For one thing, U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole arrived with a presidential motorcade, having met George W. Bush at the Fayetteville airport. For another, Dole was wearing a robin’s-egg blue outfit as she crossed to a seat in the front row.
Then Bush described Dole as his friend, while failing to mention two of her Republican opponents who were there: Jim Snyder from Lexington and Jim Parker from Lumberton. The last time he came to North Carolina, Bush attended a fund-raiser for Dole, who is married to former Republican presidential nominee Robert Dole of Kansas.
As the president left for Fort Bragg, Dole told The Pilot that his visit certainly did not distract from her campaign.
“I am delighted he came,” she said. “He has strong support here in North Carolina.” She said his three visits here this year only underline his strong connection with the state and its military heritage.
“Certainly he has tremendous support in the military,” Dole said. “With his great leadership in the war against terrorism, it is a very appropriate place for him to visit, and to show his strong support of our military.”
She said his support of her campaign is more than reciprocated.
“I am going to support him,” she said. “I am delighted to be able to say that. He has no stronger supporter.”
Dole said she supports expansion of the war into other nations.
“He has always said it is not just Afghanistan,” she said. “Obvious-ly, he is going after the Taliban, but there are other areas also.”
Dole said anti-terrorist action isn’t limited to military tactics.
“Action can be any number of things,” she said. “It can be economic, diplomatic. It can be military.”
Dole said she considers economic stimulus a primary issue. “I was with the president on having a speedup in tax rate cuts,” she said. But she supported extending unemployment benefits.
“I was for having unemployment benefits extended, and I was for even more,” she said.
“I think the Senate leadership walked away from our workers when they didn’t go with the full package.”
She said she believes tax relief stimulates investment and job growth.
