By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) – Authorized by the House to begin an impeachment inquiry of President Clinton, Judiciary Committee members say they want to question many of the central players in Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's report on Monica Lewinsky.

 Among those who could be called before televised hearings later this year are Linda Tripp, the woman whose tape recordings of Ms. Lewinsky led to Starr's sex and cover-up investigation; and Betty Currie and Vernon Jordan, who were investigated for what role they may have played in winning Ms. Lewinsky's silence as the affair was about to become public in January.

 Ms. Lewinsky, herself, could be called to tell her story. But the committee's chairman, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., said the president likely would not be subpoenaed.

 Hyde, who will control the impeachment inquiry, said, "We don't want to be accused of politicizing this. But we will be doing a lot of planning and interviewing and whatever's necessary to get ready to have hearings after the election.''

 As committee aides finalized their subpoena list, fights loomed over which witnesses to go after. Hyde, for example, has not signed off on calling Ms. Lewinsky. He also slapped down a Democratic suggestion to call Starr.

 Hyde held tight the evolving list and said top aides to his panel would immediately begin "intense strategizing ... to see in what direction we want to move, what evidence we need to acquire, what subpoenas we need to issue and how fast we can do it.''

 Republicans said they wanted the committee to question White House Deputy Counsel Bruce Lindsey, though Democrats were expected to object pending the Supreme Court appeal of his executive privilege claim.

 "I think Bruce Lindsey is a key player in this,'' said Rep. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

 "He may have some information that is relevant to this investigation,'' agreed Rep. Charles Canady, R-Fla. At the White House, Clinton said he would continue his work during the impeachment process, which now was "in the hands of Congress and the people of this country – ultimately in the hands of God. There is nothing I can do.''

 The Judiciary constitutional subcommittee will kick things off Oct. 22 with a hearing on defining impeachable crimes. The full committee will hold hearings between the Nov. 3 congressional elections and the end of the year, Hyde said Thursday.

 He spoke minutes after the House voted 258-176 to trigger a presidential impeachment inquiry for just the third time in U.S. history.

 Thirty-one Democrats joined unanimous Republicans to vote in favor of the GOP impeachment resolution, which called for an open-ended probe. Prior to that decision, Democrats proposed that the inquiry be wrapped up by Dec. 31 and limited just to the Lewinsky matter, but that proposal was defeated 236-198.

 If the House ultimately decides to impeach Clinton, the case would move to the Senate for a trial, where a two-thirds vote would be required to remove the president.

 Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said Republicans were waiting for direction from the electorate on how much support exists for Clinton.

 "What they will do will depend on the election,'' Frank said.

 The thinking goes that if Republicans pick up 10 to 15 seats in the House on Nov. 3 and perhaps five or more in the Senate, they could decide to push ahead aggressively with hearings delving deeply into Clinton's behavior, not only with Ms. Lewinsky but on matters such as Whitewater, campaign fund raising and missile technology transfers.

 But if Republican gains are modest and public opinion remains in the president's corner, Clinton's prospects for a punishment short of impeachment would improve, such as a public rebuke suggested by former President Ford.

 White House aides circulated polls among the rank-and-file in recent days that indicated the nation was tired of the Clinton-Lewinsky melodrama and wanted it to end swiftly. The correct political vote, they argued, was to make it a partisan issue heading into the election, thereby casting Republicans as defying public sentiment.

 Clinton spokesman Joe Lockhart said the proceedings in the Republican-controlled House had become "infected with politics and partisanship.''

 If fights erupt over whom to subpoena, inquiry rules say such disagreements must be settled by a full committee vote. Republicans hold a 21-16 majority.

 Republicans also are considering calling witnesses not directly related to the Lewinsky matter. For example, Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., in two public hearings, has indicated that he considers Clinton's ability to lead and command the nation's military forces relevant to the question of impeachment.

 Buyer refused to comment on whether he intends to seek answers from senior Pentagon officials. But two sources close to the committee who demanded anonymity said the president's ability to lead may well be a subject for the inquiry.