WASHINGTON INSIGHT

SLEEP-INDUCING: Hounded by demanding constituents and surrounded by angry political foes, members of Congress often lead hectic, exhausting lives. But they shouldn’t be allowed to file workers’ compensation claims on the basis of their inherently stressful existence, says Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). She has introduced legislation that would prohibit members to file stress claims as a result of their jobs. “Stress comes with the territory,” Boxer says. “It’s ludicrous to think taxpayers should be held accountable for the high-pressure life that comes with any public office.” The legislative brainstorm was inspired by a Northern California case in which a state official was awarded nearly $74,000 in benefits for the stress he shouldered while being investigated for falsifying expense accounts. Boxer says no member of Congress has ever used the stressed-out ploy. “I just knew I’d sleep better knowing this public embarrassment could not be repeated at the federal level,” she said.

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HILLARY ABROAD: The Indian Embassy is euphoric that Hillary Rodham Clinton seems to be keeping up her interest in India. She’s agreed to be guest of honor at Kennedy Center ceremonies this July marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. Her interest in international issues, particularly those of children and social development, appears to be on the rise. She may head the U.S. delegation to the United Nations International Conference on Women in Beijing this summer.

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POSTER BOY: As a high-profile conservative firebrand, House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the latest fund-raising weapon for none other than the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The committee has launched a direct mail campaign focusing on the Georgia Republican as “one of the most dangerous figures to emerge in American politics during our lifetime.” The solicitation, mailed to 200,000 possible new donors this spring, includes a rather menacing-looking photo of Gingrich, with his now-famous quote: “I am now a famous person. . . . I represent real power.” But one passage, in hindsight, crossed the line. After the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, the committee issued an apology for language claiming Gingrich “promotes the policies of a terrorist by backing” bills to eliminate anti-drug programs. The mailing was put together more than three weeks before the blast. Despite the misstep, a committee spokeswoman calls Gingrich “a great fund-raising tool” and reports that receipts for the first quarter of this year have kept pace with the 1993 record, even though the earlier period was a more upbeat time for Democrats.

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ADVISING DOLE: In proper front-runner fashion, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) has put together a balanced ticket of consultants representing several branches of his party to help him in his drive for the GOP presidential nomination. Among the new consultants are two pollsters--Bill McInturff, who is generally considered a moderate in his party, and Tony Fabrizio, whose firm works for the Christian Coalition.

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PARTISAN PROSE: While his wife, erstwhile George Bush campaign aide Mary Matalin, is waiting to give birth to their first child this summer, Clinton’s crackerjack 1992 strategist James Carville is readying a new production. It’s a book intended to boost Democratic spirits in the wake of the 1994 midterm disaster and point the way to victory in 1996. Due out early next year, Carville’s opus will apparently demonstrate that the union with Republican Matalin has in no way softened the Cajun Machiavelli’s partisan outlook. The working title: “We’re right, you’re wrong.”