Politics

Hillary's Words Might Haunt Her

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 19, 1999 / 10:58 AM EST / CBS

New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani already is hinting at the kind of a Senate campaign he would wage against Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Last spring, Mrs. Clinton said she thought "it will be in the long-term interests of the Middle East for Palestine to be a state," a point of view from which the Clinton administration quickly distanced itself.

Giuliani, in an interview taped for the WCBS-TV program Sunday Edition with Marcia Kramer, calls Mrs. Clinton's remarks "a very big mistake . . . of basically siding with the Palestinians against the Israelis. . . . Obviously it's an issue . . . You've either got to stick with it or you've got to work yourself out of it and explain your change of mind about it."

Like Mrs. Clinton, the mayor has yet to decide whether to make a run.

On Friday, Mrs. Clinton met at the White House with outgoing New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, for whose seat she would be contending.

CBS News White House Correspondent Bill Plante reports that Mrs. Clinton let it be known she wanted Sen. Moynihan's advice. His decision to retire opened the way for her to seek his job.

The former Harvard professor came to the White House with charts, maps and statistics. He gave a history lesson for the first lady, who has never lived in New York, on the state's voting patterns, which he warned are "more complex than you might think."

President Clinton said that if his wife is elected, she would "do a fabulous job," but cautioned that this all seems a little premature.

"She has just been through a very exhausting year and there are circumstances, which have to be considered, and I think some time needs to be taken here. I also think that even in a presidential race it's hard to keep a kettle of water boiling for almost two years," Mr. Clinton said.

With all other potential candidates on hold in New York state, Moynihan reportedly told the first lady "the sooner she decides, the better," particularly if the answer is "no." But there's no sign of a rush to judgement.

Mrs. Clinton's press secretary cautioned: "This is going to be like watching grass grow."

In addition to meeting with Moynihan and separately with his wife, Elizabeth, Mrs. Clinton has met with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Democratic campaign committee chairman Sen. Bob Torricelli of New Jersey, and a few female senators, including Barbara Boxer of California. She meets next week with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.

The Hillary-for-Senate speculation began a few weeks ago as wishful thinking by New York state Democratic officials eager to find a strong candidate to run for Moynihan's seat. But with Mrs. Clinton doing nothing to discourage such speculation, the story soon took on a life of its own.

Mrs. Clinton received some good news in a recent poll conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

Were the election held today, Mrs. Clinton wold defeat Giuliani by 49 percent to 38.1 percent with 12.9 percent undecided, the institute reported.

The poll found that 64.4 percent of registered voters believe the first lady will run for the seat. Only 17.2 percent believe she will not run and 18.4 percent were undecided on that question. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent.

The state's relatively relaxed residency rules would allow Mrs. Clinton to run for office, and the survey revealed voters were not very concerned that she is not from New York.

Mrs. Clinton is from Illinois and has spent much of her life in Arkansas, the home state of her husband, and in Washington.