An indicator?
biz.yahoo.com
quote.yahoo.com
CNN's Turner "thinking about" White House run
By June Preston
ATLANTA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Media mogul Ted Turner said on Tuesday he was quoted out of context in a magazine article that reported he planned to be a
candidate for U.S. president in 2000, but admitted he has considered the possibility.
''I was thinking about it, but it's nothing serious, not yet at this point,'' Turner said at a news conference to promote buffalo meat as an alternative to beef. ''I wish
that hadn't gotten out.''
When pressed about whether he actually harbored presidential ambitions, however, Turner said he would not rule out a White House bid.
''I've though about that ever since 1977,'' Turner said. ''If I don't do it pretty soon, it will be too late.''
The New Yorker magazine had quoted Turner in this week's issue as saying he was ''very serious'' about running for president, even though his wife, actress Jane
Fonda, was opposed to the idea.
''I am very serious about running for president, but Jane doesn't want me to do it,'' Turner was quoted as saying at a Nov. 6 dinner of the Nuclear Age Peace
Foundation in Santa Barbara, California.
Turner, who founded Cable News Network which along with his other television holdings was purchased by Time Warner (NYSE:TWX - news) two years ago, is
now vice chairman of Time Warner.
A spokeswoman for Turner denied on Sunday that he would be a White House contender in 2000, and Turner said his comments were just ruminations on his part.
''That was just out of context,'' he said. ''It was just after the election, and I was thinking out loud.''
Turner, who owns 1.5 million acres of ranchland in Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico, appeared at the news conference to announce that U.S. Bison Co. LLC,
a company he founded last year, would begin a joint effort with Buckhead Beef Co. of Atlanta to market bison to restaurants in the Southeast.
Turner, a well known environmentalist, said he owns 17,000 head of bison, which he acknowledged were once an endangered species. He defended the decision to
slaughter some of his herd.
''On average half of the baby buffalo are bulls and half are cows, but you only need one bull for every 10 cows,'' Turner said. ''It's not like people.'' |
