Clinton Eyes Two US Judges For High Court

IS President Clinton - who has made "diversity" a hallmark of administration appointments - choosing his Supreme Court nominee from a short list that includes only two white males?

That, apparently, is the word from anonymous White House sources, who say that the two finalists are Judge Stephen Breyer of the First US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston and Judge Jon Newman of the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in Hartford, Conn.

Judges Breyer and Newman are moderates appointed by President Carter. They are known for finding consensus among their fellow judges, a trait President Clinton apparently wants in his first choice for the Supreme Court. Both also would probably win easy confirmation from the Senate - a factor that might lead the president to set aside his pledge to appoint women and minorities.

White House officials say that Clinton hasn't made a final decision, and that an announcement will come next week. Perot attacks

Last year, President Bush figured he was in trouble about the time that Ross Perot started snapping at his heels. So what does it say about Clinton's standing that the Texas billionaire has now turned his heavy artillery on the president? (NAFTA attack Page 3.)

In an interview with David Frost released on Wednesday, Mr. Perot declared that Clinton wasn't qualified to lead a corporation.

"If you were interviewing him for your company, and you had a medium-sized company, you wouldn't consider giving him a job anywhere above middle management," the former presidential candidate drawled.

"Not because he couldn't eventually be the president or chief executive officer, but his background doesn't give him those skills now. He has a learning curve in Washington that's like a cliff," he said.

Those wouldn't be the words of a man eying another bid for the White House, would they? A menu of health-care options

President Clinton's health package will offer Americans a choice of three types of plans and require everyone, including the poor, to pay something toward their own care, a senior administration official says. The choices will be among fee-for-service coverage and two types of managed care - a health maintenance organization or a so-called preferred provider organization - said the official, who spoke with the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.