Dick Morris; Looking for a New Winner.(Interview)

Byline: William Underhill

He's a canny operator. For almost 20 years he was an adviser and confidant to President Bill Clinton. Among his credits: pulling out victory in 1996 in a closer race than most had expected. His latest challenge could be tougher still--helping the United Kingdom Independence Party shine in next month's European parliamentary elections. If the party is small and little-known, its cause is large and resonant across Europe: pulling out of the EU. Just two weeks ago, Prime Minister Tony Blair staked his future role in Europe on the outcome of a referendum on the proposed European Constitution. Morris spoke last week with NEWSWEEK's William Underhill in London. Excerpts:

UNDERHILL: You've got a rep as a political savant in America. What are you doing in Britain?

MORRIS: Lafayette helped us get our independence from the British. Now I'm helping the British to get their independence from France. A cursory glace at the political map shows that the English Channel is wider than the Atlantic Ocean. The economic policies of Britain and the United States have much more in common than those of Britain and the EU. Britain has a unique role as the intermediary between the United States and Europe, and I would hate to see Britain lose its identity in a continental omelet.

Wouldn't it play that role better from within?

Not if it loses control over its foreign and military policy, as the new European Constitution would indicate.

Surely the British economy would suffer.