WASHINGTON INSIGHT

PRACTICE DOESN’T MAKE PERFECT: A longtime government lawyer who also is renowned as a violinist, Deputy U.S. Solicitor General Lawrence G. Wallace, set a 20th century record recently by arguing his 141st case before the Supreme Court. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist noted the accomplishment, achieved over three decades. But Wallace then proceeded to bumble through his 15-minute performance, sounding as flustered as a young musician who had misplaced his bow. Wallace told the justices the particular case he was arguing turned on “Section 602B” of the Copyright Act, then had to admit he had forgotten to include that provision in the government’s brief. Sounding irked by the lapse, the justices peppered Wallace with so many questions that he could not utter a full sentence. Afterward, they held a private reception for the veteran attorney where, it was reported, all was forgiven.

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PEACE & GOODWILL, D.C. STYLE: It’s the season when the lion lies down with the lamb, so why not House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) and his bete noir, the centrist Democratic Leadership Council? Earlier this month, Gephardt seemed to declare war on party centrists when he declared that “New Democrats” lack “core values.” So it was something of a surprise when the council--where the tag “New Democrat” is a badge of honor--faxed out a memo last week “in the holiday spirit” arguing that Gephardt “has got it right” with his plan to radically simplify the tax code. “We call them as we see them,” said one council official. Still, the cease-fire probably will be fleeting: The official said the organization will have something to say about Gephardt’s “core values” criticism in the next issue of its bimonthly magazine.

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JOB NOTES: In a key appointment, new CIA Director George Tenet has turned to one of his closest confidants. Tenet, charged with rebuilding an agency wracked by spy scandals, is naming Britt Snider to the sensitive post of CIA inspector general. The new post puts Snider, now serving as Tenet’s special counsel, in charge of internal investigations of the agency. He was a staff member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence while Tenet served as the panel’s staff director. Snider will replace Fred Hitz, who is leaving the CIA for a job at Princeton University.

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THE MOTHER TEST: In the Senate, there is no stronger opponent of raising taxes than Phil Gramm (R-Texas). But if Congress was to hike the federal cigarette tax, Gramm allowed the other day, he, as chairman of the Senate Finance subcommittee on health care, intended to “lay claim” to every penny of it, using it to strengthen Medicare. Did that mean Gramm might look favorably upon a $1.50 increase in the cigarette tax? a reporter pressed. “It doesn’t sound good to my 85-year-old mother, who smokes, I can tell you that,” Gramm replied.

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EARLY BIRD: While some prospects for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination are trying to impress voters with their rhetoric, former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander is engaged in a more mundane but no less less crucial effort--stumping through Iowa, where the delegate selection traditionally begins. Drawing upon the lessons learned in his failed 1996 presidential campaign, when he finished third in the state’s precinct caucuses, Alexander is lining up organizers he can depend on to help him get out the vote. It may be more than two years before the caucuses, but Alexander insists that in the Hawkeye State, it’s never too early to pin down your base vote. He notes: “It takes a very committed person to go out and support you when its 30 degrees below zero in February.”