MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT CLINTON: TALK TO US

In the weeks since the latest accusations were made about the president's private conduct, Bill Clinton has found many ways to avoid the heat of the situation. One repeated call during this time has been for the president to speak out more about the allegations.

Clinton's claims -- and those of his wife as well -- that he is prohibited legally from talking is rubbish. But the president has learned during his presidency that if he says something enough times, the American public is willing to accept it as fact.

Because of the concern that too many politicians live in glass houses, there have been few in Washington willing to push Clinton to the wall on this topic. One exception has been U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft from Missouri. An example: What the nation needs right now is "a leader, not a lawyer. A president who pleads the Fifth Amendment to the American people has abandoned his moral leadership. A commander-in-chief who surrenders his moral authority at home is ill-equipped to defend American interests abroad."

Plain and simple. Ashcroft makes sense when others are afraid of speaking out.

Then comes George Stephanopoulos, one of the president's closest confidants in two successful election campaigns. The former White House staff member says during a visit to Cape Girardeau that Clinton should "tell the truth." Others have encouraged the same thing. And it leaves the American public wondering if the pleas for truth-telling mean there is good reason to think Clinton is lying. After all, who would know better than Stephanopoulos?

In reality, what Clinton is being urged to do is to face the American public candidly and tell his side. No doubt, Clinton would maintain that he has been telling the truth. But he hasn't given a full account of his version of his relationships with a variety of women.

Everyone wants the truth, but to get it, President Clinton first has to start talking.