ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 17, 1996 TAG: 9610170044
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: SAN DIEGO
SOURCE: From The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times
Bob Dole opened his final debate with President Clinton Wednesday night with a sharp series of attacks on Clinton's ethics and character, declaring that there is ``a public trust, when you're the president of the United States'' and ``right now, that trust is being violated.''
In response to an opening question from a teacher, who quoted a sixth-grade student about the need for Americans to unite and ``stop fighting amongst ourselves,'' Dole responded with a litany of charges against Clinton.
``No doubt about it that many Americans have lost their faith in government'' because ``they see scandals on an almost daily basis - they see ethical problems in the White House today.'' He mentioned the Clinton White House's collection of more than 900 sensitive FBI background files - many of them on prominent Republicans.
``When I am president of the United States I will keep my word,'' Dole said. ``My word is my bond.''
Clinton largely ignored Dole's criticisms. ``The important thing is what are we going to do now,'' he said once, brushing aside Dole's charges about the health reform plan the administration proposed in 1993.
On the problems facing Social Security and Medicare when the baby boom generation begins to retire early in the next decade, Clinton and Dole both called for a bipartisan commission to recommend changes and ``take it out of politics.''
But they differed sharply about the impact of Republican plans for Medicare in the past two years.
Dole accused Clinton of running a fear campaign and misleading Americans by saying the Republicans tried to ``cut'' Medicare.
Clinton quoted an American Hospital Association statement from last year that the Republican-proposed budget would have led to the closing of 700 hospitals.
Dole and Clinton took questions from 113 undecided voters selected by the Gallup polling organization.
Their questions were not screened in advance.
Dole sought to turn his responses into an indictment of Clinton's ethics or performance as president.
Reminding viewers that he is a World War II veteran, Dole accused Clinton of cutting the Pentagon budget too much. Clinton objected ``as commander in chief,'' saying his budget was just 1 percent lower than Republican plans for the Pentagon.
Early on, one former smoker asked Dole if he wanted to retract his statement that nicotine was ``not necessarily addictive.'' Dole said he had been speaking in a technical sense and urged children not to smoke. He then shifted into a litany of statistics about rising use of marijuana and cocaine among teen-agers. ``It's all happened in this administration,'' Dole said. ``They have been AWOL for 44 months.''
Clinton said the candidates had a profound difference on the tobacco issue: He was willing to fight the powerful tobacco lobby and Dole was not.
As he pressed his critique of Clinton, Dole spoke in a calm, measured voice. Clinton let several attacks pass unanswered. He said the campaign and debate should be about ``issues, not insults.''
When one man asked about the rising costs of Social Security and Medicare, it was Clinton's turn to go on the attack. He recalled Dole's comment last year that he was proud in 1965 to have voted against establishing Medicare. Clinton said the 1995 Republican budgets pushed by Dole would have raised Medicare premiums $270 a year to elderly Americans who could not afford it.
Both candidates took credit for pushing welfare reform that required recipients to work. Clinton said his commitment to the issue dated to the 1980s when he was Arkansas governor. Dole said a welfare-reform plan would not have passed this year if it had not been for Republicans controlling Congress. He told the audience that Clinton already had promised liberals he would change provisions they dislike.
Shaking his head, Dole said the nation's governors, not Clinton, were responsible for paring welfare rolls.
Dole said businesses deserved credit for the 10 million new jobs created over the past four years. ``The government doesn't create jobs,'' Dole said.
Asked if his age - 73 - would make it hard for him to understand the concerns of younger Americans, Dole said, ``I think it is also a strength, an advantage,'' saying his age gives him experience, intelligence and wisdom.
Clinton said he wouldn't make Dole's age an issue, but ``it's the age of his ideas I object to.'' He cited supply-side economics as chief among them. ``We tried this before,'' Clinton said.
Dole shot back ``when you don't have any ideas, I guess you say the other person's ideas are old.'' He evoked Clinton's unfulfilled 1992 campaign promise to cut middle class taxes.
As part of his ethical critique, Dole called on Clinton to rule out pardons for former business associates who have been convicted or are subjects of the Whitewater investigation. ``I think the president ought to say tonight he's not going to pardon anybody,'' Dole said. Clinton did not immediately respond.
On taxes, Clinton said he wanted to cut capitals gains taxes on home sales. He said he had explained how he would pay for ``every penny'' of his tax cuts, but Dole had not detailed how he would pay for his $548 billion tax-cut package.
Firing back, Dole said most of Clinton's tax cuts expired after a few years - while his proposed tax increases would be permanent.
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS PRESIDENTby CNB