MUCH election fuss has been made about the possible repercussions of the PLP's visit to the Congressional Black Caucus weekend gathering in Washington.

But the Opposition trip, to lobby on the US Base issue, produced a happy non-controversial result for Shadow Education Minister Ms Jennifer Smith, when she became only the second Bermuda politician to meet President Bill Clinton.

She was introduced at a glittering banquet addressed by the President. Ms Smith says the meeting came accidentally, arranged through a "good friend''.

"He did say that he loves our Country, though he had not been there for a visit for a while. He said he looks forward to coming back soon.'' The Premier was introduced to Mr. Clinton during his June visit to Washington.

*** ONE can almost hear the hissing.

A family spat, it seems, is causing a few pre-election palpitations down among the Gordons.

The battlers are Youth Minister the Hon. Pamela Gordon, and her sister Pat Gordon-Pamplin.

Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin, as regular readers of The Royal Gazette's letters page will be aware, is locked in a tussle with Immigration over the non-renewal of her American husband's work permit.

In addition to taking her fight as an Independent into the Immigration Minister's Warwick East constituency, Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin has taken a swipe in sister Pam's direction.

In the latest missive to our paper, Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said her sister's silence on the work permit issue smacked of "family disunity''.

She hissed: "And, perhaps, it does hurt a little not to receive moral support.'' It didn't end there.

"I would rather fight openly and honestly for principle, and if my sister feels the need to support injustice because of her dedication to her political career, that is a matter for her own conscience.'' Sen. Gordon, UBP candidate for Southampton West, no doubt embarrassed by such family problems so close to an election, is keeping her jaws firmly closed on the subject -- at least in public.

*** DR. John Stubbs, who earlier this year came face-to-face with a life-threatening cancer, is running as boldly as ever in Paget East.

He says he will fight, if re-elected, for a more efficient, dynamic government, better race relations and the proper education and training of Bermudians.

But the longtime MP recognises that the most serious local issue for Paget East voters may be the state of his own health.

To set the record straight, Dr. Stubbs has sent constituents a letter. "As you may already know,'' he tells them, "I have prostatic cancer which was diagnosed earlier this year when I was overcome by a sudden and serious weakness and numbness below chest level.

"Following surgery and therapy, the cancer, as is often the case, has proved extremely positive to treatment. In fact, I am in remission. This remission may last for many months, probably many years.

"You may wonder why I am providing such intimate details about my private life. The reason is quite simple really. I think it is only fair to the constituents of Paget East that I be completely open and forthright regarding my prognosis and my ability to continue public service.'' *** BERMUDA is no exception to the well-known observation that politics makes strange bedfellows.

In Warwick East, for example, the campaign manager for Environment Minister, the Hon. Gerald Simons, is Mr. David Summers, who, as president of Bermuda-Caribbean Consultants, is considered one of the strongest proponents for development in Bermuda.

Mr. Simons is piloting into reality a 10-year Bermuda Plan that will impose unprecedented restrictions on development.

But the two men say the plan, and how it finally appears, has no place in their political partnership.

"I'm not campaign manager for the Minister of the Environment,'' Mr. Summers said in trying to distinguish between Mr. Simons and his portfolio.

"I'm campaign manager for Gerald Simons and Irving Pearman in their bid for re-election to the House of Assembly.

"I was also Mr. Simons' campaign manager when he was Minister of Education.'' Mr. Simons said Mr. Summers has been Warwick East's UBP campaign manager four times since 1983.

*** NATIONAL Liberal Party Leader Mr. Gilbert Darrell may have been caught off guard when the Premier announced the general election last Thursday.

Telephoned that day by a reporter and asked what the NLP saw as the major issues in the election, Mr. Darrell said his party planned to campaign on "the three E's.

"Education, the economy, and ... and ... now what's the other one? "I know I have it on a brochure here somewhere.

'' After an extended pause and some shuffling of desk papers, Mr. Darrell announced: "Oh yes, the environment.'' *** IT seems journalists are only human -- even at the respected international news agency Reuters, famed for its accurate reporting.

Hours after the Premier's October 5 election announcement, the story was winging its way to the world's newspapers and broadcasters on the Reuters network.

But this time the agency blundered, claiming in its election preview story that the vote would be on October 2.

Minutes later a corrected article was beamed around the global communications village.

The Royal Gazette , a Reuters subscriber, spotted the offending story in its computer system and gave Miami HQ a wake-up call.

*** THE United Bermuda Party has brought in a political heavyweight from the United States to assist with the general election campaign.

Mr. Bob Squires, one of the most prominent Democratic strategists in America, has been on the Island recently, and a UBP official confirmed he has been working as a campaign adviser.

An expert on advertising and the media, Mr. Squires is to the Democrats what Mr. Ed Rollins was to the Republicans.