Clinton Says He Will Run for a Second Term

Putting to rest speculation that he might not seek a second term, President Clinton declared emphatically on Thursday that he would run for reelection.

He professed not to care whether he is challenged from within the Democratic Party or faces a third-party candidate in 1996, saying: “I’m not worried about it.”

“I intend to seek reelection, but that is not uppermost in my mind,” Clinton said in a year-end press interview. He said his chief motivations were to better the lives of citizens and improve the operation of government.

Clinton was asked if there were any circumstance under which he would not seek a new term. “No,” he answered quickly. “As long as I have my health and I’m doing a good job.”

Clinton’s intention to seek reelection comes as little surprise. He has indicated ever since the Democratic debacle in November’s midterm elections that he had no intention of walking away from the White House, despite the obstacles he faces in trying to govern with Congress firmly in Republican hands.

The President is putting together a new political team that will include many of those who engineered his 1992 victory, but will add some new faces. He has been described as furious at those aides whose bad advice contributed to the GOP landslide and determined to serve as his own campaign manager in his reelection bid.

Clinton’s tone was upbeat on Thursday, despite the difficult political road ahead and the continuing turmoil within his Administration.

Director of Central Intelligence R. James Woolsey surprised the White House earlier this week by announcing his resignation, adding to the long list of vacancies Clinton must fill as he enters the second half of this term.

In Thursday’s interview with wire service reporters, the President said he anticipates conflict with the Republicans on budget and tax matters, social issues such as gun control and some appointments to Administration jobs. But he expressed hope that the White House and the GOP Congress could reach accommodations on such issues as welfare reform, efforts to restructure the government and the line-item veto.

“There will be divisions, there will be differences, there will be hard fights. There ought to be, there will be. I can assure you there will be,” Clinton said.

“There will be some times when I will not be able to be where they are. But there will be a lot of things we can do together, and it will be an exciting and productive time for America if we really try to help the country instead of to help ourselves in the next election.”

The President said his top priority would be enactment of his “middle-class bill of rights,” a $60-billion package of tax cuts for families, education incentives and tax breaks for retirement accounts.

He said government “cannot create opportunity, but it can expand it. Government cannot force people to be responsible. They can reward responsibility and give incentives. Governments can strengthen partnerships.

“So where would I be different (from the Republicans?)” he asked rhetorically. “I don’t think that we ought to get into a bidding war over tax cuts and ignore the important need to keep restraint on the (federal budget) deficit. And we have restrained this deficit. We have now taken $10,000 in debt off every family in this country since I’ve been President.”

Clinton also said that First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton would continue to play a central role in the Administration, despite the failure of her health care reform plan. He said the public was frightened by the plan because it was misrepresented by opponents as a government takeover of the nation’s health care system.

“Ordinary voters were convinced--wrongly--that we want the government to run their health care and take their choice away,” Clinton said. But he added: “I’m not discouraged or despondent” that the initiative collapsed.

Clinton was asked whether the ethics and legal investigations involving a number of friends, allies and Cabinet members was taking a toll on him personally and constraining him politically.

On Wednesday, a judge in Little Rock, Ark., ruled that while the trial on a sexual-harassment suit filed against Clinton by a former Arkansas state employee would have to wait until after he leaves office, fact-finding could go forward beforehand.

“I’m certainly not worried about it. It just takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money,” the President replied. “I’m just going to cooperate and roll on, do my job.”