Clinton Basks in Dim Glow of Praise From Cuomo in Show of Solidarity : Democrats: New York governor falls short of endorsing the Arkansan, but he says a brokered convention would be a mistake for the party.

On a long-awaited pilgrimage to see New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, Bill Clinton came away Saturday without a direct endorsement but with just enough deft words of praise to give his candidacy a boost.

After a private meeting with Cuomo, the Arkansas governor stood by as his sometime nemesis proclaimed that Clinton would make a “superb” President and would “probably” emerge as the Democratic nominee.

Perhaps most important, Cuomo sought to muffle renewed rumblings from Democrats who believe the party might be best off using its national convention in July to nominate a candidate not already in the race.

“It ought not to happen,” Cuomo said firmly of the prospect of a brokered convention. He said such a move would amount to “rejecting your own process” and would put the Democrats at risk of “selecting someone who hasn’t been tested the way the party tests you.”

Cuomo continues to be the subject of scenarios constructed by uneasy Democrats who believe the party must turn to a candidate other than Clinton or his rival, former California Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr., if it is to regain the White House from President Bush.

But Cuomo, who at times has allowed such speculation to flourish, said Saturday he had no doubt that either Clinton or Brown would emerge from the primary season with the Democratic nomination in hand. And while he was careful to maintain an appearance of evenhandedness concerning the two, Cuomo used his knack for nuance to offer a subtle nod toward Clinton, despite a long-simmering feud between the two governors over politics and personality.

“As a package, Bill Clinton will, in my opinion, make a superb President,” Cuomo said. “Jerry Brown I will support if he’s the candidate.”

He quickly added that either choice would be superior to continuation of the Bush Administration, a course he said “leads straight for the cliff.”

Clinton later pronounced himself “very pleased” by what he called Cuomo’s “very generous remarks.” Clinton aides were even more upbeat.

“This is everything we hoped for and more,” strategist Paul Begala said.

Part of the reason for their enthusiasm was that the show of support served to divert attention from a distraction involving Clinton’s wife, Hillary, who was forced to apologize for repeating adultery rumors about Bush.

In remarks in the latest issue of Vanity Fair magazine, Hillary Clinton spoke of “carryin’ on” by Bush and questioned why the allegation had not received more press coverage.

After recounting a conversation in which she and another woman had discussed Bush’s conduct, Hillary Clinton told interviewer Gail Sheehy earlier this year that she believed the President’s alleged infidelity had not become a major issue because “the Establishment, regardless of party, sticks together.”

Rumors about Bush’s alleged infidelity circulated widely during the 1988 presidential campaign, but they remain unsubstantiated and were denied at the time by Bush’s son, George, in comments quoted in Newsweek magazine.

Surfacing more than two months after Clinton’s own campaign was first dogged by allegations of infidelity against him, the apparent effort by his wife to turn the focus on Bush was reported as a front-page sensation Saturday in New York City’s major tabloid newspapers.

As she campaigned with her husband Saturday morning, Hillary Clinton said she had made a “mistake” in answering questions on the subject and had not intended any harm.

“Nobody knows better than I the pain that was caused by even discussing rumors in private in conversations,” she said in Schenectady, N.Y., “and I didn’t mean to be hurtful to anyone.”

Clinton echoed his wife’s comments, saying: “I don’t think these matters ought to be a part of presidential politics.”

But Bush aides made clear that they were offended by Hillary Clinton’s Vanity Fair remarks and a senior campaign official issued a sharp-edged rejoinder. Political director Mary Matalin said: “I think she’s under a lot of pressure, as one would be when you’re confronted with these constant questions about your husband’s character.

“They are making a colossal strategic blunder if they are trying to compare Bill Clinton’s character with President Bush’s.”

The flap follows recent comments by other senior Democratic officials, including party chief Ronald H. Brown, that suggested Democrats would respond in kind on the adultery issue if Republicans focus on the questions about Clinton’s personal conduct.