Bill Clinton, Man of Steel

WASHINGTON: With the Senate working toward agreement, the script of Bill Clinton's impeachment trial may now be out of White House hands. But there's always the economy, stupid. Clinton fled the Beltway for the Motor City on Friday just as another winter storm was arriving in Washington, heading first to the North American International Auto Show to look at some cool new places to put Astroturf. Then it's on to the Economic Club of Detroit, where he'll collect kudos for the current economic golden age -- and pass out a little pork for good measure.

In a report to Congress sent late Thursday, Clinton proposed offering about $300 million in tax relief to help U.S. steel companies suffering from cheap imports (mostly from Japan) during Asia's economic crisis. That should be a centerpiece of Friday's speech -- although he'll have to tread lightly, considering he rejected the industry's other demands for broader trade protections. The U.S. has enough trade squabbles with recession-mired Japan without poking them in the eye with tariffs; the cleaner decision was to simply send U.S. steel producers a check. Who knows -- these guys might have some pull with a senator or two.