THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 26, 1996 TAG: 9602260120
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Guy Friddell
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
One thing about Steve Forbes is that he has topped his daddy, who expressed himself by throwing ritzy parties and filling the sky with huge balloons like toy tops. Young Forbes has, at last, won a primary, something of which his father never would have dreamed for himself.
Forbes ``broke the glass ceiling,'' his campaign manager crowed. But the people of Delaware favored him because he was the only candidate to campaign in their first primary.
Can't blame him, either. If Virginia held a primary in a desperate move to boost its economy and all the candidates but one stiffed it, I'd vote for the fellow who showed up. He was euphoric at placing fourth in New Hampshire. Charles Dickens would have loved him. Creating a character, Dickens dwelled on a single quirk or quality. He would have rejoiced in Forbes' perpetual cheerfulness, the smile that never fades. As he is, Forbes could have stepped from the pages of ``The Pickwick Papers.''
Why, in New Hampshire, Forbes was as joyful as if he, a shy loner, had suddenly won acceptance in what was a jolly club of candidates. When he does run out of gas or gusto there are those who will miss him, which is more than can be said for the three GOP candidates in the lower tier.
On Sunday's midway of panelists, Forbes was scarcely noticed. The focus was on Pat Buchanan.
On David Brinkley's show, William Bennett was asked if he could support Buchanan as the GOP's nominee for president. ``I don't think I could,'' said Bennett, Lamar Alexander's campaign manager. ``I can't see myself voting for Bill Clinton; but what I'd think you'd see is the emergence of a third party.
``Here's an Irish American who's opposed to immigration!'' Bennett exclaimed. ``If it weren't for immigration, Pat Buchanan and I would probably be fighting right now in an alley in Belfast.''
Because Buchanan's campaign is based on resentment and anger, angry people ``tend to be drawn to him just by pitch, by decibels,'' Bennett said.
On ``Meet the Press,'' Buchanan's campaign manager, his sister Bay, said Bob Dole campaigns through character assassination. ``He's going to owe Pat Buchanan an apology,'' she said.
Columnist William Safire, Buchanan's former colleague in the Nixon White House, noted that Buchanan refers to himself in the third person, and speaks of ``my people'' and ``my movement'' as if he is Messianic and may pull out of the party.
``Pat Buchanan has gone overboard and fallen in love with himself,'' Safire said.
Meanwhile, Buchanan offered advice to his critics: ``Stop calling me names. If you keep it up, you make it difficult for me to bring my people home. Take some Prozac. Calm down. We are all going to the convention.''
That ought to be a humdinger. by CNB