McCain says Bob Dole doesn't need negative press 'in the twilight of his years.' | John Shinkle/POLITICO McCain: Cruz owes apology to Dole

Sen. John McCain said Friday he doesn’t mind criticism from Sen. Ted Cruz, but he called on the Texas Republican to apologize for comments he made about former Sen. Bob Dole in a speech Thursday.

The Arizona Republican said he spoke with Cruz on the Senate floor after his remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday.


“I spoke to Ted Cruz. He and I have a cordial relationship about this,” McCain said on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” on Friday. “He can say what he wants to about me, and he can say anything he wants to, I think, about Mitt [Romney], Mitt’s capable of taking it. But when he throws Bob Dole in there, I wonder if he thinks that Bob Dole stood for principle on that hilltop in Italy when he was so gravely wounded and left part of his body there fighting for our country?”

( See POLITICO's full coverage of CPAC 2014)

Cruz made fun of McCain, Romney and Dole’s failed presidential campaigns on Thursday, joking about “President McCain,” “President Romney” and “President Dole” in urging Republicans to stand for their principles and not repeat past mistakes.

McCain said Friday that Cruz should apologize.

“Bob Dole is such a man of honor and integrity and principle. I hope that Ted Cruz will apologize to Bob Dole because that’s, that has crossed a line that, to me, is — leaves the realm of politics and discourse that we should have in America,” McCain said. “I said [to Cruz] if you want to, you know, say things that are critical of me and Mitt Romney, that’s fine. My beloved Bob Dole, as you know, is not in the best of health, and he doesn’t need that in the twilight of his years.”

Cruz’s spokeswoman called McCain’s comments a “distraction” on Friday.

“As he noted in his speech, the senator greatly respects these men, particularly the heroic military service of Sens. Dole and McCain,” Catherine Frazier said. “Suggesting anything otherwise is just an unnecessary distraction. He will not hesitate to talk about substantive matters of conservative principle that are important to bringing Republicans to victory – even if others may disagree.”