Presidential hopefuls on guard for a new style of media interrogation

As the US settles down following the acquittal of President Clinton in his impeachment trial, politicians are braced for further…

As the US settles down following the acquittal of President Clinton in his impeachment trial, politicians are braced for further prying by the media into their private lives.

Three Republican contenders for the presidential nomination in 2000 have felt obliged to declare publicly that they have been faithful to the their wives. They are Mr Dan Quayle, a former vice-president; Mr Lamar Alexander, former governor of Tennessee; and Mr George W. Bush, Governor of Texas.

Mr William Bennett, a former Republican education secretary and conservative commentator, has been telling contenders that "if adultery is part of your baggage, forget it".

Another likely Republican contender, Senator John McCain of Arizona, who has admitted to marital infidelity which resulted in divorce, said on a recent TV programme that he was "responsible" for the break-up of his first marriage but "I will not discuss or talk about that any more than that".

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Governor Bush has admitted to a drinking problem in his younger years and has refused to answer questions about whether he used drugs. His spokeswoman told the New York Times that reporters' questions have become so excessive that "I've been asked whether he killed somebody - a journalist asked me that, from a major Texas newspaper."

Mr Quayle, who replied to a question on television that he had been faithful to his wife, has said: "I don't think the question should be asked, but when it gets raised, you deal with it."

First polls taken after Mr Clinton's acquittal show that most people support it. The support ranges from 56 per cent to 64 per cent.

A US News and World Report poll found that 41 per cent were "disgusted" by the impeachment process and 64 per cent felt it would damage the country's moral fibre.

According to a Newsweek poll, 71 per cent said that President Clinton would always be remembered for the scandal.

The President yesterday began a two-day visit to Mexico where he is discussing the drug smuggling problem, trade, immigration and the environment. Last night, President and Mrs Clinton were the guests of President Ernesto Zedillo and his wife at a St Valentine's dinner.

There is continuing speculation over the likelihood of Mrs Clinton running for a New York seat in the US Senate in 2000 when Senator Daniel Moynihan stands down. Her spokesperson, Ms Marsha Berry, has said: "I suspect that at some point in the not-too-distant future she will begin to give thought to it."

On Capitol Hill, Democrats and Republicans alike are trying to return to normal politics after the impeachment process which has dominated their lives since Independent Counsel, Mr Ken Starr, presented his impeachment report last September.

Senator McCain told a weekend meeting of Republican moderates: "We Republicans have a great deal of work to do to remind voters that we are not simply the anti-Clinton party. I believe the American people understand very well what we stood against. We now need to remind them what we stand for."

AFP adds:

The White House chief of staff, Mr John Podesta, said yesterday that Mrs Clinton is considering running for one of New York's seats in the US Senate in the year 2000.

"If she decides to run she will win. But I think that is a little bit premature to get that far down the road," he said in an interview on ABC's This Week.

The Monica Lewinsky saga was a "a long and difficult ordeal" for Mrs and Mr Clinton, he said.

"She has said in the past that she has decided that while this impeachment trial was pending that she didn't want to focus on that," he said.

"I think now that it is over she's going to talk to the people who have been urging her to run, think about it.

"But I will tell you one thing. I think that if she does run she will win and if she wins she will make a great US senator."