ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, July 12, 1996                  TAG: 9607120037
SECTION: NATL/INTL                PAGE: A-1  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: Associated Press
NOTE: Below 

DOLE: NAACP HEAD IS NO FRIEND OF HIS

THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL candidate said a scheduling conflict prevented him from attending the convention.

Criticized for bypassing the NAACP convention, Bob Dole accused the head of the civil rights organization Thursday of ``trying to set me up'' and said he would look for more receptive audiences that ``I can relate to.''

Dole, interviewed by radio show host Don Imus, said he probably would have got a cool reception had he agreed to address the group's annual convention this week in Charlotte, N.C. And he called NAACP Chairman Kweisi Mfume a ``leading liberal Democrat'' who was no friend of his.

Later, speaking to reporters alongside his plane in Washington, Dole strengthened his criticism of Mfume, saying, ``The head of the NAACP is a very liberal Democrat, and I think he was trying to set me up.''

Although senior staff members were well aware of the NAACP invitation, Dole said he had not known about it, adding: ``I don't know about a lot of invitations. The important thing is I have a flawless civil rights record.''

Mfume responded from Charlotte: ``I do not believe it is important whether Bob Dole thinks I'm his friend or not, but rather what we can do to help our country. Our hope was that the former senator would make himself available to our membership here in Charlotte in order to hear his vision for America.''

Dole said a scheduling conflict prevented him from attending the convention, and his campaign had offered to send former Housing Secretary Jack Kemp to speak in his stead.

In his telephone interview with Imus, Dole said, ```Let's face it, the leader of the NAACP, Mr. Mfume, is not known as a moderate Democrat or a nonpartisan Democrat. He's one of the leading liberal Democrats.''

Campaign spokesman Nelson Warfield said Dole's comments were partly a reaction to criticism Mfume had directed at Dole for not speaking to the group.

``I think he was simply trying to provide context for Mfume's remarks, which did not recognize Senator Dole's positive civil rights record,'' Warfield said.

LENGTH: Medium:   51 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  AP. Thursday afternoon, reporters ask Bob Dole why he 
          didn't attend the annual NAACP convention in Charlotte, N.C. color.
KEYWORDS: POLITICS PRESIDENT