The Wolf At The Door
CNN's senior White House correspondent waxed
on everything from the Lincoln Bedroom to Middle
East peace.
ALAN ABRAMS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
W
olf Blitzer knew he had
crossed the threshold
to fame in America
when his name became
the punch line of a joke by John-
ny Carson.
It happened during the Gulf
War, when CNN's round-the-
clock coverage of that conflict
made household names of its on-
air correspondents, including
Mr. Blitzer. "Tonight Show" host
Mr. Carson quipped that Holly-
wood would probably do a sequel
to the Kevin Costner hit film
Dances With Wolves called
Dances With Wolf Blitzer.
Mr. Blitzer spoke at Adat
Shalom Synagogue in Farming-
ton Hills last week as a bonus
for those who had contributed
$1,000 or more to the Allied Jew-
ish Campaign. He reached out
to his audience with the same
informal, yet knowledgeable, de-
livery he projects on television.
Currently CNN's senior
White House correspondent, Mr.
Blitzer had reported the night
before on the latest Lincoln Bed-
room disclosures. Thus, it was
only fitting that the subject
should arise early in his wide-
ranging speech.
"I never did sleep in the Lin-
coln Bedroom, and I may be the
only one who didn't. I think
everybody should sleep in it once
or twice," Mr. Blitzer told his au-
dience, tactfully side-stepping
any mention that his boss,
CNN's founder Ted Turner, was
listed among those who rested
their well-coifed heads on White
House pillows.
Mr. Blitzer said he wouldn't
be surprised to see an indepen-
dent counsel appointed within
the next two weeks to probe De-
mocratic Party fund-raising ac-
tivities.
Does that mean Mr. Blitzer
Es money to the Democ-
ratic Party and others.
9 He intimated that
President Clinton and
Israel's Prime Minis-
ter Binyamin Ne-
tanyahu are political
soul mates because of
the possible corruption
charges both men may
face.
Calling politics in
Israel "a contact
sport," Mr. Blitzer said
the charges against
Mr. Netanyahu "could
bring down the gov-
ernment and him per-
sonally" and could
spell an end to the
prime minister's 20-
year "dramatic" ca-
reer.
Fortunately, the
parallels Mr. Blitzer
CNN senior White House correspondent Wolf Blitzer observed between the
men extend beyond
sees any chance for campaign fi-
their political troubles.
nance reform? "Only if the Sen-
"Mr. Netanyahu is very simi-
ate hearings generate grassroots lar to Bill Clinton in terms of his
outrage. I, for one, am not hold- intellectual capability, political
ing my breath," he said.
dynamism and drive," said Mr.
Mr. Blitzer said the most se- Blitzer, who has had ample op-
rious problem President Bill portunity to study both leaders
Clinton faces is whether there up-close and personal.
was a direct effort by foreign gov-
Mr. Blitzer delivered several
ernments to penetrate the White predictions, including one to "ex-
House by using agents to funnel pect Bill Clinton in the next four
years to be more personally in-
volved in the Middle Fast, as he
is looking to secure his place in
history."
According to Mr. Blitzer, dur-
ing the president's first term in
office, Mr. Clinton "sub-con-
tracted" the Israeli-Arab conflict
to his then-Secretary of State
Warren Christopher. That's be-
cause the president was more
preoccupied with domestic is-
sues.
But Mr. Blitzer doesn't think
that will be the case this term.
"I don't expect to see Madeleine
Albright be as aggressive in the
Middle East as Christopher
was," he explained, adding that
Mr. Christopher was disap-
pointed that his legacy was not
capped with an Israeli-Syrian
pact.
Mr. Blitzer anticipates that
Mr. Clinton will play more of a
hands-on role in the Middle East
peace process, which "could get
back off the ground in the next
few months. I can envisage [Is-
raeli-Syrian peace talks] re-
sumed, with the United States
playing an aggressive role as
mediator."
Mr. Blitzer reported a signif-
icant shift in the attitude of Is-
raelis toward Mr. Netanyahu
after he signed the Hebron
agreements. He praised the
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