Word: nunn
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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That was in 1972, and Nunn proved then that he can play politics with the best of them. With Uncle Carl's help, Nunn visited Washington and was able to tell Georgians that if he was elected he would be put on the Armed Services Committee. I have "assurances," he said cryptically. By primary day, Nunn had the support of both arch-conservative Lester Maddox and black activist Julian Bond. After defeating Carter's man -- a Harvard-educated lawyer whom Nunn chided for being "too used to air-conditioned rooms in Eastern Ivy League schools" -- Nunn faced a conservative Republican...
Well, actually, Nunn was "talking up" Wallace for President -- and before the threat of Maddox's bolting was perceived. "Without George Wallace on the national ticket," said Nunn before the Senate primary, "the Democrats cannot win. I fervently hope he will be on the ticket...
Despite commendable work on race relations and the support of black liberals like Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, statements like these -- and a generally conservative voting record -- could cripple Nunn if he seeks the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination. He considered running last year but pulled back primarily because his two children were still in school. "They'll have graduated by '92," says Bill Jerles, a Perry dentist and close friend. "Sam has those presidential thoughts in mind all the time...
Something else must happen if Nunn is ever to become President. Americans will have to fall out of love with charisma. The words that define Nunn are "serious" and "studious." Thirty-second sound bites are not his forte. He once turned down a chance to appear on national television to speak about defense policy in response to President Reagan because the time allotted "wasn't enough to do justice to the subject...
...Nunn's Senate tenure reflects an eclectic mix of interests. National security is his primary focus, of course, and the keys to his influence are knowledge, timing and as little partisanship as possible. "By the time he starts talking about a subject," says Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, "he knows more about it than anybody else." "His real genius," says Republican William Cohen of Maine, "is to wait for the right moment to come up with a solution after allowing the sides to play themselves...