Achieve

AFTER A DOSE of Newt Gingrich negativism and Bill Clinton minimalism, American voters can write off any chance of meaningful reform this year of the nation's big entitlement programs -- Medicare, Medicaid, farm subsidies, veterans benefits and the biggest enchilada, Social Security. Budget experts have long contended that there can be no permanent cure of Washington's addiction to deficit financing so long as these programs run on automatic pilot, going up each year regardless of the budget situation.

WHEN I first saw the half-page announcement in the newspaper, I was impressed:"Judging by the success of their kids, these parents must be doing their homework." Below this sentence was a five-column list of more than 200 students and congratulations to their parents "for inspiring their children to achieve at least a 78 percent average and 85 percent attendance record."My first thought was that the announcement was a great incentive to encourage parents to take an interest in their children's school work.

DETROIT -- Robert Eaton is the first to admit he's no Lee Iacocca."First of all, I'm a lousy writer," said Mr. Eaton, 52, who was chosen to succeed the charismatic chairman of Chrysler Corp., author of two best-selling books."Lee's Lee and I'm me and we're a little bit different," said Mr. Eaton, who said he doesn't crave -- and doubts he'll ever achieve -- Mr. Iacocca's kind of national prominence.Nor is he likely to don a trench coat to star in Chryslertelevision commercials."I doubt if I would have the appeal that Lee has in commercials," Mr. Eaton joked during his first news conference since being named Chrysler's vice chairman and chief operating officer yesterday.

Mary Elizabeth "Toots" Barger BowlerAfter 30 years, Toots still thinks about the two that got away.The two pesky bowling pins that kept Mary Elizabeth "Toots" Barger, also known as "the queen of duckpin bowling," from achieving a 200 game."

Let's get one thing straight.Will Clark isn't Glenn Davis.He's Frank Robinson.In 1966, the Orioles were coming off back-to-back third-place finishes, just as they are now. Robinson's arrival was a defining moment in franchise history. Clark's could spark a renaissance of the glory years.Assuming Clark is healthy -- and he certainly looked it in September -- this decision is practically a no-brainer. Clark's recent statistics aren't as impressive as Rafael Palmeiro's, and his past injuries are legitimate cause for concern.

WASHINGTON - True to its word, the United States has undertaken a robust effort to breathe life into the Mideast peace process. Despite the political risks, President Bush has put his personal prestige on the line - and in some jeopardy - in order to get the long-stalled process moving. Will this bold initiative be sufficient to reverse the negative momentum that has gathered such force over the past 32 months of bitter, vengeful killing? Or will the forces perpetuating this seemingly intractable conflict once again dash all hopes for a comprehensive resolution?

WASHINGTON - How does a proud and powerful nation extricate itself from a terrible mistake in foreign policy? And how does it do that in a presidential election year? These are emerging as central questions in the wake of a reckless and foolish adventure in Iraq that increasingly is going sour. An equally proud, if not arrogant, U.S. president cannot be expected, after launching a pre-emptive invasion of another country, simply to cut and run. Nor should he, considering the commitment in American honor and the high cost in lives already paid by U.S. troops as well as the people of Iraq.

CHICAGO - After all the votes are counted in this election and the outcome known, one of the two candidates can look forward to all the valuable, important things he'll enjoy doing over the next four years. His unlucky rival will have the consolation of being president. It's hard to remember an election in which victory would be such a dubious prize. But the presidency itself, under the best of circumstances, is not something any sane person would want to endure - which is why we reserve it for people whose political ambitions were on display by the third grade.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr., son and stepson of screen immortals Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford, star of more than three score pictures in his own right and one of the last connections to the great silent age that gave birth to cinema, died yesterday. He was 90. A spokesman for Manhattan's Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home confirmed Fairbanks' death but could provide no further details. Although known primarily as an actor carrying on the tradition started by his father, Fairbanks Jr. was also an author, businessman, war hero and friend of British royalty -- accomplishments that may have meant more to him than his film career, which could never entirely shake the idea that it owed more to his famous father than to his own abilities.

WASHINGTON - It amuses me to hear the hyperventilated news reports about how Census figures are revealing that Hispanics now "officially" outnumber blacks in America. Oh? Say, what about black Hispanics? What about - just for starters - Cuban, Mexican, Dominican and Puerto Rican blacks? Can they outnumber themselves? And what about blacks who are also some other race? Do they count? In fact, the latest Census figures show that, as of July 2001, Hispanics or Latinos of any race now outnumber those of us who call ourselves simply "black" or "African American" by 37 million to 36.2 million.