CHRISTINE WHITMAN . . . LINE DRIVE

New JerseyGov. Christine Todd Whitmandelivered a crisp and tough-minded GOP response to the president's State of the Union address tonight, reminding President Clinton who had won in November and why. Speaking at the historic statehouse in Trenton, Whitman, who cut state income taxes by 15 percent last year, and proposes to cut another 15% this year, described a revolution in which "people want less government, lower taxes and less spending from the federal government. People want results." Whitman then suggested that GOP governors -- not the president -- have been delivering on those demands. While Clinton "sounded pretty Republican," she said, he has raised taxes and increased government spending. Her bottom line: "Time after time, Republicans and Democrats have found that things work better when states and communities set their own priorities, rather than being bossed around by bureaucrats in Washington."