-Caveat Lector- Quayle To Run for President By RON FOURNIER .c The Associated Press HUNTINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Former Vice President Dan Quayle, trying to refurbish his image and jump-start his GOP presidential campaign, declared his candidacy Wednesday by pledging to rebuild American values after ``a dishonest decade of Bill Clinton and Al Gore.'' Seeking office for the first time since he and President Bush succumbed to Clinton and Gore in 1992, the former Indiana senator sought to push beyond a history of political gaffes and controversies. ``Murphy Brown is gone,'' he said, ``and I'm still here fighting for the American family.'' Quayle's use of the TV sitcom in the 1992 campaign to highlight a ``poverty of values'' brought him criticism and ridicule from some quarters. But he returned to the theme Wednesday, betting that primary voters will reward him for casting a spotlight on the family-values debate. ``The question in life is not whether you get knocked down. You will. The question is, are you ready to get back up, are you willing to get back up and fight for what you believe in?'' Quayle said. A crowd of nearly 6,000, packed to the gym rafters at his former high school, shouted ``Q2K! Q2K! Q2K!'' for Quayle-2000. Fireworks exploded before and after his speech, covering the stage in a haze of smoke. Rock music, hundreds of handpainted signs and an appearance by ball-tossing former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon gave the announcement a pep rally feeling. ``I have come back home to announce that I will seek and I will win the presidency of the United States,'' Quayle said. Gore, who succeeded Quayle as vice president and is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, was singled out by Quayle for calling President Clinton a great leader during the impeachment effort. ``What arrogance. What disdain for the values that parents are trying to teach their children. What contempt for the rule of law,'' Quayle said. ``This should not stand.'' ``We are coming to the end of a dishonest decade of Bill Clinton and Al Gore,'' he said. ``It's time we work to reclaim the values that made America great.'' Gore's staff dismissed the attack. Spokesman Chris Lehane said, ``Dan Quayle's vision of America will take us back to the Dark Ages of the last GOP administration.'' Appearing relaxed and in command of his topics, Quayle spoke from notes and varied from a draft of the speech given to reporters. He promoted his proposed 30 percent across-the-board tax cut, billing it as a boon to middle-income families. And he portrayed himself as the best qualified potential commander-in-chief, recalling his participation in White House war councils. After Bush picked him as vice president, Quayle had withstood withering criticism for having joined the Indiana National Guard years earlier, thus avoiding service in Vietnam. ``You can only get so much from briefing books and crash courses. You need experience,'' Quayle said. Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the early favorite for the GOP nomination, is getting scores of private briefings to bone up on foreign policy. ``A presidency is not to be inherited,'' Quayle said. Aides would not say whether Quayle was alluding to Gore or the Texas governor -- or perhaps both. Gore is Clinton's choice to win in 2000, and Bush is the son of the former president. Asked for comment, Bush campaign spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said simply, ``Governor Bush congratulates Vice President Quayle on his announcement and wishes him well. Governor Bush intends to campaign by laying out a positive vision for a brighter future for America.'' Quayle himself wants to inherit President Bush's mantle. The former vice president, 52, is a long shot for the nomination despite his popularity among grass-roots activists and his strong organization in New Hampshire. He joins a crowded field of conservative candidates wrestling over the same votes. His campaign team has come together slowly. And he raised about $2 million in the first quarter of 1999 -- $1 million less than projected. Quayle's largest obstacle is what one supporter calls the ``potato factor'' -- a reference to the day he misspelled the word in a classroom full of school children. That and other miscues turned the vice president into a punch line for countless jokes, cementing for many American the perception that Quayle was ill-suited for the job. Stuck with the image, Quayle wants to turn it to his advantage in the GOP primaries. He is telling conservative voters that the controversies prove his willingness to fight the media and liberal elite to protect values. A new internal poll of 1,000 primary voters showed that 70 percent agreed with this statement: ``Dan Quayle has proven he can take a punch; the media made fun of him and he is still standing firm for what he believes.'' His supporters argue that Quayle will easily exceed the low expectations to sneak up on Bush, who they say can't live up to his early billing. Yet Quayle has lost key supporters to Bush, including former aides David Beckwith and Al Hubbard. State GOP chairman Mike McDaniel has yet to endorse a GOP presidential candidate -- not a good sign for favorite son Quayle -- and Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith is a top Bush adviser. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! 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