Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 19, 1994 TAG: 9409220010
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHLEEN WILSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The other fluttered around her chest.
The color drained from her face.
``No, no,'' she sputtered, her eyes wide, her voice breathless and panic-stricken. ``That just can't be true.''
What the sixtysomething woman from Boise, Idaho, with gray hair wound up in a bun had just been told scared her.
``Yes, Oliver North is running for the Senate in Virginia.''
On a road trip from Roanoke to Pittsburgh last weekend, we stopped at rest stops in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania and asked folks from out of state if our Senate race was big news where they were from.
If they weren't aware, we filled them in and asked their opinions.
Once Brokale regained her stately composure, she had plenty.
``I am totally shocked,'' she said. ``I thought people around here had more brains than that.''
No, she hadn't heard about it back in Boise, explaining, ``I've been in Kentucky.''
By the way, Brokale wants Virginians to know she wouldn't vote for ``that man'' for dogcatcher.
Strong words coming from a woman who was traveling with two yipping chihuahuas who seemed equally stressed out by the big news.
Pat and Ed Minnerly of Highland, N.Y., weren't surprised by the news at all and were totally informed about what was going on down here in the Old Dominion.
``Why, we've heard as much about Oliver North running for the Senate in Virginia as we have about O.J. Simpson,'' swore Pat, turning to Ed, who nodded in agreement.
Not only that: If Ollie were running for the Senate in New York, the Minnerlys said, sure, they'd vote for him.
``I think he got a raw deal from the president and think he deserves a second chance,'' Ed said.
Paul Williams of Greenville, Pa., agreed, although he admitted that besides North, Doug Wilder was the only other candidate he'd ever heard of. Neither Charles Robb's name nor Marshall Coleman's rang a bell.
``[North] served his country and seems to be a good man,'' Williams said.
But would you vote for him for senator of Pennsylvania?
``In a second.''
Allen Wolbrink of Atlanta was the most informed among those whose cars we approached.
Wolbrink was familiar with the names of all the candidates, though he admitted he didn't know a thing about Marshall Coleman.
``There's a lot of talk about this down in Georgia,'' he said. ``Normally, I vote Republican, but in this case - and if this were me voting in Georgia - I'd vote for Wilder. It sounds like he had done a good job for your state.'' (This was before Wilder announced that he was dropping out of the race.)
Michelle Lawson of Clemson, S.C., knew North was running and thought he'd fit right into politics.
"So, you'd vote for him down in South Carolina?''
``Hell, no!''
Jim Gainey of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., said he'd just left a sales meeting where the talk was more about our Senate race than business.
Gainey's a sales rep for a company that deals with Christian retail outlets.
``Ollie is certainly the most in the spotlight,'' he said.
But his group had an interesting analysis of Oliver North.
``If Ollie were a pie, it seems like there's a sliver of the pie missing, but that no one can quite put their finger on what's missing.''
He says people are going to stay on the fence until they know the whole pie. Or figure out what's missing.
``Still, he found himself in a powerful position for a small colonel who probably would have never ever been heard of,'' Gainey said. ``Yet he stood fast in the spotlight, loves his country and believes in restoring values and morals to the fiber of his country.''
The award for the most entertaining responses to our question belongs to a gentleman from Texas.
``Oliver North ... Is he that wrestler?'' asked Peter Haradil from Austin, Texas.
No! Remember Iran-Contra? The Marine who testified?
``Is he that guy who has AIDS?''
NO! NO! NO!
``He shredded paper,'' we said, stretching for anything that would remind this man from North's own home state of who the man was. ``I know! I know! Fawn Hall! Fawn Hall! Remember her?''
Haradil's face lit up with recognition.
``Yeah! Yeah! I remember her! So he was the guy in the uniform.''
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB