Dole Compares Clinton Problems To Scandals Of Disgraced Nixon Era Demos Reply That Dole, In National Gop Role, Defended Nixon In ‘72

Bob Dole suggested Friday that President Clinton is awash in scandals similar to those that toppled President Richard Nixon a generation ago.

“This president came of age in the political campaign of George McGovern,” Dole said, referring to Clinton’s role as the Texas manager of McGovern’s presidential campaign in 1972, the year the Watergate scandal started.

“He did not absorb any of the lessons of that time. He didn’t learn a thing from this national nightmare that we call Watergate.”

Later, during a campaign stop in Denver, Dole elaborated, referring to controversies within the Clinton White House: “Filegate, Travelgate. … We’ve had so many gates, I think it’s time to show him the front door.”

Dole’s assault on Clinton’s ethics triggered a Democratic response that reminded voters of the Republican candidate’s own, loose connection to Watergate. For a good part of 1972, Dole, then a senator, was chairman of the Republican National Committee, a role that found him in frequent defense of Nixon.

“Clearly, when it comes to learning lessons from Watergate, Bob Dole is the best teacher,” said Clinton campaign spokesman Joe Lockhart.

Nixon administration documents released by the National Archives Thursday “make one thing clear,” Lockhart said in a prepared statement. “Bob Dole has made a career out of negative politics and choosing insults over ideas.”

Lockhart cited a memo written in February 1970 by Nixon aide Pat Buchanan. Dole, the memo says, recommended in a meeting with Nixon that Republicans “initiate politically inspired investigations of past misdoings by the Democratic Administration; also, investigate those areas the (Nixon) Administration wants investigated.”

Buchanan said that “RN,” the initials for Nixon, backed the idea.

Not surprisingly, both campaigns offered different takes on whether Dole’s attacks, which have been escalating every day since he began his combative approach, were helping him eat away at Clinton’s double-digit lead in the polls.

Dole’s campaign manager, Scott Reed, said he expected a new round of polling this weekend to show the attacks were helping.

“I’ve got a gut feeling that it’s going to pay off,” Reed said.

Lockhart countered that the attacks and two presidential debates “changed nothing.”

Clinton campaign strategists met Friday and were meeting again today to map out a plan for the remaining days of the race.

Clinton is scheduled to make a swing through New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio and Florida during the first half of next week, in part to help Democratic congressional candidates. Dole is heading to New Hampshire Sunday and Michigan on Monday and Tuesday.

In a cross-country swing Friday that took him from Albuquerque to Denver to Wichita, in his home state of Kansas, Dole repeated his litany of charges made throughout the week: that Clinton abused his office by securing private FBI files on Republicans, that he used a fund-raising event at a Buddhist temple to “launder” campaign contributions from unidentified donors, that he has sold access and influence to Indonesian business executives for contributions.

“This is really unbelievable,” Dole said. “Every day we have a new scandal involving foreign corruption. … Our elections are not for sale to some foreign interest. … We don’t want these illegal contributions coming into America and distorting the process.”

Lockhart responded: “If Bob Dole wants to talk about campaign money laundering, he should check in with his own campaign fund-raisers.” He said officials were investigating three fund-raising incidents in the Dole campaign, and said that a former Dole fund-raiser, Simon Fireman, has agreed to pay a $6 million fine for raising illegal contributions.

“When it comes to illegal campaign contributions,” Lockhart said, the GOP campaign “is a full-service Laundromat.”