Democrats aren’t the only ones wishing Gore success. So far, Bush has stymied his Republican rivals by framing any criticism as negative campaigning. Even Steve Forbes, who spent millions going negative in 1996, has stuck to Social Security proposals and waited for Bush to self-destruct. But if it’s left to the Gore team to puncture the Bush bubble, they seem to relish the task: noting that Bush has dubbed his press plane Great Expectations, one Gore aide observed with satisfaction that at the end of the Dickens novel of the same name, the guy doesn’t get the girl.
THE SKINNYWicked Worm Eats Files
The story: a malicious “worm” that burrowed through the Net last week disguised itself as an e-mail from a friend. But when recipients clicked on the attached file, it wiped documents off their hard drives. The worm, which forced companies to shut down their systems, triggered a manhunt by security experts and the FBI. But Richard M. Smith, president of Phar Lap Software who tracked the Melissa Virus perp last April, said he and others are zeroing in on a foreign suspect outside the Feds’ reach.
The skinny: like many hacker tricks, the latest required people to click on the file attached to e-mail. Better to think of attachments as ticking parcels and don’t open them, unless you’re sure of the contents. The real problem: if new strains launch automatically.
HILLARYPick Knicks, Whip GOPs
Donning a Yankee cap at the white house last week, confirmed Cub fan Hillary Clinton displayed an affection for the defending world champs. Good manners, better politics. Other smart choices the carpetbagging First Lady needs to make to win New Yorkers’ hearts and votes:
Bills vs. Jets Bills! Eating your Flutie Flakes may wrest GOP-leaning upstaters from Rudy. Food Put Bill on a New York diet: swap Big Macs for Papaya King’s 50-cent dogs; bagels replace doughnuts. Clothes Sure, Manhattanites all wear black: see how long your pastel pantsuits last on grimy NYC streets. Letterman vs. Leno Dave! Liddy owns Leno. Letterman’s Broadway venue allows you to pop in for a quick Top Ten. Vacations The Hamptons get you close to deep-pocket fund-raisers, but the Adirondacks or Saratoga broaden your upstate base. Stadium deal Steinbrenner wants to move your Yanks, saying fans need more parking. Nix it: as senator, you’ll chopper in.
THE BUZZThey All Got Game–But Who’s got Next?
Minnesota Phats Kevin Garnett: unparalleled talent, unprecedented price tag. But raise your hand if you’ve seen him play. “SportsCenter” doesn’t count.
Kobe, Year 3: Still No D. Best mug in the bunch. But memo to Bryant: Air Jordan flew on both ends of the floor.
Slam Duncan If Tim’s Spur Posse snags the title, he’s da man. Counterbuzz: Won’t change his rep as NBA’s Mona Lisa. Smile, big guy!
Me, Myself and Iverson Upside: Hero in Philly for Sixers’ playoff run. Downside: Isn’t he a thug? Took first post-M.J. scoring title, but couldn’t your mom win it hoisting 25 shots a night?
Over the Hill Grant who? All but handed No. 23’s crown, now he’s sharing the heat for Detroit’s brand of blah-sketball.
Off the Air? Uh-uh. Anything you can do, Mike can do better. Even in retirement, this guy’s everywhere.
With Pokemon cards stirring frenzied trading from schoolyards to eBay, the game’s creators will rush the new Jungle set to stores this week.
EXCLUSIVE’It’s O.J. Week'
This wasn’t an easy week," O. J. Simpson told NEWSWEEK last Saturday–but not only because it ended with the fifth anniversary of Nicole Simpson’s death. Rather, O.J. faced allegations that may threaten his custody of his children. The mother of Christie Prody, 24, told the press that Simpson used drugs with Prody, who, she said, lives with O.J. According to Simpson, who calls Prody only “a friend,” social workers then interviewed Sydney, 13, and Justin, 10. Denying that he uses drugs, O.J. brushed off the charge: “I’ve been accused of worse.” Otherwise, “O.J. Week,” as he calls it, passed without ceremony: “It’s not a day we honor in any way, shape or form.”
YOSEMITEA Break in the Murder Case?
The grisly murders of three women tourists near Yosemite National Park last February may have been committed by a group of ex-cons who were high on crank, a top FBI official says. Investigators are questioning seven or eight California men who are “part of a group that hangs out and does dope together,” the official says. Some are being held on unrelated charges while agents try “to sort out who’s lying and who’s not,” he says, adding all the suspects are “trying to say it was the other guy.”
WHAT’S COOLLet’s Hope It Outlasts Leg Warmers
Used to be that only bikers and sailors got tattoos. nowadays even soccer moms are going under the gun: one estimate puts our painted population at 20 million. Today’s tatts tend to be more graphic, less romantic. A peri survey of the latest trends:
We’re not even going to try to resist saying it: he’s dead, Jim. And millions of fans mourn. DeForest Kelley, “Star Trek’s” Dr. Leonard (Bones) McCoy, signed on to the starship Enterprise in 1966 and spent three TV seasons and six movies boldly going where no one had gone before. His death last week at 79 followed a long illness. Like McCoy, Kelley was truly decent–as likely to charm fans at a sci-fi convention as his crusty character was to join Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock in saving the universe, again.
DYNASTIESFamily Business
Except for a brief lapse in 1998, a Dole has now been stumping for a half century. The Clintons toast their 25th year with a Senate run; the Bush clan chases the Kennedys. Current streaks:
The Bushes: 21 Years'78'80'88'94'00
The Clintons: 25 Years ‘74 Bill flunks house run ‘76 Bill elected attorney general ‘78 Bill wins first of 6 gubernatorials ‘92 Bill wins White House ‘00 Hillary for Senate
The Doles: 49 years ‘50 Bob elected Kansas State legislature ‘53 Bob becomes county attorney ‘60 Bob wins White House seat ‘66 Bob wins Senate seat ‘66 Bob wins Senate seat ‘66 Bob loses to Bill ‘66 Liddy runs for president
The Kennedys: 53 years ‘46 John F. Kennedy runs for Congress ‘60 JFK goes all the way ‘62 Ted elected to Senate ‘64 RFK wins Senate seat ‘80 Ted for Pres. ‘86 Joe H gains House ‘95 Patrick in Congress
At Ford Motor, Quality Is Job One. Or as CEO Jacques Nasser can tell you: no hoopties, brah. Last December, Nasser issued a wallet-size glossary of hip terms to 1,000 top execs, tapping them into how to talk to–and sell to–today’s youth. But the brass aren’t “flossing,” says a spokeswoman. “[Nasser] isn’t going into the board room using that lingo.” A selection:
WhipHooptieBrahDieselFlossingDrop topCONVENTIONAL WISDOMALL ABOARD THE PEACE TRAIN EDITION
C.W. Clinton + Kosovo liberator savors victory over Slobo and naysayers. Bragging rights in N.Y.? Russians = Funny thing happened on the way to Pristina: The bear got there first. Sorry, NATO. Serbs - Celebrating “victory” even though they have to swim across the Danube in the dark. G. Bush + Marks 75th birthday with another sky-dive. CW sez: Save a ‘chute for Dub-ya. eBay - Cyber auction site crashes for a day. Pokemon fanatics still recovering from withdrawal. Knicks + Old: Dysfunctional thuggish losers. New: Lovable comeback kids.
