Clinton School Prayer Position Is Clarified

WASHINGTON — President Clinton’s conciliatory reaction Tuesday to GOP proposals for school prayer was directed not toward a constitutional amendment, but toward legislation that would promote a neutral “moment of reflection” during the school day, his aides said Wednesday.

Clinton had drawn no such distinction Tuesday, when he was asked about a proposal by Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), the House Speaker-to-be, for hearings on a constitutional amendment on school prayer and passage in Congress by the Fourth of July.

The President suggested that he would not oppose such an amendment, saying he wanted to “reserve judgment . . . . I certainly wouldn’t rule it out. It depends on what it says.”

Wednesday, however, the White House said it is not an amendment that Clinton supports.