WASHINGTON INSIGHT
OLYMPIC DUTY: The Clinton administration’s decision to use U.S. military forces as support workers for the Olympic Games in Atlanta ran into choppy water in Congress this week. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a former Navy combat pilot and POW in Vietnam, grilled administration officials about using uniformed soldiers and airmen as security guards, bus drivers and in other roles. Although the officials insist the military presence will bolster security, McCain charged at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that duties such as bus driving and watering turf on the field-hockey site are demeaning. But the plan is expected to go forward--despite a threat by McCain to hold up the nomination of Army Gen. John Tilelli Jr., who now heads the Atlanta-based Forces Command, which is overseeing the Olympics support operation, to be commander in chief of U.S. forces in South Korea.
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DOGGING OLESTRA: The Washington food police who railed against movie theater popcorn and Chinese food are at it again--but this time they’re chasing the other end of the digestive tract. The Center for Science in the Public Interest is expanding its campaign against the fat substitute Olestra by sending speakers to cities where Frito-Lay is test-marketing chips made with the calorie-free fat substitute. The center warns that Procter & Gamble Co.’s revolutionary product causes a variety of digestive problems for some consumers, including cramps, bloating and incontinence. “The three test cities are rapidly becoming the diarrhea capitals of America,” said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the center, which has received about 50 complaints from consumers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Eau Claire, Wis., and Grand Junction, Colo. In response, Procter & Gamble spokeswoman Sydney McHugh said: “The center has been opposed to Olestra for nine years, and the FDA has rejected their arguments.” Frito-Lay said consumers who experience discomfort should simply cut back or stop eating the chips.
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A FEW GOOD ACRES: The Marines have quietly begun crafting a fallback plan in case growing opposition on Okinawa, where U.S. servicemen raped a Japanese schoolgirl last year, forces the Japanese government to cut the number of U.S. troops based there. The Marine Corps commandant, Gen. Charles C. Krulak, has floated a proposal to use some acreage in northwestern Australia as a U.S. base--both for expanded military exercises and for pre-positioning weapons and equipment. The plan, which calls for rotating U.S. troops to the outback for stints of up to six months, follows a spate of recent protests in Japan over the U.S. presence in Okinawa, and Thailand’s rejection in 1994 of a U.S. request to base a flotilla of military cargo ships off that country’s shores. Officials say exploratory talks with Australia already are underway.
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MOTOWN BOB: He may have a dour image among late-night comedians, and his campaign may still be striving to strike winning chords with voters. But you can’t say Bob Dole doesn’t offer a lively show on the campaign trail. At a recent Nashville rally, Dole was introduced to the upbeat strains of “Dole Man,” a lighthearted knock-off of the 1967 pop classic “Soul Man” by Sam and Dave and later recorded by the Blues Brothers. As an amused Dole looked on, the Sam Moore half of Sam and Dave fired up the crowd with lyrics that include: “Coming to you, on the campaign road. Real Growth. Without a tax load. . . . Got where he got, the hard way. Make America better, each and every day. So voters don’t you fret. He quit the Senate, to be president. So be a Dole man. . .” No chance the tune will be confused with the song seniors belted out here this week in protest of the Republican candidate’s stance on Medicare: Hit the road, Dole, and dontcha come back.
