THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 30, 1994 TAG: 9408300387
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DALE EISMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROSSLYN LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
A combative Oliver L. North vowed Monday to pursue Sen. Charles S. Robb across the state - ``block-by-block, if I have to'' - to make his case that the Democratic incumbent is the extremist in their four-way battle for the U.S. Senate.
Toughening his rhetoric as his campaign begins what he acknowledged is a critical new phase, North said Robb is ``a fiscal liberal. . . he's a defense liberal. . . he seems to have forgotten what state he lives in.''
And as if to underscore his eagerness to mix it up with Robb, the Republican also raised questions about the senator's character. Pointing to his son, Stuart, 24, at the back of a room, North said his wife and children have never had reason to question his ``fidelity. . . to our family.''
Robb has been dogged throughout his Senate term by questions about an alleged extramarital affair and his association with cocaine users in Virginia Beach during the early 1980s. The senator has denied any infidelity and insists he was never aware of any cocaine involvement among his friends.
``Oliver North is in no position to question anybody's character,'' Robb spokesman Bert Rohrer said. He accused the Republican of taking ``the low road,'' because ``he knows he can't beat Senator Robb on his record.''
North's salvo followed by three days a blistering attack on him by Robb, who has stayed off the campaign trail through much of the summer, citing Senate business.
Among other things, Robb recalled North's role in the Reagan administration's arms-for-hostages dealings with Iran during the mid 1980s, attacked North's opposition to abortion rights and said the Republican supports tax-financed vouchers to help people send their children to private schools.
``This Marine knows better than to sit under incoming,'' North said Monday in explaining his response. ``You fire back.''
His tie loosened and the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, North recited with new intensity his campaign's attacks on Robb for supporting tax hikes advanced by President Clinton. Robb says the votes show his ``political courage,'' but North cracked that ``when you hear the words `political courage,' you know you want to hang on to your wallets.''
North on Monday defended his role in the Iran-Contra scandal, saying he had been forced to choose ``between bad and worse'' in deciding to deceive a congressional panel that questioned him about the affair in 1986. He was found guilty of obstructing Congress, but an appeals court overturned the conviction on technical grounds.
As for abortion, North said it's Robb who is the extremist for supporting taxpayer-financed abortions through the Medicaid program. And he said Robb mischaracterized his position on private school aid; he supports tax credits for people who choose to put their children in private schools, North said.
KEYWORDS: U.S. SENATE RACE VIRGINIA CANDIDATES
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