A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Wednesday, July 28, 1999

Like some interstate game of capture the flag, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (R) ran down to Little Rock on Wednesday and had the Arkansas state banner raised over New York City Hall. The in-your-face trip was part of Giuliani's Senate campaign against likely Democratic opponent and former Arkansas first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Several New York Democrats criticized Giuliani for using his official government power to raise the flag over city hall.

"It's pushing politics a bit too far into government." – New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone (D), on flying the Arkansas state flag over New York city hall. (Newsday, July 28)

The most heated opposition to the Arkansas flag-flying may be a little misinformed. New York Council member Bill Perkins decried the flag as a symbol of "the Confederacy, i.e. slavery, and the Old South." According to the Arkansas secretary of state, the state did not have a flag until a half-century after the end of the Civil War. Changes to the flag made in 1923 that were meant to commemorate the Confederacy were repealed in 1924.

• Banner Daze as Arkansas Flag Flies at Our City Hall (New York Post, July 28)
• Politics Up A Flagpole (Newsday, Long Island, July 28)
• The Story of the Arkansas Flag (Arkansas Secretary of State)
• Now Giuliani's Been to Arkansas (Times Union, Albany, July 28)
• Giuliani Visits Likely Senate Opponent's One-Time Home Turf (The New York Times, July 28, registration required)
• Giuliani's National Lampoon (New York Daily News, July 28)

Clinton ended the mystery over her family's vacation spot Wednesday when she announced that she would spend some of the time in New York.
• Vacation Town Eyes Clintons With Wink (New York Daily News, July 28)
• Hillary's N.Y. Trip to End on a Posh Note (New York Post, July 28)

The Little Rock city directors changed their minds – again – and voted to rename a portion of Markham Street to President Clinton Street when he leaves office in 2001.
• LR Board Does U-Turn on Clinton Avenue (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 28)

Christian Coalition Leader Says Forbes Tried to Buy Straw Votes
The head of the Iowa Christian Coalition, who runs a temporary employment agency, said Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes approached her about paying people a day's wage to vote for him in the Aug. 14 straw poll. Forbes and the national Christian Coalition denied Bobbie Gobel's charges. Gobel denied the national organization's claims that her allegations were really misquotes.
• Allegation Aimed at Forbes Effort (Des Moines Register, July 28)

Wave of Presidential Ads Hits Iowa
In a new Iowa radio ad, Forbes says that he will only appoint federal judges who oppose abortion.
• New Ad Accents Forbes' Anti-Abortion Stance (The Des Moines Register, July 28)

Republican candidate Lamar Alexander's TV spot hits cigar-chomping cowboys who aim at buying the election. But they don't mention fund-raising leader and Texas Gov. George W. Bush by name.
• Alexander Aims TV Ads at Iowa Viewers (Des Moines Register, July 28)

Vice President Al Gore is the target of Iowa television ads by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The ads, which feature former Golden Girls star Bea Arthur, attack Gore for supporting a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program that will use animals as test subjects.
• PETA Targets Gore in Iowa Campaign (Iowa Pulse, July 27)

More Subpoenas for Bush in Texas
In case anyone thought there had been a lull in politically-oriented lawsuits, another Texan has called for the subpoena of Gov. George W. Bush. Former Texas Lottery director Lawrence Littwin wants Bush to testify about his relationship with Ben Barnes, a former lobbyist for Gtech Corp., the state's lottery operator. Littwin contends that Barnes, who was state House speaker in 1968, helped Bush avoid Vietnam and that Bush returned the favor in 1997 by helping Gtech retain the lottery contract. Bush's testimony is also being sought in lawsuit involving the state funeral agency.
• Ex-Official Wants Bush's Testimony (The Dallas Morning News, July 28)

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