Buchanan Defies Party Over Dole

Defying the Republican Party leadership, presidential hopeful Patrick J. Buchanan said Sunday that he will not endorse front-runner Bob Dole before the national convention in August, even if his own bid for the nomination clearly is falling short.

However, in a better piece of news for Dole and Republican Party peacemakers, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp said he would be willing to smooth the political waters between Dole and his other chief rival, Steve Forbes, which might clear the way for Forbes to ease gracefully from the race.

“If Steve wants me to, I would like to play somewhat of a bridge for the party,” Kemp said in an interview with reporters. That bridge, he said, could be built “either now or in the future. . . . We may have to wait till San Diego,” the site of the GOP national convention in August.

With Dole now holding what many consider an insurmountable lead, much of the suspense in the GOP campaign has shifted to how the other contenders may decide to give in and how much damage they might inflict on Dole before they do.

The posturing Sunday indicated that the issue, often a delicate one for opponents in hotly contested primaries, may prove exceptionally difficult for the 1996 GOP field.

Asked whether he would declare his support for Dole if the Senate majority leader’s nomination becomes certain, Buchanan said flatly that “there will be no endorsements” before the convention.

Buchanan, speaking on the CBS-TV program “Face the Nation,” said he would prefer Dole to Bill Clinton as president, if it came down to that choice, but that he did not share party leaders’ concerns that his slashing attacks on Dole might weaken the Kansan in a general election campaign.

“My objective now is to not help Bob Dole at all,” he said. “It is to defeat him for the Republican nomination because I believe I’m a superior candidate.”

And, underscoring his point, he continued, on Texas campaign stops, to dish out the kind of ridicule that makes party conciliators cringe.

“Every time I mention an issue, Bob calls me an extremist, and the next day he’s parroting what I’ve just said,” Buchanan said in College Station. The night before in Houston, he pulled out a toy parrot, which he called Bob.

To the delight of the crowd, Buchanan said, “Fight corporate greed,” and the parrot said, “Fight corporate greed.” Then he said, “There’s a cultural war going on,” and the parrot again mimicked him.

In Forbes’ camp, however, Kemp, a leading ally, hinted that the publisher’s diplomacy for withdrawal could start soon--perhaps after the “Super Tuesday” primaries.

“What Bob Dole says Tuesday night will be very important in helping heal some of the wounds,” Kemp said. “It’s always up to the leader to show magnanimity. Bob should be magnanimous.”

Asked what would happen if Dole doesn’t make room in his campaign for some of the issues that are dear to Forbes, Kemp said: “We’ll all be Republicans in November.”

Campaigning in Florida, Forbes continued to address the future of his campaign in terms that are open to interpretation: Is he really campaigning or just sending signals to Dole about possible terms of surrender?

“The principles and issues in this campaign are bigger than the candidates, and anything I can do to advocate and put forth those principles, get them moving forward and . . . America moving forward, I will do,” Forbes said. “The people in the big states deserve to hear these issues about the direction that America takes.”

Shogren reported from College Station, Texas, and Sipchen from Plant City, Fla.