European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 26, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes slur cams Robin Toner Tower made Nunn a White household word his words were parsed and scrutinized for weeks every statement studied every question Analysed. Finally thursday night in a crowded hearing room sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia the influential chairman of the Senate armed services committee delivered his devastating judgment against John g. Tower s nomination As Secretary of de sense. Nunn said he was genuinely torn by the evidence but had decided to vote no. It was the Climax of a classic clash Between the Senate and the executive Branch and at its Center stood Nunn probing and testing and pushing the White House but never making his Deci Sion Clear until thursday. Official Washington was fascinated by his motives. Some portrayed him As the Small town boy from the Bible Belt dismayed by allegations of Tower s drinking and womanizing. Others saw him As simply living up to the tradition that formed him of the pow Erful Southern senator with unquestioned expertise in National Security. He proved under that rationale that any president must take account of Sam Nunn in matters of the nation s defense. His actions thursday night will undoubtedly fuel political speculation about the Georgia Democrat in the weeks to come since Nunn is often mentioned As a potential presidential contender. But his friends portrayed his conduct As simple methodical and quintessentially Sam Nunn. He s already got the stature said sen. Richard c. Shel by a Ala. He s done his Homework Over the years. I Don t think he had an ulterior  another Friend Al from of the demo cratic leadership Council added he s just been uneasy about this for a Long time because he believes the no. 2 per son in the Chain of command has got to be beyond  the senator from Georgia at the Cen Ter of the fight Over Tower s nomination As Secretary of defense comes out of a Rich tradition of powerful senators from that deep South state sen. Walter f. George one time chairman of the Senate committee on foreign relations the late sen. Richard b. Russell longtime chairman of the Senate armed services committee and sen. Herman e. Tal Madge for years the chairman of the Senate agriculture committee. They were secure in their positions politically and they devoted a great Deal Walter r. Mears original animal 5 John part animal of time to National issues said rep. De Jenkins of Georgia. Much in that tradition Nunn got and kept his seat through hard edged politics he courted the support of George c. Wal lace when he first ran for the Senate in 1972. But he developed his reputation through the steady accretion of seniority and policy expertise. Nunn is Well practice in the Art of careful political positioning whether challenging presidents or crafting a Polit ical base that achieves what has so Long eluded his party s presidential Candi dates uniting conservative Southern Whites and Blacks. He s been Able to unite the differing factions of the Southern democratic party said Merle Black professor of political science at the University of North Carolina who describes Nunn As a key figure in the Post civil rights transition of Southern democratic politics. And that gives him a tremendous Power base that allows him to take controversial positions in National  Nunn won re election in 1984 with 80 percent of the vote. . Tolleson jr., a Georgia business Man close Friend and longtime chairman of the Sam Nunn Campaign committee said confidently i Don t think he has anything to worry about next  Nunn an owlish 50-year-old lawyer from the Small town of Perry reached consciously for the Mantle of Russell and of Carl Vinson his great Uncle the Long time representative from Georgia who was chairman of the House armed serv ices committee. He s steeped in it Tolleson said of Nunn. He came up around a very dignified capable Able lawyer father listening to All that political talk and  his race for the Senate in 1972 was fought on More prosaic ground. He was Little known and just 34 when he challenged sen. David Gambrell who had been appointed by Jimmy Carter then the governor for the seat left vacant by the death of Russell. His Campaign blanketed the state with a much lampooned but highly effective radio Jingle that declared Sam Nunn was Tough Sam Nunn was Young and therefore voters should Send Sam Nunn to  he has used his Power carefully choosing his issues and pushing a presi Dent Only so far. For example he played a key role in the ratification of the intermediate Range nuclear forces treaty demanding that the soviet Union provide clarifications of what he perceived to be loopholes. The Aura of bipartisanship the notion that on National Security issues party politics should not play a role is critical to his influence and accounts for much of his Appeal in the South. It s very popular when you speak about partisanship ending at the water s Edge said Jenkins. That is a Southern tradition. We believe those things should be  those who know him said they were not surprised by his conduct in the Tower affair. He is the sort who likes to look at a problem very carefully Tolleson said in a Telephone interview from his office in Perry. With a note of fond concern he added we Don t like to see him agonize Over a situation like this. Most of the peo ple Down Here including myself Don t think senator Tower is the Man for  new York times gop has itself to blame for Duke s election there s nothing like a political exorcism to make a name for a fringe candidate. All of a sudden David Duke is the Best known state legislator around. Right now More people probably know the name of the state representative from Metarie la., than know who represents them in their own legislature. Duke 38, a former grand wizard of the Kun flux Kjan came to National note because As soon As the Republican party found out about him gop leaders up to and including president Bush and former president Reagan tried to purge him. Actually the republicans were in a no win situation when Duke barged onto the ballot in Metarie a suburb of new Orleans. They could t be silent without appearing to accept him. But by speaking out against him they provided Duke the very platform he sought. Thus a 227-vote margin in the 81st Assembly District of Louisiana provided what Duke could t get As a minor party candidate for president. He was on the ballot in 15 states As a populist party candidate in a Campaign Man aged by a former Leader of the american nazi party. Duke got 48,267 votes for president 18,612 of themis Louisiana or 1.1 percent of the total vote there. Then Duke who had started As a Democrat changed his registration to Republican and ran for the legislature. On Jan. 21, he led a seven candidate Field with 33 percent of the vote in an open primary a system unique to Louisiana. All candidates regardless of party run against one another in the primary an the two top finishers meet in a Runoff. In this Case both finalists were republicans Duke and John Treen a Home builder and the brother of a former governor. Duke got 8,459 votes Treen 8,232. Duke s primary Lead sounded an alarm to state and National gop leaders who went to work for Treen and arranged the Bush and Reagan endorsements. That raised the stakes and his election to the legislature he took his seat on wednesday became a National gop embarrassment. It was heightened because of the bitter and often negative 1988 presidential Campaign in which the Bush organization was accused of racist tactics for its to commercials about the crimes of a furloughed Black convict. Furthermore Republican Southern strategies in presidential campaigns dating Back to 1964 concentrated on the conservative White voters who broke up what once was a solidly democratic South. Lee Atwater the southerner who managed the Bush Campaign and now is Republican National chairman says the gop is reaching out to Black and other minority voters seeking to broaden its base among groups that have been overwhelmingly democratic. Duke quit the klan in 1980 in a leadership dispute and set up his own organization the National association Tor the advancement of White people. Atwater said Duke is no Republican but a pretender a Charla Tan and a political  he said he wanted Duke disenfranchised from our  but excommunication implies that the sinner was in the Church m the first place so party leaders decided to censure Duke instead declaring that he is not a Republican i gesture deed or  even that adds to the notoriety for Duke. Atwater de  going to St a talking about the unwanted up legislator because a prolonged argument plays right into his  & & v Bush acknowledged that some people in Metarie May have thought it was improper or overkill Tor Tnp or Cin it n\r.\, j a i a if d not Walter r Mears vice president and columnist for the associated press has reported on National politics for More than 25 years