WASHINGTON INSIGHT

CAMPAIGN HEAD: Eli Segal, head of the AmeriCorps national service program, is being talked about to lead President Clinton’s reelection drive. The job probably won’t be filled until the spring, but Segal already is being included in top White House meetings. He was liked and respected as chief of staff in the 1992 campaign and has an uncommon willingness to deliver bad news to the boss. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor reportedly also is under consideration but likely would run afoul of ethics rules barring Cabinet-level appointees from talking with the White House for one year after leaving their posts. Kantor also apparently has little appetite for the duty. A close friend said the trade chief would stay put “unless Clinton really begs him” to shift jobs.

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CALLED TO ACCOUNT: Americans now have a new way to watch over the shoulder of their representative as Congress works through the first 100 days of the “contract with America.” By using a toll-free number, callers get access to the votes of members of Congress, the status of legislation, campaign contributions, lawmakers’ positions on issues in the 1994 campaigns and more. Project Vote Smart is operated by a nonprofit, bipartisan organization founded by current and retired federal lawmakers, including former Presidents Gerald R. Ford and Jimmy Carter. The number is 1-800-622-SMART.

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SPACE RACE: An Air Force bid to take over the military space programs of the Army, Navy and Marines has been aborted. The Commission on Roles and Missions, established to try to end duplication in the armed forces, argues that while the four services’ space programs do overlap, a little interservice competition might be good in a new field such as space technology.

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DO NOT PASS G-O-P: The 1992 presidential campaign transformed the way candidates reach the public--blowing saxophone, going on-line, holding gabfests with Larry King. Now there is another wrinkle: campaigning by board game. One year before New Hampshire holds its presidential primary, Republican Roger LeBel and wife Cherie have invented the Clinton Game. Roger LeBel, a state police officer from Manchester, N.H., said the game features “draft dodging, Whitewater, womanizing . . . questionable appointments” and expresses a “negative opinion of the Clinton Administration while enjoying some fun at Bill Clinton’s expense”--and LeBel’s profit. It sells for $14.95.

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CHEERS FOR SPECTER: Although Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter is considered too liberal for the GOP presidential nomination, he got a boost this week in, of all places, Carroll County, N.H., one of the state’s most conservative regions. Quizzed on the sensitive issue of abortion, Specter got a far bigger hand from a dinner crowd than Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas or former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, who called themselves “pro-life.” Specter declared his personal opposition to abortion but drew applause after adding: “I do not think it is a matter for government control.” The response lent credence to the main premise underlying his potential candidacy: Enough Republicans share his moderate views on social issues to give him a chance.

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REPUBLICAN SAVIORS: A meeting last week of the House Ways and Means health subcommittee was to be held at the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill. A witness list for the session listed the location as: “Room B-318 Reborn House Office Building.”