GOP conservative patriarch Barry Goldwater said Sunday he was only joking when he suggested he could choose Democratic President Clinton over his Republican rival Bob Dole.

During a scholarship forum on Saturday, Goldwater told his audience that he thinks Clinton is doing a good job. “I don’t care if he’s a Democrat or Republican - I would rather he be a Republican. But I think Mr. Clinton is going to be a good president,” he said.

And when asked what he thought of this year’s election and who might win, the 87-year-old Goldwater drew laughter when he said, “I would first vote for Dole if he was the only one running, but …”

Goldwater went on to explain his feelings about Clinton, saying, “I don’t have to get in bed with him. But I think he’s a good president and he has a very good wife.”

On Sunday, Goldwater said his comments were made “in jest.”

“I am Arizona Chairman of the Dole for President Campaign, support Senator Dole and intend to vote for my friend, Bob Dole in November,” he said.

Goldwater, a 1964 Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. senator from Arizona, invited Dole to his home near Phoenix earlier this year in advance of Arizona’s presidential primary.

At the time, Goldwater jokingly pronounced himself and Dole “the new liberals of the Republican party.” Goldwater gave Dole his blessing and predicted victory for him in the Arizona presidential primary, which millionaire publisher Steve Forbes won.

In recent years, Goldwater has taken some stands that have displeased conservative Republicans, including his support for gays in the military and his earlier alignment with a possible candidacy of Gen. Colin Powell.