Dole scolds Limbaugh
(The Politico) - Bob Dole, the former Senate Republican leader, wrote an insistent letter to Rush Limbaugh on Monday and suggested that for the good of the party, the conservative talk-show host should stop his strafing of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
On Monday's show, Limbaugh asserted that McCain has "lied about his reason for opposing the Bush tax cuts," and added: "I think McCain has an animus toward the Republican Party. I think ever since South Carolina 2000 he's had it in for the Republican Party, and one of his objectives is to destroy it and change it."
McCain, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, has always had a shaky relationship with the party’s conservative base.
On Monday's show, Limbaugh asserted that McCain has "lied about his reason for opposing the Bush tax cuts," and added: "I think McCain has an animus toward the Republican Party. I think ever since South Carolina 2000 he's had it in for the Republican Party, and one of his objectives is to destroy it and change it."
McCain, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, has always had a shaky relationship with the party’s conservative base.
posted by BP News Bureau | 9:22 AM
3 Comments:
From National Review Online:
The facts are these:
1. The Bob Dole letter was a private letter to Rush.
2. It was a very respectful letter, not a scolding letter as some in the media are portraying it.
3. The letter was provided to the media by the McCain campaign (a Dole associate has since written Rush and told him that Dole did not release the letter to the media).
4. Dole does not endorse McCain in the letter, as McCain and company have suggested. (On Hannity & Colmes last night, Dole said he had not made a primary election endorsement).
Rush condemned this as a McCain campaign dirty trick, he said Romney did not personally disparage Dole on Fox this morning but criticized his 1996 campaign, and that McCain is now using Hillary Clinton's tactics — i.e., raising his military background and feigning offense the way Hillary uses her gender wherever possible.
Rush said it was McCain, not Romney, who was abusing Dole. He added that his own father was a hero during World War II and neither his father nor Dole would talk about it. McCain, on the other hand, can't stop bringing it up now.
From National Review Online:
Limbaugh is ripping McCain a new one on his show right now, explaining the Bob Dole letter controversy and (properly) accusing McCain of mischaracterizing both what Dole wrote and what Romney said about it. He said that McCain's behavior — turning any criticism of himself or Dole into an attack on a military veteran's "service" — was disgraceful and evidence of the campaign's worry about how things have been going the past few days.
From what I can tell, Limbaugh is entirely correct.
McCain's behavior in this episode is revealing. It demonstrates that regardless of how compelling the political case is for GOP conservatives to swallow their many issue disagreements with McCain, the biggest obstacle is the character of the senator. A leader is someone capable of inspiring confidence and articulating a shared vision. McCain's limitations as a leader are clearly illustrated by the past 24 hours. Typically, when someone tries to form and lead a coalition and can't seem to pull it off, the blame belongs to him, not to the audience he's trying to reach. By reveling in the kind of identity politics commonplace on the Left (substitute veteran status for race or sex), McCain is sabotaging his own attempts to persuade his target audience.
This is an event far more telling about one's capacity for leadership than are past efforts to pass bipartisan (bad) legislation.
From National Review Online:
There's been a lot of talk about the letter that Bob Dole sent to Rush Limbaugh, but I don't believe it has been put in the Corner. Here it is, as it was sent to me by the McCain campaign:
Rush,
I have not seen you in a long time but I do hear you frequently and I know that you have serious reservations about Senator McCain.
Not that many care but I have not been involved in the Republican Primary contest because Elizabeth, a good conservative, is running for reelection in North Carolina where Romney, McCain and Huckabee each enjoy considerable support.
I was the Republican Leader from January 1985 until I left the Senate voluntarily in June 1996. I worked closely with Senator McCain when he came to the Senate in 1987 until I departed. I cannot recall a single instance when he did not support the Party on critical votes. (At my age, I cannot be entirely certain but here are a few key conservative examples:)
1) Consistent pro-life record
2) Strong advocate for strict constructionist judges (We were misled on the Souter nomination)
3) Supported voluntary school prayer
4) Supported Constitutional Amendment for a Balanced Budget (needed two-thirds and lost by one vote — 66-34)
5) Strong advocate for reducing spending and opposing pork barrel "ear marks" which has, I might add, angered some of his colleagues
6) Consistent on defending Second Amendment rights
7) Opposed "Hillary Care" which would have been devastating
8) Probably the Senate's strongest advocate for strong national defense
9) Of course he has cast many votes since I left. I totally disagreed with the McCain-Feingold legislation. On immigration, Senator McCain was not in the Senate when Congress passed President Reagan's immigration legislation which passed overwhelmingly. It granted amnesty to 2.7 million illegals. It was not much different than the 2007 McCain, Kennedy, Bush effort.
I disagree with his votes against the Bush tax cuts but I believe his pledge to make them permanent and I do not agree that Governor Romney ever suggested a timetable for troop withdrawals in Iraq.
McCain is a friend and I proudly wore his P.O.W. bracelet bearing his name while he was still a guest at the "Hanoi Hilton." I believe our major candidates are mainstream conservatives and that our nominee will address our concerns by keeping taxes low, reducing corporate taxes, protecting and assisting the vulnerable, strengthening our traditional values, and above all, keeping America strong militarily, whatever the cost.
Whoever wins the Republican nomination will need your enthusiastic support. Two terms for the Clintons are enough.
Gob Bless America,
BOB DOLE
P.S. Rush, I just came across a document from the Senate Library which shows Presidential Support scores. Let me give you ratings for "Mr. Conservative" Senator Helms through 2002 (Helms retired in January 2003) and Senator McCain through 2004.
"Presidential Support"
Senator McCain Senator Helms
Support Oppose Support Oppose
1987 65 24 77 22
1988 70 23 60 26
1989 91 9 71 28
1990 74 25 68 32
1991 86 14 84 11
1992 75 25 62 15
1993 27 70 11 84
1994 42 53 18 76
1995 35 63 20 76
1996 31 66 25 75
1997 68 29 44 51
1998 46 47 25 53
1999 38 62 18 82
2000 38 62 31 69
2001 91 9 96 4
2002 90 10 100 0
2003 91 9
2004 92 8
Source: CQ Press
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