WASHINGTON INSIGHT

ARCH HUMOR: Taking a cue from a restaurant chain famous for the McMuffin and McNugget, the White House has a new in-house name for the subsidy package publicly known as the “middle-class bill of rights.” Around the Executive Mansion, it’s called McBor (Mick-BORE), a name that doesn’t exactly throb with excitement.

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HEALTH CARE II: Hillary Rodham Clinton has taken on another health-related issue following the collapse of the effort she led last year to overhaul the nation’s medical insurance system: She is gearing up a campaign to uncover the causes of Persian Gulf War syndrome, the mysterious set of symptoms that has afflicted some Operation Desert Storm veterans and their families. Insiders say Diana M. Zuckerman, former congressional veterans’ affairs strategist, has been asked to head the effort. But some policy-makers are leery. Teams of Defense Department and private scientists have been unable to come up with any single cause. “I don’t know why she’d want to get involved with this one,” an official says. A spokeswoman for the First Lady explains: “President and Mrs. Clinton want to make sure that proper care is provided to the veterans affected by this.”

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NO GUARANTEES: House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) had every reason to feel full of himself as he met with the Capitol press the other day. As he proudly noted, “Contract With America”--the book--had made it to the New York Times best-seller list. “This has been the third week,” Gingrich said with a broad grin. Then an irreverent reporter reminded him that President Clinton’s health care plan had been a best-seller last year. The Speaker joined in the attendant laughter, his smile only slightly dimmed.

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POLITIC CHOICE: After about two months of deliberation, the White House seems to have settled on Doug Sosnick, a congressional liaison, to replace Joan Baggett as political director. In this Administration, nothing is certain until it’s announced. But senior staff members seem to have worked through questions about whether Sosnick had a high enough profile--and whether it would be acceptable to give the job to a white male.

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SOUR NOTE: The Pentagon has been besieged by inquiries about reports that it spends more on military bands than Congress appropriates for the National Endowment for the Arts, whose funding Republican leaders want to eliminate. Together, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines spend $175 million on bands. The endowment spends $167.4 million. Although endowment supporters say the comparison suggests the arts deserve continued funding, the figures are tricky. Some $156.5 million of Pentagon spending goes to salaries for service personnel assigned to the bands. The remaining $18.5 million is for equipment and travel. Of the endowment’s budget, $141.6 million is awarded as grants to artists. The remainder represents administrative costs.

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STEAMED TERMINATOR: Arnold Schwarzenegger was more than a little unhappy this week to be left in his own Planet Hollywood restaurant waiting on a very tardy Washington Mayor Marion Barry. The two were to discuss starting Inner-City Games for needy kids in the district. Barry arrived nearly an hour late, according to the Washington Post, long after Schwarzenegger, chairman of the Los Angeles-based Inner-City Games Foundation, had been overheard muttering: “Let’s just forget this mayor.” The Last Action Hero did eventually talk about the project with Barry, whom aides said had been diverted by a budget crisis.