THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 29, 1996 TAG: 9601290080
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long : 125 lines
A coy Oliver L. North on Sunday appeared to depart from his official neutrality in this spring's Republican primary for the U.S. Senate just long enough to tacitly endorse James C. Miller.
``You can interpret it any way you want to,'' North said with a huge grin moments after delivering a morning speech to state Republican leaders outlining 10 qualities that he believes the GOP nominee should possess.
North, the GOP's 1994 Senate nominee, never uttered the name of either of the two Republican candidates this year - Miller and three-term incumbent John W. Warner. But item after item on his list seemed to take not-too-subtle shots at Warner, who branded North a liar two years ago and strongly objected to his candidacy.
Miller also has had his differences with North. He ran an aggressive campaign against North for the 1994 Senate nomination, hammering North on character issues and once tacitly questioning his mental health.
After losing the nomination, however, Miller vigorously campaigned for North in the general election. Warner, on the other hand, outraged fellow Republicans by backing independent candidate J. Marshall Coleman.
Several GOP leaders said that they interpreted North's Sunday speech as a signal to his backers that all is forgiven with Miller.
``There have been a lot of Ollie North supporters who wanted to know how he felt about Jim,'' said David Johnson, executive director of the state GOP. ``I think the message they were given today is that it's all right to vote for Jim.''
North broached this year's election by noting he had received a fund-raising form letter from Warner's campaign asking him to complete a survey on the qualities that should be found in a senator.
North then began to tick off a list that seemed to highlight many of the questions about loyalty, character and commitment to conservative causes that are dogging Warner this year. For example:
``I would like to see a senator who backs the grass-roots activists for every office for which we make a nomination,'' said North, who reminded GOP leaders that Warner also failed to back Michael P. Farris, the 1993 GOP nominee for lieutenant governor. North suggested that the senator was responsible for Farris' defeat.
``I want a senator who will support earnest scholars like Robert Bork for the Supreme Court,'' North said. In 1987, Warner angered many conservatives by casting a decisive vote against Bork's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. Bork has endorsed Miller's candidacy this year.
North said he wanted a candidate who is ``unambiguous'' in his opposition to abortion. Warner usually has supported abortion rights. Miller has taken a hard line against terminating unwanted pregnancies.
``The senator ought to be someone who lives with the people of Virginia,'' North said, ``not in the ivory towers on the other side of the Potomac.'' Warner used to own a condominium at The Watergate in Washington, where he would stay when the Senate was in session.
A clearly elated Miller attended the breakfast and jotted down excerpts from the speech on scrap paper. ``It's as close to an endorsement as you can get,'' he said after North concluded.
Warner was not at the breakfast meeting and could not be reached for comment. But a consultant to Warner, Randy Hinaman, said the statements were not unexpected, and would not be damaging.
North, who was the central figure in the Iran-Contra affair in the late 1980s, had maintained that he would not take sides in the GOP Senate nomination this year. He declined to say whether his speech Sunday reversed that policy.
However, North said he will not be visible on the campaign trail this spring. He said his time is consumed by his body armor business, his nationally syndicated radio talk show and his work on a humorous book on politics titled ``With Friends Like These . . . ''
North also said that he is not helping either candidate raise money, although he acknowledged that Miller has rented his national fund-raising list.
In a recent letter sent to people on the list, Miller said he enclosed a copy of a handwritten note by North in late 1994 thanking him for his support in the general election campaign that year.
North's speech came at the end of an annual three-day winter meeting of the state Republican Party. Warner attended the event briefly Friday night. For the most part, the meeting was a chance for present and future GOP candidates to meet and court party activists. MEMO: GOP meeting highlights/A8
The New York Times contributed to this report.
ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
Oliver L. North, right, didn't name names, but he made it clear he
preferred James C. Miller, left, for the GOP Senate nomination.
THE FIELD
James C. Miller says he's more conservative than the incumbent on
budget and social issues. ``John Warner has been passing as a
conservative,'' he said.
Warner, seeking a fourth term, is disliked by many conservative
Republicans who say he's disloyal and liberal. Some blame him for
the defeat of Republicans Oliver North in the 1994 Senate race and
Michael Farris in the 1993 lieutenant governor's race. Warner
refused to endorse either candidate.
The Democrats will hold a convention to choose either
telecommunications mogul Mark Warner - who is not related to the
senator - or former U.S. Rep. Leslie Byrne as their nominee.
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
The weekend Republican Advance, held Friday through Sunday, was a
stage-setting, statewide meeting in advance of the 1996 Senate
primary and election and the 1997 statewide races.
Friday, Sen. John W. Warner and challenger James C. Miller III
agreed to debate in Williamsburg March 8, three months before they
face off in a June 11 primary.
GOP chairman Patrick McSweeney said this weekend he saw a 95
percent chance that someone would sue to challenge the state law
allowing all registered voters to vote in primaries. Miller backers
want to limit participation to Republicans. If all voters were
allowed to participate in the June 11 primary, Warner could be
expected to pick up votes from independents and Democrats.
Saturday, an attorney with little statewide name recognition -
Gilbert K. Davis of Fairfax - stepped up as a surprise entrant to
the candidate pool for the 1997 attorney general election. Davis
represents Paula Jones, the Arkansas woman who accuses President
Clinton of sexual harassment.
Sunday, Oliver L. North tacitly endorsed Miller.
KEYWORDS: ENDORSEMENT SENATE RACE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE by CNB