Bob Dole has an incredible past and we should all respect the contributions he made to our country as a war hero and as a senator. His efforts to influence the current debate amongst conservatives by "reaching out" to Rush Limbaugh is a sad testament to where the man is now. (click here for link to Politico report)

His plea to Limbaugh to lay off poor John McCain was based on his personal relationship with him as a member of the Republican Party establishment. He has not been in the Senate since 1996, when he left to pursue his disasterous run for President. While he notes that since he left the Senate, McCain has made some troubling votes, he clings to McCain's early record and then, as a last ditch effort, attempts to pull on the heart strings with the mention of Hanoi Hilton.

This incessant need of the party establishment to convince people that McCain's time in "Hanoi Hilton" makes him the most deserving of the nomination borders on irresponsibility. He should be commended for his service but it did not create some sort of entitlement...

We should all remember how well the Republican Party did when it nominated a war hero who had done his time and "deserved" the nomination. People don't earn the nomination by being good "foot soldiers" or by serving in the military. People should earn the nomination of the Republican Party based on their current political positions and their most recent behavior.

Bob Dole is wrong on this issue and his appearance on Fox News on Monday night demonstrated how out of touch he is with the concerns of conservative Republicans. While he has not served the Senate for over a decade, Dole is still a part of the establishment.

Bob Dole's loyalty to McCain should be less important than his loyalty to the country...