"Bob Dole...what a mistake that was."
I remember thinking that at the time. But he, and many other Republicans, believed strongly that anybody, ANYBODY could defeat Clinton in '96, and as Dole announced to the RNC, it was "his turn." Lessons learned: Don't count your eggs before they're in the pudding, and don't let that kind of arrogance submarine us in the future.
Bob Dole did himself in, when he caved on the government shutdown. He took a potential GOP total victory and turned it into a defeat, preventing the Republicans from confronting Clinton in strength again for the rest of his term.