07/14/97 CLINTON AND GREENSPAN: THE ODD COUPLE

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CLINTON AND GREENSPAN: THE ODD COUPLE

In a July 2 phone interview with Washington Correspondent Dean Foust and Senior News Editor Owen Ullmann, President Clinton joked that he and Greenspan are ''the odd couple,'' adding: ''I think he has done a fine job.'' Other thoughts:
-- On their personal chemistry: ''I've enjoyed our relationship. I try to see him a few times a year because he has access to a lot of data about the economy. He processes it very well, and he's always got an interesting take on it.''
-- On good relations with the Fed: ''I think it's because we have defended the independence of the Fed. Even though we come from different political backgrounds, he knew we were serious about reining in the deficit.''
-- On the New Economy: ''The globalization of our economy, the impact of technologies, improved management, increased productivity, and a greater sophistication among working people about the relationship between their incomes and the growth of their companies--all are giving us greater capacity for growth. A lot is coming through productivity that so far we haven't been able to easily measure.''
-- On Greenspan's chances for reappointment in 2000: ''I've always made it a practice not to discuss appointments before they come up. We've got a Federal Reserve that has been very disciplined on inflation while permitting more growth. And our economic policy has moved away from trickle-down toward an invest-and-cut-and-grow strategy. All those things have worked, and he deserves a lot of credit.''

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