Letter: Clinton vs Starr

Sir: You are wrong to describe Vice-President Al Gore as "squeaky- clean" in your leading article of 22 September. The campaign finance irregularities of which he may be guilty, and which are currently the subject of an FBI investigation and a potential independent counsel appointment, demonstrate that he is cut from the same cloth as his prevaricating boss.

Mr Gore's assertion that there was "no controlling legal authority" preventing him from raising "soft-dollar" campaign contributions on federal property is exactly the sort of legalistic havering we have become so used to hearing from Mr Clinton.

Republican lawmakers may indeed be loath to impeach Mr Clinton, but it is hardly because his understudy would himself be, er, unimpeachable.

MATTHEW DOULL

New York City