WHEN he was growing up, both his parents would tell George Mitchell that there were no short cuts to success. His father, George John Mitchell, Sr. was an Irishman who worked as a janitor at Colby College. His mother, Mary Saad, was a Lebanese immigrant who worked at a textile factory.

Indeed, it was hard work which led Mitchell, 75, to a number of strategic positions in his professional career. He was once majority leader in the US Senate. He was