A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Thursday, May 13, 1999

In addition to obliquely criticizing President Clinton's morality, former senator Bill Bradley set himself apart from Vice President Gore with his comments on gambling during a New Hampshire visit Wednesday. In the midst of a debate over slot machines at New Hampshire's race tracks, Bradley spoke out against using gambling to finance state programs. Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, whose husband is Gore's state campaign chairman, supports the gambling idea.

"It's our job to pass good legislation and kill bad ideas, not to serve as mindless cheerleaders for the executive branch" – Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Stratton Taylor (D), on Republican Gov. Frank Keating's charges that the state has a " no-action, do-nothing legislature." (The Oklahoman, May 12)

• NH Gets a Warning on Gambling (The Union Leader, Manchester, N.H., May 13)
• Shaheen Urges House to Keep Options Open (The Union Leader, Manchester, N.H., May 13)
• Bradley Talks Morality During Nashua Campaign Stop (The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H., May 12)
• Bradley Enters Game of Hardball (Concord Monitor, N.H., May 12)

In South Carolina, which has lead the way in a widening Democratic push for gambling initiatives, the state House killed a plan to protect and expand the video poker industry.
• House Kills Poker Plan (The State, Columbia, S.C., May 13)

Senior Missouri Democrat to Retire From Congress
Rep. William L. Clay (D-Mo.) is likely to become the 12th member of Congress and fourth Democrat to announce that he will not seek reelection. Clay was elected to Congress in 1968 as the state's first black representative. Regarded as having more local political power than even House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), Clay's retirement could set off a tough election which may include his son, state Sen. William Lacy Clay Jr.
• Rep. Clay to Announce His Retirement (The Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, May 13)

National Democrats Will Target Arkansas's Dickey
In their effort to win six more seats in the U.S. House and take control of the body, Democrats will target the seat held by Rep. Jay Dickey (R-Ark.).
• Democrats Say Dickey Is Beatable in 2000 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 13)

Ventura Brags About Sex and Just About Everything Else
The autobiography of Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura makes Bill Clinton's scandals look less than naughty. For anyone who cares, Ventura says he lost his virginity at age 16 to a girl with whom he never spoke again; he enjoyed the bar table "skivvy checks" of his Marine days; and is pleased as punch that he traded his belt made of spent machine-gun shell casings to a Nevada prostitute for sex. Oh yeah, and the book's laced with dirty words.
• Ventura's All-Too-Revealing Autobiography Due Out Soon (The Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, May 13)

Bush I: Endorsement Watch
Ninety of Florida's 97 lawmakers have pledged to support the presidential campaign of Texas Gov. George W. Bush. George's brother, Jeb, is the governor of Florida.
• GOP Lawmakers Line Up for Bush (St. Petersburg Times, May 13)

An all-male group from South Carolina has formed a state exploratory committee for Bush. South Carolina's primary, often described as the gateway to the South, is scheduled for Feb. 26.
• Exploratory Committee for Bush Launched (The State, Columbia, S.C., May 13)

Bush II: Legislative Watch
With the end of the Texas legislative session just around the corner, lawmakers and Gov. George W. Bush are locked in debate over several contentious issues. The House advanced bills requiring minors to tell their parents before seeking an abortion or getting any part of their body other than their ear lobe pierced. Senators are stuck over a "hate-crimes" bill that would include controversial protection for homosexual victims.
• Senate Battle on Hate-Crimes Bill Focuses on Protections for Gays (Austin American-Statesman, May 13)
• House Negotiating on Abortion Bill (Austin American-Statesman, May 13)
• Campaign, Body-Piercing Bills Win Nod in House (The Dallas Morning News, May 13)

The abortion debate is heating up in Missouri, too. Hate crime legislation is a top priority in Tennessee.
• 'Infanticide' Bill Clears Missouri Legislature, Worries Abortion Rights Supporters (The Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, May 12)
• Hate Crimes Targeted Under Bill (The Tennessean, Nashville, May 13)

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