Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Democratic Official Angers White House

Angry White House officials sharply rebuked the political director of the Democratic National Committee after he was quoted as saying Democratic candidates should distance themselves from President Clinton in their campaigns if that is what it will take to win. Don Sweitzer’s comments undermined White House efforts to assure nervous Democrats that Clinton will not be a liability to them in the fall elections. In an interview with the Washington Times, Sweitzer was quoted as saying, “There are clearly some areas of the country where it is not going to benefit a candidate to associate himself with Bill Clinton, and if you want us to stay away, we’ll stay away.”