LOBBYING

By Adam Zagorin

It's the bikini line vs. the bottom line. It's the underpinnings of an inside-the-Beltway underwear war. It's HANES vs. FRUIT OF THE LOOM, a high-stakes trade battle over who's going to wear the underpants in the family. At issue: a $200 million provision attached to the budget bill that would allow briefs and other goods manufactured in the Caribbean to enter the U.S. at dramatically lower tariffs. Fearing that the provision would help competitors munch into its market, FRUIT OF THE LOOM has hired former Senate majority leader turned lobbyist BOB DOLE to oppose the measure. Cheerleading for Hanes' parent, Sara Lee Corp., and other U.S. apparel makers with major Caribbean interests, is former Reagan aide KEN DUBERSTEIN. Also coming out of the closet on this issue is PRESIDENT CLINTON, a close friend of Sara Lee Corp. CEO and Democratic fund-raising bigwig JOHN BRYAN. Clinton, long in favor of the provision, phoned Senate majority leader TRENT LOTT late last week to make clear his support for the bill. At the moment, most of the honorable gentlemen seem to prefer Hanes.

--By Adam Zagorin