CLINTON TALKS OF SELF RENEWAL

WASHINGTON (AP) -- For President Clinton, this appears a time of
self-renewal and forward focus as he claims the world stage -- and New
Hampshire's familiar political terrain -- with talk of a ``new season'' and
``this tide of spring.''

The president's words as he sat opposite Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo
on Monday were not new. The aftermath of his impeachment and acquittal
should, for the nation, be a ``time for reconciliation and renewal,''
Clinton reiterated during his quick trip to Merida, Mexico.

But his brimming confidence this time suggested he feels he's won not only
a second chance but a stronger hand.

>From commanding the world stage on his 23-hour mission to Mexico, Clinton
takes the policy helm of his Democratic Party on Wednesday, with a Social
Security forum at the White House -- the centerpiece of a day when
Democrats fan out to Social Security town meetings nationwide.

Friday, he welcomes French President Jacques Chirac at the White House and
is planning his first news conference since last summer.

In between, Clinton will spend all of Thursday making stops around New
Hampshire, where in the 1992 campaign he coined his own nickname as ``The
Comeback Kid.''

``I never saw him act like a man in trouble in the first place,'' Rep.
Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said Monday evening as he boarded Air Force One
behind Clinton en route home from Mexico. ``But he sure had a great day
today.''

Thousands and thousands of Mexicans, many setting up mariachi-style bands
on the sidewalk, lined the streets of Merida to cheer Clinton's motorcade
with flags and banners wishing him and ``su esposa (your wife) Hillary''
happy returns.

``This joy, this warmth, this affection is reserved only for our dearest
friends,'' Zedillo said.

Clinton basked in that affection.

He thanked the congressional delegation with him -- including Republican
Reps. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, Rob Portman of Ohio and Kevin Brady
of Texas, each of whom voted in favor of Clinton's impeachment -- for their
show of ``America's commitment for the common future we will make together.''

To officials from both Mexico and the United States, Clinton proclaimed:
``This tide of spring has brought a new season of friendship.''

He was talking about U.S.-Mexico relations, but the sentiment appeared to
apply more broadly.

On the return flight to Washington late Monday, Clinton lingered with
members of Congress in the guest cabin. While the president signed pages of
Air Force One stationery for one guest, others showed off to Clinton the
T-shirts and other Mexican souvenirs they'd picked up.

Stewards passed out Hemp Golden beer, whose label boasted the ``smooth,
mild, mellow herbal flavor'' of having been brewed with hemp seeds.

In a comfortable exchange Monday with the same reporters he dodged for most
of last year, Clinton mused from his seat at the lavish Hacienda Temozon
(Whirlwind Estate) about his wife's political future and his own.

``She and I both would like to continue to be useful in public affairs when
we leave office,'' he said in between private meetings with Zedillo.

As for the prospect that Mrs. Clinton would be a shoo-in to replace New
York Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, ``I think she would be
terrific in the Senate,'' the president said.