Dole’s Absence Noted

• By Matthew Murray
• Roll Call Staff
• Sept. 4, 2008, Midnight

The darling of the 1996 Republican National Convention, Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) is AWOL from the Xcel Energy Center this week, forced to defend her once-safe seat in a come-from-nowhere race back home and dispatching her husband to the Twin Cities to mingle with Tar Heel State delegates.