BY The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- President Clinton's supporters abandoned plans to raise money for an anti-Republican TV ad campaign as a long-running feud between the White House and congressional Democrats spilled into the open Tuesday.
White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles met with Democratic congressional leaders late Tuesday, hoping to end a bitter exchange that threatened party unity weeks before the midterm elections. Congressional Democrats suspected the $3 million to $5 million ad plan was designed to help Mr. Clinton survive impeachment proceedings, instead of aiding cash-strapped Democrats running for election. "It was a very dumb idea," said Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, chairman of the Democratic Senate campaign committee. "The president is not on the ballot. If you're going to spend money, you ought to spend it on candidates who are on the ballot. We're not exactly flush," he said.
A presidential adviser involved in the fund-raising plan, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the project was dropped Tuesday at the request of the White House.
