SHOW OF POLITICAL HARMONY NEEDS MUCH MORE SUBSTANCE

Last year was one of intense political bickering in Washington, what with a presidential election involving an incumbent and a U.S. senator with considerable clout in Congress. Not only were two candidates and two political parties duking it out, but also two branches of the federal government. You know the results: Much of what needed to be done was left undone, and both sides got black eyes in the skirmishes that ensued.

Now the election is over. Republicans still control Congress, and Democrats still control the White House. Will government-by-potshots continue, or will some accommodation be reached?

A few days ago, President Clinton and Republicans leaders of Congress sat down in private to talk about the need for bipartisan unity. Sure enough, the participants announced after the get-together that they had agreed to work together on some key areas: balancing the federal budget, improving schools, combating juvenile crime, finding jobs for welfare recipients and addressing the deepening day-to-day problems of governing the nation's capital city.

Everyone smiled a lot and shook hand and went back to their respective offices. Sounds like the nation's elected power brokers finally got their heads together and decided to become an invincible team, right? What did it really mean?

Window dressing.

Who in America would stand up and say the country shouldn't do something about juvenile crime? Or finding work for those on welfare? Not that everyone agrees on how to accomplish some of these sticky tasks, of course. Take balancing the budget, for example. A growing number of well-intentioned folks want a constitutional amendment to do this. The president, on the other hand, says this would paint the country into a fiscal corner. Balance the budget, but without a constitutional mandate, says Clinton.

The one topic that raises the biggest question mark, however, is the show of unity for improving education. Watch out, here comes the government, and its here to help.

The best thing that could happen in Washington to improve education would be for the federal government to stop throwing millions of dollars away on failed programs. Shut down the Department of Education. Turn the reins of public education over to those who historically have known what's best for students: local school boards, local administrators, local teachers and local parents.

Another interesting facet of the friendly agreement for harmony between the White House and Capitol Hill was what wasn't included in the list of cooperative objectives. There was no mention of what to do about Social Security and Medicare. Nothing about military readiness. No smiling handshakes over tax issues.

And there was nothing at all about campaign-finance reform. Nothing at all -- which may be good news. More tinkering with the notion that campaign contributions and political spending can be equitably regulated is probably the worst thing that could happen.

It was good, however, to hear President Clinton say -- during a fund-raising pitch in New York this week -- that contribution limits should be abandoned. This is in direct opposition to other Democratic leaders who have dug a deep trench on that battle front.

Perhaps the president next will seek harmony within his own party on some key issues.