Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 3, 1995 TAG: 9506060044
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT LITTLE AND DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The Virginia Republican said he is not ready to offer a formal endorsement, but added that he plans to actively campaign for the Kansan.
``I think he's eminently qualified, I'll say that,'' Warner said at an afternoon news conference to discuss the United States' military role in Bosnia.
``I'm not hedging all my bets: I was with him this week on a trip, I helped introduce him in Chicago, I will be with him on other trips,'' Warner said. ``To the extent I think I can help him, I'm going to do it.''
Warner also said he has no plans to assist any other presidential candidates.
Dole is considered the front-runner to face President Clinton in the 1996 presidential race.
Warner's comments came after he praised Dole for a speech Wednesday in Los Angeles denouncing the entertainment industry's ``mainstreaming of deviancy.'' In the speech, Dole attacked several Hollywood films and popular songs for their violent, explicit content.
Warner called Dole a ``man of courage.''
``We are in a moral crisis in many respects in this country,'' Warner said, ``and we better face up to it.''
Dole's speech was called an attempt to win points from religious and social conservatives - a powerful group in the Republican Party, and one that has cast doubts on his credibility as a conservative.
Warner irked much of the same constituency in Virginia last year by refusing to endorse Oliver North, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, choosing instead to back independent Marshall Coleman.
Telephone talk
Susan Allen, wife of Gov. George Allen, was in Roanoke on Friday to headline a fund-raiser for Trixie Averill, the GOP challenger to House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell of Roanoke County.
Allen also passed on some campaign advice to the more than 100 Republicans who gathered to hear her: Answering machines.
She suggested Republicans leave the following greeting on their machines: "Hi, I'm busy getting Trixie Averill elected to the House of Delegates."
"It's one more chance to get Trixie's name out," Allen said.
Lugar online
One presidential campaign has moved into cyberspace.
Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, who's seeking the Republican nomination, has become the first candidate to set up his own "home page" on the World Wide Web portion of the Internet.
With a click of the mouse, computer users can call up Lugar's positions on key issues, read his speeches, or e-mail the campaign about what they think are the issues the candidate ought to be addressing.
"The American public wants substance and not just sound bites," Lugar said in a statement announcing his web site. "Because of that, the Internet will play a unique role in the 1996 election process. Millions of politically aware voters use the Internet to express their views, and they will have a huge impact on the presidential campaign."
The address of Lugar's home page is: http://www. iquest.net/lugar/lugar.htm.
Former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, another GOP contender, is expected to set up his own home page this summer.
Keywords:
POLITICS
Memo: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.