MR BOB DOLE'S gloomy electoral prospects have leapt forward as the leader of the conservative wing of the party, Mr Pat Buchanan, ended his feud with the Republican candidate and new polls showed the gap with President Clinton closing dramatically.
The opening of the Republican convention here brought Mr Dole good news on all fronts. The announcement of the Dole tax-cutting plan and the selection of the popular Congressman Mr Jack Kemp as a running-mate set the scene for an upbeat convention that only a week earlier seemed doomed to anti-climax.
A USA Today poll shows Mr Dole closing the gap with President Clinton from 22 to 12 points. The improvement follows the tax cutting proposals and the Kemp" selection, which continues to draw widespread approval in spite of well-known policy differences between the two men.
The most respected man in the US, the former chief-of-staff, Gen Colin Powell, also gave the Dole campaign a boost as he pledged his support before ecstatic delegates at last night's session. They also heard from two former presidents, Mr Gerald Ford and Mr George Bush.
Mrs Nancy Reagan's presentation of a video on her husband's career fired up delegates still nostalgic for the Reagan years.
The welcome endorsement of Mr Dole by Mr Buchanan, although coming late, should ensure a unified election campaign.
Until yesterday Mr Buchanan had refused to end his standoff with the party leadership over abortion and the economy and had refused to address the convention with the other candidates Mr Dole had defeated in the primaries.
But at a rally for his conservative supporters outside San Diego, Mr Buchanan declared a "truce" with Mr Dole "to make common cause to defeat Bill Clinton". The "peasants with pitchforks" who Mr Buchanan once threatened would upend the Washington establishment have now been put back in the Dole supporter ranks.
A jubilant Mr Dole interrupted a speech to workers at a turbine factory to tell them the news. The workers applauded and later Mr Dole told reporters: "Like I said, I'd like to leave here united and it appears that we will ... I gladly accept the endorsement."
Gen Powell's appeal for a more inclusive stance by Republicans towards minorities combined with Mr Buchanan's coming on board at the right time could broaden the Republican appeal sufficiently to concern President Clinton. Mr Dole has even appealed to the Reform Party leader, Mr Ross Perot, to give up his own presidential race and accept that a Republican victory is the best way to ensure that many of his economic aims are implemented.
The withdrawal of Mr Perot would mean a greater transfer of his support to Mr Dole than to Mr Clinton, most observers say.
The Reform Party held the first part of its own convention at nearby Long Beach over the weekend. Mr Perot is expected to be selected against his only rival, Mr Richard Lamm, in two weeks.
The decision by Mr Buchanan to deliver his estimated several million supporters to Mr Dole is an important development. The director of the influential Christian Coalition, Mr Ralph Reed, said he was "delighted" with the decision. He was confident this would "turn out the largest Christian vote in electoral history."