Speaking to about 50 of her husband's supporters at a luncheon in Charlestown, N.H., Friday, Elizabeth Dole told prospectivevoters that her husband, Sen. Bob Dole R-Kan., possesses the experience and character necessary to be the next president of the United States.
After the speech, in an interview with The Dartmouth, Dole said her husband enjoyed his visit to the College last weekend.
"I wish I could have been with him," she said. "He said he had a great time and the young people were very enthusiastic."
"They see him as a leader whose track record is proven," she told The Dartmouth. "He is ready to hit the ground running."
Elizabeth Dole asked supporters at the luncheon to consider the importance of experienced leadership.
Drawing comparisons between presidential candidate Steve Forbes, who has never held public office and her husband, Dole mentioned her husband's lengthy service in Congress.
She said that Bob Dole, who has been elected Senate floor leader six times by his colleagues, is the longest serving Republican floor leader in the Senate.
"That is proven tested leadership," Elizabeth Dole said.
In recent pre-election polls, Forbe, continues to gain on Bob Dole's lead and may be BobDole's strongest adversary in the New Hampshire primary.
"The White House is not a place for on-the-job training," Elizabeth Dole said. "This is an awesome responsibility. You are the leader of the free world."
Elizabeth Dole said the most important attribute for a president to posses is "inner strength and character."
"I think if you have forsaken your moral compass you cannot consistently lead America on the right track," she said.
She said the balanced budget issue is "critical to young people today."
"If we don't get that done, you don't have our quality of life--you have less," she said. "We want you to have a better quality of life."
She used the "three Rs" to describe her husband's vision for America: "rein in the federal government, reconnect the government with the values of the people and reassert our leadership around the world."Elizabeth Dole graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University. She then went on to receive her law degree from Harvard University. She was the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Labor under George Bush.
The only woman to serve in two cabinets, Elizabeth Dole is the former President of the Red Cross and was voted one of the 10 most admired women in the world by a Gallup poll.
