Gaming foes lobby president

      A recent 15-minute meeting between President Clinton's chief of staff and the head of the Christian Coalition has left key players in the formation of the national gambling commission downplaying the get-together.
      Clinton aide Erskine Bowles met with Christian Coalition boss Ralph Reed last Thursday to discuss the president's pending appointments to the nine-member panel.
      Clinton has yet to announce his three picks for the federal commission that was created by Congress to study the economic and social effects of gambling.
      Reed met with Bowles to submit a list of 11 potential appointees that the Christian Coalition would like to see on the panel.
      Speaking through a spokesman, Reed said the Christian Coalition contacted the administration as well as GOP congressional leaders because: "We wanted to ensure that the gambling commission was a fair, balanced and unbiased body that would conduct a thorough investigation of the social impact of the gambling industry."
      A White House aide familiar with the meeting refused to discuss any details of the gathering, which also included Clinton personnel aide Bob Nash.
      "There's no sense we're any closer to a decision on this than we were a few weeks ago," White House spokesman Josh Silverman said.
      Meanwhile, members of Nevada's congressional delegation who have regular contact with the White House said the short session was little more than routine.
      "It indicates the intensity of interest by the Christian Coalition, but I think Erskine Bowles has done nothing more than respond to a request for a meeting," said Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev.
      Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., echoed Bryan's sentiment, saying he expected little to come out of the session.
      "It appears to me this is Erskine Bowles' management style, to reach out and be conciliatory."
      News of the meeting broke after a report by an Associated Press reporter.
      "The Christian Coalition actually wanted to keep it on the QT," said Keith Appell, a Christian Coalition spokesman.
      All but one of the names pushed by Reed -- Republican Mayor Hal Daub of Omaha, Neb. -- were Democrats.
      A source familiar with the list was unable to identify the remaining 10 names being pushed by Reed but said many of the individuals were minorities and women.
      Reed was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
      "If I was the White House, I'd be looking for somebody other than a white male," said Bernie Horn, political director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling.
      House and Senate leaders have announced their picks for the gambling commission, which has two years to complete its study.
      Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Bill Bible is believed to be a finalist for one of Clinton's three slots.
      Critics opposed to legalized gambling have argued that Bible's appointment would stack the panel with pro-gaming interests that included House appointee J. Terrence Lanni, chairman of MGM Grand Inc.
      "If Bible goes on there, it's the great Bermuda Triangle," said the Rev. Tom Grey, chairman of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. "The truth will sail in there and never come out."