Washington ? In the culmination of a long courtship, Republicans won the AARP’s support for Medicare prescription drug legislation on Monday, and the nation’s most prominent seniors organization said it would spend $7 million or more in a huge barrage of television advertising to back the plan.

The bill is not perfect, AARP chief executive William Novelli told the Associated Press in an interview, adding, “But the country can’t afford to wait for perfect.”

The organization, which claims 35 million members age 50 and over, issued its endorsement as President Bush met with lawmakers who negotiated the terms of the bill, and Democratic critics renewed their attacks.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., called AARP’s support “the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval when it comes to seniors’ issues.” And Republicans, who made a series of concessions to gain the AARP’s endorsement, said the group’s actions would translate into votes from lawmakers.

Novelli said in the interview his organization would “pull out all the stops” to get the bill passed, including a three-day television campaign timed for the run-up to expected action on the legislation in the House and Senate at the end of the week.

John Rother, the group’s policy director, said the television advertising would cost $7 million for three days beginning Wednesday, including some commercials on national cable and others on local broadcast stations in areas around the country. The group will run newspaper advertisements as well.

Rother said the AARP was prepared to spend more if Congress has not voted before Friday.

Republicans for months had yearned for AARP’s endorsement as a foil against Democratic allegations that the GOP is out to gut the government-run health insurance program for 40 million older and disabled Americans. They believe the group’s seal of approval will put pressure on Democrats to support the bill, however much they dislike specific provisions.

“AARP is a vitally important group, not because they swing votes necessarily, but because they do represent seniors, 40 million seniors,” said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, of Tennessee.

The legislation would create a prescription drug benefit for the elderly beginning in 2006 and establish a new role for private health plans in Medicare, encouraging them to offer seniors the choice of receiving coverage under managed care plans and preferred provider organizations.

One of the last issues resolved in months of closed-door negotiations involved efforts to keep employers from dropping drug coverage for retirees once the new drug benefit kicks in in 2006. The issue was high on AARP’s list of priorities.