Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 7, 1992 TAG: 9202070039
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MANCHESTER, N.H. LENGTH: Medium
CLINTON DENIES DODGING WAR DRAFT
Democratic presidential contender Bill Clinton on Thursday denied he tried to avoid the Vietnam draft, while his rivals said the issue raises questions about his character.Clinton, campaigning in the leadoff primary state, said he gave up a draft deferment in 1969 after two months because "I didn't think it was right" to keep it.
He was responding to a published report that he avoided being called up during a crucial two-month period by agreeing to sign up for a reserve officers training program that he never joined.
The draft controversy arose as the Clinton campaign was recovering from unsubstantiated accusations by a woman who said she had an affair with the governor.
"The last thing Bill Clinton needs now is another story questioning his veracity and integrity," said Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, a candidate who served as a Vietnam-era cargo pilot based in Japan.
"I hope he's telling the truth, but I've got some doubts," said Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, another Democratic rival, who lost part of a leg in Vietnam and won the Medal of Honor for heroism there. He said Clinton's explanations "just don't have the ring of truth."
Former Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas tried to shift the focus, saying the issue would distract from more important matters.
A new Tsongas TV ad dismisses tax-cut plans supported by some rivals as "gimmicks" that won't help the economy.
Harkin released a child-care proposal that calls for a family-leave law, subsidizing more guidance counselors for elementary schools and expanding nutrition programs for women and children.
President Bush, meanwhile, dispatched his wife, Barbara, to New Hampshire to campaign for him. She chided Congress for not enacting his economic proposals, saying he "has had three of the most frustrating years of not getting the Congress to act on anything."
Keywords:
POLITICS