From Washingtonian.com: Clinton Now Backs Dole for President—Hill Sources Talk About Possible Deal When the 108th Congress convenes in January, insiders say the hottest race will not be between Trent Lott and Tom Daschle. Barring an upset in the Senate race in North Carolina, there may be more political muscle in the Spouses Club of the Senate than in the main chamber. Assuming that Elizabeth Dole beats former Clinton aide Erskine Bowles, 1996 presidential contenders Bill Clinton and Bob Dole will be positioned to run against each other again—this time for the presidency of the prestigious Senate Spouses Club. Thecurrent president is Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney. Appearing on the Larry King Live, Clinton volunteered to run Dole’s campaign for the office. Sources joke that the motive behind Clinton’s generosity could be to take advantage of Dole’s intimate relationship with the makers of Viagra. But the potency pill may be only one of Dole’s advertising clients of interest to Clinton. The former senator from Kansas also has done TV commercials for Dunkin’ Donuts—a relationship Clinton also might exploit. Speculation is that the ex-president might be willing to stay out of the race in exchange for access to Dole’s perks. There is no shortage of wealthy backers for either candidate if Clinton decides to challenge Dole. It would not be a surprise to see Clinton turn for financial support to Richard Blum, the very rich husband of Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein. Dole could turn to Ray Hutchison, the wealthy lawyer married to Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Another key to the race might be how Sharon Percy Rockefeller votes. The wife of West Virginia Democrat Jay Rockefeller, she is the daughter of a former Republican senator and Dole colleague, Charles Percy. Another member of the club whose loyalties might be divided is John Kerry’s wife, Teresa Heinz. She’s married to a Democrat, but her late husband, John Heinz, the ketchup heir, was another Dole colleague. The spoils of victory for either man are large. Each year the Senate Spouses Club sponsors a lunch honoring the First Lady. And Tuesdays when the Senate is in session, the club meets for a lunch that onceincluded sewing for charity. Some of the spouses occasionally dressed up in Red Cross uniforms to honor the origins of the club, which began in 1917 to make bandages for soldiers in World War I. Even though Texas resident Ray Hutchison has not been an active member, he has gone on record that if Dole and Clinton will put on a Red Cross uniform, he will, too. Should Dole get the nod,the big question may be this: Will Clinton come to Dole’s Watergate apartment for board meetings? In one of those coincidences of history, when former Clinton flame Monica Lewinsky enlivened DC, she lived next door to the Doles—who have since taken over and expanded into her apartment.
