Bob and Elizabeth Dole's long personal and political history
As demonstrated at the funeral of President George H.W. Bush, former Senator Robert Dole of Kansas, has always been known for his tenacity. Therefore, it is no surprise that he is increasingly taking his diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer.
Asked how he is doing, Dole said, "Oh, I'm doing great. But I have to keep in mind, I'm also going to be 98 in July. So, I'm going to be a senior citizen Going... "
A citizen with a lifetime of public service. Senator Dole and his wife, Elizabeth (herself a former senator and cabinet member), recently spoke with reporter Rita Brewer about her career.
"He has these values," Elizabeth said, "I think that in that small town, Russell, in Kansas, was forged by a wonderful, caring, loving family."
Dole was a high school athlete who wanted to become a doctor, but World War II intervened. He was a young army captain, advancing against the German fortifications in Italy when, Elizabeth explained, he was hit by German bullets: "They crushed her right shoulder, her spinal cord was injured. And she In fact, Rita, she was lying on the battlefield for 10 hours. "
Bob Dole lost the use of his right hand, and recovered for three years. But what he focuses on is support from his hometown, which is the epitome of a cigar box: "My friends at Dawson's Drugstore in Russell, Kansas, when they heard that I was injured, they put the box on. Passed around and placed it on the counter, and asked people to give them money, ”said Bob.
Brewer asked Elizabeth, "When you decided to marry him, did he ever say to you, 'Look, you know, you're getting someone who has some limitations'?"
"He never said that to me, but let me share with you that when we were going to visit his parents in North Carolina. Bob left his bedroom, and he had a towel on his shoulder that was crushed . He turned to my mother and he said, 'Mrs. Hanford, I think you should see my problem.' Mother looked at Bob and he said, 'Bob, it's not a problem, it's a badge of honor.' What does that say about the character of those two lovely people that I love so much! "
"You just fell for him?"
"Oh yes!"
Bob and Elizabeth Dole married in 1975. He has a daughter Robin from his first marriage.
He had decided on a life of public service while recovering from his wounds: "I felt that lying in bed for a lifetime is not an option," he said.
Bob Dole was elected to the House of Representatives in 1960 and to the US Senate in 1968. But Americans actually came to know him in 1976, when President Gerald Ford introduced Dole as his running mate in 1976. The Gerald Ford-Bob Dole ticket lost to Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. Dole ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, and again in '88. But he won an important race in the Senate in 1984 by becoming the leader of the party.
Dole was a mainstream Republican who advocated lower taxes and smaller government, but worked with Democrats on issues such as protecting Social Security and supporting civil and disability rights. In fact, both doles were always proud to work in the corridor, something that is rare these days.
Brewer asked Elizabeth, "Do you feel like you are following step by step with today's Republican Party?"
"As far as the party is concerned, it is division which worries me," he said. "We have to overcome it."
Brewer asked Bob, "Senator, some people were surprised that you supported President Trump's re-election, seeing how different your tone and your attitude towards life is."
"Yes, if he could have used my accent, he might have been reelected!" he said. "He had some good policies."
But Dole quickly accepted the fact that Joe Biden won the election. "The election was over, as many of us Republicans want it to go the other way, but it didn't," he said.
In fact, Bob Dole has personal experience of losing the presidential election. He was bested by President Bill Clinton in 1979, but rallied quickly. Elizabeth said, "Bob Dole is a fighter. You can't put him down. He's going to bounce back. On the third day of losing the election, he goes to the Letterman show."
David Letterman: "Bob, what have you been doing lately?"
Dole: "Apparently, in any event not enough!"
Today, Dole has a friendly relationship with his former Senate aide, now President Joe Biden, who paid a call after hearing the news of Dole's cancer.
"You don't have to agree with all their policies," he said. "But you can't really find someone who is decent and fine, and the one who is - oh, he is Mr. President."
And it was Dole's old rival, President Clinton, who, in 1997, declared: "I am pleased to be able to recognize the record of Bob Dole's achievement, with the highest honor our country can bestow on a citizen: President Medal independence. "
Clinton also asked Dole to lead the effort to build a World War II national memorial. Dole helped raise about $ 170 million in private funds, and frequently visited the memorial to greet fellow veterans - one of the many good things he did after leaving the Senate.
He said, "My pledge once every day was to change the lives of at least one person. Now, I might have failed part of it, but I still work on it."
And Senator Bob Dole planned to keep working on it: "I don't intend to go quietly, but this is up to a high level," he said. "I want to try to make 100."
"That's right," Elizabeth said. "We are planning a 100th birthday party."
"Okay. And I'll try to be present if I can!"