Dole Says Commission's Work Will Not Be in Vain

Stephanopoulos: Finally, because I can't let you go without talking some politics, do you have a candidate yet in 2008?

Dole: We have a Kansas senator running for president, Sam Brownback. But, you know, there are -- I'm a great, good friend of John McCain's, and I don't know Giuliani quite that well, or Mitt Romney. But how convenient -- we have a lot of candidates with probably another one coming tomorrow morning.

Stephanopoulos: Do you think Chuck Hagel's getting in?

Dole: I think he'll probably announce he's running.

Stephanopoulos: Maybe Speaker Gingrich, too, your counterpart when you were majority speaker.

Dole: Maybe Fred Thompson. You know, Senator Baker has been looking around for opportunities. And he'd be a very exciting, interesting candidate.

Stephanopoulos: The Wall Street Journal had a poll the other day that said that Republicans were less satisfied with their field than the Democrats are right now.

Do you think Republicans need to have a bigger field?

Dole: I think our field is big enough. We just maybe need a little more focus. I think the people who are dissatisfied may be the more conservative Republicans who don't quite -- well, Brownback would be fine and maybe Huckabee, but in the top tier candidates, the top three, they're not quite certain.

Stephanopoulos: And are you one of those Republicans who's convinced that the Democratic candidate's going to be Hillary Clinton?

Dole: I thought so, and I still think so. But, you know, I would have bet the farm on it two months ago. Now I think I'll just maybe hedge a bit and bet, you know, part of the farm, maybe the barn, the house, not the whole farm.

Stephanopoulos: Well, we'll come back in two months and see how much you'll bet then.

Senator Dole, thank you very much.

Dole: Thank you.