Bob Dole, mindful of his reputation and image, refused to wallow in the Atwaterian shithole, during his campaign vs. Clinton in '96. For the most part* Dole committed to making his campaign about why HE should be president, and not so much about why the OTHER GUY shouldn't.

Clinton was on the upswing then..and Dole had an uphill battle in making a case for himself. But, at least he tried. AND..at least he brought something tangible to the table. Remember his "15% across the board taxcut"? It may not have been the best of ideas (it was a bad idea) but at least it gave voters a reason to vote FOR him.

I knew Sen. Dole, Sen. McCain. And Sen. McCain, you sure as HELL are no Bob Dole!

*I'm sure a few Dem partisans can hint is to some counter examples but..."for the most part"...