THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 11, 1995 TAG: 9504110343
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: KNIGHT RIDDER NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: TOPEKA, KAN. LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Sen. Bob Dole formally entered the race for president Monday, asking America to entrust its future to a man tested and proven in the past.
Reared in the Depression, wounded in World War II, of political age in the 1950s and seasoned in every decade since, Dole said he alone among Republican candidates had the character and background to finish a populist revolution against big government.
``My friends, I have the experience. I've been tested and tested and tested in many ways. I am not afraid to lead, and I know the way,'' the Kansas Republican said.
Kicking off his third campaign for the presidency, Dole and his friends appeared relaxed and confident that the way ahead leads to the Republican nomination and then to the White House. A recent USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll showed Dole leading his next-closest rival, Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, 46-13 percent.
At 71, Dole is the oldest candidate this year and would be the oldest president ever elected to a first term. Rather than running away from his age, Dole made his long life and experience a central theme.
``Tempered by adversity, seasoned by experience, mindful of the world as it is - yet confident it can be made better - I have come home to Kansas with a grateful heart to declare that I am a candidate for the president of the United States,'' he said to the cheers of about 3,000 friends and supporters.
Despite his 35 years in the Congress, Dole said he was better suited to change the federal government than the man he would like to replace. In the last election, voters turned to a young, fresh outsider to change Washington, he suggested. Instead, he said, President Clinton turned out to be a ``clever apologist'' for the status quo.
Dole praised the values he learned, saying, ``Common sense and uncommon sensitivity: that's the Kansas way.''
Indeed, even as he staked out a conservative footing to match his GOP competitors, he left room for a vision of a government that still helps people in need.
``While self-reliance is an essential part of the American character, so is the spirit of community that reaches out to those wounded in body and soul,'' said the man who lost the use of his right arm in World War II combat and then was helped by generous neighbors.
Though he now talks about curbing the growth of government and its intrusions, he also helped write the Americans with Disabilities Act. Though he now says he would end affirmative action in the federal government, he boasts of his long support for civil rights.
In many ways, the Republican Party has passed Dole by as it has grown more and more conservative. But he signaled that he would match competitors as they rush to restrain a federal government many people have come to view as ``too large, too remote, too unresponsive and too undemocratic.''
Most notably, he endorsed the call for tax cuts this year, saying ``we can cut taxes and balance the budget.'' In the past, he has been skeptical of promises by younger, more conservative Republicans to cut taxes before the budget is balanced.
He proposed eliminating parole for violent criminals and trying teenagers accused of violent crimes as adults. He proposed abolishing four government departments - Commerce, Education, Energy, and Housing and Urban Development - that he called ``ineffective, burdensome and meddlesome.'' He endorsed state control over welfare. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
A crowd of about 3,000 friends and supporters in Topeka, Kan., cheer
Sen. Bob Dole and his wife, Elizabeth, on Monday as he announced his
bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
ROBERT JOSEPH DOLE
AGE-BIRTH DATE: 71-July 22, 1923.
EDUCATION: Studied at the University of Kansas. Earned B.A.
degree at the University of Arizona. Earned law degree from Washburn
University of Topeka.
EXPERIENCE: Kansas Legislature, 1951-53. Russell County
prosecutor, 1953-1961. U.S. House, 1961-1969. U.S. Senate,
1969-present. Senate majority and minority leader, 1984-present.
Chairman, Republican National Committee, 1971-1973. Republican vice
presidential candidate 1976.
FAMILY: Married to Elizabeth Hanford Dole in 1975, three years
after divorce from his wife of 23 years, Phyllis Holden. One
daughter by that marriage, Robin.
KEYWORDS: BIOGRAPHY PRESIDENTIAL RACE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE by CNB