BOND URGES NATION GAIN COMMON SENSE

The nation needs Missouri values and common sense, U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond told cheering supporters Monday in Cape Girardeau.

"Personal responsibility matters," he said. "Character does count."

Bond made a stop in Cape Girardeau Monday afternoon as part of a campaign swing through the state to kick off his re-election campaign.

The 58-year-old Republican was elected to the Senate in 1986. He is seeking re-election to a third term.

Bond is being challenged by Democrat Jay Nixon, Missouri's attorney general.

About 150 Bond supporters from Southeast Missouri turned out for the celebration at the Holiday Inn, including several Cape Girardeau County officeholders. The song, "Still the One," played on a sound system.

Supporters chanted "Kit, Kit, Kit" as he walked into the room. Prior to his entrance, Missouri Republican Party executive director John Hancock and U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, danced on stage.

"We need a senator who is seasoned and experienced," Emerson told the crowd.

Sen. John Ashcroft, Missouri's junior senator, also took the stage to tout Bond.

"One thing for sure, politics is a team sport," said Ashcroft, who has been exploring the possibility of running for president.

Ashcroft said Bond has "dogged determination" and works hard to represent Missourians in Washington.

Last year Bond was in Missouri 210 days out of the year and attended more than 400 events, Ashcroft said.

Bond's 17-year-old son, Sam, was introduced as the 1,998th member of the Bond Brigade. Each member of the volunteer group has been urged to ask 20 friends to vote for Bond.

Following the campaign kickoff, both Bond and Ashcroft voiced concern about the White House scandal in an interview with a Southeast Missourian reporter.

Bond said President Clinton faces serious allegations that he lied and may have obstructed justice.

Bond said there are strong indications that Clinton has misused his office in everything from the Whitewater scandal to the current sex scandal. Such conduct is unacceptable, the former Missouri governor said.

Bond said the American people and Congress are awaiting the facts before passing judgment on the president's actions.

Ashcroft said Clinton has misused his moral authority as the nation's president.

Clinton is accused of having an affair with a White House intern.

He said the president should condemn the kind of conduct that is at the center of the allegations. "He needs to tell us the truth," Ashcroft said.

At the campaign rally, Bond said the nation's economy is strong. But he said the nation still faces problems of illiteracy and violent crimes committed by juveniles.

"We are worried that our children's schools are becoming dangerous places," Bond said.

Bond favors trying violent juveniles as adults.

Bond said Americans no longer can tolerate a failing education system controlled by the federal government in Washington. Bond said he wants to bypass the education bureaucracy and give the tax dollars directly to local school districts to use how they see best.

The Internal Revenue Service treats too many Americans like common criminals, he said.

"We need a simpler and flatter tax system," Bond said.

Bond stressed the values of work and family. "The best social program is still a job. The best social service agency is still the family," he said.