The scoop -- Payback time

Publisher takes aim at Clinton's judge and jury

(TIME, Nov. 2) -- St. Martin's Press is determined to show the veracity of the old chestnut about why people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. The publisher is rushing out 500,000 copies of an "instant" paperback book, Glass Houses: Shocking Profiles of Congressional Sex Scandals and Other Unofficial Misconduct by attorney Stanley Hilton and psychologist Anne-Renee Testa, due in stores by Election Day. The book's mission: to expose the hidden lives of some of those who will be judging President CLINTON. The book will review the ethical problems of more than 50 Senators and Congressional Representatives.

Glass Houses grew out of a three-year investigation by Hilton, who used to work on Bob Dole's Senate staff. (Kenneth Starr was two years ahead of him at Duke Law School.) Hilton interviewed 150 Congressional staffers and 35 lobbyists. Why does he think Congressmen point fingers when they have secrets of their own? "It's a form of grandiosity," says Hilton. "They tend to think they'll never get caught." Is he worried that an angry Congressman might sue him after the book comes out? Nah: "Truth is a defense." Besides, he adds, "I'm a litigator."

--By Andrea Sachs/New York

The Scoop -- Influence

Microsoft buys some new Republican friends

For a company that was once loath to play in the political sandbox, Microsoft sure has come around. Mere days before the opening of Microsoft's court battle with antitrust lawyers, the G.O.P.'s senatorial committee pulled in a $100,000 contribution from the company, and the Republican National Committee got a $40,000 check--bringing the software giant's soft-money gifts to the party to more than $400,000 in the 1997-98 election cycle. Coincidentally, about that time, 10 Republican Senators signed a "Dear Colleague" letter criticizing the CLINTON Administration for subjecting the software industry to "needless regulation through overzealous enforcement of antitrust" laws. "We must protect our high-tech industry's freedom to innovate," said the Oct. 12 letter, copying Microsoft's p.r. machine practically verbatim. While the letter was circulating, CEO BILL GATES appeared in North Carolina with one of his most vocal Senate defenders, LAUCH FAIRCLOTH, who is locked in a squeaker of a race. Gates didn't endorse Faircloth, but spoke warmly of him and thanked him for his help.

--By Viveca Novak/Washington

"I'll see that taco and raise a bratwurst"

Baseball--or at least betting on baseball--has been very good to New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani [1]. This year he won a cowboy hat and 10 lbs. of barbecue from the mayor of Arlington, Texas; 10 lbs. of sausage and tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, among other items, from the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio; and fish tacos, software and a surfboard from the mayor of San Diego. Here's a compendium of wagers that leaders have made over the years:

--Bulls vs. Jazz, 1998 NBA Finals: Chicago Mayor Daley put up Eli's cheesecake, Robinson's ribs and Billy Goat's cheeseburgers against Salt Lake City Mayor Corrandini's offer to take a bobsled ride at Snowbird.

Winner: Daley [2]

--Redskins vs. Vikings, 1988 NFL Play-Off Game: D.C. Mayor Barry and St. Paul, Minn., Mayor Latimer promised that whoever lost would plow snow during the other city's first snowstorm.

Winner: Barry [3]

--Braves vs. Indians, 1995 World Series: Cleveland Mayor White anted Lake Erie walleye and tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Atlanta's Mayor Campbell put up Coca-Cola, peaches, ribs and Falcons tickets.

Winner: Campbell [4]

--A's vs. Blue Jays, 1992 AL Championship Series: Toronto Mayor Rowlands offered a frozen turkey for every run the A's scored (if the A's won). Oakland Mayor Harris offered a live goose and an MC Hammer doll for every Blue Jay run.

Winner: Rowlands [5] (Toronto scored 31 runs.)

--Packers vs. Patriots, 1997 Super Bowl: Marshfield, Mass., Mayor Francis put up a mug, book, lobsters and piece of a tree from the Daniel Webster estate. Marshfield, Wis., Mayor Daniels offered sawdust, mugs, bratwurst, 13 cow pies.

Winner: Daniels [6]

--Bulls vs. Lakers, 1991 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Cardinal Mahony bet 25 boxes of fruit. Chicago Cardinal Bernardin bet 50 lbs. of hot dogs.

Winner: Bernardin [7]

--By Michele Orecklin

Winners & losers

WINNERS

KING HUSSEIN Leaves Mayo Clinic to engage in talks with Netanyahu. Once again, in the right place at the right time

MIKE TYSON Board says he's mentally fit to box, can now let men hit him in the head. O.K.--what's unfit?

TONY GWYNN His team lost, but this great hitter and classy competitor got to shine on the main stage

LOSERS

BILL GATES Contradicted and embarrassed by his e-mail. Gives a whole new meaning to the term killer app

SOLDIERS, SAILORS, MARINES Can't use "contemptuous words" about Clinton. They can die for freedom but can't practice it

GRANDPA AL LEWIS Munsters star, up for N.Y. Gov., can't appear as Grandpa on ballot. And no "Gomer" Pataki

Campaign textbook: How to handle a gaffe

Last week, in a private meeting with Jewish supporters, Senator Al D'Amato called his opponent, Representative Charles Schumer, a "putzhead," which is a vulgar Yiddish insult. When Schumer took umbrage, D'Amato offered this state-of-the-art response:

STEP 1 Feign ignorance. "I don't know. I don't remember. It certainly was not for any public, ehh..."

STEP 2 Deny it happened. "I have no knowledge of ever doing it. I just don't. I think it's ridiculous...I would never, I have not engaged in that. I wouldn't engage in it. I haven't done it. Why am I going to do it now?"

STEP 3 O.K., O.K., admit it. Although just in a private letter. Which somehow gets into the hands of the media: "The Yiddish word I used to describe you at a private meeting means 'fool.'"

STEP 4 And even though you've completely ignored the common meaning of the word, pat yourself on the back for your courage: "I stand by my remark 100%."

STEP 5 Now quickly blame the victim for being insulted. "You are trying to twist that into a religious slur...I urge you to stop this transparent politically motivated attack."

STEP 6 Pray that with just a little more than a week to go until Election Day, the blunder isn't fatal.

Big trouble

BOOM! Last week a column on the Christian Coalition website (www.cc.org) assessed the consequences of the Y2K problem. So apocalyptic were its findings that we checked the Bible to see if Armageddon will be worse.

Physiology

CHANGES This week John Glenn blasts off to find out what space does to a 77-year-old body. Here's what NASA knows about what space does to younger bodies:

-Backbone elongates -Muscles and bones weaken -Face gets fuller -Chest gets bigger -Legs and thighs get thinner

In general, what's above the waist gets bigger; what's below shrinks.

Verse

THE WORD "IS"

It depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is If the-- if he-- if "is" means is and never has been that is not-- that is one thing If it means there is none that was a completely true statement--Clinton

PIZZA

And when the pizza came I went down To let him know That the pizza was there... I said I needed to pack And he said, "Well why don't You bring me some pizza?" So I asked him If he wanted Vegetable Or meat--Lewinsky

Time capsule

When Clinton helped Israel and the Palestinians restore life to the Middle East peace effort, it was not the first time a U.S. President had brokered accords. JIMMY CARTER did the same at Camp David in 1978:

"His face ashen with fatigue but punctuated by repeated smiles, Carter announced the broad outlines of the two agreements, declaring, 'My hope is that the promise of this moment will be fulfilled.' [Egyptian President Anwar] Sadat, initially somber, was almost reverential in his praise of Carter for calling the summit. Said he: 'You took a gigantic step'...[Israeli Prime Minister Menachem] Begin, chatty at first, turned serious to sound the same note of praise. 'It was really the Jimmy Carter conference...the President of the U.S. won the day,' he said. 'Peace now celebrates a great victory for the nations of Egypt and Israel and for all mankind.' Turning to Sadat, Begin recounted how they had become friends on first meeting, when Sadat made his historic visit to Jerusalem last November. Begin alluded to the difficulties (largely of his making) that had brought all progress to a halt in the intervening months, but waved them away, saying, 'Everything belongs to the past.'"

--TIME, Sept. 25, 1978

Verbatim

"He is an enormously gifted and richly qualified leader...but someone who is exasperatingly stupid in his personal life."
MIKE MCCURRY, former presidential spokesman, saying what he really thinks about Bill Clinton

"Do I know what's in this bill? Are you kidding? No. Only God knows what's in this monstrosity."
SENATOR ROBERT BYRD, on the new budget bill he voted against

Sources: McCurry (AP); Byrd

-- By Harriet Barovick, Tam M. Gray, Daniel S. Levy, Lina Lofaro, Alain Sanders and David Van Biema

Cover Date: November 2, 1998

• The new money game
• Body-slam politics
• Pork on the griddle
• Ballot to bullet
• An unconventional fight
• The Notebook

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