A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Friday, May 7, 1999

The former Arkansas chief of the FBI said this week that special counsel Kenneth W. Starr's involvement in the Whitewater investigation may have prevented more people from being indicted.

"Al Gore takes time off from running for President to be King." – E-mail from Gore's presidential campaign, in advance of his planned guest-host job on Thursday's Larry King Live. Gore was forced to abdicate after CNN received internal and external criticism. (Gore campaign e-mail, May 6)

I.C. Smith, who retired in July after three years as special agent in charge of Arkansas, said that inexperienced attorneys were doing the work that should have been done by his officers. One Starr ally said he finds it unusual that Starr is being criticized for being under-zealous.

• FBI man: Starr Didn't Give Agents Leeway to Nail More Arkansans (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 7)

George W. Bush Formulates 2000 Plan, While Jeb Bush Grabs Leadership Reins
Wall Street Journal columnist Paul Gigot writes that if the national Republican Party were really looking for a strong and effective governor to run for president, they'd be looking at Jeb Bush of Florida rather than George W. Bush of Texas. George, whose tax-cut agenda is stalled in the state legislature, has been meeting informally with Republican leaders in the U.S. House to formulate a common agenda for the 2000 campaign.
• Jeb Bush Goes One Up on His Brother (The Wall Street Journal, May 7, subscription required)
• Bush Already Exploring a United Agenda With House (The New York Times, May 7, registration required)

Rising Texas Democrat Endorses Bradley
One of the brightest young stars of the Texas Democratic Party sounded a common theme with other political leaders who have endorsed the Democratic presidential candidacy of Bill Bradley: There's nothing wrong with Gore, but it's just better to put the Clinton scandals behind them. Former state comptroller John Sharp, who endorsed the former New Jersey senator Thursday, is a potential future Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
• Democrat Sharp endorses Bradley for president (The Dallas Morning News, May 7)

Alexander Turns Focus to Iowa Education
Former U.S. education secretary Lamar Alexander has asked 24 Iowa education professionals to serve on an advisory board to his campaign. Education has consistently been one of the top concerns in state and national polls, and has become an increasingly important part of the Republican agenda, with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush leading the way by successfully pushing for the first statewide school voucher program.
• Candidate Alexander Targets Education in Iowa (The Des Moines Register, May 6)

Del Papa Enters Nevada Senate Race
Democrats concerned about the retirement of prominent senators may be resting a little easier now that Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa has said she will seek the seat being vacated by Democrat Richard Bryan. Del Papa received national support in her short-lived bid for governor last year. Republicans also have a strong candidate in former Republican congressman John Ensign, who barely failed in his attempt to unseat Democratic Sen. Harry Reid last year.
• Del Papa to File Paperwork Today for U.S. Senate Bid (The Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 7)

NRA's Heston to Raise Money for Washington's Gorton
From Early Returns's "With Friends Like These" file, Republican Sen. Slade Gorton (Wash.), considered one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents, is scheduled to be receive fund-raising help from National Rifle Association President Charlton Heston. The fund-raisers are scheduled to come three days after the Senate debates gun control next week.
• NRA's Heston Will Appear at 2 Gorton Fund-Raisers (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 7)

Ventura Dolls Get Better Reception Than the Movie
In their first day on the shelf Thursday, Jesse Ventura action figures were almost as hot as Star Wars figures earlier this week. A store at Bloomington's Mall of America sold 3,000 figures in the first few hours of the day. The made-for-TV version of the governor's life didn't get such hot reviews, though, from campaign aides who previewed the NBC production.
• Ventura Action Figures Are Hot as the Governor Himself (The Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, May 7)
• Political Activists Pan Made-for-TV Movie About Ventura (The Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, May 7)

Ryan Thornburg can be reached at ryan.thornburg@washingtonpost.com