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AllPolitics E-Wire -- Sep. 2, 1997

A weekly briefing on U.S. politics:

This Week In Congress

Fresh from a month off, Congress comes back this week to a full agenda, including 13 appropriations bills and the Senate's campaign finance hearings.

CNN's Candy Crowley reports that the 13 spending bills provide the most likely battleground for conflict as the glow fades from the bipartisan budget agreement. The spending bill are magnets for amendments on divisive issues, because they must be passed to keep the government operating. The goal: to get the bills signed into law by the Oct. 1 start of the federal fiscal year.

Other legislative activity to watch for includes a bill to provide road and bridge money that always sets off interstate squabbling, the high-stakes national tobacco deal and a bill to ensure speedy votes on international trade treaties.

Sen. Fred Thompson's inquiry into campaign finance abuses and "soft money" resumes Thursday, with his sights set on Vice President Al Gore's fund-raising activities. Rep. Dan Burton's House hearings are expected get underway mid-month.

One pocketbook issue, the price of electrical power, is also before Congress, although there's debate how far utility deregulation will get this year. Rep. Dan Schaefer (R-Colo.) plans more hearings on his H.R. 655 to mandate consumer choice, while investor-owned utilities favor letting states set the pace on deregulation.

For more, read our special report, "Picking Your Power Company," at:

A Low-Key Presidential Vacation

President Bill Clinton continues his three-week break on Martha's Vineyard, a decidedly low-key vacation with books, golf clubs and parties.

But Clinton hasn't been able to escape bad news. First there was indictment of his first Agriculture secretary, Mike Espy, and the guilty plea by the son of former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, who admitted an election-law violation. Then came the death of Princess Diana in a weekend car crash in Paris.

Clinton was asked about the paparazzi's possible role in the car crash, and whether the press ought to back off. "I think it is better right now if we let a little time pass and let this event and the people involved be honored and grieved," Clinton said. "Then we'll have time to think about that and maybe make a better judgment."

Albright Heading To Mideast

Madeleine Albright will make her first trip as secretary of State to the Middle East next week, trying to convince Arab and Israeli leaders of the United States' continued commitment to achieving peace in the troubled region. The secretary leaves Sep. 9 and will be gone for at least a week. She will visit Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia. While Albright is due to meet with both Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she is not expected to conduct shuttle diplomacy between the two sides.

Quotations of the Week

"Congressman, was there a single issue that was more damaging than the others?"

"You know, I don't know. There were so many ... "

-- Rep. Joseph Kennedy, during his Aug. 28 news conference, announcing he would not run for governor of Massachusetts

For a full transcript of what Kennedy said, go to:

More comments on Kennedy's decision:

"For the first time in Massachusetts political history, a Kennedy blinked in the face of Republican opposition. This is a big win for Republicans. Following the spring Democrat state convention, where Joe Kennedy issued a very weak and well-rehearsed apology to his constituents, his poll numbers showed very high unfavorables. So he spent the summer touring the state, talking about issues, talking about his issues. And the recent polls showed that even after all of his hard work talking about his issues, they showed he could not win. And if a Kennedy cannot win, then no Democrat can win the governor's race."

-- Jean Inman, chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, on CNN's "Inside Politics Weekend"

Voter's Voice

In our latest batch of e-mail, we got some sharp comments about Kennedy's decision. Here's one of them:

Bill Compton writes, "Reading the complete transcript of Congressman Kennedy's withdrawal explanation should make everyone in the state of Massachusetts happy that this flea-brained idiot will not be their governor. This guy is obviously just plain stupid!"

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