White House Wag: The Odd Couple

W A S H I N G T O N, June 30 -- — It seems like just yesterday that Sen. Bob Dole was denouncing President Clinton as “power hungry” and accusing him of presiding over “endless violations of public trust.”

But now the acerbic ex-Senator and his one-time Democratic opponent can’t seem to get enough of each other’s company. In the last few weeks, Dole has turned up at four different events where Clinton was the main attraction. Some of these encounters have been at the most unlikely venues. In fact, two have been at fundraisers for Democratic candidates.

Electorally, Dole proved no match for Clinton. But as the two have shared the stage more recently, it’s clear that when it comes to deadpan wit, the senator still holds the upper hand.

The Great Viagra Debate

Earlier this month, the two men found themselves at a tribute to Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., at a Washington hotel. The president was just back from a weeklong trip to Europe and Dole managed to slip in this backhanded slap at Clinton’s globetrotting. “I want to congratulate you for having this on a night when the president is visiting the United States,” Dole quipped. Dole, who has spent some of his time since 1996 making TV commercials, also mentioned one of the products he has endorsed. “I’m told a Viagra side effect for some men in their fifties is that their hair turns gray,” Dole said before turning to look directly at the gray-haired Clinton. The room broke up with howls of laughter. A short time later, Mr. Clinton returned fire. “If it weren’t for me, he’d be just like all us gray-haired 50-year-olds, he’d have to pay for his Viagra,” Clinton declared. Just three nights later, Dole and Clinton found themselves together again. This time, it was at a fundraiser for District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams. The mayor is a Democrat but the event drew a number of prominent Republicans, including Dole and his 1996 runningmate, Jack Kemp. No new quips were traded, at least while reporters were present. Clinton did say he found the joke about his foreign travel pretty funny. “I took it pretty well considering I was jet lagged,” he said. The relationship between the former senate majority leader and the president is not all about jokes and jabs. Clinton broke the ice with Dole soon after the election by awarding him the nation’s highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom, at a White House ceremony. The president also tapped Dole to oversee a U.S. effort to look into the fate of people who disappeared during the fighting in the former Yugoslavia. Dole has also called in a few chits, getting Clinton to schedule a White House tribute to those supporting a new memorial for World War II veterans on the national mall in Washington, D.C. Clinton not only hosted the fundraisers and donors for the memorial, but said he’d be willing to bend the rules to bring in some more cash for the project. “I know this violates some law the counsel’s office gave me, but we still need a little more money. So somebody else is going to have to give,” the president told the crowd gathered in the East Room. Some who remember Dole’s attacks on Clinton’s ethics found their heads spinning. Dole says he and Clinton can spend so much time together now because he long ago came to terms with his loss and the president’s victory. “I decided I was not going to be a Clinton critic for four years,” Dole said Thursday in the White House driveway. “That’s the way it worked and that’s the way it should work.” The two men still don’t seem entirely at ease with one another, but the obvious thaw in their relationship had the lame-duck president talking this week about joining forces with his former rival. “When we get out of here, I’d like to make commercials with you,” the president told Dole. “I’ll be your straight man.”