On the Friday "Clipper III" rehash by the Admin: Balancing Privacy and Official Eavesdropping By JOHN MARKOFF "The president and vice president took an oath to protect our national security," Simon said. "They feel they have to err on the side of protecting national security." The government also said that it did not see an immediate technical solution to the problems that would result from the global proliferation of "strong cryptography." ************** Last time I looked, the oath they took was to protect the Constitution -- not the nation or national security. I don't see an "immediate technical solution" to strong crypto either. Or, indeed, a long-term solution. DCF