Clinton Rolls Up His Sleeves on Health Care

So what's on Bill Clinton's mind the first workday of the New Year following impeachment? Health care, of course. The President announced a five-year, $6.2 billion package to help families cope with the demands of long-term care for the elderly and the disabled. The centerpiece of the plan would create a $1,000 tax credit for two million families. The President's return to a familiar theme at the first opportunity underscores his determination to "quickly project an image of business as usual," says TIME Washington Correspondent James Carney.

"Clinton firmly believes that the reason he has stayed highly popular is because of the perception that he is focused on the work of the country," says Carney. And nothing reinforces that perception better than returning to one of the President's meat and potatoes issues. As he does every year, the President also wants to take control of the agenda from the beginning. "It is common in advance of the State of the Union message," says Carney, "for the President to leak out some of his proposals in order to generate interest." But will Congress even bother to listen this year? "I wouldn't rule it out," says Carney. "Despite the obsession with the scandal, there is a great desire in Washington to address other subjects."