LETTERS: FIGHTING THE WAR OF ATTRITION

To the editor:

One of the most vivid memories of my congressional service was a conversation I had with Congressman Phil Burton of California, now deceased. The conversation took place several days after the Watergate break-in. Phil, a brilliant and liberal Democrat, said, "Lou, we're going to get Nixon. It is going to take some time, but with the help of the press, we're going to take him down." I remember replying to Phil in not-too-gentle terms that, as usual, he was out in left field and that this was just a minor incident not involving President Nixon.

I have watched with interest the problems of President Clinton and Vice President Gore regarding the fund-raising activities of the 1996 campaign. Most of the political insiders initially agreed that there was much to do about nothing and that the hearings would go nowhere. As regards Bill Clinton, our Teflon president, that probably remains true. Attorney General Janet Reno is in the process of deciding whether to appoint an independent prosecutor, but Clinton has already come up with his best defense: He doesn't remember anything.

Gore has a different story. He came into the vice presidency and remained, until recently, the Boy Scout, never doing anything wrong. When the inquiries first started, his popularity was not affected, and his credibility remained high. However, as a result of the recent hearings, which highlighted the fund raiser at the Buddhist temple and the calls from the White House, his popularity has dropped to his all-time low of 41 percent. Gore has hired lawyers to present his case to the attorney general, arguing that a special prosecutor is not needed. The odds are that a special prosecutor will be appointed in Gore's case.

It is really tough for the politician involved in such circumstances. Every day there is something in the paper or on TV. It is now at a point where the friends of the vice president spend their time on national TV denying that he did anything wrong. Gore has been put into a position where he has violated the two Frey rules of politics: Don't get in a fight with the press, and if you have to explain, you're in trouble. People who were not aware of his problem are now aware of it. And the public is thinking that if he continually denies these accusations, there must be something to it. Gore is going down the same path that Nixon went down. The results will probably not be the same: impeachment. However, in Gore's case, the results can be just as deadly for him, and that is destroying his opportunity to succeed Clinton as president. If Phil Burton is watching, I am sure he is not surprised by this process. He wouldn't like it, but he's seen it before.

LOU FREY JR.Orlando, Fla.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Lou Frey Jr. served in Congress from 1969 to 1979.