Financial Post, Weekly edition, Thu 13 Jul 95, page 15

The new polls show that the president is now level with Senator Bob Dole, who is far ahead of the other GOP contenders in the strug It was not too many months ago when the party that has gained control of both houses of Congress for the first time in four decades seemed to have Clinton on the ropes, ready for plucking.

He seemed to have settled in American minds as aan voters had decided Clinton was run by his wife - who has had to back away into a more low-profile image.

And the Republicans? Who is to take advantage of the right-wing, more conservative mood of the nation?

While Bob Dole loosmith, his latest being that if the Germans had not been forbidden to re-arm in the 1920s there might not have been a Holocaust.

Dole has said that Newt has two filing cases in his office - a very big one with all his bad ideas and a year's nomination.

Gov. Pete Wilson of California, the best chance to best Dole, was laid low for two months with throat surgery, entered the race late and has never really got off the ground.

Lamar Alexander, the former Tenne trivialized by such as newspaper columnist/TV commentator Pat Buchanan who would take his country back into an isolationist role including a fierce trade war against any adversaries, including that very dangerous Canada.

The strange on and Jean Chretien were scheduled to play golf and an American official who knew Chretien well was approached by White House aides.

What specific policies, he was asked, should Clinton bone up on to discuss on the course. ''Policies golf course.

''He's the meeting-est man I've ever met,'' confessed his Texas colleague Lloyd Bentsen, shaking his head at Clinton's love of soliciting every opinion on every issue.

That's the read the American public has on theigulations and has spent his whole political career as a wily party pro.

But no one knows what he really believes in. Or where he would take the country. Can the Republicans win with an older version of Bill Clinton?

DNOTE (nformation is provided by the Financial Post.
Please send comments to: g8@utoronto.ca
Revised: June 3, 1995

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