No Working Vacation for the Clintons

On his way to this island resort Thursday, President Clinton made his plans clear. “You have more stuff for me?” he asked his personal aide, Andrew Friendly. “I don’t want it. Burn it.”

Clinton seemed determined Friday to put his do-nothing plan into action. He was out until nearly 1 a.m. celebrating his 47th birthday at the vacation home of Washington lawyer and Administration adviser Vernon E. Jordan Jr. After that late night, the expected morning jog never happened. Neither did the 10 a.m. tee-off time at the local golf course.

Instead, as reporters camped under a yellow-striped party tent in a field miles from the gates of the compound of former Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara where Clinton and his family are staying, the President was living the life of a porch potato.

Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers said that the President “slept in, went for a walk around the grounds . . . and spent most of the morning reading the newspapers out on the porch at the McNamara home.”

Actually, the Clintons are staying at the compound’s two-bedroom guest house, while Secret Service agents, the President’s doctor and military aide and others stay in the main oceanfront house.

Clinton, who had said he wanted to do a lot of reading, packed 10 books in his beach bag, including “my cheap thrills book,” a Robert Ludlum novel, and a new Thomas Jefferson biography given to him by Vice President Al Gore.

A T-shirt on sale here listed things for the Clintons to do. But except for Chelsea Clinton, who headed out for an undisclosed location Friday afternoon, they did not seem eager to check off any of the recommended sights before heading out for dinner Friday night.

“I think they plan to keep this very loose and unscheduled,” Myers said. “I think they’ll wake up every morning and decide, based on the weather and how they feel, what they want to do--just like a normal vacation.”

That laid-back attitude seemed to affect whatever staff remained on duty at the White House. On Friday, the White House issued a statement describing Clinton’s telephone call congratulating newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa--more than 36 hours after the call was made. The stated reason for the delay: “staff breakdown,” an aide said.