A Friend of Bill's

By DAVID VAN BIEMA

In an indirect way, Phillip Reisterer and Tom Kwidzinski have been working hard to pass Bill Clinton's health-care plan. The two Chicago men were campaigning last week for Dan Rostenkowski in the Democratic primary next Tuesday in the state's Fifth Congressional District. At one house, a portly woman in a Chicago Bears sweatshirt answered the door. "You'll read some stuff in the papers," said Kwidzinski. "Keep an open mind. Rostenkowski brings a lot to Chicago." She nodded. Upstairs a door opened, and her father, who will be casting an absentee ballot because of some amputated toes, bellowed his loyalty: "Rostenkowski!"

It is a cry to warm Bill Clinton's heart. The House Ways and Means Committee chairman helped pass the President's budget bill and could be a locomotive force behind the health-care plan. His role is so important that last week | Clinton joined the ranks of Chicagoans such as Reisterer and Kwidzinski, paying an enthusiastic morning visit in support of their man.

His journey was not without its price. Presidents normally hate to take sides in primaries. And Attorney General Janet Reno answered with only a curt yes when asked whether she had an opinion about the propriety of Clinton stumping for a man under investigation by a U.S. Attorney for allegedly embezzling $22,000 from the House post office and hiring no-show employees -- the "stuff in the papers." If it were not for the investigation, Rostenkowski, an 18-term winner, would not need the President's help in the first place.

Still, Clinton went. He seems genuinely to like Rostenkowski. And the President realizes that to prevent Democratic defections on health care, he must establish that he is a man who pays his debts. In the days following the Chicago trip, the Hill took notice. Said a House Democratic leadership source: "It says a lot about Clinton, and it will help him up here, that this is a guy who goes to bat for his friends."

Clinton may also have the satisfaction of knowing that his visit may have tipped the electoral scales in favor of Rostenkowski. He will probably capture his traditional working-class base, people who well remember the billions of dollars' worth of jobs he has brought Chicago. The battle is for the remaining souls: the disenchanted middle class and the indignant liberals put off by the investigation. A Chicago Tribune poll taken before Clinton's visit gave Rostenkowski 24%, but 35% were undecided. Nipping at Rostenkowski's heels is state senator John Cullerton.

Even if the old pol does lose the election, he would not step down until January. But he might still be the lamest of ducks, trying to use 36 years' worth of connections and favors to have his way one last time. Rostenkowski seems game, whatever happens. Of the health plan, he says, "I think we're going to produce a bill by September." He adds: "I'd rather go out with a bill on the floor and lose it than just bag it." Spoken like a man who knows how to return a favor.

With reporting by Julie Johnson/Washington and Elizabeth Taylor/Chicago