FOSTER FACES THE MUSIC

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Dr. Henry Foster tried to salvage his troubled nomination to be Surgeon Generalas his Senate confirmation hearings got underway, pledging to "set the record straight." To Senators probing his views on abortion, he said: "I am a doctor who delivers babies." Foster also apologized to the Labor and Human Resources Committee for initially understating the number of abortions he had performed during his 40 years as an obstetrician, but said it was an "honest mistake" made without a complete review of the records. "There was never any intent to deceive," he said. "I had no reason to do so." Foster promised to lead a national campaign against teen pregnancies if confirmed. Does he have a chance? Even if the committee approves Foster, TIME correspondent Karen Tumulty reports, Majority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said today that the GOP leadership would not bring the nomination to a floor vote "if there was any hint of filibuster." Senator Phil Gramm has already threatened a filibuster if the nomination is brought to the floor.