Bush Says He'll Help Dole Any Way Possible

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (July 26) -- Once political adversaries, Bob Dole and former President George Bush met today at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport.

Dole was here to mark the day six years ago when George Bush signed the Americans With Disabilities Act which Dole had sponsored. But Dole got something else he wanted: some politically valuable pictures. Not just with the former president, but with Bush's son as well, the popular Republican governor of Texas, George W. Bush.

All of this seemed political light years from that New Hampshire winter of 1988, when Bob Dole suffered a crushing presidential primary loss to George Bush and reacted with bitterness.

"Well I think he's been lying a lot, very frankly, and he won't get away with it again" Dole said then. (64K WAV sound)

Dole later put it behind him and by the time Bush left office, defeated, Dole appeared genuinely moved. Now George Bush is promising Bob Dole campaign help.

"I'll do anything Senator Dole wants me to do. My heart lies at this level, at the Dole level and I want to and I will do absolutely anything they ask me to do," Bush said today. (128K WAV sound)

Bush, of course, has first hand experience with Bill Clinton's campaign skills -- skills that helped a small state Democratic governor upset a sitting president four years ago.

Any advice to offer Bob Dole for his match with Mr. Clinton?

"I have no advice to give him but should he ask on a specific subject, related to the campaign or anything else, I would be glad to share it with him," Bush stated.

Dole was asked, "Are you worried that your convention keynote speaker, Representative Susan Molinari, admits using marijuana two decades ago. Does that undercut your charges that drug use has been overlooked in the Clinton White House?"

Dole answered, "I'm talking about recent drug use, hard drugs, cocaine, crack and other things -- also overriding the Secret Service check on security -- [it] has nothing to with the other case. The White House is obviously very tender about this." (128K WAV sound)

Bush's political undoing was helped along when he abandoned his campaign pledge of no new taxes. Dole is expected soon to unveil a package of proposed tax cuts. Bush was asked on Friday: is the whole tax area a political minefield?

Said the former president, "Not if you play it right."

This story originally appeared on CNN's "Inside Politics."

Bush Says He'll Help Dole Any Way Possible

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