Simon lets ex-aides push him for vice presidency

WASHINGTON Several former aides to Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.), withhis acquiescence, have been talking him up around the country as aprospect for vice president.

Simon acknowledged that he has discussed the issue with hispromoters, asserted he didn't encourage them, but conceded he hadn'tasked them to stop.

"I am not totally uninterested, but really the odds are verymuch against it," Simon said in an interview.

Most active in promoting Simon has been Terry Michael, presssecretary in Simon's 1988 presidential campaign. Working toinfluence press coverage, Michael and others have sought outreporters to argue the pluses Simon could add to a ticked headed bythe presumptive Democratic nominee, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. Favorable columns

Their work has begun to pay off, producing favorable politicalcolumns in two Illinois newpapers and a buzz among Washingtonreporters.

Steve Rabinowitz, an advance man in Simon's presidential drivenow running press advance for Clinton, talked up a Simon candidacywith an influential reporter who wrote one of the Illinois columns.Brian Lunde, director of the Simon presidential campaign,acknowledged that he, too, had promoted Simon, but said he hasn'tinitiated calls, partly out of concern that a campaign for the No. 2spot on the ticket "could be counterproductive."

Michael laid out arguments for Simon in a two-page memotransmitted Monday and Tuesday over facsimile machines to most of thenational media. They included: Simon, who won re-election to the Senate by a 2-1 margin in 1990,would deliver Illinois electoral votes - a requirement to win theWhite House. Simon won re-election by the widest margin of anycontested Senate race that year. Simon was through the press wringer in his 1988 presidentialcampaign and "won't embarrass you. . . . There are no skeletons inthis straight arrow's closet." Michael added that Simon would be"adult on stage" with Vice President Dan Quayle in debates. Michael also wrote: "Simon's greatest asset would be to help holdthe liberal base while Clinton moves to the center."

Other pluses Michael cited include the geographical balanceSimon would add to the ticket as a Northerner, his "independentimage" and the "generational balance" he would contribute. "There isevidence that the eternal-youth-baby-boomers are a little ambivalentabout one of their own being ready for leadership of the free world,"the memo said.

Clinton is 45, and Simon is 63.

Michael, who goes back with Simon to his race for Illinoislieutenant governor, said he has been "floating Simon's name" sincethe campaign for the New Hampshire primary in February and approachedSimon then. "I told him I was talking to reporters, and he didn'ttell me I couldn't," Michael said. "I probably wouldn't havelistened to him anyway."

"I did not encourage or discourage him," Simon said. "It's tooearly. Serious consideration of the vice presidential thing will notcome up until after the California primary." How much interest?

Would Simon take it? "Anybody in public service would have aninterest," Simon said. "If it got down to that point, you would haveto sit down with the nominee and ask, `What would you have medoing?' "

Dee Dee Myers, Clinton's press secretary, said the governor has"refused to get into the name game." She said, "He will selectsomeone who is eminently qualified, so people will feel he will beready to be president."

Clinton has said he would consider Mayor Daley and Sen. JosephLieberman (D-Conn.). Other prospects mentioned in the press includeSen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), who has said he doesn't want it; Sen. BobKerrey (D-Neb.), who dropped out of the presidential race; PaulTsongas, who has suspended his presidential candidacy; New York Gov.Mario Cuomo; Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-Maine);retiring Sen. Tim Wirth (D-Colo.), and Colorado Gov. Roy Romer.