Clinton Says He’ll Help as Gore Wishes

Responding to an interview in which Vice President Al Gore was quoted as saying he might decline campaign help from President Clinton, the White House responded that the president would do whatever Gore asked.

Gore told the Washington Post in an interview published Saturday that he might tell Clinton he does not want his help in the campaign.

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in response: “The president has been doing whatever we can to help support the vice president and he’ll continue to do whatever the vice president asks of him.”

So-called Clinton fatigue and its potential drag on Gore’s presidential hopes have been the talk of Washington for months. Polls have shown Americans are weary of scandals such as the Monica S. Lewinsky affair.

A survey released last April by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reported that 74% of respondents agree with the statement: “I’m tired of all the problems associated with the Clinton administration.”

But White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said earlier this month that he has seen no sign of Clinton fatigue among Clinton supporters who want to help Democrats raise money for the 2000 elections.