Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the Republican nominee for president in 1996, says Sen. John McCain’s age may be a major problem to address during the 2008 campaign.

Dole, now 83, was the oldest man to run for the White House when he was defeated by incumbent President Bill Clinton 11 years ago. Dole told The Sentinel newspaper in Carlisle, Pa., that the 70-year-old McCain will face “constant questions about his fitness and ability to serve” during the long presidential campaign.

Dole said McCain remains a front-runner for the Republicans but he thinks two other opponents – former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney – may prove more formidable.

The former senator from Kansas calls Giuliani the “mayor of America,” and thinks his strong views on national security may trump Giuliani’s more liberal views on social issues among GOP primary voters.

Dole said Romney is “an attractive guy” in the John F. Kennedy vein and is “one on the Republican side to keep your eye on.”

Among Democrats, Dole acknowledged that Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are the front-runners, but he said John Edwards should not be overlooked.

Edwards and Dole’s wife, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., served in the Senate together from 2002-2004.

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