Conservative talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh has been unmerciful in his attacks on Ariz. Sen. John McCain as McCain gained frontrunner status in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. That's led former Sen. Bob Dole, the Republican nominee in 1996, to come out of the shadows in order to support his friend McCain.

In a letter Dole sent to Limbaugh Sunday, and which the McCain campaign released Monday, Dole writes, "I worked closely with Senator McCain when he came to the Senate in 1987 until I departed. I cannot recall a single instance when he did not support the Party on critical votes. (At my age, I cannot be entirely certain)... McCain is a friend and I proudly wore his P.O.W. bracelet bearing his name while he was still a guest at the 'Hanoi Hilton.' I believe our major candidates are mainstream conservatives and that our nominee will address our concerns... Whoever wins the Republican nomination will need your enthusiastic support. Two terms for the Clintons are enough."