EXPERT WITNESS
Deputy White House counsel Cheryl Mills was an inspired choice to defend President Clinton on Wednesday against the obstruction of justice charges in his Senate trial. After all, she knows where of she speaks.

Last fall, at the conclusion of a two-year investigation into possibly illegal White House efforts to integrate its computer database with that of the Democratic National Committee, the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight charged Mills with perjury and obstruction of justice. According to the report, based on an investigation spearheaded by Rep. David McIntosh's Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee, Mills clearly withheld a key document potentially incriminating Clinton in these activities just six weeks before his 1996 re-election. Then, alleges the report, she perjured herself in explaining why the document was not produced even when it was obviously requested.

In September, McIntosh referred the case against Mills to the Justice Department for prosecution. Although few expect Attorney General Janet Reno's politicized office to take any action, Justice still has the referral under consideration. That means Mills lectured the Senate on obstruction of justice even though she has a potential prosecution on these grounds (plus perjury) hanging over her head.

In allowing her to take such a prominent role on Wednesday, White House counsel Charles Ruff displayed either terrible judgment or incredible arrogance. Or maybe both.

BUFFALO BILL
President Clinton, speaking in Buffalo on Wednesday about why Americans' tax overpayment (a.k.a. the federal surplus) should not be returned in the form of tax cuts: "We have no permanent deficit anymore, the natural condition is a surplus, okay--so the question is, what do we do with it? We could give it all back to you and hope you spend it right. (Applause.) But I think--here's the problem. If you don't spend it right, here's what's going to happen..." Note: This is a direct quote from the White House transcript, including the applause.

Clinton goes on to claim that social security will go bankrupt if taxes are cut. The real reason he can't return the money, of course, is that he wants it to fund new spending. According to an analysis by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, Clinton's State of the Union proposals would increase net federal spending by $288 billion per year.