THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 3, 1995 TAG: 9506030308
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
U.S. Sen. John Warner hinted strongly Friday that he is preparing to endorse Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole's bid for the 1996 Republican presidential nomination.
Warner said he is not ready to offer a formal endorsement but added that he plans to actively campaign for Dole.
``I think he's eminently qualified, I'll say that,'' Warner said at an afternoon news conference to discuss the United States' military role in Bosnia.
``I'm not hedging all my bets: I was with him this week on a trip, I helped introduce him in Chicago, I will be with him on other trips,'' Warner said. ``To the extent I think I can help him, I'm going to do it.''
Warner, a Republican from Northern Virginia, also said he has no plans to assist any other presidential candidates.
Dole, a Kansas Republican and the highest-ranking member of the U.S. Senate, is considered the front-runner to face President Bill Clinton in the 1996 presidential race.
Warner's comments came after he praised Dole for a speech Wednesday in Los Angeles denouncing the entertainment industry's ``mainstreaming of deviancy.'' In the speech, Dole attacked several Hollywood films and popular songs for their violent content.
Warner called Dole a ``man of courage.''
``We are in a moral crisis in many respects in this country, and we better face up to it,'' he said.
Dole's Wednesday speech was called an attempt to win points from religious and social conservatives - a powerful force in the Republican party, and one that has cast doubts on Dole's credibility as a conservative. ILLUSTRATION: Warner
by CNB