She may know something the rest of us don't know. But from where I sit, I don't think President Clinton's problems are caused by any vast conspiracy.

First, let me say it could very well be true that all of his problems are caused by his own appetites. But until definitive information to the contrary comes in, let us assume that our president is an innocent man and that forces outside the White House are creating this current mischief.

We know, for example, the Rev. Jerry Falwell marketed two videotapes in 1994 accusing President Clinton of murder, drug smuggling and cocaine addiction. The videos also said Clinton and his operatives made planes crash, set houses on fire and murdered "countless people."

Now, if people were saying those kinds of things about you, wouldn't you believe there was a vast conspiracy against you?

So Hillary may have overstated the size of the conspiracy, but there is no question there are people who would do just about anything to force Bill Clinton from office.

In the early days of Clinton's presidency, I would not have believed talk of a conspiracy against him. After all, a conspiracy takes organization, and hateful people generally aren't patient enough to organize. But there is increasing reason to believe that powerful and wealthy conservatives have become linked for the purpose of damaging Bill Clinton's presidency.

I am merely an observer of this mess, but one wonders, for example, where the money for Paula Jones' defense is coming from. Wealthy benefactors? Further, is she no more than a pawn in a high-profile game in which the stakes are the keys to the White House?

Then there is the matter of the lawyers who stepped forward to defend Jones. The Rutherford Institute attorneys representing Jones have many ties to Christian right-wing organizations. In fact, the Rutherford Institute has represented Falwell in legal matters and consistently has tried to demonize Clinton.

The institute's president, John Whitehead, has accused Clinton of plotting to "slaughter innocent unborn children" and criticized him for open promotion of "homosexuality, abortion, promiscuity and sexual experimentation among our young people." In another newsletter, Clinton is accused of "sweeping, anti-religious policies."

These quotes from Whitehead and his institute are brought to us by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, a Washington-based, liberal watchdog group that monitors several right-wing organizations. Barry Lynn, president of Americans United, says his organization has files on the Rutherford Institute that date back 10 years.

Another curious piece of information supplied by Americans United involves a secretive organization called the Council on National Policy. Apparently, this 500-member group meets behind closed doors to set the conservative agenda for the rest of the nation. There is big money in this group. The organization's reported membership reads like a Who's Who of American business and religion.

According to the Institute for First Amendment Studies, Pat Robertson, owner of the Christian Broadcast Network and host of the "700 Club," a nationally syndicated television talk show, is a member. So are Oliver North, a talk show host who lied to Congress during the Irangate investigation; James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family; Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ; North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms and Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott; as well as Edwin Meese, former attorney general in the Reagan administration. Whitehead, too, is a member.

There may not be a conspiracy against the Clintons, but there are many people who want to see them politically destroyed.

Surprisingly, a good many of these people are motivated by their religious faith. They believe they are on God's side in this battle. And much too often, that means the end justifies the means.

Clark D. Morphew