The dinner is set for the same night as the Academy Awards, which ranks far higher on Hollywood's scale of priorities than breaking bread with the president. For now, the White House has balked at changing the date because of the difficulty in juggling Clinton's schedule to make the event coincide with the congressional recess and allow Clinton to travel to San Francisco for a separate fund-raiser for Sen. Barbara Boxer . The DSCC still hopes to pick up donations from executives of such foreign-owned film studios as Columbia Pictures. Artful dodger Tennessee's fast-rising freshman senator, Fred Thompson , has once again impressed some fellow Republicans with his political savvy. Pointing to the senator's heavy workload, a spokesman for Thompson deftly sidestepped the issue of whether concern over propriety played a role in his rejecting the invitation.
Time is a precious thing right now.
Booked up Already disappointed over their hopes for a larger role in President Clinton 's second-term, gay and lesbian leaders say there have been no new gay appointments to White House positions despite the fact they've had several meetings with Vice President Al Gore and White House Personnel Director Bob Nash . In addition, gays are upset over rumors that Richard Socarides , the White House's popular liaison to the gay and lesbian community, may be on his way out. But Gore, wary of alienating the wealthy and activist gay community, may be extending an olive branch. At a meeting with activists last week in Berkeley, Calif., the vice president asked for recommendations of books on gay and lesbian history for his reading list. Although some U.S. officials credit the Voice of America's hard-hitting TV broadcasts into Serbia with forcing Belgrade to carry more credible reports on its political opposition, its weekly U.S. satellite feeds could be in jeopardy for lack of funds.