Senator Bob Dole, now assured of the Republican Party nomination for the White House, could be forgiven for having taken the weekend off. But he didn't. Last week's overwhelming primary victories, allied to the departure from the race of Steve Forbes, render this week's midwest primaries a foregone conclusion and yet the man can't rest. His remaining rival, Pat Buchanan, shows no sign of letting up and will hound Mr Dole through to the last primaries in June and perhaps even right on to the convention in August. Or, as Mr Buchanan put it, "We're going to fight until hell freezes over and then we're going to fight on the ice".
Mr Dole can blame himself for Mr Buchanan's continued presence. The Dole team actively assisted Buchanan in Louisiana, Iowa (handing over names and addresses) and elsewhere so that Mr Buchanan would give Senator Phil Gramm a bloody nose. The plan succeeded too well Gramm dropped out early but Buchanan soared.
Mr Buchanan has no hope of the nomination but he has little to lose. His campaign has run on a little cash and a lot of mouth. His delivery is sharp, focused and articulate, as befits a TV commentator; the cameras queue up to give him free exposure. Mr Dole may be tempted to adopt some of Mr Buchanan's policies in the hope that he would then drop out but the reality is that he cannot. Nobody wins elections by appealing to extremists. Mr Dole can, therefore, forget about uniting the Republican Party. It is the centre ground of moderate Republicans, Democrats and everything else which will decide who wins on November 5th.
Mr Dole must now spend the remaining eight months undermining the Clinton administration and projecting himself as a viable alternative. The former will be easier to achieve than the latter. Just when Mr Clinton scales new heights - his approval rating is currently higher than ever - he invariably drops the ball. It may be Whitewater, the economy or Bosnia but this is Mr Clinton's election to lose and he just might. But, if he keeps a relatively clean scorecard through to November then Mr Dole will be up against it. There may be plenty of reasons for voting out Bill Clinton but nobody is offering many for voting in Bob Dole, least of all Bob Dole himself.
Mr Dole's inability to spell out why he should be elected "I just wanna serve", he told a TV interviewer emphasises the lack of ideological contrast between himself and Mr Clinton. The challenger fast needs to establish distinctions or the electorate will be swayed by the age factor (advantage Mr Clinton) and by who is the best campaigner (game to Mr Clinton). Mr Dole can be forgiven for not wanting to spell out his platform too soon. Mr Clinton has a knack of stealing Republican clothes. Mr Buchanan's charge that "Bob Dole has no agenda, no ideas and no vision" will gain currency if it is not countered quickly. Mr Dole can, of course, render his candidacy more distinct overnight if he can bring on board a running mate with a difference. According to one Dole aide, Gen Colin Powell "is our first five choices" if only he could be persuaded. As Senate majority leader, Mr Dole is an accomplished persuader. Time, perhaps, to get to work on Gen Powell.