Bill's Revival Hour

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The White House is worried about polls showing that many Americans agree with the plan's major points but are against Clinton's proposals specifically. Harvard health-policy professor Robert Blendon says this happened because for a long time a distracted White House allowed its health-care foes to spin the perception of the plan. What Clinton must do now, Blendon says, is get out and explain how it will really work. "But the worst thing he can do," Blendon says, "is get into the administrative details of the plan." That is precisely what happens when the President ends up calculating payroll percentages in front of live audiences. "We would rather that didn't happen," admitted a White House official. "But it's fine if he turns it back into one of the five points."

Throughout the week, the President was probably dogged less by Whitewater than he had been in several months. But it hadn't disappeared altogether, to the Administration's great frustration. On Tuesday night in Charlotte, the President faced an unusual number of hostile questions in what has been his favorite forum and lately his favorite way to prove to journalists that Americans don't really care about Whitewater. Clinton turned testy when confronted with questions he didn't like -- especially when he was grilled several times about his character and credibility -- and the sting was worse since they came from ordinary people instead of the detested press corps.

The latter group got a tongue lashing as well when Clinton's volcanic adviser James Carville addressed a breakfast meeting for journalists at a Washington hotel. He accused the assembled group of participating in a news cycle of Whitewater stories generated by Clinton haters. Carville has also attacked the Republicans: "They are the party of obstruction, the Whitewater party, and we are the health-care party."

One way to guarantee that the focus didn't shift to unpleasant topics was for the White House to suggest what kind of audience the President would prefer. In Fairway and Minneapolis, the host television stations agreed that only people with questions on health care would be allowed at the town meetings. Presidential aide Jeff Eller said Thursday night that he routinely suggests that stations invite at least one person from the area who has written a letter to the White House. In Fairway that woman -- Elaine Shaffer, whose mother had to wait for treatment because she had no insurance -- got to ask the first question. But, as usual, the best-laid plans went awry. The carefully selected letter writer didn't bring up the subject of her mother, but the President did, leaving the audience baffled at how he knew who this random questioner was.

CHART: NOT AVAILABLE

CREDIT: From a telephone poll of 800 Adult Americans taken for TIME/CNN on April 6-7 by Yankelovich Partners Inc. Sampling error is plus or minus 3-5% + Not Sures omitted

CAPTION: Do you favor President Clinton's health-care reform plan?