine guns emerged from hiding and surrendered in Hous ton. Paul Fatta, 35, had been sought since the Feb. 28 raid outside Waco that left four federal agents dead and triggered the 51 -day siege that ended with last week’s deadly inferno. Fatta was not at the compound during the standoff. On Sunday, the cult leader’s lawyer said a TV photographer’s warning to a mailman gave David Koresh advance notice that federal agents were coming for him the day the standofT began. Thcallomcy, Dick DcGuerin, also said Sun day that Koresh asked him to draw up a will and legal documents protecting the cull's property rights and providing for his children. But Koresh never got a chance to sign the documents before a deadly Tire swept through the compound last Monday. Authorities say the fire, which broke out as federal agents were ramming the compound’s buildings with armored vehicles and pumping in tear gas, was started by cult members. Sev eral of the nine cullists who survived say it started when the armored vehicles knocked over lanterns and smashed a propane tank. The Tire ended a 51 -day standoff that began after agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms who came to arrest Koresh shot it out withcullmcmbcrs. Four agents werekilled. DcGucrin said when he visited the com pound during the standoff, he spoke several limes with David Michael Jones, whose body was the first of the cull members’ identified by authorities. DcGucrin said Jones, who was a mail car rier, told him he’d been driving his car, with U.S. Postal Service lags on it, when he saw a television photographer who appeared lost. He said the photographer warned him, “‘There’s going to be a big gunfight with these religious nuts over here. You better get out of here.”’ Jones, who was also Koresh’s brother-in law, told the cult leader, DcGucrin said, and the group was ready when the ATF agents arrived Feb. 28. 19 Costa Rican court justices taken hostage by four gunmen SAN JOSE, Costa Rica—Four gunmen barged into the Costa Rican Supreme Court on Monday and took 19 of the 22 justices hostage, officials said. The gunmen, who called them selves members of “The Com mandoof Death,"entered the four story building through a basement entrance, said Jose Gerardo Gonzalez, an Interior Ministry spokesman. Rafael Brenes, deputy director of the judicial police, told reporters there were four gunmen, and he didn’t know their nationality. He said one of the judges held hostage was a woman. He didn’t say how the govern ment knew the attackers called themselves ‘The Commando of Death,” nor if officials had had any contact with them. “The situation is very critical. We believe it involved kidnap ping,” Gonzalez said. He said he had no immediate details concerning the group or its demands. The number of gunmen involved was not known. President Rafael Angel Calderon called an emergency meeting of his Cabinet to determine what to do. Dozens of police armed with assault rifles surrounded the build ing, while people caught inside were seen leaving the building. Gonzalez said the judges were be ing held on the second floor. Serbs split on U.N. peace plan BELGRADE, Yugoslavia — The first cracks appeared Monday between Bosnian Serbs and their patrons in Belgrade when the Serbian leader ship in Bosnia ignored a sharply worded appeal from Serbia’s presi dent. With tougher sanctions set to be gin Tuesday that would basically im pound any Yugoslav planes, trains and ships that operate abroad, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic urged the ad hoc assembly to accept an international peace plan to end more than a year of fighting in Bosnia. The assembly, meeting in the north eastern Bosnia town of Bijeljina, had met in hurried session Sunday night but in the end, its 77 representatives voted unanimously against accepting a U.N.-sponsored plan to end fighting m Bosnia. Bosnia’s Serbs arc dependent on - it Your other option is an unnecessary war which. . .cannot bring anything but evil, suffering and violence for your side and others. —Milosevic Serb president -— — - Yugoslavia for supplies and moral support, so without Yugoslav back ing, they face the prospect of being totally cut off. The assembly’s rejection of the peace plan sets the stage for lough, new international sanctions to go into effect against Serb-dominated Yugo slavia. It also may bolster the arguments of those in the West and the Islamic world who say only force will make Bosnian Serbs end the fighting. V w Milosevic’s bid lo unite Serbs throughout the former Yugoslav fed eration in a “Greater Serbia” is widely seen among his foes as the chief rea son for the bloodshed. The international plan is “a just peace,” Milosevic said in a letter signed by others the the Belgrade leadership. “Your other option is an unneces sary war which.. .cannot bring any thing but evil, suffering and violence for your side and others.” ‘Late Night’ successor set to be named NEW YORK—NBC said it would announce David Lettcrman’s succes sor on the “Tonight" show Monday night, and all signs pointed to Conan O'Brien, a little-known writer-come dian, as heir to the “Late Night" throne. Theannouncement would be made by 'Tonight” host Jay Leno, and the host-designate would appear with him, the network said. O’Brien, 28, is a 1985 graduate of Harvard University, where he was twice president of the Harvard Lam poon magazine, the nation’s leading undergraduate comedy school. His graduate course was the San Francisco-basedGroundlingscomedy troupe, training in sketch comedy and “ *■—"~ --- improvisation. O’Brien was a writer for HBO’s “Not Necessarily the News" before his Five-year stint at “Saturday Night Live," where he shared a writing Emmy and occasionally appeared as a sketch player. For the past two years, he has been a writer-producer at Fox’s hit ani mated sitcom ‘The Simpsons." O’Brien was a leading contender among the young comedians vying for the “Late Night” job and hadarun through audition on the set of “To night* in the Burbank studios two weeks ago. The announcement ended a week of speculation that longtime stand up Garry Shandling, star of HBO’s talk show spoof “The Larry Sanders Show,” would get the nod. Sources close to the negotiations said Shandling turned down NBC’s offer on Monday morning, triggering the O’Brien deal. Shandling reportedly got the offer two weeks ago, when his own name entered the mix in mid-April. According to one source, Shandling was the first approached for the job, . but turned down a multimillion-dol lar deal because it required him to have his program ready for air by August. Nebraskan Editor Chris Hoplensperger Night News Editors Btephenle Purdy 472-1766 Mike Lewis Managing Editor Alan Phelps Sieve Smith Assoc News Editors Wendy Mott Lori Slones _ Tom MalnelH Art Director ScotlMiurer Editorial Page Editor Jeremy Fitzpatrick General Manwtf Dan Shettll Convffe«or SShr PtSSSmSSS KMhyr.nePo.teky Copy Desk Editor Kathy Steinauer Advertising Manager jayCruaa . _ , Sports Editor John Adkleaon Senior Acct Esac. Bruce Kroese Arts * Entertainment Mark Baldridge Classified Ad Manager Karen Jackson . PublicaUona Board Chairman Doug Fiedler Diversions Editor Kim Spurlock 436-7662 Photo Chief Klley flmpertey Professional Advisor Don WMton 473-7301 braskl UnZ cSf^ 144 080Hs^bH shLl t* the UNL PubkcaOorwtoartl . 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