THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 15, 1995 TAG: 9508150260
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Guy Friddell
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Only Ross Perot could throw a party as host, emcee, cheerleader and guest of honor and lure 10 presidential candidates to his hometown in hot mid-August.
The 10 praised him and fawned on his followers, buffing Perot's image, which had been deemed rubble after Vice President Al Gore drubbed him in debate in 1992.
Bounding about, Perot was as bubbly and energetic as Richard Simmons leading an exercise class.
``Ain't this exciting!'' he crowed. Introduced by the Dallas mayor, Perot loomed, grinning, mouth agape, as if about to swallow his face. A plucky young woman sang the national anthem, managing a quick falsetto coo on a high note.
Perot beckoned to her and, beaming, called to the audience: ``I want to tell you one thing. This little lady hasn't had a single music lesson!''
To the singer he said everything done that day would be for her.
After Pat Buchanan attacked Bill Clinton with the ferocity of an alligator gar, Perot summoned Mrs. Buchanan, a blonde in bright green.
``One thing we can all agree about Pat Buchanan,'' Perot shouted, ``he married way above him!''
Buchanan drew cries - ``Go, Pat, go!'' - for a reprise in style of his attack on Democrats at the 1992 GOP convention. Some blamed George Bush's defeat on Buchanan's war whoops; but now they buoy Buchanan to second place.
``I'm here to tell you our time has come, our time has come, our time has come!'' Buchanan chanted.
``When I get to that Oval Office, never again will young Americans be sent into battle except under American officers and to fight under an American flag!''
Bob Dole, too, fell into a chant: ``I'm not perfect, but I've been tested and I've been tested and I've been tested. And I believe if I've one asset . .
A heckler yelled: ``What about NAFTA?'' Dole's face closed, a basilisk for a flick of a second, and one yearned to see him lash out. Then it cleared, as did the dark moment.
He offered a defense for government: ``Yes, the federal government is big, but the federal government does a lot of good things.''
Lest that seem apostasy, Dole added that he agreed with the Perot-istas that it was ``too big, too intrusive, too undemocratic.''
The convention had been billed as a forum for ideas, and it was alluring much as circus animals excite attention; but most speeches were pap, no better than Democratic effusions.
A new idea came from U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar that proliferation of atomic material ``is the greatest threat.'' One day America and Russia will set up systems to control nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and persuade other nations to agree, he said.
Their faces were as impassive as cows looking over a fence. But hand them this: They endured three days of 37 speeches, no easy feat. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Ross Perot drew praise from the 10 GOP hopefuls at the gathering in
Dallas.
by CNB