Clinton advisers wary of latest accuser
WASHINGTON (AP) -Wary of a
backlash if they hit too hard, White
House officials are attempting to
undermine the credibility of the pres
ident ’s latest accuser with a quiet
campaign of whisper and innuendo.
Kathleen Willey is after a book
deal, they say. She’s emotionally dis
traught, under a lot of pressure, they
suggest.
Even as White House spokesman
Mike McCurry denied on Tuesday
that anyone was trying to smear
Willey, Clinton advisers were anony
mously talking about her back
ground.
It’s a more cautious effort than
earlier campaigns to undercut
Monica Lewinsky and Paula Jones, in
apparent recognition that Willey, as a
Democratic supporter of the presi
dent, may be viewed as more credible
by the public.
“You have to treat her differently
because she has a different reputa
tion,” said Gary A. Copeland, a pro
fessor at the University of Alabama
and author on political consulting and
negative campaigns. “One of the
worst things that can happen to you is
when a friend turns on you.”
To varying degrees, the White
House has worked to discredit other
women who have made sexual allega
tions concerning the president.
Clinton supporters portrayed
Jones, who has sued the president for
sexual harassment, as money-hungry
and a tool of the Republican right.
The White House suggested that
Lewinsky, a former intern who says
she had an affair with Clinton, wore
her skirts too short and spent too
much time hanging around him.
In Willey’s case, the spin has been
more subtle since Friday’s release of a
deposition in which she claimed that
Clinton fondled her during a 1993
encounter just outside the Oval
Office. Clinton has denied making
any improper overture toward Willey
during their meeting, which coinci
dentally occurred the same day her
husband committed suicide.
In meetings on Saturday, Clinton
aides debated the rewards and risks of
going after Willey, and concluded
that direct attacks would do more
harm than good.
Instead, White House aides,
speaking on condition of anonymity,
began talking solemnly about the
financial problems that beset Willey
and the emotional stress caused by
the suicide of her husband.
Who knows what kind of pressure
she was under when she made her
allegations, they said.
Each day since then, the White
House has turned up the pressure.
On Sunday, the same day Willey
appeared on CBS’ “60 Minutes,”
Clinton lawyer Robert Bennett went
on ABC to cryptically promise that
there was unspecified information
that “seriously undercuts her claims.”
Anonymous sources passed word that
Willey had written “consistently
friendly and admiring” notes to the
president after the alleged incident.
On Monday, the White House
released copies of her letters. Bennett
questioned whether money was moti
vating her and said her lawyer was
“hawking a book.”
McCurry insisted Tuesday that
the White House was simply trying to
provide factual information.
“I have not heard a single person
at the White House impugn anyone
else’s credibility,” he said. Still, he
acknowledged that the White House
wanted to get out another side of the
story after Willey appeared “in front
of however many millions of people.”
Her letters were released, he said,
because “we wanted to help
Americans understand the fuller con
text of the story.”
The release of the letters remind
ed Anita Hill of the tactics that critics
used against her in 1991 when she
accused Supreme Court nominee
Clarence Thomas of sexual harass
ment.
“Your entire life is subject to
being turned upside down,” she said
on NBC’s “Today” show. “And that’s
hard for anybody to go through.”
1990, ’98 elections similar
By Jessica Fargen
Assignment Reporter
During the 1990 ASUN
elections, a debate was held in
a bar, and businesses rewarded
student voting by giving dis
counts on beer, fast food and
music.
But that’s where the differ
ences between 1990 and 1998
stop.
Besides being the closest
Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska elec
tion in eight years, last
Wednesday’s election mirrored
the 1990 elections in several
$ ways. ^
Eight years ago, VISJON
gave TODAY a run for its
money and cashed in. But, like
COMMIT this year, VISION
didn’t run the 1990 ticket.
VISION defeated TODAY
by five votes in a runoff elec
tion for president and vice pres
ident. But in the second vice
presidential race, TODAY beat
out VISION by 89 votes.
This year, 340 votes sepa
rated COMMIT’s Sara Russell
and Kelly Hoffschneider from
VISION’s John Wiechmann and
Jill Maaske for the presidency
and first vice presidency.
In the race for second vice
president, COMMIT’s Chris
Linder lost by just 53 votes to
VISION’s Eddie Brown.
The similarities continue.
■ Both Brown and Scott are
African Americans, and both
took the second vice presidency
in a split victory.
■ Wiechmann is chairman
of the Government Liaison
Committee, and Deb Fiddelke,
who lost the president’s race in
1990, also led the GLC.
■ A recount was done this
year to determine the senatorial
race in the Teachers College,
f
and the last time a recount was
done was for the runoff in
1990.
■ In the 1990 elections, the
main two parties were greek
with the exception of VISION’s
Mohling, who was president of
the Residence Hall
Association. All four candi
dates for the president and first
vice president were in greek
houses.
■ In 1990, Bryan Hill was
outgoing ASUN president and
was a member of Alpha Tau
Omega Fraternity. This year’s
outgoing president, Curt Ruwe,
is also in Alpha Tau Omega.
Even party platforms were
similar. Eight years apart, they
both focused on how to get stu
dents more involved and
decrease apathy.
Candidates for the nongreek
party, STAND attempted to
combat student apathy by
increasing voter turnout in an
unusual way.
STAND organized efforts,
which VISION, TODAY and
several administrators were
skeptical about, to give stu
dents discounts from Lincoln
businesses for voting.
Students whose thumbs
glowed fluorescent green when
they placed them under an
ultraviolet light, proving they
had voted, were rewarded with
happy-hour prices at Duffy’s
Tavern, 1412 O St.
Another bar gave voters $2
pitchers, Amigos in the old
Reunion Plaza offered cheaper
chicken wings, and Project
Import Records, 1418 O St.,
gave a 10 percent discount.
And instead of the Crib or
Abel Hall, Harry’s Wonder Bar,
1621 O St., was the site of an
unofficial ASUN debate, where
u
There should
always be a level of
competiton like
that.
These people are
representing these
ideas to students
and the regents.”
Sara Russell
ASUN president-elect
candidates and the audience
absorbed questions and liquor.
Sara Russell, ASUN presi
dent-elect, said it was a sad
statement that it has been eight
years since an election was this
close.
“There should always be a
level of competition like that,”
she said. “These people are rep
resenting these ideas to stu
dents and the regents. You need
to make sure you are electing
the people most qualified.”
Voter turnout also increased
in 1990 and 1998. This year it
increased by about 3.5 percent,
and in 1990, voter turnout
increased by about 5 percent.
And students who were
wearing those little stickers last
Wednesday that said “I VOTED
ASUN” probably did not know
that in 1990 those stickers had
to be changed.
They used to read, “I
VOTED TODAY,” but ASUN
realized that if they passed out
those stickers on election day,
they would be giving their sup
port to the TODAY party.
I
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Parade proceeds peacefully,
breaks down city tradition
BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP)
- Defying convention in this traditional
ly pro-British Protestant city, more than
10,000 Catholics marched into the cen
ter of Belfast on Tuesday in the city’s
first-ever St Patrick’s Day parade.
Celebrants strolled peacefully to the
tunes of local reggae singers and a visit
ing Brazilian salsa band.
But - despite written invitations -
there was little participation from
Protestants, whose favored patriotic
color is orange and who fly the British
flag.
“We’re putting St Patrick’s Day on
the map in Belfast,” said the parade’s
organizer, Catriona Ruane, who in
hopes of achieving Protestant involve
ment had required marchers to avoid
political-party banners and told fife
and-drum bands to skip overtly anti
British tunes.
The parade featured children with
painted faces and shamrocks on their
heads, Viking-costumed warriors, and a
30-foot-long fake snake. But the Irish
language banners and green, white and
orange Irish flags would have been
enough to dissuade many Protestants.
That kind of overt Lrishness tradi
tionally has been suppressed in
Northern Ireland, where pro-British
Protestant marches dominate life each
summer.
Though St. Patrick’s remains are
reputedly buried in Downpatrick, 20
miles south of Belfast, St. Patrick’s Day
i
here has long been a muted affair - and
celebrated exclusively on Cathode turf.
Until this decade, even flying an
Irish flag or hanging street signs in
Gaedc was illegal. In Belfast, previous
marches by Catholics were blocked
before they reached City Hall.
But the peace process has swelled
Catholic confidence, even in Belfast
“Traditionady, the city center has
been reserved for one section of the
population,” Ruane said in reference to
Belfast’s dwindling Protestant majority.
“But we’re showing it’s our city, too.”
In Downpatrick, Protestants and
Cathodes worshipped together inside
the Anglican cathedral near Patrick’s
traditional burial place.
“I don’t believe anybody owns St.
Patrick,” said Anglican Bishop Harold
Mider, who laid a wreath at die stone
monument to the saint among grave
stones outside Down Cathedral. “We
call him the aposde of the Irish people.
He belongs to every Irish Christian per
son right across the divide.”
In Armagh, until this year the site of
the largest St. Patrick’s parade in
Northern Ireland, Cathode Archbishop
Sean Brady released 1,553 green-and
white balloons to symbolize the number
of years since Patrick’s consecration as
the first archbishop.
In the neighboring Irish Republic,
meanwhile, hundreds of thousands
turned out for more than 30 parades.
Dublin, for several hours.
I
The following Is a list of goals ASUN has set, and the progress It has made.
1. To create ouccoonful programming for MartfoUither King Jr. Day on Jan
19 as wel as create a Martfo Luther King Jr. Day coorcinating commission
for 1999.
-ASUI President Curt Ruwe said alhou^i his wok on the commission has been done for several
weeks, he was confident flat presidentelect Sara Russel world have a ^eamteesT tension onto tie
oommissioa Ruwe said Russel has previously worked vOhmemebers on tw commission, such as
umar varensne, a memoer or AinKan Peoples union.
2. Rssooroh and work toward the ImptemsntaUon of mkhorm and stnnrtmd
academic evaluations in ackfltlon to the existing departmental evafoaUons.
-Rwmb said he met wtti Russel last Rfdsytoeochenge ideas on how to make sfcdente more confident
to the evaluation process. Rave said changing toe evaiusfion system was a hand process, but he was
confidential Russefs admrisflafion world confinue to esqplorB options.
1 ConlinuotoaCTlttowMdlnytomonttStondnpwVk^^rflttnn^^
-Ruwe said ASUN has not woriod on Ms goal tor several weeks. Stodents tove told him toy want
the class, Ruwe said, but they do not want to loee tot warning tickets or lave increased periwig petrnft
prices, He said I was pretty much now uptoRussefeadmtoisflation, which takes oioe April.
4b wonc siwarosiienwirBgwtraDon for cnttoos.
-Pail Schreier, chairman of »aTechnology Fee AcMeory Board, said he had not done any work this
week or last week on MsgoaL He saidtwaetne lor the new ASUN adhriniskafiontotake over. Schrier
said he hoped flat Russel world confinue to make I poestle lor UNL students to register orfine, but i
vos hBRitoprecfict how longlwotld take.t could take sk morthsorayear," he said."far newer tom’
5. Lobby for student support for foe‘Train gate” ML
-LBHTBros advanced past oommllee and to the Legisnia floor, but Ruwe said he was not veiy
confident in Is success *Ib year. He said fla nature of »a bi has also changed. There is no reason to
waste a lot ol fime on somefling that is not going to happen," he sail
6. Have the Student bnpact snd Government Uason Committee start campus
DesuuiKauon projects.
-Carrie Pierce, cheiwoman of the Stodent Impact learn, said the teem has been busy woriSig an tond
raising efforts to raise money to replace flees and shrubs damaged by last Octobers storm. She said
they met vflh the new dredor of landscape senloee, fibn Meyers, to dtecuss STTs role to tree planing.
STT members plan oncaing nurseries and busineesestoaskfordonalions and wanttohaueacanjpuswide
service project in Apritopfert tides.
7. Reconstruct foe Outstsndng Educator Award
-This goal was not aooompfehed because! was not reoonsflucted before last Wednesday* ASUN
elections, in vMch the outsorting educator is elected, Ruwe said. This year* outsfeandteg educator is
BIMclaigfin,anac|unctchemteyinstnjctor.
