Cheney says some votes might go otherwise now

By Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 31, 2000

PHILADELPHIA -- With Democrats pounding him for his conservative record in Congress, Dick Cheney said Sunday that he might vote differently now on guns, education, the Equal Rights Amendment for women and a host of other issues.

Cheney, the all-but-official Republican nominee for vice president, accused Democrats of distorting his record by singling out a handful of the thousands of votes he cast as a GOP congressman representing Wyoming from 1979 to 1989.

"They obviously have an ax to grind," he said on NBC's Meet the Press. "They'd like to portray me in a negative light. I don't think it's going to fly."

On CBS's Face the Nation, Cheney said he now supports federal spending for Head Start and would consider a ban on "cop-killer" bullets. On the Equal Rights Amendment, he said he would support it if it was made clear that the Pentagon was not required to draft women.

Bush is lucky, Dole says

WASHINGTON -- Speaking from experience, Bob Dole says George W. Bush is a lucky man. He's not running against President Clinton.

Clinton was Dole's opponent in 1996. Although his administration was under investigation at the time, Clinton won re-election with just over 49 percent of the vote and 31 states.

"I think he's fortunate in not looking at Bill Clinton, because Bill Clinton is very good at what he does," Dole said in a taped interview aired Sunday on ABC's This Week.

"And of course, there's no incumbency. That's a plus."

McCain to delegates: Aid Bush

PHILADELPHIA -- Arizona Sen. John McCain urged his delegates Sunday to cross over and support George W. Bush's nomination for president. There were scattered groans from his audience, and shouts of "We love you, John."

GOP's gays optimistic

GOP gays insist that things are looking up these days.

For one, there are more openly gay delegates than ever before: five delegates and 10 alternates. And Gay Republicans will honor Mary Matalin, an adviser to George W. Bush, at a luncheon today.

Polls: Gore still trailing

OTHER POLLS: Bush had a 6-point lead in an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday, with Nader at 8 points and Buchanan at 2 percent. Bush led Gore 47 percent to 40 percent in a Newsweek poll, with Nader and Buchanan in single digits

To watch it today

ABC: 10-11 p.m.

CBS: Segments on news magazine, 10-11 p.m.

NBC: No planned coverage.

PBS: 8-11 p.m.

C-SPAN: 5 p.m.-midnight

CNN: 5 p.m.-2 a.m.

MSNBC: 5 p.m.-1 a.m.

FOX NEWS CHANNEL: 6-11 p.m.

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