ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 9, 1996 TAG: 9604090094
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FALLS CHURCH
SOURCE: Associated Press
SEN. JOHN WARNER broke with Republicans and opposed the conservative's nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987.
Republicans have long memories, failed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork and other Reagan-era GOP figures said Monday, as they denounced U.S. Sen. John Warner's vote against Bork nine years ago.
Bork and former Attorney General Edwin Meese are backing Jim Miller's campaign to unseat Warner, a three-term Republican.
Warner was one of five Republicans who voted with Democrats to deny Bork a seat on the court in 1987. Opponents of Bork, then a federal appeals court judge, called him too extreme.
``Any senator who would not support Bob Bork for the Supreme Court does not belong in the Senate,'' Meese said at a news conference with Bork at Miller's Northern Virginia headquarters.
Bork, now a legal scholar at the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute, signed a fund-raising letter for Miller last week. Bork plans to campaign for Miller, a former Reagan budget director, but can't vote for him, because Bork lives across the Potomac River in Washington.
Bork's letter shows he is still sore about Warner's conduct in 1987. Bork's support also indicates Miller's grudge match goes back further than Warner's refusal to back GOP nominees in 1993 and 1994.
Bork's letter says Warner lied when he explained his vote against Bork by recounting details of an interview the senator had with Bork. Bork claims much of Warner's account of that meeting was false.
``It is bad enough when left-wing demagogues like Ted Kennedy attack their opponents with lies,'' Bork wrote. ``It is far worse when a supposed Republican caves in to liberal pressure and then defends himself in the same way.''
Warner campaign spokesman Eric Peterson said Warner doesn't regret his vote.
``The senator votes on principle, and the principle he voted on at that point was he didn't feel the temperaments of the judge were suited to the position,'' Peterson said.
Miller hopes to tap conservative activists' resentment, but many mainstream Republican leaders support Warner. Warner also consistently scores well in polls.
Miller hopes to beat Warner in the June primary.
Warner declined to support home-schooling advocate Mike Farris for lieutenant governor, then backed a rival independent candidate against Oliver North in 1994. Some Republicans blame Warner for North's defeat.
Miller said he would have voted to confirm Bork and would support other conservative nominees.
Miller pointed to four causes dear to conservative hearts where Supreme Court decisions might have been different with Bork on the court. In 5-4 decisions, the court has sided against conservatives on school prayer, abortion, flag burning and term limits.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESSby CNB