CLINTON ADMISSION? SOURCES SAY HE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE `INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP'.

Byline: Ron Fournier Associated Press 

President Clinton will acknowledge an ``inappropriate relationship'' with Monica Lewinsky when he answers to a grand jury Monday, two advisers said late Saturday. For the first time, the president signaled that he had a sexual relationship with her, the advisers said.

The advisers, speaking only on condition of anonymity, said Clinton had let his lawyers and aides know that he had a sexual relationship with the former White House intern. ``He may not have used the word `sex,' but he has finally broken through that barrier,'' said one of the advisers, adding, ``He has crossed the Rubicon.''

The second adviser, a longtime confidant, said the president had already disclosed the relationship to first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, even as he steadfastly denied it publicly.

The advisers cautioned that the president could still change his strategy in the hours before his testimony.

They said Clinton still intends to tell the grand jury only that he had an ``inappropriate'' or ``improper'' relationship, insisting that further details should remain private. But his lawyers expect that Clinton will be forced to tell the grand jury he had sex with Lewinsky, the sources said.

If Clinton were to make a public statement, he would likely admit to an inappropriate relationship or encounters but would go no further, said the sources. He also was being urged to express regret for taking 6-1/2 months to be honest with the public.

Clinton's lawyers worried that any sort of concession to a relationship with Lewinsky would increase the president's legal jeopardy.

The unprecedented grand jury testimony Monday will be a dramatic culmination of half a year of sensational revelations. Clinton's testimony could be a huge step toward political survival - or deeper peril.

One adviser involved in preparing the president for Monday said Clinton was having trouble focusing on the chore - easily distracted by world events, late-night card games and a hankering for golf. After several hours with his lawyers Saturday, Clinton, in shorts and sneakers, stretched his legs with a jog on the South Lawn and tossed a ball for his dog, Buddy.

Two advisers who have talked to Clinton or his wife in recent days said the atmosphere is somewhat tense when the two are together, but the first lady has shown no obvious signs of anger. Indeed, she is a key player in the insular circle of top advisers.

Legal sources confirmed on Friday that Clinton was discussing with his advisers a possible strategy for describing an intimate, perhaps sexual relationship with Lewinsky. Those sources argued that his sworn denial of ``sexual relations'' with Lewinsky was technically truthful under a tortured interpretation of the definition provided to Clinton during a deposition in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case.

Under their scenario, Clinton would refuse to provide details he considered to be private, but would signal to the grand jury and later the nation that the relationship went beyond mere friendship, the source said.

Early Saturday, it was learned that the scenario had taken hold among the president's hard-line advisers.

Advisers say the language of a possible explanation of the relationship was being discussed. Indeed, there was concern about using the term ``improper'' because Clinton specifically told reporters in January he did not have an improper relationship; some advisers have suggested the word ``inappropriate.''

Going down this road creates another problem for Clinton: Why didn't he acknowledge it sooner? That's why some advisers think he must also express regret for prolonging the presidential crisis.

Rahm Emanuel, a top White House aide, refused to speculate about Clinton's intentions late Saturday night. ``I only know that he will testify truthfully and completely,'' Emanuel said, echoing Clinton's earlier statement.

Even if he provides the public little or no new information about his relationship with Lewinsky, said a legal source who consults with Clinton, the president may well be forced to tell the grand jury more.

``It's one thing to wink and nod to the press,'' the legal source said. ``It's another thing under oath to refuse to answer questions and be evasive.''

The president's official and private attorneys will accompany him Monday and could try to limit the scope of questioning because he will not be under subpoena.

Many of Clinton's political advisers assume that if he provides intimate details to the grand jury, the information will eventually leak to the public. Their hope is that by the time the details emerge, the public will have already accepted Clinton's explanation and be eager to move on.

Recent polls give them reason to hope. A Newsweek survey conducted Aug. 13-14 showed that only 24 percent of the respondents will think worse of Clinton if he admits to a sexual relationship.

Despite complaints from his lawyer that he has not prepared enough for Monday, Clinton has stayed up late playing cards and told aides he wanted to play golf this weekend. Some officials worried that a game of golf would look frivolous; others argued that the president needed time to unwind.

He also has been sidetracked by work. Clinton threw out a staff draft and rewrote Saturday's radio address on the embassy bombings in Africa. Also, a car bomb Saturday killed at least 28 people in Northern Ireland just 17 days before his trip there, and the U.S. Embassy in Congo was shut down the same day because of unrest in the African nation.