Al Gore's Four-Letter Word by DOUGLAS BARRICKLOW Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2000 DALLAS, TX "Senator Bradley, you must be the only Democrat in America who misses Ken Starr,” jabbed Al Gore with a tilt of his head; and then quickly, not to lose mastery of his moment, he flashed a knowing, yet playful glance to the Apollo Theater audience, inviting cheerful applause and affirmative mock toasts from all who aspired to be good Democrats that night. Bill Bradley’s crime? The tether that links the Bradley-Starr axis? Well, recently Bill Bradley has been taking the bait when journalists ask him his opinion on the Democratic Party’s fund-raising problems during the 1996 presidential election. And not just taking the bait, he’s clearly approaching a precipice -- considering the pros and cons of an aggressive attack on the underbelly of Clinton-Gore `96. Bradley wonders if March 7th’s Democratic primary voters might just reward a noble stab at campaign corruption, even if it roosts within their own party. But he also knows that, as his campaign continues to lose momentum, such attacks can only benefit the Republican nominee in the general election.

RELATED LINKS... Yahoo! Full Coverage Common Cause Project Vote Smart Road to the White House Zogby.com Bradley's Official Site McCain's Official Site Bush's Official Site Gore's Official Site   Jump to the FRONT PAGE of...   .

Maybe Bill Bradley is desperate, as Al Gore alleges; or maybe he is truly embarrassed by those in his party who have fled the country or have pleaded the Fifth Amendment rather than answer questions about Campaign `96. Whatever the reason, Bradley appeared to take the high road on Feb. 20, when ABC’s Sam Donaldson asked him whether a special prosecutor might be required to get to the bottom of the campaign finance problems of 1996. Bill Bradley’s response: Yes, I think that it would be very important to get to the bottom of it. I think, a special prosecutor’s one way to do that. Of course, both parties have problems, but I think that one thing is clear and that is the Democratic has a bigger problem, because we were the party in power. And it’s interesting to note that Al Gore had said in New Hampshire that there were no legal violations in the 1996 fund-raising scandals. Well, if that’s so, I would ask him, ‘Where are the hundreds of thousands of dollars that were returned by the DNC? What about the 12 people who were convicted; the 70 people who essentially took the 5th Amendment; and this 16 or 17 -- the exact number I’m not exactly sure -- who actually left the country.’ And it was the following night, at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, that Al Gore struck back with his Ken Starr jab. Gore merely wished to put Bradley on alert. Gore’s message? “See how these people laugh at you? Do you see the beauty of Clintonian straw man rhetoric? Its effectiveness? How easy it will be for my campaign to reduce the campaign finance scandal to a mere Ken Starr joke?” If Bill Bradley was expecting his party to acknowledge wrong-doing; to cleanse itself; to, dare I say it, harbor guilt for its `96 transgressions, then that moment at the Apollo probably left the former senator a bit startled. But to his credit, Bradley returned to the stump the next day, with a subtle counter blow embedded within his message: “Strength is not about loyalty to an individual, even a president.” Bradley’s message to Gore, and more importantly, to the Democratic Party, is: Beware of “going with what brung you” -- don’t overestimate what you owe to President Clinton. As the first New Democrat to occupy the White House, it’s true, President Clinton has been good for his party. In 1992, at a time when more seasoned candidates such as Mario Cuomo -- and even Al Gore -- were afraid to run against the post-Gulf War Bush Presidency, Governor Bill Clinton gave Democrats a new formula for defeating Republicans in national elections. For that, Democrats are forever in Clinton’s debt. But Bill Bradley is wise to raise a cautionary flag. While there were good intentions in Clinton’s presidency, most weren’t realized. On the other hand, Clinton’s bad intentions came to fruition time and time again. And the Democratic Party must face the fact that President Clinton never hesitated to use corrupt means to reach otherwise laudable ends. Again, says Bradley, “Strength is not about loyalty to an individual, even a president.” So many of us had hoped that Al Gore was merely standing by his President, like a good Vice President should, during the many scandals that erupted during President Clinton’s stewardship of the presidency. But it appears not. And while it’s certainly troubling to see Al Gore revel in the sludgy fund-raising residue of Election `96, it’s even more so to witness the raucous response it evoked from the Apollo crowd. Indeed. Bill Bradley may be the only Democrat in America who misses Ken Starr. DOUGLAS BARRICKLOW VOTED FOR THE GREEN PARTY'S CANDIDATE, RALPH NADER, IN THE 1996 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND IS QUITE WILLING TO DO IT AGAIN IF HE'S FORCED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN GEORGE W. BUSH AND AL GORE.

Send your comments to Coffee Shop Times editor Douglas Barricklow.