Wilson Says Clinton Fears His Candidacy : Politics: In appearance on ‘Larry King Live,’ governor also says Dole and Gramm erred in leading drive against surgeon general nominee.

Gov. Pete Wilson, calling himself the Republican presidential candidate that President Clinton fears most, said Thursday night that Clinton is a good campaigner but “rotten” at governing.

Wilson made the comment during a 28-minute appearance on “Larry King Live” on the CNN cable network. It was an appearance designed to deter speculation that Wilson might be backing away from his campaign after being out of the national political spotlight for weeks following throat surgery.

Wilson’s voice cracked only a few times and, at a conversational level across a desk from King, sounded nearly normal--as if he perhaps had a light cold. Aides said his throat will not be healed enough to give a real speech for another two weeks.

After the program, broadcast from Los Angeles, Wilson prepared to leave on a weekend campaign trip to Texas, Colorado and New Hampshire.

When King, who normally hosts his show in Washington, D.C., asked Wilson if he was fully recovered from surgery in April to remove a nodule from his vocal cords, Wilson said, “Not fully. Not fully.”

The appearance had been billed as Wilson’s “announcement” that he is running for President, but not the ultimate official announcement.

King continued the hype by proclaiming that Wilson “throws his hat in the ring tonight.” In fact, Wilson made no announcement at all. He merely answered questions, from both King and the viewing audience.

When asked by King why he is entering the race “now,” Wilson said, “because I think I can win, and should win.”

The governor also said that, if he had still been in the U.S. Senate, he would not have voted against the confirmation of Dr. Henry Foster as U.S. surgeon general just because he had performed legal abortions. In response to a question, Wilson said his two primary GOP rivals, Sens. Bob Dole of Kansas and Phil Gramm of Texas, erred in leading the drive to defeat the Foster nomination on the abortion question.

Wilson added that “government has no business making so personal and intrusive a decision” as whether a woman should be allowed to have an abortion.

The appearance came just two hours after the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service announced that it will investigate whether a maid employed by Wilson and his first wife entered the United States from Mexico illegally in the 1970s, when Wilson was mayor of San Diego.

Wilson said he has not been able to determine whether the woman was in California illegally, but if she was, it may have been only a matter of weeks.

King wondered if Wilson questioned the timing of the INS statement.

“No, I don’t question it,” Wilson said. “I think it’s perfectly obvious. . . . They knew I was going to be on this show.”

King then showed Wilson a clipping from a London newspaper that identified Wilson as “the man Clinton fears most.”

King asked, “Do you believe that?”

Wilson answered: “Yeah. I do.”

There were several questions about whether Wilson could fulfill his responsibility as governor and still run for President. He insisted that he could.

When King said that Democratic Lt. Gov. Gray Davis becomes governor when Wilson leaves California to campaign, Wilson said, “No.”

Davis does not “become” governor, but assumes all the powers of the governorship when Wilson goes out of state.

Well, King said, wouldn’t Davis become governor if Wilson were elected President?

“Not for long,” Wilson said, saying there would be a special election to fill the vacancy.

What Wilson did not say was that there is no provision for any special election in the state Constitution. His backers are trying to promote an initiative petition campaign to change that, but its prospects remain dubious. Opinion polls indicate Californians oppose changing the present method of succession.