Dole tells Rush McCain is "OK"

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.

...

Dole wrote that as the former Senate Republican leader, he could vouch for the fact that McCain supported the party on all “critical votes.”

In a bill of particulars numbered 1 through 8, Dole wrote that McCain has a “Consistent pro-life record,” was a “Strong advocate for strict constructionist judges,” “Supported voluntary school prayer,” supported a balanced-budget amendment, was a strong advocate for cutting spending, consistently defended Second Amendment (gun-owner) rights, “opposed ‘Hillary Care,’ ” and was “Probably the Senate's strongest advocate for strong national defense.”

The letter begins simply “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,” Dole wrote.

“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,” Dole concludes. “Two terms for the Clintons are enough."

...

I don't think rush will find the letter persuasive. Dole tends to ignore all the issues where McCain was or is wrong. There are about six big issues where McCain has been against the party and conservatives and they are not ever going to give him enthusiastic support because of that. About the best that McCain can hope for is unenthusiastic support.

Conservatives need to make it clear that they will support him on the war and on cutting spending. They can make it clear that they do not support him on campaign finance reform, his opposition to tax cuts, his opposition to drilling in ANWR, his support of the global warming legislation, His desire to shut down Gitmo, etc. In other words if he is the nominee, he is going to have a very limited mandate. The main reason these issues are not being argued is that the media and the Democrats all oppose the conservative position on these issues. Because they agree with McCain on the issue they don't comprehend the problem.

The way to appeal to Rush Limbaugh is to demonstrate an opposition to liberalism. McCain can say he is a conservative all day and so can Bob Dole and others, but until McCain can demonstrate an opposition to liberalism he will not be trusted. I think the best way to defeat liberalism at this moment is to win the war. Winning the war will destroy one of the basic tenants of liberalism and will also crack the Democrat coalition. McCain is going to have to hammer Democrats on this issue like he has never done before if he is going to get the backing of conservatives.