Mark,
As per my factory service manual, the axle that has two sets of splines on the inner c.v. belongs on the right side (passenger side).
On many of the dsm vehicles, the axles were color coded, and the boot clamps tell the tale.
yellow boot clamps = left axle
blue boot clamps = right axle
There may be some other issue that may need to be investigated if it's fighting you that hard.
I have generally found the best technique for dealing with those silly clips is to slide the axle in as far as it goes, and then while holding the axle as level as possible, and then give it an authoratative smack with a dead blow/plastic mallet. Don't pound on the flange with a metal hammer, it'll raise burrs that may prevent the axle from seating well against the companion flange.
As was mentioned in a previous post, a little lubrication will go a long way. I like to use the system fluid whenever posssible, so just dribble a little gear oil on the splines and wipe some on the sealing surface and that may help things go together easier.
It's o.k. to say a bad word, just put a quarter in the swear jar.
It's jobs like this that fund turbo upgrades. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif