Nearing The End, Dole Has Nothing To Lose

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AllPolitics, Oct. 24) -- This is precisely what GOP nominee Bob Dole did not want: attention focused on his entreaties to Ross Perot, rather than on his policies.

Dole is a private man whose political skills are sharpest when performing the delicate art of negotiation. He is said to be disgusted with the leaks that have forced him to go public with a riverboat gamble, the courtship of Reform Party nominee Perot.

It was Dole's idea to approach Perot. It was Dole who sent his campaign manager to Dallas to talk things over with the mercurial Texan. And now, while someone on his staff may be talking -- and reporters are asking -- Dole stands silent.

Campaigning in the safety of Republican zones, Dole is pressing the flesh, but he ducked questions about Perot.

He is pounding the Clinton Administration: "The president tells you one thing and does precisely the other, time after time after time!" (128K WAV sound)

He is striking out at the media: "They don't put any anti-Clinton stories in The New York Times. Only anti-Dole in The New York Times. They should not decide this election. We need the media to tell the American people the truth -- and the truth is that Bill Clinton ought to be voted out of office in a landslide!" (128K WAV sound)

He is keeping the faith: "We're excited. We're going to win this election and the American people are going to get a wake-up call!"

With or without Perot, the Dole campaign moves on, increasingly agitated, increasingly urgent, looking to shake things loose. "Is there no honor in this administration or in this White House?" Dole asked today.

Dole knew the White House would call him desperate, and he must have known there was a good possibility Perot would turn him down. But in the end, Dole obviously decided it was worth the risk. And near the end, there is certainly nothing left to lose.

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

Nearing The End, Dole Has Nothing To Lose

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