POLITICAL BRIEFING

BARBARA VS. HILLARY: The latest Times Poll contained the proverbial good news/bad news situation for Republicans who view First Lady Barbara Bush as their secret weapon in this year’s presidential campaign. . . . The poll, conducted late last week, found that Mrs. Bush is far more popular than Democrat Bill Clinton’s wife, Hillary, who has become a favorite target of GOP attacks. But most of those voters surveyed said their attitudes about the two women would not figure in their decision on how to vote in the battle between their husbands. . . . Mrs. Bush scored a lopsided rating of 83%, with just 9% saying they view her unfavorably. Mrs. Clinton is less well known and also less well-liked: 39% have a favorable impression of her, 26% view her unfavorably and 35% have no opinion. When it comes to voting, 72% said their feelings about the First Lady would play little role in determining who they support, while 75% said the same in terms of Mrs. Clinton.