THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300413
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVID M. POOLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: 46 lines
Former Gov. Mills Godwin said Wednesday that he prefers Jim Miller over incumbent Sen. John Warner in the June 11 Republican primary.
``I think he's qualified and he'd be a good senator,'' Godwin said in a telephone interview.
But he didn't characterize his statement as a formal endorsement.
Neither would he explain why he would abandon Warner, a three-term incumbent who has upset some in the party's conservative wing.
``I don't want to get into it,'' Godwin said. ``I'll be making a statement soon.''
Earlier in the day, the Miller campaign tried to force Godwin's hand by announcing the ``endorsement'' at a luncheon attended by 250 supporters at the exclusive Commonwealth Club in Richmond.
Miller campaign officials hoped the nod from Godwin will solidify support among an older generation of Virginia conservatives who, like Godwin, switched from the Democratic to Republican Party in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
At the luncheon, several speakers accused Warner of betraying his party by refusing to support all GOP candidates, including Oliver North for the U.S. Senate in 1994.
But an unscheduled speaker - called upon to say a few words by an organizer - topped them all with claims of an even more sinister betrayal.
Retired Air Force Gen. Ben Partin told the gathering that the federal government was misleading people by claiming last year's Oklahoma City bombing as the work of a couple of anti-government extremists.
``There are a lot of people involved in the cover-up,'' said Partin, who received a round of applause.
Later, Partin told reporters that he had evidence of an elaborate conspiracy in which unnamed federal officials allowed foreign terrorists to bomb the building - and kill 168 people - to gain support for federalizing law enforcement.
``They wanted to give federal police the same power that the Gestapo and KBG had,'' Partin said.
Later, Miller disassociated himself from Partin's comments.
``It sounds rather far-fetched,'' Miller said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Former Gov. Mills Godwin didn't characterize his statement Wednesday
as a formal endorsement. by CNB