STEPHANOPOULOS TO CLINTON: TELL TRUTH

President Clinton should tell the American people the truth about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, former White House adviser George Stephanopoulos said Tuesday.

"If he made a mistake, he should own up to it," Clinton's former political strategist said.

Stephanopoulos said the president could face impeachment if it is shown that he lied under oath. "He is facing serious questions here at home," he said.

Even if Clinton didn't do anything illegal, it could be considered a breach of moral responsibility if the sex-scandal allegations are found to be true, Stephanopoulos said.

"The president must be the role model of the country," he said.

Stephanopoulos commented on the White House scandal during a visit to Southeast Missouri State University. He met with reporters and later delivered a speech to a packed room of 500 people at the University Center.

The university paid $15,000 to bring him to the campus.

The crowd gave Stephanopoulos a standing ovation when he was introduced. "I've got to tell you, I never expected to get a standing ovation in Rush Limbaugh's hometown," he said.

Stephanopoulos, 36, was a key strategist in both Clinton presidential campaigns and a senior adviser to the president. He currently is a visiting professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and a political analyst for ABC News.

Stephanopoulos said Clinton is starting to follow the pattern of former second-term presidents. That pattern involves statesmanship, scandal and the struggle for succession, he said.

Clinton has found that his responsibilities as president increasingly are occupying his time, he said.

Stephanopoulos said he believes the U.S. would be morally justified in assassinating Saddam Hussein. He said that would be better than bombing Iraq, which could kill thousands of innocent people.

Short of assassination, the U.S. has to give sanctions and the United Nations' inspection process a chance to succeed.

But he said in the end the Clinton administration may have no choice but to take military action.

Like President Nixon, Clinton can't escape the shadows of scandal, Stephanopoulos said.

Stephanopoulos dismissed Paula Jones' allegations of sexual harassment as unfounded. He said it was a frivolous lawsuit. He predicted Clinton would win the court case.

He said the Whitewater real-estate scandal is overblown.

He said independent counsel Kenneth Starr is out of control. Stephanopoulos said Starr has little to show after spending four years and $40 million investigating the Clinton administration.

Stephanopoulos told reporters that he knew Lewinsky but had no knowledge of whether the former White House intern had an affair with the president.

"There is a lot of murkiness out there that I think needs to be cleaned up," he said.

Stephanopoulos said the current scandal doesn't compare to Watergate. The Clinton administration hasn't been involved in a massive abuse of power, he said.

Clinton's high standing in opinion polls has much to do with the nation's strong economy and the public's hatred of the press, he said.

The question of who will succeed Clinton as president is already on people's minds.

Stephanopoulos said he doesn't intend to work on anyone's presidential campaign in 2000. But in answer to a question from the audience, he said he likely wouldn't turn down a chance to run for vice president on a ticket with U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-St. Louis.

Stephanopoulos previously worked for the congressman. Gephardt has been mentioned as a presidential candidate in 2000.

But Stephanopoulos said Vice President Gore is in a strong position to secure the party's nomination.

On the Republican side, the field is wide open. At last count, he said, 25 Republicans have expressed an interest in running for president.

Stephanopoulos said the nation needs to reform campaign finances.

He said the Clinton administration hasn't broken campaign-finance laws. He said there are so many loopholes that it is impossible to break the law.

But he said funding from special interests threatens to turn the nation's political system into a protection racket.

Stephanopoulos said mistakes were made in the early years of the Clinton administration because of the staff's inexperience.

The staff had to learn how to operate the White House phone system. The phone rang on the very first day that Clinton and his staff were sitting in the Oval Office. Clinton answered the telephone. It turned out to be a wrong number, Stephanopoulos said.