WASHINGTON INSIGHT

LAP DOG: Buddy, the beloved new White House pet, has fast become the bane of President Clinton’s top aides during his brief month in residence. In stark contrast to Socks, the black-and-white-pawed cat who has kept a discreet distance from affairs of state, the gregarious chocolate Labrador spends large chunks of time in the Oval Office--and in official meetings. Staff members expected Buddy to be a positive diversion for a quick-study, but fidgety, president who has been known to doodle, order soda or work out-of-sight crosswords when visitors drone on. But not even the doting First Dog owner can sate Buddy’s appetite for affection. Woe to senior aides taking official notes of Oval Office meetings. History’s version of events during the president’s second term may end up somewhat abridged thanks to Buddy, who has taken to leaping on the Oval Office sofa to nuzzle note-takers, lick their faces or liberate pens from their hands.

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THE PLOT THICKENED: Now here’s a Washington moment: Sixty lawyers in a ballroom at the posh Willard Intercontinental Hotel a few blocks from the White House are watching a dinner theater. It’s a murder mystery. In the next room is the prime minister of Turkey--and a phalanx of Secret Service agents there to protect him. A gunshot--part of the drama--rings out in the theater, prompting vigilant agents to storm in, grab actress Barbara Fox and shout, “Drop that gun, ma’am!� Said Fox of the recent incident: “I was shaking I was so scared. But the audience thought it was part of the show.�

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STAND DOWN: Rep. Jane Harman (D-Torrance) has taken herself out of the running to become secretary of the Army. Of course, some say she was never in the running. The Washington Post had reported the South Bay moderate was “being talked about� for the high-level post, later amending that to say she was “fading� as a candidate. Now, a Harman press release says she is withdrawing her name because of an outcry from constituents who want her to stay put. She apparently met with Defense Secretary William S. Cohen about the job Dec. 17, only to bow out the next day. Meanwhile, a White House source says she was never on the short list (or any list, for that matter). “There’s different lists. The Defense Department had their people, the White House probably had theirs,� Harman aide Mike Monasmith said with a shrug.

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ALL THE LUCK: Never mind that he’s one of the richest members of Congress. He’s also chairman of the House Science Committee. So what was 10-term Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) doing playing the District of Columbia lottery earlier this month? Winning. On Tuesday, Sensenbrenner claimed a prize of $250,000 from the D.C. lottery--with a ticket he bought almost two weeks earlier. Sensenbrenner was out of town when the winning numbers were announced but he went back to the store and got a printout--and discovered his good fortune.

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HALF-FULL? Thirteen percent of Americans rate 1997 as “one of the best years ever,� according to a poll of 1,000 adults by Rasmussen Research. But 14% say it was a poor year. One in four called it fair, while 47% said it was great or good. Folks over 65 were the most likely to give ’97 the thumbs up, with 73% of them saying it was good, great or the best ever. Americans in their 40s were the downers: 52% of these boomers said ’97 was poor or just fair. But we’re an optimistic breed: Of those who rated ’97 as a bad year, 25% say ’98 will be good, 10% say it will be great and 21% expect “one of the best years ever.�