AN UNCIVIL ACTION
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is scheduled to speak at the bipartisan "civility retreat" for members of Congress on Sunday, March 21 in Hershey, Pa. One problem: Goodwin doesn't know much about civility. Appearing on the Don Imus radio program February 8, Goodwin had this to say about Sen. Phil Gramm for opposing censure: "Let him filibuster. Maybe his fat body will get a little thinner if he filibusters. ... He's just nuts. He's completely wrong on the history, he's wrong the politics, and I just wish he'd shut up."

Talk about the politics of personal destruction. And Gramm isn't even fat!

Whenever the topic is "bipartisanship" or "civility," the Republicans come in for a brow-beating. Now they must endure Goodwin, who should be listening to a lecture about civility rather than giving one.

Word is the retreat's organizers are having trouble convincing members to attend. Our advice: Stay home.

LAMAR!
Lamar Alexander will announce his presidential candidacy this coming Tuesday in Nashville. On Friday, he spoke to NR's Washington Bulletin.

On Monica Lewinsky's TV interview: "I wasn't interested. I didn't watch it. I had dinner at home that night and watched some college basketball."

On impeachment's impact on the GOP: "I'm not sure it's an issue we'll dwell on. We need to nominate a candidate who will provide a contrast to Clinton and show better judgment than Gore did in praising Clinton."

On uncomfortable personal questions: "I think I've answered all the questions. I've run before. A lot of my answers didn't get much publicity. There are no surprises with me."

On RNC chairman Jim Nicholson's 11th-commandment warning: "It was unnecessary if it was a message to me. I was the one candidate in 1996 who didn't run a single negative TV ad. All of mine were positive and constructive. I should have defended myself better against negative ads, especially in New Hampshire. But that was my mistake. I don't plan to run any negative ads this time, but I will defend myself if I have to. Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment was about personal attacks, not issues. He criticized a sitting Republican president. You can't have an agenda based on a vacuous slogan. I'm for a tax cut, for affirmative action based on need rather than race, and for ending federal spending on bilingual education.

On "compassionate conservatism" as "weasel words": "We can do better than beginning the new century as a debate between 'compassionate conservatism' and 'practical idealism.' Voters will go hide if that's what we offer them. Teddy Roosevelt said weasels suck the yoke out of eggs, leaving empty shells. We need to speak plainly.

On rumored Bush strategy of skipping Iowa and New Hampshire and spending big in California: "I hope he does--he won't win. When I was president of the University of Tennessee, we always wanted to skip the Florida football game. But you can't become national champions doing that. There will be three tickets out of Iowa and two out of New Hampshire. That's how it has worked for 40 years."

On the plaid shirt: "You'll see it again, but not when I announce. People knew the shirt better than my message last time. I want to focus on issues, such as tripling the tax deduction for parents raising children, building a missile defense system, my support of 'English for the Children,' and my idea for a new branch of the military that would fight drugs at the border.

On his pick for the Oscars: "I thought 'Shakespeare in Love' was great, very clever. Of the movies I've seen, that's my choice for the Academy Awards."