ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 14, 1996 TAG: 9602140078
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CONCORD, N.H.
SOURCE: Associated Press
Bob Dole kicked off a showdown week in New Hampshire on Tuesday, offering himself as a candidate of ``tested values'' as newly energized rivals Pat Buchanan and Lamar Alexander snapped hard at his heels and Sen. Phil Gramm prepared to quit the campaign.
Gramm lost the conservative crown to Buchanan in finishing fifth in Monday's Iowa caucuses. He called top supporters Tuesday to say he would drop from the race today, according to GOP sources.
The Texan told New Hampshire voters he was looking forward to a strong showing in their primary, but then headed for Washington to consult with aides. Once there, he brushed off questions from reporters, but did not attempt to gloss over the damage inflicted by the Iowa caucuses.
``I failed the third grade twice, but I know the difference between fifth and first'' place, Gramm told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
His national chairman, Arizona Sen. John McCain, said Gramm would decide in the coming days whether to fold his campaign: ``It's tough when you see a campaign take that kind of defeat,'' McCain told a Phoenix radio station.
In his own campaign stops, Alexander missed no opportunity to tell Dole, ``It's time to move on.''
The former Tennessee governor, who finished a solid third in Iowa, held court on a hill overlooking the state Capitol as Dole spoke to the state Legislature.
``He's of one generation, I'm of another,'' said the 55-year-old Alexander, contrasting himself with the 72-year-old Dole.
Buchanan, for his part, promised to ``give Bob Dole difficulty'' in New Hampshire, which holds the leadoff presidential primary next Tuesday.
The conservative commentator, who finished just 3 percentage points behind Dole in Iowa, said Republicans were tired of ``the politics of yesterday'' and offered his candidacy as ``a vision of the future.''
``I can bring the Perot voters home ... and the Reagan Democrats on social and cultural issues,'' Buchanan said in Manchester.
He said he was not about to soft-pedal his opposition to abortion or his support for other issues favored by the religious right simply to broaden his appeal.
``You just tell everyone exactly where you stand,'' Buchanan said.
Dole tried to stay above the fray, delivering a presidential-style address to state lawmakers in which he stressed his legislative experience and ``tested values.''
``Only men and women of character can make government work,'' he said without directly commenting on his Republican rivals.
Dole said at a later stop in Goffstown, ``Whoever wins next Tuesday in New Hampshire will probably be the Republican nominee to run against President Clinton.''
Dole all but ignored the narrow margin of his win over Buchanan in Iowa. ``We're going to win,'' he said repeatedly, flashing a thumbs-up.
Dole spokesman Nelson Warfield was more pointed.
``You have to take Buchanan seriously because he has a certain following,'' he told reporters. But in the same breath, Warfield dismissed Buchanan as ``a hell raiser and a bomb thrower.''
It was the first time the Dole camp has directly taken on Buchanan, who won in Louisiana caucuses last week.
As for Iowa's third-place finisher, Warfield said Alexander may have taken the ``bronze medal, but in this race, there's nothing but first place.''
Steve Forbes, regrouping after a disappointing fourth-place Iowa finish, stuck to his message of economic opportunity in a round of morning TV appearances but canceled his only campaign appearance of the day.
Dole appeared tired Tuesday after his late-night victory speech in Iowa and overnight flight.
Telling state lawmakers that it was an honor to appear for their late-morning session, he cracked, ``There's nothing like a good night's sleep.'' And, scanning the chamber for friendly faces, Dole joked, ``The eyes are the first to go.''
With a promise not to send U.S. troops abroad under United Nations command - a line that won a rousing standing ovation from lawmakers and supporters - Dole abruptly ended his speech.
His wife, Elizabeth, who had been seated behind him, rose to take his arm and the two of them sat down.
Conscious of rivals' claims that Dole is not up to a race against Clinton, Warfield later told reporters there was nothing to the moment.
``Obviously, whenever you get a standing ovation, it's a good time to say `thank you' and sit down,'' Warfield said.
Clinton refused to make predictions on the Republicans, ``Ask me in a month or two. It's just step one,'' he told reporters. He said he was pleased and surprised that 50,000 Democrats showed up for Iowa's uncontested election.
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Sen. Phil Gramm\Told supporters he will end hisby CNBcandidacy today. color. Graphic: Chart by AP. color. KEYWORDS: POLITICS