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By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer

U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood likes to tell people, ``Call me Charlie.'' Democrat David Bell wants people to say, ``Sorry, Charlie.''

When Mr. Bell announced in April that he would battle U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., for the newly redrawn 10th Congressional District seat, he served notice that he intended to paint Dr. Norwood as an ``extreme'' henchman of House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

With more than $1.3 million in his war chest, Dr. Norwood was well-armed to turn the election into a showdown between a free-market conservative and a big government liberal.

But for all their charges, Dr. Norwood and Mr. Bell have their similarities. Both found their way to politics through military school and after a successful career. Dr. Norwood reminisced with Paine College students recently about growing up in Valdosta, Ga., and hustling boiled peanuts on the street to earn money. He attended Baylor Military High School in Chattanooga, joined the ROTC at Georgetown University Dental School in Washington, and served as a combat dentist in Vietnam. He was a dentist in Augusta for 24 years before selling his practice to run in 1993. His partner, Dr. Ronald Bowers, said Dr. Norwood ``is a guy who is real passionate about his beliefs, real determined and real headstrong. He just got tired of all that crap'' in Washington.

Mr. Bell's father, John, was a state representative and attorney in Augusta who died when David was 17. Using Veterans benefits, Social Security survivor benefits and a partial tennis scholarship, he was able to attend The Citadel. He served two years in the U.S. Army before going to law school at the University of Georgia.

Dr. Norwood's foray into politics began when he was elected president of the Georgia Dental Association in 1983 and later served as a delegate to the American Dental Association. But Mr. Bell's political education began early, starting with an internship with U.S. Sen. Herman Talmadge in 1974, then as former Congressman Doug Barnard's campaign manager from 1988-92.

Both Dr. Norwood and Mr. Bell say they are conservative but each displays a clear and distinct political philosophy. Mr. Bell is the pragmatic ``new Democrat'' who supports welfare reform and surrounds himself with conservative Democrats such as Sen. Sam Nunn and Gov. Zell Miller.

Dr. Norwood is more of a true believer and loyal warrior for conservative causes who proudly holds up his association with Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Contract With America that he signed in 1994 and voted for down the line. At times when talking about the election, he portrays it as a moral battle between between conservative Republicans and socialist big government liberals.

``For me, politics has never been about the economy'' Dr. Norwood said at a recent breakfast fund-raiser. `It's been about right and wrong.''

There are clear differences between the candidates on a number of issues, as well, such as abortion, education and Medicare.

Mr. Bell said he is for keeping a woman's right to choose but would accept restrictions such as parental notification and what he termed ``reasonable regulations'' on late-term abortions.

``The issue, it is a theological one, it is between a woman and her Creator and it's not for the government to decide,'' Mr. Bell said. Dr. Norwood is pro-life and is supported by such conservative groups as the Eagle Forum.

Dr. Norwood would like to do away with the U.S. Department of Education and send the money directly back to the states, where he says Georgia gets back only 25 cents of every dollar it sends to Washington. Mr. Bell counters with Education Secretary Richard Riley, who says the 25-cent figure is ``ludicrous.'' Mr. Riley says Republicans wanted to cut $31 billion out of education, including $10 billion out of student loans. Dr. Norwood says the cuts would have come out of administration and actually the amount available for loans increased by 50 percent, with Pell Grants reaching a record amount.

For Dr. Norwood, it comes back to his pledge, his contract with the district.

Over and over again, he will say he voted the way he said he would, the way he believes the district wanted him to.

But with a new, more Democratic district, David Bell is hoping voters will see that voting record as a contract they don't want to renew.