Isn’t Bob Dole just a lovable old coot? This touching tidbit from the Nixon archives released today shows that this former leader of the Party of Lincoln also had a frailty, a need to be commended by virtuous men such as Nixon. It really gets me misty-eyed reading this:
The material also shows a sensitive side to Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, who apparently needed affirmation in his job as chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1972.
“The key to Bob Dole’s effectiveness is his morale and his attitude,” Colson told Nixon in a February 1972 memo. “A pat on the back from you tonight when you see him would go a long way toward keeping his spirits up. He is very sensitive to this kind of thing and often asks whether you know what he does. The slightest mention would have a very healthy impact.”
I can just see Nixon now, talking to Bob Dole like he was Checkers the puppy dog. “Hey There, Bo-Doo! You’ve been such a good boy! Where’s that waggly tail?”