Speculation on Gore White House

• What might an Al Gore administration look like if he ascends to the presidency?

Leon Fuerth, a shadowy presence in Washington's corridors of power and a mystery man to the vast majority of American voters, will turn up as the U.S. foreign affairs czar -- the next Henry Kissinger -- if Bill Clinton is ousted or "resigned" and Vice President Al Gore takes over his office.

Congressional staffers, intelligence and diplomatic sources interviewed in Washington and New York about the likely cast of a transitional Gore administration predicted -- with concern -- that the key players would be seasoned dual loyalists.

"During his first term, Clinton bent over backwards to assure Israel it was his favorite nation," said Dr. Jacques Oweiss, a Middle Eastern historian. "But Gore went further -- he went all-out to be Israel's favorite politician."

As a senator, Gore made himself known "as one of the most pro-Israel legislators in congress," said Morton Klein, the hard-line president of the Zionist Organization of America.

As vice president, Gore has "grown only better -- and stronger -- as a supporter of the state of Israel," added former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, another leading lobbyist for the ministate.

Unconditional devotion to Israel's interests has marked many of the senior aides who surround Gore now and are expected to moin his administration in the event of Clinton's early departure.

THE PLAYERS

They are:

Leon Fuerth, the vice president's chief adviser on national security and foreign affairs. Fuerth, with fervent ties to Zionism, has been Gore's closest counselor and mentor since his days in the Senate, congressional staffers say. He is reportedly slated to be named secretary of state in a Gore cabinet.

Gore's dependence on Fuerth resembles the relationship between the late Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson and his powerful chief of staff, the Israeli agent Richard Perle, known as the "Prince of Darkness" for his ability to turn his boss into an unquestioning promoter of the ministate's agenda. Jackson became known as the "senator from Tel Aviv."

John Deutch, described by one source as an "orthodox Zionist" who served as Clinton's director of central intelligence, is another long-time adviser and mentor to the vice president, although never in a salaried position. Deutch is said to be first in line as Gore's secretary of defense, a post he has long coveted.

Ronald Klein, the vice president's chief of staff and confidential liaison with Israel is expected to move up to director of the National Security Council in any White House team headed by Gore.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a tried-and-true Israel-firster, is widely held to be the candidate for the post of Gore's vice President.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), another Israeli loyalist, will be offered the post of White House chief of staff, Capitol Hill insiders say.

At the United Nations, Middle Eastern delegates anxiously weighed the impast of a Gore administration on their region.

"For us the name has ominous double meaning; we fear it threatens the gory cataclysm of war, a flare-up of violence at a number of critical flashpoints," said a veteran Arab diplomat.