PRESIDENT CLINTON CHAFES AT ATWATER COMPARISON

President Clinton flashed his ire on the campaign trail again yesterday after being asked about a charge that his arguments on behalf of Senator Clinton were “reminiscent of Lee Atwater,” a Republican political operative often accused of making racial appeals. A former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman who supports Senator Obama, Richard Harpootlian, made the claim in an interview with CNN.

“This is crazy. This rhetoric is getting a little carried away here,” Mr. Clinton said following a forum at a Charleston, S.C. restaurant. “This is almost like once you accuse somebody of racism or bigotry or something the facts become irrelevant … Harpootlian calls me Lee Atwater. I spent all my life fighting those people.”

Mr. Clinton said Mr. Harpootlian’s claim that the Clinton camp was trying to suppress votes was better directed at Mr. Obama’s union allies, who, the former president alleged, intimidated Mrs. Clinton’s supporters from caucusing in Nevada. Mr. Clinton also criticized journalists, accusing them of ignoring the issues about which voters had just asked him. “You don’t care about it, what you care about is this and the Obama people know that so they just spin you up on this and you happily go along. … You are determined to take this election away from them and that’s not right.”

When a Newsday reporter asked the former president if he was accusing Mr. Obama of stirring up a racial debate, Mr. Clinton’s grew exasperated. “Shame on you. You just want one more story. Print the facts. Nobody ever prints any facts,” he said. Mr. Clinton claimed that he got no questions from the public about “this,” but Newsday reported that one questioner at the forum did make reference to the impact of “race-baiting” on the campaign.

OBAMA: U.N. RESOLUTION SHOULD CITE ROCKET ATTACKS ON ISRAEL

A U.N. Security Council resolution on the impact of Israel’s closure of the Gaza Strip should mention the repeated rocket attacks into Israel from Gaza, Senator Obama said in a letter Tuesday to America’s U.N. ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad. “All of us are concerned about the impact of closed border crossings on Palestinian families,” Mr. Obama wrote. “However, we have to understand why Israel is forced to do this. Gaza is governed by Hamas, which is a terrorist organization sworn to Israel’s destruction, and Israeli civilians are being bombarded on an almost daily basis.” The letter came following several recent news reports about doubts in the Jewish community over Mr. Obama’s stance on Israel.

ENDORSE-A-PALOOZA

Mrs. Clinton picked up the backing yesterday of a former Democratic National Committee chairman and former Philadelphia, Edward Rendell. Senator McCain won the endorsement of the former general who led the first Iraq War, Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. Mr. McCain also raided Mayor Giuliani’s home turf by announcing the support of a former New York secretary of state close to Governor Pataki, Randy Daniels. Mr. Pataki has not yet endorsed. Michael Huckabee, whose campaign is struggling financially, won the endorsement of a hawkish candidate whose bid fizzled out completely, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California.

POLLS SOW DOUBTS FOR GIULIANI’S FLORIDA STRATEGY

A survey released yesterday by the St. Petersburg Times found Mr. Giuliani tied with Mr. Huckabee for third place in Florida, with 15% of likely Republican primary voters. Mr. McCain led with 25% and Mitt Romney had 23%. The possible sampling error was plus or minus 5%. Mr. Giuliani fared better in a survey from a Republican political firm, Strategic Vision. It found the ex-mayor in second place, at 22%, behind Mr. McCain at 25%. That poll had a 3% margin of error.