THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 14, 1996 TAG: 9609140239
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LAURA LAFAY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 47 lines
Former President George Bush and his wife, Barbara, came to Norfolk Friday, lending their name and endorsement to the campaign of incumbent Virginia Sen. John Warner.
Roughly 800 Warner supporters paid $100 to $500 a ticket to eat salad, chicken and apple pie while listening to Bush reminisce about his Navy days, blast ``liberal elitists,'' joke about golf, discuss his presidency and praise John Warner.
Warner, who is running against Democrat Mark Warner, is seeking his fourth term in the Senate.
Bush recalled working with John Warner, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, during the days of Desert Storm. He said he was ``annoyed'' at the ``Monday morning quarterbacking'' that took place afterward.
He was especially galled, he said, by criticism about the military's failure to kill Saddamm Hussein. That would have entailed ``putting our sons and daughters in urban warfare in Baghdad,'' which he was unwilling to do, he said.
Bush had high praise for Warner.
``John knows this state. He knows the Virginians inside-out. He knows you know what he's done for this state,'' Bush told the crowd, as silverware clinked and waiters hurried between tables.
``He's independent. He'll call them as he sees them. And he does it with integrity and honor. Always honor.''
After the lunch, Bush, accompanied by Barbara Bush and Warner, went to the MacArthur Memorial to lay a wreath on Gen. Douglas MacArthur's grave and take a private tour. ILLUSTRATION: BETH BERGMAN photos
The Virginian-Pilot
Dana Cotton of Virginia Beach leans over the rope for a glimpse of
former President Bush as he pulled up at the MacArthur Memorial on
Friday afternoon. He and Barbara Bush had attended a luncheon to
support Sen. John Warner's campaign.
After speaking on Warner's behalf, the Bushes shook hands with
well-wishers outside the memorial, where the former president took a
tour and lay a wreath on MacArthur's tomb.
KEYWORDS: U.S. SENATE RACE by CNB