
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 21, 1990                   TAG: 9006210017
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

FIERY WORDS UNFURLED

A House Republican accused Speaker Thomas Foley on Wednesday of "kowtowing to ilk like the Communist Youth Brigade" by refusing to delay until next week today's showdown vote on a constitutional amendment to prohibit flag burning.

Rep. Gerald Solomon, R-N.Y., later apologized for the remark and it was stricken from the record. The exchange reflected the general bitterness and tension over the issue on the eve of the vote. Both opponents and proponents said the proposed amendment was not likely to muster the two-thirds margin for approval.

Supporters, who since last year had been pushing Foley to allow the vote, sought a delay to give veterans' groups more time to organize a mass mail campaign. They also wanted the showdown to come closer to the Fourth of July.

Republicans pressed the White House, meanwhile, to get President Bush to do more one-on-one lobbying for the measure, which he has repeatedly endorsed.

The Supreme Court a year ago ruled flag burning was protected by the constitutional guarantee of free speech. It reaffirmed that decision last week in rejecting a congressional attempt to overcome the earlier ruling without changing the Constitution.

"We fail to see why it is so necessary to rush this legislation to a vote on Thursday," complained Walter Hogan, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Foley, D-Wash., an outspoken opponent of the amendment, said, "This bill has been before the Congress for over a year. It has been debated and discussed as much as any other legislative proposal in this Congress. I don't understand why that is a problem."

Foley also cited a comment by Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., the House minority whip, who said the best outcome for a Republican campaigner might be to lose by one vote. That would keep the flag issue alive and more relevant in individual races.

"All this talk about being concerned about the flag, they are concerned, apparently, about the political issue and the political opportunities," Foley said. "I don't think the American people are going to respond favorably to that."

by CNB