THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 14, 1996 TAG: 9604130024
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: Keith Monroe
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
In private, there may be a completely different John Warner. But when he visited The Pilot last week he was wearing his public face as The Senator.
It's a role he plays to the hilt. And like many actors who have mastered a part, he can play it while indulging in little winks that remind you he's putting on an effortless performance.
As Warner cheerfully acknowledged, he's traveling around the state because ``it's that time again.'' He's looking forward to an election in November. And his mood really does seem to be one of anticipation. He appears to be in fighting form and enjoying the campaigning.
As The Senator, he comes equipped with aides who whip out documents or campaign literature as he calls for them. There's something of the indolent old lion, confident of his power, about Warner as he dismisses the threat of a challenge in the fall from Democrat Mark Warner, whom he characterizes as a nice young man with no government, no military and no agricultural experience.
The Senator doesn't seem to take a primary challenge from Reagan budget director Jim Miller much more seriously, but he does take it more personally. Warner backed Miller's race for a senatorial nomination against Oliver North two years ago. He claims he tutored ``Dr. Miller'' in the fine points of campaigning and the rudiments of Virginia. He has an aide describe, for instance, Miller's lack of familiarity with Newport News Shipbuilding, its size, its importance and the kinds of ships it builds.
Clearly Warner is stung by Miller's attempt now to take the seat his one-time mentor has no intention of relinquishing. The old lion is prepared to dispatch the other Warner quickly but appears ready to maul Miller. And Warner's answer to the diehard Ollie-backers who think The Senator failed some sort of conservative loyalty test two years ago is that, for him, ``principle comes before politics and country before party.''
The Senator is an old hand at answering some questions with a decisive yes or no, others with learned discourses, others not at all. He drops quotable quotes into the conversation and maintains an appearance of candor while giving away nothing he doesn't choose to reveal. He peppers his conversation with polished anecdotes and cloakroom tidbits. A little story about Dole's tirelessness, another about checking out Russia with Sam Nunn and briefing the president, others about Johnny Danforth and Strom Thurmond.
All of which points to the most interesting aspect of the retro-campaign Warner is running. He's presenting himself as anything but a Republican revolutionary. The Senate has been called the most exclusive club in the world, and Warner comes across as Virginia's most accomplished clubman.
Warner's selling points are all the things that are supposed to be anathema: incumbency, seniority, insider status and familiarity with the levers of power, an ability to bring home the bacon. The Senator has obviously concluded that pragmatic Virginians will decide that access to power is too valuable to trade for a more zealous conservative or a more youthful technocrat, that a state dependent on the Navy needs a former secretary of the Navy as its Republican senator.
On Bosnia, Warner says mission creep is a danger. But he'll resist Clinton if he starts into a quagmire. He argues that defense is underfunded, but that he'll reverse the trend. The Senator claims credit for keeping Newport News Shipbuilding in the hunt for submarine business. And as second-ranking Republican on Armed Services, he's well-positioned to see Virginia gets more than its share of defense funds.
He says an Omnibus bill dealing with roads will come up next year and his seat at the table will allow him to shake money loose for Virginia. He says his seat near the top of the Agriculture Committee bodes well for Virginia farmers.
Warner predicts the next Congress will be momentous, with issues long deferred finally decided. He doubts Virginia would want to go into those battles with some new recruit leading the charge. The Senator, by contrast, is a friend and ally of the head of the club, Bob Dole. If Dole's elected president, Warner's proximity to power could prove invaluable.
Then, having dispatched his opponents, displayed his credentials and told war stories from previous campaigns, The Senator shakes hands all around, slips on a trenchcoat and stylish loden-green fedora that might be worn by Sherlock Holmes or somebody getting ready to yodel. He strides off in search of the next campaign appearance. He looks fit, full of high spirits and in full pursuit of a fourth term. One doesn't envy his opponents. MEMO: Mr. Monroe is editor of the editorial page of The Virginian-Pilot. by CNB