DUKE TAKES CAMPAIGN TO NPR

Duke, the gun-worshiping, substance-abusing "Doonesbury'' character, is
about to take his dark-horse presidential campaign beyond the comics pages
and onto Minnesota Public Radio.

"Doonesbury'' creator Garry Trudeau has formed an alliance with NPR to
broadcast a "Duke 2000'' vignette each week throughout the campaign season,
starting today.

The satirical bits are written by Trudeau. Actor and human sound-effects
generator Fred Newman provides Duke's voice.

If sample spots are any indication, "Duke 2000'' could radically enliven
October's political discourse. Here's a sample of his views, culled from an
NPR-provided CD and Duke's campaign Web site,
www.entertaindom.com/pages/duke2000/home.jsp .

His "compassionate fascism'': "I'd regulate the marijuana industry to
protect the millions of small family growers around the nation. That's what
I mean by compassion."

Wildlife conservation: "I'm proposing a sweeping new federal relocation
program for undesirable wildlife. For instance, I'd like to release poodles
back into the wild."

The debates: "I don't mind being excluded -- as long as Buchanan is, too.
As Perot taught us in '92, a cunning psychopath can command a short but
intense hold on voter interest."