Around the Nation

Around the Nation

Clinton defends defeated test ban treaty

Clinton pledged the United States would refrain from testing - as it has since 1992 - despite the treaty's rejection. "It still binds us" unless the president says otherwise, Clinton said.

With Texas Gov. George W. Bush and other Republican presidential hopefuls opposed to the treaty, Clinton acknowledged that a future president might disavow the ban. "Then all bets are off," Clinton said. "You'll see a lot of testing and they'll bail" on the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, another major arms accord.

The president's words reflected deep White House bitterness over the treaty vote and the undiminished animosity between Clinton and congressional Republicans after the impeachment battle and fights over gun control, tax cuts and other issues.

Clinton, at a news conference a day after the test ban treaty failed on a 51-48 Senate vote, said Republicans have fallen into "a new isolationism" and had voted on the basis of partisan politics.

He also said Republicans were endangering America's economic prosperity by "lurching from one unworkable idea to the next" in spending proposals and budget cuts.

Republicans quickly answered Clinton's charges. "It was not about politics," Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said of the treaty vote. "It was about the substance of the treaty and that's all it was. No senator, no senator, was pressured to vote anyway but his or her conscience based on the substance of the treaty."

Clinton, in his first full-fledged news conference since July 21, also made these points:

-He expects Vice President Al Gore to win the Democratic presidential nomination over former senator and basketball star Bill Bradley. But Clinton said he would support whoever is the Democratic nominee.

-The United States hopes for a return to civilian government in Pakistan after Tuesday's military coup. He said "we don't like it" when military leaders forcibly remove elected governments. Clinton said he hoped "nothing would be done" to aggravate tensions between Pakistan and India.

As Clinton denounced the Senate's treaty vote, other Democrats pledged to make it a political issue for 2000. Gore, in his first television ad of the 2000 presidential race, said he would send the treaty back to the Senate for ratification if he wins.

Striding into the East Room, Clinton took a combative tone in his opening remark. "In recent days, members of the congressional majority have displayed a reckless partisanship. It threatens America's economic well-being and now our national security."

"Yesterday, hard-line Republicans irresponsibly forced a vote against the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty," Clinton said. "This was partisan politics of the worst kind, because it was so blatant and because of the risks it poses to the safety of the American people and the world."

Urging all nations to refrain from nuclear testing, he said, "I have no doubt" that the Senate will ratify the treaty eventually - although that is highly unlikely in the near term since Republicans will remain in control at least until January 2001.

The president defended himself against criticism that he had waged a weak, 11th hour campaign for the treaty. He said he had spoken at least 30 times about it but "we had no earthly idea" that it was going to be brought up hurriedly for a Senate vote. "There was simply no time to put it together," Clinton said.

"We will not - we will not - abandon the commitments inherent in the treaty and resume testing ourselves," the president said.

"Now, if we ever get a president that's against the test ban treaty, which we may get ... you'll have Russia testing, you'll have China testing, you'll have India testing, you'll have Pakistan testing," Clinton said. "And we will be in a much, much more dangerous world."

More generally, Clinton complained that the treaty's defeat was another step in the United States' retreat from a global leadership role.

"We are in a battle with the new isolationists and the Republican Party," Clinton said. He said the United States has failed to pay its U.N. dues or meet financial obligations under Middle East peace agreements and an accord with Russia to help dismantle the former Soviet nuclear arsenal.

Corruption charges fly as debate begins

"I have been accused of being corrupt," said Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah) referring to material on Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign Web site.

"I did not accuse him of being corrupt. So no apology or withdrawal is warranted," McCain (R-Ariz.) responded from a few feet away on the Senate floor.

The exchange punctuated the opening day of debate on the legislation, which faces an uphill struggle for approval. Opponents led by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have promised to filibuster.

The debate has become something of an annual Senate ritual in recent years, with sponsors struggling unsuccessfully to overcome blocking tactics by Republicans who claim the measure violates the free speech guarantees of the Constitution. In an effort to avoid a similar fate this year, McCain and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) decided to bring a stripped-down measure to the floor.

As drafted, the bill would ban the use of "soft money" in federal campaigns. Soft money, prized by the political parties, refers to unlimited donations that are unregulated by the federal government.

The measure also would give nonunion members the ability to stop unions from using their mandatory dues money for political purposes.

President Clinton lent his support, as expected, to the effort. In a letter dispatched to the Senate's leaders, he also urged adoption of amendments to bring the bill in line with recently passed House legislation that contains more sweeping restrictions on campaign fund-raising and spending.

No sooner had Senate debate opened than McConnell sought to place McCain on the defensive on an issue that the Arizonan has made a centerpiece of his bid for the GOP presidential nomination.

McConnell quoted the fellow Republican as often having said that "we are all corrupted" by the current system of campaign fund raising. He referred to a Web site page that cited a link between soft money donations and wasteful "pork-barrel spending."

"If there is corruption, someone must be corrupt," he said, challenging McCain to name names among the members of Congress. "It's like saying the gang is corrupt but none of the gangsters is corrupt," McConnell added.

Bennett, R-Utah, said, "I plead guilty" to seeking money for one of the examples cited on the Web site, $2.2 million for federal funding for sewer construction to coincide with the 2002 Winter Olympics in his state.

But, noting that he cannot raise soft money, he challenged McCain to answer these questions:

"Who gave the soft money. How much was it and where did it go" that resulted in any decision to insert funds into a spending bill.

McCain, in general rebuttal, said he believed that soft money was a "key ingredient" in wasteful spending and special interest tax breaks. He cited a dictionary definition for corruption as "the impairment of integrity" and said he believed that unlimited amounts of campaign money were "impairing our integrity."

The parliamentary maneuvering was intense at times.

As a result of a gambit by McConnell, supporters found themselves in a position of needing a two-thirds vote of the 100-member Senate to break a filibuster - even more than the 60 votes that have eluded them in previous years.

McCain, Feingold and other supporters of the bill appeared to be caught flat-footed by the maneuver- so much so that they unwittingly provided McConnell with an assist.

McConnell later said he would not press the issue, telling reporters, "We are not placing a requirement on the other side to get a 67-vote threshold."

The debate opened to well-rehearsed arguments.

"What this fight is all about is taking the $100,000 check out of American politics for good," said McCain, who routinely bucks his own party's leadership on the campaign finance issue.

McConnell, who chairs the GOP senatorial campaign committee, swiftly countered that the bill was an "assault on freedom." Opposition to it, he said, was evidence of "a constituency for protecting constitutional freedom."

U. Florida student contracts meningitis

Tom Belcuore, the director of the Alachua County Health Department, said the student was admitted to Shands at AGH on Saturday after complaining of fever and nausea.

Leisha Harris, public relations spokesperson for Shands Health Care, said the student is in good condition with stable vital signs and is resting comfortably. Harris would not comment on when the patient is expected to be released.

Belcuore said physicians at Shands quickly identified the student's condition and treated her with antibiotics. He said she is doing "very well" and is expected to quickly recover.

Belcuore said the infection is spread only through close contact.

"We've investigated the case and determined who was in danger of contracting the infection," he said, adding that five of her close friends, including roommates, were given antibiotics. He said the student lived off campus.

Belcuore said the student's classmates need not fear contracting the infection.

"Exposure, as far as casual classroom contact, is not considered enough to spread the disease," Belcuore said. "It would take an extended time and considerable activity not normally associated with a classroom situation."

The infection's appearance is infrequent in the area.

"We see maybe one or two cases like this a year," Belcuore said. "This is a very rare isolated instance."

About 100 cases of bacterial meningitis occur statewide each year.

A 24-year-old UF graduate student was afflicted with bacterial meningitis while visiting his family in Tampa and died in March 1998. In September 1997, a 19-year-old UF student also died of the disease.

Belcuore said the infection has an acute onset time that usually leads to a rapid diagnosis.

The incubation period for the infection can range from two to 10 days, but symptoms normally appear in four to five days. They include fever, nausea and, in the case of the spinal version of the infection, a stiff neck. The infection was found in the UF student's blood.

"When this bacteria gets in the blood, it's very serious." Belcuore said. "The mortality rate is actually higher than if it is present in the spinal fluid."

Health department officials have no plan to immunize the student population at this time.

10-15-99