Clinton’s New Office

* Former President Bill Clinton has done it again. He and his advisors have managed a postelection scandal into a political home run in the New York office story (Feb. 13-14). After intense criticism for his decision to rent prime New York office space at over $800,000 per year, Clinton instead decides to occupy space in Harlem. But the space in Harlem is already leased to an administrative office of a New York social care agency.

Clinton’s play is brilliant. He defuses the public outcry by saving potentially thousands for the taxpayers and puts New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani on the spot regarding the Harlem space. Will Giuliani deny a popular president in the African American community a chance to occupy decent office space in an “empowerment zone”? Giuliani is an outspoken critic of Clinton’s pardon of Marc Rich and may lose credibility no matter what he decides in this issue. Clinton is the best politician I’ve ever seen.

JIM WALTON

Mission Viejo

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The Marc Rich affair reveals yet another side of Clinton’s political genius: He found a means--the presidential power to pardon--of taking and rewarding bribes while immunizing himself against legal actions normally associated with such conduct. (“Bribe”--a quaint, pre-Clinton term for the taking of money and bestowing of special favors otherwise unmerited, e.g., by soon-to-be-ex-presidents for their libraries, political party coffers, etc.) Looks like the legacy thing is coming into sharper focus with each passing day.

J.L. MUNDEN

Irvine

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There is such an intense hatred toward Clinton that even after he has left office Republican legislators are seeking ways to penalize him for his poor judgment. This fixation with Clinton has created a new obsessive-compulsive disorder called Clintonphobia that requires a 12-step program to rid infected people of their demon.

As far as appropriate penalties that the governing party can levy on the ex-president, here are several suggestions. Take away his Secret Service protection. Let him negotiate life like the rest of us. Take away his citizenship. Perhaps he can emigrate to Switzerland and move into Rich’s coach house. Take away his pension. Make sure that no corporation will hire him to speak to its employees or clients. Withdraw government support from any university that hires Clinton to teach its students. Put him in an iron mask and lock him in the dungeon in the Pentagon basement. And finally and most cruelly, confiscate his golf clubs.

LARRY SHAPIRO

Rancho Mirage

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Will Rich or Monica Lewinsky best define Clinton’s presidency?

JULIE HUGHES

Rancho Mirage

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Re “U.S. Atty. Launches Inquiry of Rich Case,” Feb. 15: So now they’ve got a U.S. attorney investigating the Rich pardon to see if there was any quid pro quo.

My worry is that they’ll start looking into every decision made by all elected officials. I think they’ll find a whole lot of people expecting a whole lot of quid for their quo. You follow the money and there’ll be so many elected officials needing a pardon, we’ll end up having to fill the Capitol with ordinary, honest citizens. I don’t think the country could survive that.

STEVE YOUNG

Chatsworth