Hundreds of tourists and expatriates were evacuated yesterday as the religious violence sweeping Indonesia enveloped the

Hundreds of tourists and expatriates were evacuated yesterday as the religious violence sweeping Indonesia enveloped the resort island of Lombok.
Tourists were saved from a mob last night by Indonesian soldiers who had been rushed to the holiday area of Senggigi beach as angry Muslims closed on a hotel.Australian diplomats had reported the imminent attack to their embassy in the capital, Jakarta, which contacted military authorities. It is also what saved Mr Clinton: he may have lied, he was certainly disingenuous but at no point was he seen as hypocritical.. Hundreds of tourists and expatriates were evacuated yesterday as the religious violence sweeping Indonesia enveloped the resort island of Lombok. Any candidate who was proved to have taken bribes or enriched himself from his political activities would probably have to count himself out of the running.

Dubious fund-raising, though, does not count.Poor health will also eliminate a candidate, if not at the primary stage, then in the election proper.The biggest liability for a candidate is undoubtedly hypocrisy This, not womanising, is what felled Gary Hart. Another two may have been neutralised by Mr Clinton’s sins in office – womanising and lying (to the American public, if not quite in a court of law).Overall, the Clinton presidency is thought to have “raised the bar” on personal failings for future candidates and presidents, although it is arguable that a president without Mr Clinton’s charm and political talents would not havesurvived the admissions he had to make.Money remains a problem. It simply does not sit well with his calls to end big company donations to political campaigns.LYING So far, none of the candidates has been caught in anything more serious than a mild burnishing of his record (George Bush on his tax-cutting, Al Gore on “inventing” the Internet, among others).HEALTH Election campaigns demand huge reserves of stamina. Mr Gore, Mr Bush andMr McCain have furnished doctors’ statements – and Mr McCain most of his medical records – to prove they are in rude health.Mr Bradley, however, had to admit to a heart problem, and while doctors say that millions of Americans suffer a similar condition – an irregular heartbeat – with no impairment of their capabilities, it cast a shadow on his campaign.CONCLUSIONS: Two of these potential obstacles – drugs and the draft – are peculiar to the Sixties generation and were arguably neutralised by the election of Bill Clinton, despite his admission that he smoked (without inhaling) and despite his avoidance of the draft that could have taken him to Vietnam. He uses the experience to illustrate the pernicious effect of the political funding system, where big donors may expect their candidate, once elected, to give them special treatment.Mr Bush could be vulnerable if anyone demonstrates that donations to his campaign for governor appeared to spawn special favours.Mr Gore remains vulnerable for dubious fund-raising practices in the 1996 election, and for the acceptance of foreign money and fund-raising from the White House – both against the rules.Mr Bradley is accused of lobbying for privileges for big pharmaceutical companies that donated to his Senate campaigns but there has been no suggestion of impropriety.

The other three all profess enduring fidelity to their wives. But after Monica, adultery seems unlikely to rule out any candidate.MONEY Mr McCain was absolved of any wrongdoing in a minor banking scandal, but still reproaches himself for having allowed the “appearance of impropriety”. Mr Gore served in Vietnam, but only for four months and as a (heavily protected) reporter, suggesting a degree of special treatment – he was the son of a senator.Mr Bush and Bill Bradley both met their draft requirements in the US, hinting at privileged treatment.WOMEN Mr McCain has been painfully frank about his past womanising, blaming himself for his divorce from his first wife and denying that his five years as a Vietnamese PoW helped to explain his behaviour. George Bush has admitted a drink problem in his youth and says he has not used drugs for 25 years, but is silent on events before that. If it emerges he did use cocaine, it could be fatal to his prospects; if the evidence related to the past 25 years, he would be in real difficulty.THE DRAFT Of the four main contenders, only John McCain, a professional soldier at the time, has an unimpeachable record on the draft question.

Although six Republicans and two Democrats are contesting the primaries, there are just four who are judged to have any serious chance of winning the presidency 10 months from now. Indeed, the most recent polls indicate that there may be only two: Vice-President Al Gore and the Governor of Texas, George W Bush.
Yet there are many obstacles in this knockout game of Who Wants to be a President? These and other questions could trip any one of them at any time between now and 7 November.DRUGS Soft drugs have pretty much ceased to be an issue but hard drugs remain a political no-no. Indeed, the most recent polls indicate that there may be only two: Vice-President Al Gore and the Governor of Texas, George W Bush. But engagement where and how? As usual, the world has heard few answers.. Although six Republicans and two Democrats are contesting the primaries, there are just four who are judged to have any serious chance of winning the presidency 10 months from now. All are internationalist rather than isolationist, supporting US engagement abroad.