From: clarinews@clarinet.com (HELEN THOMAS, UPI White House Reporter)
Newsgroups: clari.news.politics,clari.news.features,biz.clarinet.sample
Followup-to: biz.clarinet.sample
Subject: Backstairs at the White House
Keywords: politics
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 92 6:58:16 PDT
Location: standing features
ACategory: commentary
Slugword: backstairs
Priority: advance
Format: feature
ANPA: Wc: 643; Id: z2939; Sel: xknpb; Adate: 4-15-1aed; Ver: adv1819
Codes: ynpbfxk.
Note: adv weekend april 18-19
 (650)

	WASHINGTON (UPI) -- White House press secretary Marlin Fitzwater
denied a report that he stormed off on vacation last month, fed up with
White House confusion. But he was the one who seemed a bit confused
after returning from Bermuda.
	Standing in the doorway of his office, Fitzwater turned to a
secretary and said: ``I'm really angry. Why don't we have staff here?
Staff meetings are at 8:30 every morning.''
	His secretary replied, ``It was changed to 8:45.''
	``Who did it?'' the press secretary demanded.
	``You did,'' she replied.
	``I did?'' asked Fitzwater, a sheepish grin crossing his normally
jolly face. ``I don't believe it.''
                              ------
	The classic children's stories read by Barbara Bush on the ABC Radio
Network program ``Mrs. Bush's Story Time'' are now available on an audio
cassette from Western Publishing Co. Inc. Proceeds from the sales of the
casettes are dedicated to funding children's literacy and reading
programs nationwids.
	The ``Barbara Bush's Family Reading Tips,'' a booklet published by
the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, is included with each
tape.
	The cassettes are available at select book stores and department
stores at a retail price of $3.99.
                               ------
	President Bush becomes irate over stories that when trouble is
brewing he often summons his son George to run interference.
	George Jr., who lives in Houston, was called in to help pave the way
for the departure of chief of staff John Sununu. No president likes to
fire a loyal aide and sometimes it takes an outsider to break the break
the bad news.
	Nancy Reagan resorted to the same strategy in calling on friends to
help when she felt that Don Regan had outlived his usefulness as White
House chief of staff in the Reagan era.
	But the president hit the ceiling when The New York Times reported
that his son George had been summoned to straighten out the White House
and his re-election committee, both of which were said to be in disarray
in the run up to the fall presidential campaign.
	``Its simply not true,'' Bush told a news conference. ``When George
comes here, of course, he goes to the campaign (headquarters) and talks
to people here. But it isn't a manifestation of some dissension.''
	Bush wound up by saying the story was ``ridiculous'' and wondered
about people ``who have to make a living, making these inside, day in
(and day out), who's up, who's down, who's winning, who's losing.''
                              ------
	Instead of a long summer vacation at Kennebunkport, Maine, this
August as is his custom, President Bush is expected to take a series of
long weekends at his summer place on the Atlantic Ocean.
	Dr. Burton Lee, his physician, has recommended that he take three
weeks off, far from the madding crowd and away from the telephones, but
he will not and cannot do that.
	Lee has said Bush is in ``perfect health'' but is under stress and he
highly recommends more rest and relaxation. But the president has one
more mountain to climb, his last hurrah to win re-election and the
forthcoming campaign will be anything but a rest cure.
                              ------
	The longer he is president, the more cautious he has become, and
that's not unusual in that job.
	The president is still taking it on the chin for waiting so long to
realize that the country was in a deep recession and no quick recovery
is in sight. He had based his optimism on the predictions of many
economists.
	So when he was asked when he expected a real economic recovery, he
replied: ``Well, you know I made a mistake last year, and I don't want
to repeat it.''
	He added that most economists now feel the recovery will be 
``reasonably good ... but I'm not going to go into that again because I
just am uncertain.''
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