Vietnam Shades Warner's Iraq Stand

His Biggest Sin

The thing that makes John Warner different from most mavericks is that it's never clear when the next affront will come.

He can go for weeks or months or even years as a revered member of the Republican family. A former Marine who led the Navy before his election to the Senate 28 years ago, Warner even looks the part of the courtly, white-haired GOP lawmaker from the South.

But every now and then, it seems, the urge strikes him.

"Obviously, when you're in the position of the White House or the party chairman, your job is much easier if everybody is just saying yes all the time," said Ed Gillespie, who as chairman of the National Republican Committee battled Warner on nominations to the Supreme Court.

It was Gillespie's job to shepherd the court nominees through Congress, a task made more difficult by Warner's alliance with 13 other moderate GOP senators. But Gillespie is a fan of Warner's nonetheless.

"John Warner understands full well that he is elected to the U.S. Senate, which is a separate and equal branch of government," said Gillespie, who has since become chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.

Warner's biggest sin, in the eyes of conservative Republicans, was his opposition to North, who was seen as an unadulterated champion for the party's right wing. Warner called North "unfit" for office because of his role in the Iran-contra arms scandal.

Warner not only opposed North's candidacy, he recruited an independent challenger -- former Republican attorney general J. Marshall Coleman -- who helped give the race to then-incumbent Sen. Charles S. Robb (D). Infuriated, Virginia conservatives persuaded former president Ronald Reagan's budget director to challenge Warner in the 1996 Republican primary.

Warner won easily and in the process cemented what had been an evolving reputation as a moderate, independent politician.

"[We] live in a great state of people of common sense, of wisdom, and they are fair-minded," Warner said after defeating James C. Miller III in the primary.

A Profound Impact

To anyone paying attention, it has been clear for months that Warner's support for the Iraq war has been wavering.

In October, just before the midterm elections, he returned home from a trip to Iraq and warned that the war effort was "drifting sideways." The comment was perfectly crafted for Warner: not too impertinent on its face but striking nonetheless.