Wednesday, December 17, 2003
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Wednesday, December 17, 2003 |
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Five Questions for Sen. Zell Miller By J. FRANK LYNCH George and Karen Duncan have hosted big book signings at their little Omega Books shop in Peachtree Crossings shopping center before. But nothing prepared them for the turnout Monday, when Sen. Zell Miller came to town to autograph copies of his controversial book, "A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat." The popular two-term Georgia governor and one-term U.S. Senator was running late after earlier stops Monday in Carrollton and Newnan, but he didn’t shortchange an estimated 400-plus fans who stood in line up to three hours to shake his hand, share a word, or pose for a photo. “He’s been the nicest man, so accomodating,” said Karen Duncan of Miller, who arrived in Peachtree City with an entourage that included longtime pal Wayne Garner, the former state senator and Georgia prisons chief who was elected Carrollton’s mayor in November. Duncan said she had 300 books in stock, selling about 75 in advance and the rest well before the night was finished. Dozens more are now on back-order. At one point Monday night, the line to greet Miller snaked from the front of the store to the rear, winding its way back out the front door and down the sidewalk to near the entrance of Kroger. One woman who came running into Omega Books as the line was reduced to a single row down one aisle said she stood for two hours earlier in the afternoon but had to leave for a dentist appointment. “I got my crown done and came back,” she said. “A National Party No More” is making waves on both ends of the political spectrum, as Democrat Miller details his position that his national party has deserted its core constituents by drifting too far to the extreme left. This week, it is No. 7 on the New York Times bestseller’s list and is already in its third printing, Miller said. As the signing requests dwindled Monday night, he took five minutes to answer five questions for The Citizen: Q. Is this book making a difference? A. I can’t answer that, but I know this: It has a struck a chord in this country in a way I had no idea it would. I wrote it as a how-to for Democrats, and to get some things off my chest. But it struck a chord, and I can't explain that. Q. How easy will it be for you to leave Washington next year, when you plan to retire for good? A. Very easy. When I went up there to Washington (in July 2000, filling the seat of the late Paul Coverdell) I asked how long it takes for a senator to qualify for retirement, and I was told five years of service, and I had four and half years to go. I don’t need the retirement. I said when I arrived I never had any intentions of staying. Q. Your legacy as governor was the Georgia Lottery and HOPE scholarship program, which is on shaky ground now. And Rebecca Paul, who you hired to guide the lottery from the start, has moved on to Tennessee. Are you concerned? A. Well, there's nobody who’s better in the lottery business than Rebecca Paul. But the lottery is going to be fine because Georgia is going to continue to grow and the lottery will adjust and change. HOPE will be fine; it needs to be streamlined some but the state is looking into that and it will be OK. Q. How important was the news that U.S. troops had captured Saddam Hussein over the weekend? A. It means one of the world’s most cruel dictators and terrorists has been eliminated, and to get him out of Iraq and elminate that threat is a great achievement. I’ve supported President Bush in this effort from Day 1 and stand by him in everything he’s done in the war against terror. Q. So what is your position on the 2004 Presidential race? A. I’m going to support the Republican candidate, George W. Bush. He’s the right man at the right time in the right place to lead this country. I want a strong president in the White House because what happens in the war on terror the next five years is going to determine what kind of world my grandchildren will be living in years from now.
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