WASHINGTON INSIGHT

ON THE ATTACK: Thanks in part to a combination of uncommon forbearance, respect for the office and the not-so-small matter of that “glass houses” thing, most Republican lawmakers have been biting their tongues (even while licking their chops) about the allegations of sexual misconduct, perjury and obstruction of justice swirling around President Clinton. But Steve “Flat Tax” Forbes, the publisher who would be president, hit the airwaves Tuesday with an ad that manages to attack both Clinton’s politics and his conduct. The radio spot, airing in the nation’s capital and in the key presidential voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, criticizes Clinton for his defense of the current income tax system. “The president’s arguments are empty and dishonest. But honesty and candor are not exactly the coin of the realm in the Clinton White House,” Forbes says in the ad. Forbes, who was unsuccessful in his 1996 bid for the GOP presidential nomination, is getting an early start for the 2000 race. The ads are sponsored by his Americans for Hope, Growth and Opportunity organization.

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AND THE WINNER IS: While Hollywood descends Saturday into the final phase of pre-Oscar mania, Vice President Al Gore travels to Los Angeles, most likely with a different kind of award in mind. After he speaks to the California Democratic Party convention, Gore reportedly will attend an exclusive dinner at the Getty Museum with several top entertainment executives. The focus of the gathering will not be art but a plan to raise millions of dollars for Gore’s campaign for the White House.

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LEADERS ON LEADING: Longtime Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield, one of the Capitol’s most beloved figures in recent history, will return to Congress on Tuesday to launch a series of lectures on leadership. At the invitation of current Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), the 95-year-old Montana Democrat, who became ambassador to Japan in 1976, will deliver a speech he had been scheduled to make on Nov. 22, 1963, the day JFK was assassinated. The session, and subsequent ones, will be held in the historic Old Senate Chamber, just down the hall from the present chamber.

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STARR SEARCH: The Supreme Court gets another chance to weigh in on the White House vs. Kenneth W. Starr. On Friday, the justices in their private conference will take up the question of whether the independent counsel can subpoena notes taken by a private lawyer for former Deputy White House Counsel Vincent Foster just a few days before he killed himself. Starr says the notes are important to his Whitewater investigation. The lawyer, James Hamilton, has refused to comply. He says the notes are protected by the attorney-client privilege. Expect some word from the court by Monday morning. The court’s action will give a hint as to whether the justices will shield the president and his aides from Starr’s aggressive pursuit. So far, Clinton is 0 for 2 in the court. Last year the justices forced the president to stand trial in the Paula Corbin Jones case and said Starr can subpoena notes taken by White House lawyers.