Clinton Mirrors Capital’s Festive Spirit : Inauguration: His schedule reflects frantic buildup to his presidency.

President-elect Bill Clinton’s inaugural buildup continued at a relentless pace Monday as the incoming chief executive delivered an emotional message about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., lunched with Americans whose lives touched him during the campaign, addressed foreign diplomats and attended four private dinners.

Yet Clinton, whose day began with a jog up the Pennsylvania Avenue inaugural parade route, also was distracted from festivities for a second straight day by the nation’s most pressing foreign affairs concern: Iraq.

Speaking at a reception for the diplomatic corps here even as U.S.-led raids bombarded Iraqi targets, Clinton vowed that American resolve will remain firmly behind allied actions to force Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to comply with all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. The policy that led to the bombing “will remain American policy” after he becomes President on Wednesday, he said.

Clinton also found himself distracted by another harsh reality. On Thursday--his second day in office--he faces the first test of his vow to reduce the budget deficit.

Aides are saying that he will forgo the old system of automatic across-the-board budget cuts because it would lock him into cutting programs he does not want to cut. If he bypasses the system, it could open him to Republican charges that he lacks resolve to reduce the deficit.

Clinton’s hectic day mirrored that of the capital city itself, which is awash in celebrations and activities related to the Wednesday inaugural.

The 46-year-old former Arkansas governor began his day with a 28-minute, 2.9-mile jog that included part of his inaugural parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue, which was only lightly traveled Monday because of the federal holiday in honor of King.

Later, at Georgetown University, which he attended a quarter of a century ago, Clinton urged foreign diplomats to emphasize to their governments that the United States will remain firm in its policy of supporting action to force Iraqi compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions.

In the post-Cold War era, he said, the world faces other perils, such as “the rise of ethnic hatreds in the former republics of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, the suffering in Somalia, the turmoil in Haiti, the proliferation of advance weaponry, the spread of terrorism and drug trafficking, the AIDS epidemic and the degradation of our global environment--and each will require strong American leadership if we are to overcome them.”

Clinton, who stressed economic and domestic issues and seldom discussed foreign policy during the presidential campaign, said that his foreign policy will be built on three pillars:

* Making economic security a primary goal through increased productivity while seeking to ensure that global commerce is rooted in principles of openness, fairness and reciprocity.

* Prudently reducing defense spending and restructuring the armed forces to meet new and continuing threats to the nation’s security interests and willingness to use military force against aggressors when diplomatic measures have been exhausted.

* Adherence to democratic principles and institutions and whenever possible support for “those who share our democratic values.”

After the reception, Clinton told a large crowd of cheering Georgetown students, many of whom had waited more than three hours to hear him, that the idea most embodying his campaign was “that every young American ought to be able to go to college without regard to income; that every American ought to be able to pay back that college education at his or her own choice with two years of service to our country here at home, dealing with the problems of America.”

His national service idea, he said, “can galvanize the energies of Americans, the visions of Americans, and can put Americans in touch with one another again in magical ways that we cannot now even imagine.”

Clinton, who has a notebook full of advisers’ suggestions for his inaugural speech, said that four pages of suggestions for his address were found among the personal effects of Father Timothy Healy, a longtime friend and the school’s former president, who died recently.

“I know he’s looking down at us, and I want him to know that I have absorbed the instructions and I have taken some and rejected some--that was always the case,” Clinton said.

Later, Clinton, his wife, Hillary, and Vice President-elect Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, all paid tribute to King at Howard University, a prestigious, mostly black institution.

“One of the great regrets of my life,” Clinton said, “is that even though I was a Southerner who passionately believed in everything Martin Luther King did, I never got to meet him. Even though he came to my state many times and his life ended in Memphis on the border of my state, I never got to meet him.”

He called King, who was assassinated almost 25 years ago, “the most eloquent voice for freedom and justice in my lifetime.”

Clinton and Gore hosted a luncheon at the Folger Shakespeare Library for 50 “ordinary” citizens whose personal stories had “touched and inspired” the candidates during their cross-country campaign travels. Dubbed the “Faces of Hope,” the group and their families and friends were flown in Saturday and given VIP treatment at all the major inaugural activities on the Mall Sunday.

The honorees, including two former rival gang members and a “gang-busting” apartment house manager from the Los Angeles area, emerged singing Clinton’s praises for his concern about neighborhood problems.

Monday night, the Clintons and Gores made brief stops at four $1,500-a-plate black-tie dinners at separate spots in Washington--their first opportunity to don formal attire during the inaugural events. Tickets to the dinners had been sold to supporters, friends and family.

Clinton thanked the donors at each event. “We’re going to make you proud,” he told diners at one affair. “You sent all that money, exerted all that effort and knocked on so many doors.”

At a dinner for Tennessee supporters, Clinton, whose relationship with Tennessee Sen. Gore has reportedly cooled since the campaign, made a point of praising the vice president-elect.

The festivities, however, were not without glitches--many attributable to the crush of people who have descended on the city.

The Grand Hyatt Hotel, which was hosting an Arkansas gala that the President-elect did not attend, was forced by fire marshals to close its lobby to anybody who did not have a room key Monday evening. The lobby had become packed with people waiting to get into the ballroom.

Several thousand guests jammed into the party while another 1,200 stood in line to join them. The event, hosted by the Arkansas State Society, was billed as “State of Mind, State of Mine.” Admission was through invitation or by displaying an Arkansas drivers license.

Entertainment was provided by a band led by Roger Clinton, the President-elect’s brother.

As Clinton worked through the ceremonial aspects of his inaugural week, his aides struggled to nail down final details on a host of subcabinet appointments designed to flesh out the new Administration’s team and end the anxiety of many campaign aides who do not yet know what if any post they will get.

“It’s still pretty tense over here,” said one transition official, reflecting the worries of some aides.

George Stephanopoulos, Clinton’s communications director, said that about 10 subcabinet posts have been decided upon and are ready to go but aides said that the announcements probably will be delayed until next week. Most of Clinton’s Cabinet choices are expected to win Senate confirmation Wednesday and Thursday, and Clinton has decided to wait until after the confirmations to announce the subcabinet posts.

One exception to that policy, however, is likely to be at the State Department. Transition officials said that the top appointees for those posts will be announced, perhaps as early as today, to assure the public and U.S. allies that Clinton has a full team in place to handle international crises when he takes office.

Times staff writers David Lauter, James Bornemeier, David Lauter and Alan C. Miller contributed to this story.

Inauguration Schedule

Here are the main events. All times are Pacific Standard. Some TV times reflect tape delays:

TODAY

Governors’ luncheon at the Library of Congress

10:30 a.m.: Salute to Children, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, including Mr. Rogers, the Muppets, Raffi and Emmylou Harris

1:30 p.m.: Salute to Youth, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, including entertainers Boyz II Men, Celine Dion and the Joffrey Ballet

4 p.m.: Presidential Gala at the Capital Centre, including entertainers Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Thelonious Monk Jr., Elton John, Barbra Streisand, James Earl Jones and Jack Nicholson

TV Coverage

CNN: Live reports, 2:30 p.m.

C-SPAN: Recap of the day, 5 p.m.

DISNEY CHANNEL (on participating cable systems) Children’s concert, 3 and 6 p.m.; youth concert, 5 and 7 p.m.

CBS: Presidential Gala, 9-11 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

5 a.m.: Prayer service, Metropolitan AME Church

President and Mrs. Bush receive the Clintons at the White House

8:30 a.m.: Inaugural ceremony

Invocation by the Rev. Billy Graham

Gore is administered the oath of office by Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White

Clinton is administered the oath of office by Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist

Clinton delivers inaugural address

11 a.m.: Clintons and Gores leave the Capitol and head for the inaugural parade reviewing stand in front of the White House

11:30 a.m.: Inaugural parade begins, following route along Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House

4 p.m.: Inaugural balls

TV Coverage

C-SPAN: Coverage begins at 5 a.m. and continues throughout the day. Parade coverage, 11:30 a.m.

ABC: Swearing in, 7-10 a.m. Parade, 11 a.m.

NBC: Swearing in, 7-10 a.m. Recap of day’s events and coverage of inaugural balls, 10-11 p.m.

CBS: Swearing in, 7-10 a.m. Special report on festivities, 10 a.m-1 p.m. and 2-4 p.m.

CNN: Swearing in, 7 a.m. with updates throughout the day. Wrap-up of day’s activities, midnight.

KCET: Coverage begins at 7 a.m.

MTV: The MTV Rock ‘n’ Roll Inaugural Ball, 10-11:30 p.m.

THURSDAY

6-9 a.m.: Open house, White House (ticket required)

11 a.m.-2 p.m.: Reception for Arkansans, White House

Inaugural hot line: For questions about the week’s events, call (800) 462-8493 (touch-tone phones only)