Also, a word which lawyers love to use because (a) they don't get to use it that often, and (b) it is not a word which is used by any other group of people other than lawyers.

Temple Visit Organizer Praises Gore

WASHINGTON (AP) - A woman at the center of one of Vice President Al Gore's fund-raisingcontroversies says he should be proud that he visited the Buddhist temple where money was illegally raised for the Democratic Party.

``He shouldn't feel embarrassed or ashamed of relating to the temple,'' Maria Hsia told The New Yorker magazine in her first interview since her March conviction for making false statements in the case. ``He should feel very proud of himself.''

She praised Gore for reaching out to all cultures and advised, ``He should say, 'Look, this is no different from people visiting the black churches or any churches or a Jewish temple. There's nothing wrong.'''

``All politicians are cowards,'' she said. ``But they could be better cowards.''

Hsia, pronounced ``sha,'' is awaiting sentencing on five felony counts of causing false statements to be filed with the Federal Election Commission. Each charge carries a five-year maximum prison term. She has asked for a new trial.

A Justice Department task force continues to investigate 1996 campaign finance activities and Gore's role in them, but Attorney General Janet Reno declined to appoint a special counsel to determine whether the vice president lied about whether he knew the Buddhist temple event was a fund-raiser and about how many White House coffees he had attended.

More than $100,000 was illegally raised for President Clinton, Gore and other Democrats at the April 1996 event.

Republicans have made Gore's integrity an issue in his Democratic presidential campaign by releasing an ad pointing to his temple visit in Hacienda Heights, Calif.

Gore said after the event that he hadn't known he was attending a fund-raiser. After documents turned up referring to the event in advance as a fund-raiser, Gore modified his characterization, saying he had thought it was a finance-related event.

A fund-raising event was initially scheduled at a nearby restaurant and a rally was planned for the temple, but when Gore's staff said he couldn't make both, the two events were combined at the temple, Hsia said.

She said she raised questions with fund-raiser John Huang about whether it was OK to use the temple, ``because I know this is a religious facility,'' and was assured there would be no problem. Huang later pleaded guilty to conspiring to contravene campaign finance laws.

From which, my favorite stanza is:
Was there ever
A Cat so clever
As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!