Dole Campaign Press Release - Concord Monitor Endorses Dole

Dole Secures Support of One of New Hampshire's Most Influential Newspapers

Following are excerpts from the Concord Monitor endorsement:

"The Monitor, after long reflection, has decided to endorse in the Republican primary a man whose views we have often criticized. Bob Dole would provide a measured purpose and the sound judgment Republicans will need if they want to remain the majority party in November and beyond.

"The paradox is that the principles of a smaller, less intrusive government and a balanced budget -- principles that Dole has fought for during his 35 years in Congress -- are now mainstream, if not universally accepted. Yet just when Republicans are in a position to run these principles into law and policy, they could blow the chance. They will if they are lured to presidential candidates offering panaceas wrapped in sound bites.

"Pat Buchanan wants to scrap free trade and build a fence on the Mexican border. His response to job insecurity is jingoism. His response to urban despair is to force pregnant teenagers to have their babies. Steve Forbes is pushing a flat tax that will heighten class warfare and fatten the deficit. He lacks the qualification to be president. Lamar Alexander glibly preaches personal responsibility and peddles think-tank potions. He's slippery on the real issues in hopes that both conservatives and moderates will think he is one of them.

"Forbes, Buchanan and Alexander are doing just what they criticize career politicians for: making tooth fairy promises. Yet by raising false expectations while proclaiming themselves holier-than- thou outsiders, they will contribute to the public's mistrust of politicians.

"Bob Dole does not overpromise....Dole is a true mainstream conservative, temperamentally and philosophically. Wounded in war, he believes in the prestige of the presidency and the power of the president to set foreign policy. And so he took the risky but principled position to back sending troops to Bosnia.

"The Republican Party has plenty of theorists and futurists spinning bold ideas in eloquent language. What it needs is a strategist at the top who can turn words into actions. It needs a pragmatist like Dole to get things done....We believe he would be an effective president -- now who could lead the nation in the crises and through problems....If Republicans want voters to end divided government and give them the White House and Congress, they can't put up a candidate who is inexperienced like Forbes, scary like Buchanan, or evasive like Alexander. They need to nominate someone who is experienced and tested, trustworthy and pragmatic.

"That someone is Bob Dole."