Lamar Alexander

MANCHESTER, N.H.-- In 1992, the presidential candidates discovered the virtues of the multiple media campaign -- appearances on MTV, Phil Donahue and Arsenio Hall were all the rage -- as well as the value of "800" phone numbers and town meetings.Now, in the embryonic stages of the contest for the next Republican nomination, the something-new-and-not-entirely-different for 1996 may be the use of satellite television to reach hundreds of "neighborhood meetings" -- an innovation being exploited by Lamar Alexander, former governor of Tennessee and secretary of education in the Bush administration.

Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander caused a ripple on Capitol Hill last week by announcing he will drop out of his party's Senate leadership to pursue a more independent course, which would seem to be a break from the GOP's my-way-or-the-highway solidarity. The news that in January he will give up his No. 3 position as Republican conference chairman was particularly surprising because the two-time presidential candidate has always been a conspicuous climber. A few years ago he ran for the No. 2 spot as Senate Republican whip and missed by a single vote; he had been expected to try again, with Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the incumbent whip, slated for retirement.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- There is an obvious analogy between the Republican primary campaign here this year and the Democratic contest in 1984. If it is carried to the extreme -- a very big ''if'' -- we could be looking at another upset when the votes are counted February 20.At this stage 12 years ago, the Democrats had in former Vice President Walter F. Mondale an established front-runner with broad support from the party leaders much like that enjoyed today...

ABC's This Week Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Defense Secretary Robert Gates; Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. 9 a.m.: WMDT (Channel 47) 10 a.m.: WJLA (Channel 7) 10:30 a.m.: WMAR (Channel 2) NBC's Meet the Press Clinton; Gates; Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. 10 a.m.: WGAL (Channel 8), WBAL (Channel 11) 10:30 a.m.: WRC (Channel 4) CBS' Face the Nation Clinton; Gates.

IOWA FALLS, Iowa -- Two and a half years on the road haven't prepared Lamar Alexander for this.Riding down an icy Iowa interstate in a borrowed Pontiac, the Republican presidential candidate can see dozens of cars and trucks that skidded crazily off the pavement in the season's first snowstorm and were left behind by their drivers.As it turns out, Mr. Alexander has something in common with those luckless motorists.He, too, is having trouble getting traction in Iowa.The former Tennessee governor is determinedly tracing a route to power laid down by other out-of-office politicians.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- By any measure, Lamar Alexander and Richard G. Lugar are among the most capable, thoughtful -- and likable -- public figures in America. Mr. Alexander served two exemplary terms as Tennessee governor; the highly respected Senator Lugar is a leading expert on foreign policy.And yet, their presidential campaigns have been largely ignored. With only two days to go until the first major test of the 1996 campaign, Monday's Iowa caucuses, they're running fifth and sixth in the polls, far behind the leaders.

DEMOCRATS NOW possess material for a vile and vicious TV ad. They need only to excerpt choice clips from the New Hampshire primary debate in which would-be Republican presidents snipe and snap at one another.It is enough to make GOP aficiondos look back to the 1952 and 1964 primaries. Then the Granite State was won by candidates who were literally an ocean away -- Dwight Eisenhower in Europe, Henry Cabot Lodge in Vietnam.Unluckily for the party, all belligerents were on the scene for Thursday night's debacle.

Macy to close more storesR. H. Macy & Co. Inc. said yesterday that it expected to close several more underperforming department stores this year, with a decision on which branches to be shut coming by early March.Genetic Therapy cuts offeringGenetic Therapy Inc. of Gaithersburg said yesterday that its offering of 1.5 million shares was priced at $10 a share. The company had planned to sell 2 million shares and price them as high as $14 a share.Analysts said they believed the lower pricing and number of shares reflected a decline in biotechnology stocks in the past few days as well as a large number of public offerings this month.

Secretary of State John T. Willis announced yesterday that at least nine Republican candidates would appear on the ballot for Maryland's March 5 presidential primary election -- the most in state history.Citing state law, Mr. Willis explained that the decision to put the nine names on the ballot stemmed from his belief that all "are generally advocated or recognized in the news media throughout the United States or in Maryland as presidential contenders."The nine on Mr. Willis' preliminary list are:* Lamar Alexander, former Tennessee governor and President Bush's education secretary.

ABC's 'This Week' White House senior adviser David Axelrod; Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.. 9 a.m.: WMDT (Channel 47), 10 a.m.: WJLA (Channel 7), 10:30 a.m.: WMAR (Channel 2) CBS' 'Face the Nation' Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, Mary Landrieu, D-La., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. 10:30 a.m.: WUSA (Channel 9) and WJZ (Channel 13) CNN's 'State of the Union' Axelrod; New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- An Iowa straw poll that traditionally has served as an early benchmark in the Republican presidential nomination race lost much of its luster yesterday, as first Rudolph W. Giuliani and then John McCain decided not to compete in it. The straw poll, scheduled for Aug. 11, in past campaigns has drawn tens of thousands of Republicans to a state party gathering in Ames, Iowa. But candidates vying to run well have had to spend large sums of money to transport supporters to cast ballots at the gathering.

WASHINGTON -- English would be declared the "national language" of the United States under a measure the Senate approved yesterday, a largely symbolic move that supporters said would promote unity and encourage assimilation by immigrants. The measure would not reverse current government practices of providing some materials and services - including voting ballots - in other languages. But it would establish that people have no right or entitlement to ask government officials to provide services or materials in other languages, unless that is authorized by law. Minutes after adding the provision to the immigration bill it is debating, the Senate passed a second amendment with softer phrasing.

Last time, my shirt came within 3,800 votes of beating Bob Dole in the New Hampshire primary. My shirt came closer to winning the nomination than I did.-- presidential candidate Lamar Alexander, speaking earlier this year about his former signature red plaid shirtAnd now, from Washington, Larry King...Larry King: In all my years in this business, I've never interviewed anyone quite like our next guest. Folks, this is not only his first prime-time television interview, this is his first interview of any kind!

Leaders should show that moral leadership is real, not a mythIt's not a myth that portrays American presidents as models of moral behavior. It's a belief that they in fact should be moral leaders. We vote them into office because we expect them to lead our nation in a responsible manner. As a nation, we require them to lead by example, placing the good of the country over personal gain.While you can say people don't always agree on what is moral, I think it's safe to say we as Americans believe you should not lie, cheat or steal.

CLEVELAND -- He came armed with a clear message, stuck with it and cheated only a little on his self-imposed "vow of silence" with inquiring reporters. A modest victory, perhaps, but for Bob Dole, this smooth three-day sojourn through Midwest battleground states seemed a sign that his campaign was finally taking on a professional luster."I'm very impressed, happy and pleased," said Christina Suma, a 40-year-old Cleveland mother of two who had just heard Dole describe his plan to provide federal scholarships for low- and moderate-income students to attend private or religious schools.