Starr Back on the Case, Should Stay for the Close : After botched Pepperdine timing, his goal is now clear

Kenneth W. Starr is back for the duration, or however long it takes to “substantially” complete his job as the Whitewater independent counsel. Starr’s newly polished chairs as dean of the law school and director of the new school of public policy at Pepperdine University will wait for him.

That is the way it should be. Now it is incumbent on Starr to wrap up the investigation in a timely manner. There is one sign, at least, that progress is being made. Sources have told The Times that Starr’s office has concluded there was no White House conspiracy involved in the gunshot death of former aide Vincent Foster in July 1993.

The Foster decision will disappoint conspiracy theorists--and probably outrage the more fanatic ones--but it confirms two previous probes that concluded Foster died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The big question remaining is whether Starr’s inquiry has developed evidence that could lead to the indictment of either President Clinton or Hillary Clinton in the prepresidential Whitewater land deal in Arkansas or in other cases assigned to Starr’s office.

Starr declined to say whether he would announce the investigators’ conclusion regarding the Clintons as soon as it is reached, or perhaps wait until his office finishes its final report.

Clearly, any decision on timing should be disclosed as soon as it is made. Even if Starr could keep such a thing secret--which is unlikely--no public purpose would be served by withholding information.

Sadly, the botched decision about his leaving to join the Pepperdine faculty in Malibu bolsters the impression that Starr suffers from poor judgment and potential conflict of interest. How could he allow Pepperdine to make the announcement without giving his staff an inkling of what was going on? How could he be surprised by the negative reaction of the staff and others?

Bear in mind that, as a private attorney, Starr continues with a law firm that represents interests like the tobacco industry that are at political war with the Clintons.

Starr’s goal should now be simple: To bring the Whitewater investigation to the sort of conclusion that can stand future scrutiny at Pepperdine and elsewhere as a case study of sound law and good public policy.