Like many Americans, President's in the office on Y2k night

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) Rollover/Back-Up Forum : One Thread

http://www.tampabayonline.net/news/news100b.htm

Link

12/29/99 -- 1:26 AM

Like many Americans, president's in the office on Y2K night

WASHINGTON (AP) - Because of that nasty little Y2K computer bug, President Clinton will be among the millions of Americans who will spend this once-in-a-lifetime New Year's Eve doing their day jobs.

Granted, Clinton probably will have a better time on duty than most working stiffs. After all, he will be presiding over a huge outdoor celebration at the Lincoln Memorial and a couple of black-tie parties in his home.

But Clinton also is expected to be on hand for high-level decisions about whatever Y2K problems flare up around the world or, for that matter, on U.S. soil. And that means Clinton might have his partying interrupted by an aide tugging his tuxedo sleeve at midwaltz.

``We'll keep him informed,'' said Maria Echaveste, the deputy White House chief of staff, ``and we certainly hope there will be very little to report.''

The heavy lifting on computer rollover night goes to Vice President Al Gore. Clinton's Y2K adviser, John Koskinen, intends to brief Gore, not Clinton, as developments unfold.

``If anything important happens, obviously we'll talk with the president as well,'' Koskinen said. ``But at this point, we've agreed that my personal reports will be to the vice president over that weekend.''

Clinton has in fact drawn some Republican criticism that he is being too laid-back about the Y2K problem. The GOP chairmen of the House and Senate committees that have kept track of the government's performance have accused Clinton of not pushing hard nor fast enough to prevent crises.

The president mentioned the problem deep into his State of the Union address last January - so deep that ``I'm not sure anybody was listening,'' said Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah.

The Y2K bug is a glitch in some older computer systems that read only two digits for the year portion of the dates. That means when the calendar turns to 2000, those computers might inadvertently do some time traveling of their own and revert back to 1900. On a large enough scale, that potentially could thwart computer-driven operations in virtually every segment of society.

There are no hard figures on how many Americans will be on the job at the stroke of midnight Dec. 31 to deal with such potential problems. According to the consulting firm Edward Perlin Associates, more than 90 percent of major organizations said they have special plans for staffing that night in anticipation of Y2K glitches.

For the White House, that means vacations and extra days off are no longer options. The plan is for a skeleton crew, the number destined to balloon when the staff needed for the social events are taken into account.

According to the consulting firm Edward Perlin Associates, more than 90 percent of major organizations have plans for staffing Friday night in anticipation of Y2K glitches.

For White House aides who work New Year's Eve, the agenda goes beyond computer problems or rowdy guests. There also is the threat of terrorism to consider.

``We're trying to walk this fine line of making sure we're prepared while not exaggerating,'' Echaveste said. ``We know there's going to be more demands on us; therefore, we need to be staffed to address those needs.''

Some aides plan to ring in the new era from their offices.

``Oh, yeah. Wouldn't be any place else,'' said Marsha Berry, the first lady's spokeswoman.

As the Clintons celebrate on the National Mall, the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion will be monitoring events from a command center a few blocks from the White House. It will collect data from about 180 countries and all 50 states.

``We will not have champagne, but we will try to make sure people can at least take a moment to pause while we enter the new millennium,'' said Koskinen, the council chairman. ``Everybody will be working hard to see how the country is making the transition.''

Koskinen said Clinton and Gore will receive briefings every few hours on information the command center receives from various agencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will report directly to Clinton on domestic matters, while the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department will keep him abreast of international matters.

The White House has generators on hand in case of power outages.

``Our main motto is `be prepared,''' Echaveste said. ``But the White House has some very exciting events planned that people should really enjoy.''

Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), December 29, 1999


Moderation questions? read the FAQ