SEN. BOND DEFENDS PROSECUTOR

President Bill Clinton should tell the truth so government and the rest of the nation can get on with the work at hand, said two Washington Republicans in Cape Girardeau Saturday.

U.S. Sen. Christopher S. Bond was the keynote speaker Saturday at the 28th Cape Girardeau County Lincoln Day dinner. About 300 tickets were sold for the annual event sponsored by the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women's Club.

The investigation into the president's actions should continue, Bond said. But it should focus on potentially impeachable actions like obstruction of justice or perjury.

It shouldn't focus on Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr, Bond said.

"This is an unprecedented attack on Ken Starr," Bond said. "It's unheard of. He's been subjected to an unheard of level of slime."

Bond said the recent attack on Starr follows a pattern set by the Clinton administration of attacking when questions are raised about the president.

"I was attacked for asking questions about Whitewater," the senator said. "This has been a consistent pattern."

At the same time, Bond wonders why the national media seems so preoccupied with the sex scandal other issues aren't being covered.

"There was a report last week about campaign finance violations and foreign government money," Bond said. "But where has the national media been on that?"

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, also at the Lincoln Day Dinner, said, "The president ought to tell the truth. Then the people can judge what went on."

In the meantime, Emerson said many on Capitol Hill are tired of the media flurry. "We have work to do and we need to get it done," she said. "I think it's time to just forget about politics and do our jobs."

Among the jobs at hand in Washington is national highway legislation. The senate passed the bill last week and it heads to the House for consideration.

Emerson said she was pleased that the bill will be addressed before the April legislative break. The bill includes funding for Southeast Missouri projects including Highway 60, Highway 63 and the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge.

Bond too was pleased with the progress of the highway legislation. "It met my two criteria," he said: more money in the pot and more money for Missouri projects.

He and Emerson also praised a birth defects prevention bill that received approval last week. The legislation would make money available to states for grants and research.

Also on the campaign trail Saturday was Chuck Pierce, Republican candidate for Missouri Auditor.

Pierce said the state's auditor should be a certified public accountant, a designation he holds.

Pierce said a CPA offers voters added assurance that the auditor posses the qualifications and independence needed in the position.

"Voters need somebody looking out for them. The auditor needs to be a watchdog who isn't afraid to stand up for what is right," he said.

He challenged his opponents in the race to discuss the Hancock refunds that Missourian's are receiving. "The amounts people are receiving aren't the right amounts," he said. Pierce contends the refunds are short by $79 million.