TESTING THE PRESIDENTIAL WATERS

Senate Republican leader Bob Dole is taking the first real steps toward the 1996 race for the presidency, telling advisers to seek commitments from political strategists and fund raisers nationwide, the New York Times has reported. But this time around, Dole -- who was burned six years ago in New Hampshire when he failed to echo George Bush's "no new taxes" challenge -- appears to be taking no chances. "He's haunted by his '88 experience, when he finally made up his mind and then was out-organized by Bush," says TIME Washington correspondent Laurence I. Barrett. The fortunes of rivals like California Governor Pete Wilson, who is facing a stiff gubernatorial challenge this fall, will probably determine whether the Kansan jumps in. TIME DAILY TIDBIT: No sitting Senator has won the White House since John F. Kennedy.