The American Spectator

p> THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE br> Al Gore was “surprised,” says one aide, when the former vice president was contacted by media outlets for a comment on the final report filed by the Office of the Independent Counsel’s Robert Ray in the Monica Lewinsky investigation. /p>

“When he first heard the questions he thought there was another investigation opening up and he just rolled his eyes. Like maybe Clinton had done something else,” says the adviser. “Then he seemed to realize it was the same old stuff and just brushed it off.”

Always good to see Al prepared to expect the worst — he is crisis ready.

p> TOM vs. DICK br> In a morning conference call yesterday Senate Democrats debated whether to support the revised economic stimulus package the Joint House/Senate Tax Committee had approved, and which House Democrats said they would now support. “The package is basically to renew unemployment benefits that are due to expire,” says a Democratic staffer for a western senator. “Senator Daschle seemed to believe it might be a good thing to let the benefits expire, and then blame the Bush administration for cutting off the funds to people who lost their jobs after 9/11. It was all in the context of what could we do politically to hurt Bush.” /p>

It wasn’t just majority leader Tom Daschle. Other senators taking part in the meeting openly discussed the long-term political advantages of killing the tax legislation in the Senate, with the hope that any short-term damage could be spun onto the Republicans.