DEMOCRATS DISTANCING THEMSELVES.

Byline: Richard L. Berke The New York Times

Prominent Democrats around the country, including some of President Clinton's most loyal supporters, starkly distanced themselves from the president Tuesday and expressed deep personal disappointment with his behavior, as well as political anxiety about the future.

Many said they were particularly concerned about whether the Lewinsky matter would impair Clinton's credibility and undermine his remaining two years and five months in office. With the midterm elections some 10 weeks away, they were also worried that the president's acknowledgment would upend the political terrain in dangerous and unpredictable ways.

Among the sharpest remarks were from California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a longtime ally of Clinton who was described as even more angry than her statement reflected.

``I was present in the Roosevelt Room in January when the president categorically denied any sexual involvement with Monica Lewinsky,'' she said. ``I believed him. His remarks last evening leave me with a deep sense of sadness in that my trust in his credibility has been badly shattered.''

Even the party's congressional leadership scolded the president. House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri said, ``I cannot condone the relationship the president has acknowledged and am very disappointed in his personal conduct.''

And Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said that while the president gave ``a more complete explanation of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky,'' the senator was ``disappointed he did not do so earlier.''

Despite the disappointment, no leading Democrats called for the president to step down and only a handful of Republicans did so.

One of the few prominent Democrats who put forth a virtually unqualified defense of Clinton was Vice President Al Gore, who is vacationing for two weeks in Hawaii and declared Tuesday night, ``I am proud of him because he is a great president.''

Democratic lawmakers, strategists and party officials across the nation said it was too early to tell whether fallout from the scandal would diminish the party's prospects in November.

Several Democrats said they were grasping at findings in the preliminary, and often unreliable, overnight polls that showed that Clinton's job approval rating remained strong. Mindful, no doubt, of polls that showed Americans overwhelmingly want to put the Lewinsky matter behind them, Democrat after Democrat echoed that sentiment.

Tuesday morning, Clinton spoke by telephone to about a dozen Democratic members of Congress, many of whom were described as reassuring the president, according to White House aides.

But White House officials said it was too early to know just how Clinton's revelation Monday would be received by the public.

``As far as the impact on voting patterns, it's too early to tell,'' said a senior presidential aide, speaking on condition of anonymity. ``My gut tells me that we need to give it another Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Candidates are going to do what's in their interests to do. They'll wrap their arms around us - or they'll distance themselves.''

Some Democrats also voiced concern that Clinton was not sufficiently contrite in his public address after he testified before a grand jury Monday, and they expressed fears that his defiant remarks about the investigation by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr were a political miscalculation because they will only agitate Republicans.

``I thought it would have been better had he left any reference to the independent counsel out of his remarks,'' said Sen. John Breaux, D-La., who is close to Clinton. ``But his admission that he was solely and completely responsible was the right thing to do.''

Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., whom Clinton considered as his running mate in 1992, said, ``I think the American people would have liked to see the president not only admit his mistake but also apologize. He misled the American people repeatedly, he misled his own staff. I think the people expected an apology there. And I expected one, frankly.''

And Rep. Paul McHale, D-Pa., who is retiring, went as far as to call on Clinton to resign. ``This is no longer a question of private morality or political popularity,'' he said. ``Certainly, we could spare the country a great deal of pain by abandoning the rule of law. That's too high a price. With great sadness, I have concluded that president should resign or face impeachment.''

While Clinton hoped Monday's events would finally put the matter to rest, Republicans around the country vowed to press on, and many argued that the president's relationship with Lewinsky was not a private matter but raised important moral issues that should be openly discussed.

``While I welcome the president's statement, and hope that it hastens the conclusion of this tawdry matter, I believe the behavior he engaged in was deplorable,'' asserted Sen. John Chafee, R-R.I., a moderate who has often voted in support of Clinton. ``I do not agree with those who dismiss the significance of this affair as being only about private matters.''

The remarks of most top Republican leaders in Congress were unusually tame. Aides to some of those lawmakers said that Clinton's actions spoke for themselves, and they were taking care not to appear overly partisan, given the possibility of impeachment proceedings.

Referring to Starr's pending report to Congress, House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia said, ``My deepest belief is that all of this is part of a much bigger story, and we have to wait until the report is in before we make judgment.''

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi admonished Clinton for ``the pain he has caused his family, his friends, his supporters and the American people since January.'' But he cautioned that he would wait until Congress reviewed Starr's report and then decide ``if further action is necessary.''