WASHINGTON INSIGHT

SHOULD TAXPAYERS SALUTE? A little-noticed congressional perk costs taxpayers a small bundle. . . . Every weekday, laborers stand on the Capitol roof and run hundreds of U.S. flags up and down six poles. Members of Congress mail the banners to constituents who request them, enclosing a certificate saying Old Glory was flown over the Capitol “especially for presentation” to the constituent--or “in commemoration” of some birthday or other special event. The recipient is billed up to $17.48, depending on flag size. But taxpayers have to shell out more than $250,000 a year to pay for flying and handling the flags, which total 150,000. . . . “Sure, this is a great example of the power of incumbency--a great vote-getter,” confided an aide to a Southern California congressman.

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CHECKS ON BANKS: The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, whose officials became known for extremely gracious living while they dealt with the financial troubles of rich and poor nations, are starting to pinch pennies. Both organizations have ordered staff to stop flying first class or staying at some of the world’s most expensive hotels on overseas journeys. . . . The World Bank, jolted by cost overruns of more than $108 million on a new headquarters building two blocks from the White House, is reportedly planning other steps to improve its image before congressional critics take it to task for lavish spending. Although the United States now provides less than 20% of the support for the two international bodies, top officials fear a backlash on Capitol Hill.

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BUFFING UP: Presidential hopefuls have a penchant for turning to entertainment television or soft magazines to repair damaged images--i.e., Richard Nixon seeking to show he was hip and funny on “Laugh-In” in 1968, Bill Clinton riffing with saxophone and sunglasses on the “The Arsenio Hall Show” in 1992. Now comes notoriously tough Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), who wants to run in 1996. . . . He has told jokes on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show,” appeared on “Murphy Brown” and most recently done a warm and fuzzy spread in People magazine. The pictures show Dole injured in World War II, crying in 1976 and sitting on the floor with his wife and their little dog, Leader. Despite his reputation “for harsh rhetoric,” the story says, “he has been a pragmatic consensus builder.” Yup, just a cuddly pol from small-town Kansas.

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NEXT TIME, A BULLETPROOF VEST: In the ‘90s, it apparently takes more than dressing for success to win. As things worsened for outgoing Defense Secretary Les Aspin, aides tried to rescue him with an image make-over. Targeted for annihilation: his old rumpled suits, including one sad number with brown checks, all of them befitting a tenured professor of dead languages better than the man in charge of the greatest military on Earth. . . . Aspin was told what kind of suits and shirts to buy--and where to find them. Before long, he was sporting, among others, a rich gray suit, tab collars instead of his old frayed button downs and ties with made-for-TV red hues. “Only the pants were wrinkled,” one associate said. But it wasn’t enough. Within weeks, Aspin was out. . . . One bad sign, according to insiders: The defense chief hadn’t seemed to realize why the new suits were necessary.