"You have served your country in so many ways, and you should be proud of your 35 years in Congress. On behalf of a grateful America, as you retire from the Senate, I thank you for your service.
-- Bill Clinton, May 15, 1996
Tom Brokaw: "What do you admire most about Bob Dole, the man you're likely going to be running against next fall?"
Bill Clinton: "I -- well, I've -- there are more than one thing I admire about him, but I think the thing I admire most about him is I believe he really loves our country.
"He was hurt very badly in World War II. He could have been embittered. He could have walked away. He could have lived a very different, secluded life. He threw himself into politics and public life. And on several occasions, when I had to do unpopular things -- even when he disagreed with me, he didn't try to stop me. ...
"And I believe he really loves America. And I think that's the first and most important thing for anybody who wants to get into public life. And I -- and I admire it. I think it's genuine and I admire it." (MSNBC, Internight, 7/15/96)
Robert Dole, Press Release - What Bill Clinton Had to Say About the Man Al Gore Attacked Tonight Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/315477