WASHINGTON INSIGHT

WILDERNESS SURPRISE: With Democrats professing to see environmental issues as a major opportunity for political success, opponents of legislation to open millions of acres of Utah wilderness to commercial development naturally turned for help to the top House Democrat, Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri. Imagine their surprise when they were told that Democratic leaders were too busy with the budget to spare time for this environmental cause. “Sorry, it’s not on our radar screen,” was the response of one of Gephardt’s honchos. But all was not lost--thanks to, of all people, the Republicans. Lobbyists battling the wilderness measure generated such a blizzard of public protest that more than two score moderate House Republicans refused to go along, even though the bill was advanced by a Republican, Rep. James V. Hansen of Utah. Hansen abandoned plans to push it to a floor vote. That left environmentalists grateful, but wondering who their real political friends are.

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LINGERING FIGURE: Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, the larger-than-life diplomat who brokered the Dayton, Ohio, peace accords, plans to leave government sometime next year--but that won’t keep him out of the Bosnian picture entirely. He told a Senate subcommittee this week that he intends to remain fully involved in Bosnian affairs “while I remain in the government . . . and after I leave.” Although he is expected to return to Wall Street investment banking, many Washington pundits believe he will keep an eye on the capital--and not only to check on the Bosnian peace. Many believe that Holbrooke wants to replace Secretary of State Warren Christopher should President Clinton win reelection in 1996.

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GOT THAT RHYTHM: Maybe biorhythms explain the roller-coaster of the Clinton presidency. Since emerging as a national figure, Clinton has performed best in the autumn of odd-numbered years--only to suffer what one White House aide calls a “Christmas meltdown” immediately thereafter. In the fall of 1991, Clinton ran out to a large lead in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. That winter, he was battered by accusations he had been unfaithful to his wife and had attempted to dodge the draft in Vietnam. In the fall of 1993, Clinton’s job performance ratings jumped as he passed the North American Free Trade Agreement and won Senate approval for his crime bill. That winter, he went into a tailspin, prompted by accusations of sexual harassment from a former Arkansas state employee and charges of misconduct that led to the appointment of the Whitewater independent counsel. In the fall of 1995, Clinton has again seen his ratings rise. Now White House aides, with an eye on the calendar, are, half-seriously, wondering if disaster lurks under the mistletoe again. “Januaries are horrible,” laughs White House senior advisor George Stephanopoulos. “I would take January off if I could.”

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MORE FOR LESS: A spoof of House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) in the vein of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” is making the rounds on the Internet--but not all the satire is at the lawmaker’s expense. In one verse, after Gingrich and his troops have pared back social programs and slashed taxes, he finds himself besieged by angry voters:

“And the Gingrich sat simply quite stunned at the sight

Of Normal Americans, not left and not right.

They wanted clean air and they wanted green trees.

They wanted full coverage for medical fees,

They wanted nice schools and streets safe to play,

They wanted it all--they just didn’t want to pay!”