Dole Barrels Through Six States

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. (AllPolitics, Nov. 2) -- His voice is beginning to strain and he's had little sleep, but Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole remains chipper on his "96 Hours to Victory Tour." Missouri marked the sixth state the candidate visited Saturday, and his afternoon rally at Marquette High School in a St. Louis suburb was the 13th stop since beginning the whirlwind schedule on Friday. (128K WAV sound)

Dole, who has dubbed himself the "Marathon Man," repeated many of the same lines used in previous rallies, insisting he will defy the polls and win as Harry Truman did in 1948.

"We are fighting around the clock for America," Dole told the Chesterfield, Mo., crowd. "We will win because all the undecided people are coming our way saying 'character does count, character does count, character does count.'"

Dole's Missouri appearance was two hours behind schedule. From there, he was headed to Omaha, Neb., Sioux Falls, S.D., and Grand Junction, Colo., the last three cities on Saturday's agenda.

At his previous stop in Covington, Ky., Dole took a breather, letting his wife Elizabeth fill in. She delivered a serious speech on women, choices, values and where her husband fits in. "The values and policies I've spoken about are important, and they're offered by one man in this race, the man I love," she said, with tears in her eyes.

"Our nation not only needs those standards, it needs him. America, especially at this moment, needs the example of Bob Dole," Mrs. Dole continued.

The 24-hour mark was hit in Indiana. In an airline hangar at the Indianapolis International Airport Saturday, Dole made use of the city's famous Indy 500 auto race, comparing his campaign-a-thon to the event.

He told voters there to elect him Tuesday because he would never compromise his ethics or violate public trust. "If you want someone who will keep their word, someone you'll be proud to vote for on November 5, vote for Bob Dole," Dole said.

This morning Dole stopped at the Lagoon Restaurant in Essington, Pa., just outside Philadelphia for a sunrise breakfast, where about 200 people gathered to greet the candidate. "Wouldn't that surprise everybody if we could win this state?" he asked his cheering supporters.(160K WAV sound)

Dole was joined in Pennsylvania by retired Gen. Colin Powell, who said a Dole presidency would bring back trust to the government. "This truly is the mother of all campaign trips when you see what the Senator's been doing," Powell said.

In the pre-dawn hours of the day, around 4 a.m. EST, Dole visited the Bendix Diner in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. accompanied by Gov. Christie Todd Whitman. He had a cup of coffee, and told the crowd of more than 500 he would keep his word to the voters, and would "behave" himself in the White House.

CNN's Candy Crowley contributed to this story.

Dole Barrels Through Six States

Related Stories: