A FEW WORDS FOR THE PRESIDENT AS HE STARTS HIS SECOND TERM

With a first term under his belt and his re-election bid behind him, Bill Clinton begins his second term today with a high approval rating. But how history records the 42nd president of the United States will hinge largely upon his performance the next four years.

During his first four years, President Clinton was distracted by a number of troublesome concerns that included the Whitewater land deal and Paula Jones' accusations. Among others were problems in the White House travel office. Now Congress intends to investigate fund raising for his re-election.

In spite of these distractions, the president must concentrate on the kind of leadership it will take to achieve the goals he deemed essential when he first ran for president. He no longer must be concerned with getting re-elected. Neither should he concern himself with promoting Vice President Al Gore's candidacy in 2000.

Congress appears to be in a mood to work with the president to achieve the goals, the most important of which is getting federal spending under control. Clinton already has warned that he will call for cuts in the budget he recommends to Congress, and he must stand firm, regardless of where they fall and the severity of them.

Likewise, Congress -- synonymous with high spending -- must tighten its belt like it has never done before. To truly achieve a balanced federal budget means saying no to unnecessary, frivolous spending, no matter whom it might offend. If Congress will cooperate with President Clinton on agreeing to where reductions in spending should be made, the federal government can accomplish more toward that end during the president's final term than it has since Ronald Reagan began attacking the federal deficit in the 1980s.

President Clinton is the first president to have at his disposal the line-item veto, which allows him to strike specific appropriations in spending bills. Long called for by Republicans, Clinton can set precedence by using the line-item veto wisely, rejecting spending this nation can do without.

Finally, the president might consider another tour of the country as he did last summer when he kicked off his re-election bus trip through the Midwest in Cape Girardeau following the Democratic National Convention. Such a tour early in this term would offer insight into what the people really want rather that what presidential advisers think they want.

He would find that reducing the federal deficit tops the list of Americans' priorities. Cutting capital gains taxes and dealing with what some consider a moral crisis in society also would be on the minds' of this country's citizens, as would a high priority on education, improving the job market, and protecting Medicare and Social Security.

President Clinton is in a unique position to do a lot for the country. He should remember that President Truman was not popular because he made the controversial decision to drop the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was popular because he had the backbone to do what he believed was right.

If President Clinton does the same, he can be proud of his accomplishments in office.