WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, November 11) -- The man expected to succeed New Gingrich as House Speaker calls himself a hard working pragmatic conservative who will make saving Social Security the top priority -- ahead of tax cuts -- in the next Congress.

Rep. Robert Livingston (R-Louisiana), interviewed Tuesday by CNN's Wolf Blitzer for the prime time version of "Late Edition," said he would leave the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiry to Chairman Henry Hyde.

Rep. Bob Livingston

"I haven't talked to Henry Hyde about this issue, and I really don't expect to except to tell him to hurry up to deal with this process in a fair and expeditious manner," Livingston said.

Livingston suggested his style would be much different than Gingrich's.

"People are going to say I'm boring," Livingston said. "People are going to say that I don't give a great speech. I'll agree to all that, fine. But I do work hard. And I want to replace the flamboyance with a little hard sleeves-rolled-up perspiration."

He said the first bill to be introduced in January would be to use part of the federal budget surplus to take Social Security off the federal budget.

"H.R. 1, that's going to be my first bill, to just say to the folks who are going on retirement and looking forward to receiving Social Security proceeds, 'you don't have to worry about us using, some politician siphoning off your proceeds to use it for something else, whether it's tax cuts or anything else," Livingston said. "We'll take it off budget."

"Then we'll have tax cuts, because tax cuts are the second most important thing," he said. "The American people are overtaxed. We need to reduce taxes."

Livingston, who has no opposition for Gingrich's job, said he is a "pragmatic conservative," unlike some of his fellow Republicans who oppose compromise with Democrats.

"I am about as conservative as any one of those critics, but I also know that being simply conservative and making grand speeches doesn't do any good if you can't get the bills through the House and through the Senate and on the president's desk for him to sign or veto," he said.

As for his critics, both Republican and Democrat, Livingston said he could handle them.

"I don't know who might try to pick on me, but I'm a big kid. I've got a black belt in Tae Kwon Do," he said.

Wednesday, November 11, 1998

• Republicans divided over impeachment inquiry
• Gingrich's likely successor makes Social Security his top priority
• Both sides rest in McDougal trial
• California anti-smoking measure apparently approved
• CIA chief threatened to resign if Clinton released Israeli spy
• Former House Speaker Wright comments on Gingrich
• Can Gingrich be contender for 2000?
• Defense companies big Livingston donors
• GOP moderate eyes Gingrich's seat
• Report: Lewinsky erupts in eatery
• Whitman resigns from Amtrak panel

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