Clinton Plans Bus Trip to Steal GOP Limelight

Like a pair of Hollywood producers, Bill Clinton and Al Gore have embraced the notion that one hit show deserves sequel after sequel.

The Democratic nominees for President and vice president barely had ended an exhausting three-day bus trip up the Mississippi River Valley that culminated with a Friday night rally in Minneapolis before they were planning their next overland tour.

The third in a series of “bus-capades” that began with a much-heralded jaunt from New York City to St. Louis last month is set to start Aug. 21 in Detroit, with stops in Toledo and Youngstown, Ohio, a brief appearance in Erie, Pa., and a final curtain call on Aug. 23 or Aug. 24 in Buffalo, N.Y.

Campaign officials previously have discussed the possibility of riding the buses through various regions between now and the November election, but the timing and setting for this new trip was a hurried job. With the Republican Convention set to begin in Houston Aug. 17, the Democratic campaign scrambled to pull together their next bus voyage as a media move to steal some of the limelight from President Bush.

The fact that the new trip’s itinerary includes several communities with large black populations also could give the Democratic ticket a chance to more actively court minority voters. At most stops on the first two bus trips, blacks and other racial minorities were rare finds in the sea of white supporters.

Clinton and Gore spent Saturday at their respective homes in Little Rock and Carthage, Tenn. Today, they plan to meet in New York City to continue their campaign-inspired education on global and U.S. military affairs.

Their private meetings include sessions with Cyprus President George Vassiliou, as well as Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.