Sen. Bryan says impeachment impact on next elections uncertain

Brendan Riley

Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999 | 8:58 a.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., says it's too soon to tell whether partisanship in impeachment proceedings against President Clinton will cost Republicans in the 2000 elections.

The elections are a long way off and "90 days in politics is a lifetime," said Bryan, who is up for re-election next year.

To bolster his forgetful voter theory, Bryan said Tuesday that after the Gulf War, then-President George Bush was viewed as unbeatable - but lost to Clinton in 1992 because the war rapidly became a non-issue.

Bryan also said he agrees with Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., that the impeachment proceedings could help restore the "cement of civility" between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.

"If you're looking for a silver lining in that cloud that overhung us for a month, we got to know our colleagues a little better," he said.

But polls showing public demand for more action from Congress also could be a factor in what looks like renewed bipartisanship, Bryan said.

"It's in the interests of both parties to demonstrate to the American people that they can achieve results," he said at a news conference following a speech to the Nevada Legislature.

It was a "terrible mistake" to conduct the final impeachment proceedings behind closed doors in the Senate, Bryan added.

And aside from Clinton keeping his office, there were no winners other than the U.S. Constitution, he said.

The senator said he has not yet endorsed Clinton's proposal for preserving the nation's Social Security system. He said the plan was extremely complicated, adding: "I'm not going to sign off on it until I look at the details."

He was also concerned about a national gambling panel's report due out in mid-June. The panel was formed by "those who see gaming, define it as a moral issue," he said.

"I don't know what its contents will be, but it looms large on the economic horizon," Bryan said, adding that Nevada also is threatened by Indian gambling in neighboring California.

On other subjects, Bryan said:

-He favors a rural lands initiative that could help preserve open spaces around Nevada. He noted that he is meeting with representatives of the J.J. Casey estate in efforts to preserve some prime open space on Casey's ranch in Washoe Valley, between Carson City and Reno.

-Air service is critical to keeping Nevada's tourism-dependent economy strong. Bryan said there are concerns because of an acquisition of Reno Air in northern Nevada and because of the need to fill thousands of new hotel rooms in Las Vegas.

-He has new assurances from President Clinton that he'll veto any legislation that would result in interim storage of high-level nuclear waste in Nevada.