Informed Sources

See Dick. See Dick Run for Senator.

WASHINGTON -- Former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, long considered a potential presidential candidate, may toss his hat in the ring for the Senate in 1994 as a warm-up. Sources say he's considering a campaign for the seat of Wyoming Republican Malcolm Wallop, who may leave the Senate to run for Governor. For the record, Cheney, who served in the House of Representatives from 1979 to 1989, says, "I haven't made any decisions" on a Senate try but confirms that "I'm interested in the 1996 race" for the presidency.

Rackets, Gambling, Nuclear Extortion . . .

PARIS -- French intelligence sources are worried about reports that the Russian mob (now enjoying a postcommunist boom) has made a deal with its Italian counterpart. The secret pact, the reports say, calls for the Italian Mafia to funnel drugs to the Russians in exchange for sophisticated armaments, perhaps even nuclear weapons. The arms, stolen or purchased from no-longer- Soviet arsenals in the southern Muslim republics, would then be resold to dangerous elements in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Libya.

Police! Stop or I'll Curse!

LOS ANGELES -- What's worse, TV cops who sing or TV cops who swear? America will get to decide that question this fall when producer Steven Bochco, who created Cop Rock (as well as Hill Street Blues), premieres his NYPD Blue on ABC. Bochco negotiated an unusual agreement with ABC over the crude vernacular he could use on the show. According to that confidential document, among the 30 or so prime-time words acceptable to ABC are such bizarre semi-obscenities as mother jumper and humphead, as well as a vulgar term for feces and a vulgar term for female genitalia.

Does Bill Clinton Know Who His Friends Are?

WASHINGTON -- Roger Johnson, CEO of Western Digital Corp., was touted by Democrats as a Clinton-supporting Republican during the presidential campaign. This Tuesday Johnson gets his reward as Senate hearings start on his nomination to head the General Services Administration, a policy-setting agency with a $10 billion annual budget. But evidence from campaign documents shows Johnson's political-action committee donated $78,900 to Bush and other Republicans while giving just $429 to candidate Clinton.