The American Spectator

p> SOCIAL SECURITY SURRENDER br> While there is much talk about Congress not wanting to tackle Social Security reform or privatization in an election year (when has it ever wanted to tackle a tough issue in an election year?), any desire it might have had was extinguished by the White House, say Republican House and Senate staffers. /p>

“[White House congressional liaison] Nick Calio pulled us off the issue, said the White House didn’t want us to press the issue at all, to just walk away,” says a House Republican leadership staffer. “It’s not like we were eager for it, but the House probably could have pushed through something minor if they wanted the party on the record going into the fall.”

But something “minor” on Social Security reform would probably be depicted as something major by Democrats on the campaign trail. “Democrats think there is traction with Social Security reform out there,” says a Senate Republican staffer. “But voters seem to be seeing through the scare tactics. The Boomers understand that Social Security needs some reform, but all the polling data we’ve been seeing shows that many more Americans than ten years ago believe Social Security in some from will be around 20 or 30 years from now.”

Capitol Hill staffers say that it wasn’t their impression that the White House was running away from a fight. “We’re going into summer, we’re all campaigning, it’s natural to pull back,” says a House staffer.

But they resent having the White House spin that it was Congress that begged to be let of the hook. “We try to do what the White House wants us to do,” says the House Republican leadership aide. “This wasn’t a unilateral decision. I don’t know why they’re putting it on us. Either way, what they’re doing isn’t helping.”

p> LIBRARY CHECKS br> Any thoughts that the William J. Clinton Presidential Library is upset over a recent financial setback should be put to rest. In Clintonian fashion, it is taking the bad news and trying to turn it into cash. /p>

The state of Arkansas recently announced that it could not provide the library with $3.6 million in state and local tax funding under a program designed to help businesses in the state that bring in additional tourist or business dollars. It’s not that Arkansas doesn’t think the library will attract its share of out of state gawkers. It’s just that the library foundation is tax exempt, and the pro-business fund bars it from doling out money to tax exempt nonprofits.

But the loss of that $3.6 million windfall means another fundraising drive for the library. “Our donors will be getting an ‘emergency’ request for further support because of the unexpected loss of these funds,” says a library staffer in Little Rock. “Who knows, we might take in more than we were going to get from the state to begin with.”

Construction on the library has begun, and Bill Clinton has been in and out of Little Rock several times in the past month to check on its progress. “He’s very excited about the groundbreaking. For him it’s a dream come true,” says the library aide.