Head held high, Dole concedes defeat

At the end of Dole's finalAt the end of Dole's finalpolitical race, he urgedAt the end of Dole's finalpolitical race, he urgedsupporters to 'continue toAt the end of Dole's finalpolitical race, he urgedsupporters to 'continue tofight the good fight.' WASHINGTON -- Flanked by his wife and daughter, an exhausted but relieved Bob Dole conceded the election to President Clinton at about 11:30 last night, insisting to thousands of cheering supporters that he was "still the most optimistic man in America." The 73-year-old Republican presidential nominee's gracious, 10-minute speech -- frequently interrupted by applause and shouts of "We love you, Bob" -- included thanks to his supporters for giving him the party's nomination. "I've never been prouder in my life than to have been the Republican nominee for president of the United States," he said. "And in a land where a miracle is always happening, when every day is a new beginning, I say thank you very much and God bless America." Dole added that he looked forward to a future role in American political life. "I'm going to sit back for a few days and then I'm going to start standing up again for what I believe is right," he said. "It's a lot more fun winning and it hurts to lose an election, but I'm going to stay involved and keep fighting the good fight." When Dole's statement that he had called Clinton to congratulate him was interrupted by shouts of "criminal" and "jail," the Republican presidential candidate urged the crowd to remember that Clinton was "the opponent, not the enemy." Many Republicans pointed to Dole's speech as proof that "the best candidate did not win." "Bob Dole finished this fight graciously and first class all the way," Pennsylvania resident Pete Frenquelle said. "It's just a shame that the better man lost." Outside the rally, souvenir stands showed the emphasis on anti-Clinton sentiments. The most popular item, according to a vendor, was a pin that read, "Bill and Hillary: Guilty and Guiltier." Inside the Republican election night watch at a downtown Washington hotel, a visitor would have had difficulty noticing that the party had just lost a presidential campaign. Cheering supporters smoked victory cigars, waved miniature flags, talked loudly about the GOP's bright future and even danced --Esome trying the macarena. The reason was the flip-slide to Dole's loss -- a string of Republican victories in U.S. congressional races across the country that seemed to guarantee GOP control of the Senate and House of Representatives. Republicans insisted that keeping control of Congress was at least as important as the outcome of the presidential election, which many said they had expected. Hours before the networks began to project a Dole defeat, for example, the rally's emcee, syndicated commentator Armstrong Williams, said Dole continued to keep his campaign strong in order to help Republican congressional candidates. Williams added that winning control of Congress meant Republicans were "solidifying an electoral base for the next 30 years." The returns showing that House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) had been reelected was greeted by almost two minutes of sustained applause and chants of "Newt." As the evening wore on, in fact, the crowd's response to the announcement of a Republican victory or loss in a congressional race was usually louder than their reaction to news of the presidential race, even in cases where Dole was ahead. When it became clear that Dole had lost, many of his supporters blamed the candidate's advisors and campaign directors, insisting that thanks to them, Dole often lacked a coherent message or effective advertising. But those supporters often disagreed on what could have been done differently. Some said Dole should have run a more negative campaign, attacking Clinton's character and ethics. But others said the campaign did not spend enough time highlighting Dole's positions on issues. Dole's staff, however, insisted they had done all they could do. Other Dole supporters turned their venom on the media. When CNN projected Dole's defeat at about 10:15 p.m., the crowd became angry that the network indicated only in very small type that the numbers were estimates. Thereafter, Dole supporters dubbed CNN the "Clinton News Network" or, worse, the "Communist News Network." As Clinton victories continued to roll in, several college students at the event offered a novel way of dealing with the defeat. "We're planning to get drunk in either case, but we'll definitely get plastered now that Bob lost," said Andrew Gratz, a junior at American University in Washington, D.C. "But they'd better give us free beer if we somehow end up losing the House as well."