Clinton, Congress Chiefs Vow Unity : Politics: President-elect and Democrats toast the ending of GOP era with an eye toward cooperation. But their blueprints for problem-solving differ.

President-elect Bill Clinton and Democratic leaders in Congress celebrated the coming end to 12 years of divided government Monday and looked ahead optimistically to a “new era of cooperation and action,” less tainted by partisan disputes.

But despite the barely suppressed glee of their first joint appearance since the election, it was clear that, however unanimous they may be about the nature of the country’s problems, they have not reached an accord on the solutions.

A three-hour dinner that brought the group together Sunday night was said by aides to have focused less on specific plans than on a review of such staggering challenges as the savings-and-loan crisis and the federal deficit.

As Clinton stood with the congressional leaders Monday morning to answer reporters’ questions, it was evident that he still lacked the support of Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-Me.) for such key proposals as a middle-class tax-cut and a line-item veto.

Separately, Clinton re-emphasized that he intends to press ahead with a controversial plan to allow homosexuals to enter military service, despite the open disagreement of some top Democrats and military leaders.

Clinton acknowledged, as he looked ahead to his first months in office, that “our tasks won’t be easy, and I don’t expect miracles.” But the apprehensions of the early days after the election seemed to have been eased by the company of fellow members of an incoming leadership team that, for the first time since 1976, is all Democratic.

“Pennsylvania Avenue will run both ways again,” Clinton proclaimed near the beginning of the half-hour news conference--his second since winning election and an event that was carefully orchestrated to convey the impression of Democratic unity.

Together with Mitchell, Vice President-elect Al Gore, House Speaker Thomas S. Foley (D-Wash.) and House Majority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), Clinton looked ahead to an era of government in which obstacles would no longer include intractable differences among top elected officials. Evoking sharp contrasts with the storms of the Bush Administration, he said the new Democratic team would tackle the nation’s problems with “responsibility, not blame.”

To reinforce that message, Foley announced plans to move with unusual speed in organizing the newly elected House of Representatives before Inauguration Day.

For his part, Clinton said he looked with favor upon a compromise line-item veto plan suggested by Foley, even though the proposal would give the President less power than Clinton has proposed. The President-elect also spoke of “a common commitment” shared by the congressional leaders to enact programs aimed at an economic revival.

After the session, however, a top aide acknowledged that the President-elect and the congressional leaders remained far from agreement on the specifics of a legislative agenda, and said it was unlikely that Clinton would submit any bills for Congress to mull over before his inauguration.

Aides also expressed doubt that Mitchell and other powerful Senate Democrats, including Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, could be persuaded to support even the modified line-item veto proposal backed by Foley.

“This was more than symbolism,” one official insisted of the get-together, which was hosted by Clinton and his wife, Hillary, at the governor’s mansion here. “But in many ways it was, ‘Come on down, and tell me what you think is going on.’ ”

Clinton is due to meet with the Democratic congressional leaders again on Thursday as part of a two-day trip to Washington.

Even as he and the leaders of his own party sounded a note of harmony, the President-elect was put on notice by Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) that he would face stiff challenges from the opposition party, whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Addressing GOP leaders at a meeting of the Republican Governors’ Assn. in Lake Geneva, Wis., Dole promised to support the first Democratic chief executive in 12 years to the extent that his proposals would “lead to a better America.”

The veteran senator, who will be the highest ranking Republican in Washington after President Bush leaves office in January, said: “I must say that as Republicans I never thought it was our obligation to throw away the towel, give him the key to the place and just say ‘take over.’ ”

As Clinton and his fellow Democrats met with reporters here, Bush was overheard telling Israeli President Chaim Herzog during an Oval Office meeting that the White House already was “shifting gears” and was “referring all questions” to the incoming Administration.

Although White House officials later said the remark was merely an attempt by Bush to fend off unwanted questions, Clinton, after learning of the remarks, ventured closer than ever before to revealing his position on a key foreign policy matter.

While saying he would defer to Bush until after the election, Clinton indicated that he and aides were reviewing options that, while “short of sending troops in,” could give the United States a more prominent role in seeking to stem violence in the former Yugoslavia.

With his separate comments about a modified line-item veto, Clinton seemed to move away from his previous insistence on full-fledged powers to veto any item unless overridden by a two-thirds vote of Congress.

On a day when Vernon E. Jordan Jr., the chairman of the President-elect’s transition board, took a leave of absence from his Washington law firm, Clinton’s news conference also served as an update on other matters related to the impending shift in power.

Clinton described the voluntary move by Jordan as “a good gesture” to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest. He said he saw no need, however, for transition director Warren Christopher to take a similar step, contending that the Los Angeles lawyer’s full-time presence in Little Rock amounts to a “de facto” leave from his firm.

Asked separately about the seating arrangements at the Sunday night dinner for the congressional leaders, Clinton acknowledged that his wife, Hillary, had played a central role in discussions that not long ago might have been conducted only among men over brandy and cigars.

Their Pledges of Cooperation

Here are some excerpts from Monday’s news conference:

“I don’t want a continuation of the Cold War between the Congress and the White House. Pennsylvania Avenue will run both ways again.”

--Bill Clinton

“We believe that we will be working in full cooperation with a President who understands the essential role of his office . . .”

--House Speaker Thomas S. Foley

“Probably most encouraging is (Clinton and Gore’s) willingness to meet with the Congress regularly, to communicate with members, and to work out together the answers to the problems that the American people want us to solve.”

--House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt

Source: Times wire services