THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 10, 1994 TAG: 9407070518
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
IN PUBLIC, OLIVER NORTH is daring all comers to debate him. In private, he's setting so many conditions that his opponents in this year's U.S. Senate race are wondering if North is serious about his challenge.
Almost three months ago, North agreed to participate in a debate next Saturday sponsored by the Virginia Bar Association at The Homestead resort in Bath County. But in recent weeks, North repeatedly threatened to be a no-show if the format for the debate did not meet his specifications.
To ensure North's participation, the Bar scuttled plans to have a panel of journalists query the candidates. And, in a move that will limit media coverage, it hastily rescheduled the event from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The controversy provides some interesting insights into the behind-the-scenes power games campaigns play. Beneath the facade of spontaneity, debates are among the most carefully choreographed and deadly serious events candidates undertake. North, who may have the most at stake in these events, is leaving nothing to chance.
What's also clear is that what North wants, North gets. He is the star of the debates, even though a recent poll showed him running a distant second among the four candidates. Without Ollie, there's no show.
North called for a series of ``Lincoln-Douglas'' debates the day after he won the Republican nomination last month. He indicated that he wanted free-flowing exchanges with his opponents - no panel of reporters asking questions, just a moderator or ``referee'' to keep things fair. The purpose, North said, was to expose voters to the ``vital differences'' between him and his opponents.
North got exactly that on June 28, when the four candidates debated before an international audience on the ``Larry King Live'' show on CNN. Many observers thought Democrat Chuck Robb, the frontrunning incumbent, won the exchange. The next day, North complained about the format, saying he was constantly interrupted by his opponents and King.
Then North took a hard line as final negotiations began for the Bar debate. His refusal to participate in a debate with a media panel irked the opposing campaigns, who believe journalists would pose pointed questions about North's involvement in the Iran-Contra affair. Independent Marshall Coleman briefly threatened to withdraw from the debate if North got his way. He relented when he learned that the others would proceed without him.
Everyone seemed far more interested in appeasing North. The Bar sought 11th-hour advice from the Commission on Presidential Debates. It proposed a single moderator to ask questions. A candidate would receive two uninterrupted minutes to respond. Then all four candidates would have six minutes to debate the answer. Then each candidate would be given one uninterrupted minute to summarize his arguments.
The campaigns signed off on the format at a June 30 meeting. Then North's representatives threw in a new wrinkle. Claiming undisclosed other commitments, they said North would not be able to attend the debate at 9:30 a.m., as it had been scheduled for three months. The next day, everyone agreed to push the event back to the night.
Sources in the other campaigns believe North was trying to limit media coverage of the 90-minute debate, which will now end at 10 p.m. Film clips will be limited to the late news on Saturday night, the lowest-rated broadcast of the week. Deadlines for early editions of Sunday newspapers will have elapsed before the debate ends.
``Ollie wants to give lip service to wanting to debate, but ultimately his staff is trying to manipulate them to minimize the damage,'' said Anson Franklin, Coleman's campaign manager.
Mark Merritt, a spokesman for North, dismisses the charge as ``ridiculous.'' He said the campaigns are weighing 15 proposals for future debates and, by the time November rolls around, the public will have had plenty of exposure to the candidates.
But Merritt acknowledges North is uncomfortable with free-flowing debates. What North really wants, Merritt says, are joint appearances at which the candidates would not be asked questions, but given uninterrupted air time to give short speeches about whatever is on their minds. There would be no direct exchanges between the candidates.
Will Ollie continue to get what Ollie wants? Stay tuned. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Oliver North is the star of the debates, even though a recent poll
showed him running a distant second among the four candidates for
U.S. Senate.
by CNB