THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 24, 1994 TAG: 9409240233
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Marc Tibbs
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
Pop singer Tina Turner should do the score for the November elections.
Her ``We Don't Need Another Hero'' could be the theme song for those opposed to U.S. Senate candidate Oliver L. North and Washington mayoral candidate Marion Barry.
Both men have a good shot at gaining their desired offices, and each has a core of supporters who have wholeheartedly accepted their messages of valor:
North, the patriot; Barry, the redeemed.
North, notorious for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal, first endeared himself to the public while testifying before a congressional committee.
It was during that testimony that North first struck a chord with a large segment of the American public, even though he was being investigated for orchestrating illegal arms shipments and lying to Congress.
During questioning about a security fence at his Northern Virginia home that had been paid for by arms dealers, North quietly and confidently told the committee and a national audience why he'd accepted the gratuity.
His explanation went something like this:
``I've faced the enemy in Vietnam, and I've been threatened by terrorist Abu Nidal. I'm willing to meet Abu Nidal anywhere in the world, and have it out with him mano-a-mano, but I'm not going to jeopardize the safety of my family for anyone.''
That testosterone-laden response reverberated across the nation and filled the gaping hole in the hearts of aching American patriots. Never mind that the arms-for-hostages swap could have encouraged more hostage-taking.
It was the mid-1980s, and the American image had taken a severe beating on the international scene. Our embassy had been overtaken and hostages held in Iran. U.S. hostages were being held in Lebanon, and more than 200 Marines had been killed in a terrorist attack there.
Finally, here stood a decorated Marine officer, his right hand held high, who would single-handedly take on the terrorists. He told his supporters just what they wanted to hear.
And so did Marion Barry.
For three terms in office, Barry made a spectacle of the nation's capital. His administrations had been filled with corruption. Under his watch, Washington became the murder capital of the world.
By the time he was caught smoking crack cocaine in a D.C. hotel room with a woman other than his wife, D.C. had become the laughingstock of the county.
But after six months in prison, Barry emerged as a changed man. District residents viewed him as a martyr, persecuted by the powers that be. He quickly was re-elected to the City Council from one of the city's poorest wards.
Barry campaigned for mayor on a platform of redemption and empowerment, and convinced voters that he was ready to govern anew.
Washingtonians were ripe for his message. Theirs was a city in shambles, where political corruption had become an art form and drive-by shootings a sport. Never mind that Barry himself contributed to many of the city's woes.
Heroes. North and Barry. Tina, how about singing that again for us?
KEYWORDS: U.S. SENATE RACE CANDIDATE by CNB