CLINTON "THE PRESIDENT IS RELEVANT":

President Clinton used the fourth prime-time news conference of his presidency in an attempt to retake the initiative in a political scene that has increasingly been dominated by Newt Gingrich and the Contract with America. When asked about the troubled nomination of Dr. Henry Foster, the President said he would "go to the mat" for his nominee for Surgeon General. Clinton downplayed the fact that his press conference was only picked up by one major network, saying "I am relevant. The Constitution gives me relevance. A president, especially an activist president has relevance." Clinton sought to paint himself as a moderating influence on the House, and said he had shown "good faith" toward Republicans. Most of the good faith he was speaking of centered on welfare reform. Clinton called for Congress to have a reform bill on his desk by July 4. He said while there was much common ground between the White House and Congress, the current version of welfare reform is too weak on work and too tough on children. Clinton took special pains to portray himself and the Democrats as the party that protects children. Clinton fumbled a bit when asked to tell why he should be re-elected, saying that he'd done what he said he'd do, and that the country was moving in the right direction. Clinton also dodged a question about whether Robert MacNamara's assertion that the Vietnam War was wrong validated Clinton's protesting of the war, saying "I've said all I'm going to say about that."