Bob Dole, a man of war, power, zingers and denied ambition

2 years ago 248

WASHINGTON – Bob Dole willed himself to locomotion again aft paralyzing warfare wounds, ran for Congress with a close limb excessively damaged to shingle hands, and roseate done the Senate ranks to go a long-serving Republican person and pugnacious and tireless champion of his party.

He embodied flinty determination to succeed.

Yet Dole, who died Sunday astatine property 98, was astir celebrated for the times helium came up short.

He was the vice statesmanlike moving mate successful President Gerald Ford’s post-Watergate nonaccomplishment and helium sought the presidency himself 3 times. He came closest successful his last race, securing the 1996 Republican information lone to beryllium steamrolled by President Bill Clinton’s reelection machine.

Dole aboriginal said helium had travel to admit the defeats arsenic good arsenic the victories: “They are parts of the aforesaid representation — the representation of a afloat life.”

Representing Kansas successful Congress for astir 36 years, Dole was known connected Capitol Hill arsenic a shrewd and pragmatic legislator, trusted to broker compromises crossed enactment lines. He wielded tremendous power connected taxation policy, workplace and nutrition programs, and rights for the disabled.

Colleagues besides admired his deadpan wit. Dole wasn’t a large talker; helium was astir comfy communicating done a drawstring of zingers and pointed asides.

Those qualities seldom came crossed connected the nationalist governmental stage, however.

Early on, Democrats dubbed him the GOP’s “hatchet man,” and Dole seemed calved to play the part. His dependable was gravelly, his look stony, his transportation prairie-flat, adjacent erstwhile delivering a quip. He could look hard-bitten, oregon bitter, oregon conscionable plain mean erstwhile helium lashed retired astatine governmental opponents.

With each statesmanlike quest Dole tried anew to soften his nationalist persona. He could ne'er propulsion it disconnected — astatine least, not until helium was retired of authorities for good.

Just 3 days aft his last contention ended successful a resounding loss, Dole was cutting up with comedian David Letterman connected late-night TV.

Letterman greeted him with a cheeky, “Bob, what person you been doing lately?”

“Apparently not enough,” Dole answered with a grin.

The recently chipper Dole parodied himself connected “Saturday Night Live,” wrote 2 collections of governmental wit and made a astonishing commercialized for the anti-impotence cause Viagra, astatine a clip erstwhile intersexual troubles weren’t truthful openly discussed.

Dole aboriginal said radical were ever coming up to archer him they would person voted for him successful 1996, if lone helium had been truthful escaped and comic successful his statesmanlike campaign. But helium felt voters preferred gravitas and restraint successful their politicians.

“You’ve got to beryllium precise cautious with humor,” helium said. “It’s got to beryllium self-deprecating oregon it tin beryllium terminal, fatal, if you’re retired determination conscionable slashing distant astatine idiosyncratic else, and I’ve benignant of learned that implicit the years.”

Out of office, Dole remained dedicated to helping disabled veterans and honoring the fallen. He was a driving unit successful getting the World War II Memorial built connected the National Mall. Into his 90s, Dole inactive showed up regularly connected Saturdays to greet veterans astatine the memorial.

In September 2017, Congress voted to grant Dole its highest look of appreciation for distinguished contributions to the nation, a Congressional Gold Medal. In 2019, it promoted him from Army skipper to colonel.

His announcement successful February 2021 that he’d been diagnosed with signifier 4 lung crab prompted an outpouring of sympathy, prayers and well-wishes from crossed the governmental spectrum. President Joe Biden visited Dole's location astatine the storied Watergate analyzable soon aft Dole's dire diagnosis; the White House said they were adjacent friends.

Dole was calved July 22, 1923, successful Russell, Kansas, a tiny farming and lipid community. His begetter managed a pick and ovum concern and sold bootleg whiskey during Prohibition. The household of six struggled done the Depression and Dust Bowl years. They were truthful broke they moved into their basement and rented retired the remainder of the home.

In 1943, Dole, a 6-foot-2 Kansas University hoops subordinate with dreams of becoming a doctor, near for the war.

Army 2nd Lt. Dole was starring an battle against a German instrumentality weapon nest successful Italy erstwhile force occurrence tore done his spine and close arm. He astir died, and spent 3 years enduring aggregate operations and achy carnal therapy.

Dole had to relearn however to locomotion and bathe and write, this clip with an awkward left-hand scrawl.

He ne'er recovered usage of his close manus and limb oregon the feeling successful his near thumb and forefinger, making it hard to fastener a garment oregon chopped his meat. Still, Dole earned a instrumentality grade from Washburn University successful Topeka, Kansas, successful 1952.

To debar embarrassing those trying to shingle his close hand, helium clutched a pen successful it, and reached retired with his left.

“I bash effort harder,” helium erstwhile said. “If I didn’t I’d beryllium sitting successful a remainder home, successful a rocker, drafting disability.”

That was unquestionably portion of his information for persuading Congress to enshrine protections against favoritism against disabled radical successful employment, acquisition and nationalist services.

Today, accessible authorities offices and nationalist parks, sidewalk ramps and the sign-language interpreters astatine authoritative section events are conscionable immoderate of the much disposable hallmarks of his bequest and that of the chap lawmakers helium rounded up for that civilian rights authorities 30 years ago.

Dole became a Kansas legislator and region attorney, won a U.S. House spot successful 1960 and moved into the Senate successful 1968. His mentor, President Richard Nixon, would nonstop Dole to the Senate level to assail Vietnam War critics and different senators astatine likelihood with the White House.

Nixon rewarded him with a stint arsenic president of the Republican National Committee, including the play of the Watergate break-in. Dole, cleared of immoderate involvement, liked to quip, “I was disconnected that night.”

His aggressiveness won Dole his archetypal large interruption successful nationalist politics.

Ford chose Dole arsenic a moving mate who could occurrence disconnected verbal attacks portion the president kept to the precocious ground. Dole took connected the ngo with possibly excessively overmuch zeal.

He shocked viewers of the nation’s first-ever vice statesmanlike statement by pronouncing each the wars of the 20th period “Democrat wars” that had killed oregon wounded capable Americans to populate Detroit.

Dole aboriginal said helium regretted making a remark that offended truthful galore and didn’t bespeak his ain views arsenic a veteran. In that campaign, Dole said, “I was expected to spell for the jugular. And I did — my own.”

In the Senate, Dole began to spot the worth of forging alliances with Democrats, and it became a lifelong habit. He teamed with Democrats to uphold civilian rights, grow nutrient stamps, enactment up Social Security and make the Martin Luther King Jr. national vacation arsenic good arsenic to walk the Americans with Disabilities Act.

As Senate Finance Committee chairman, Dole won praise for his handling of a 1982 taxation measure that raised gross to easiness the fund deficit. Some chap Republicans were appalled by higher taxes, however. Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., called him “the taxation collector for the payment state.”

Nevertheless, Republicans made Dole bulk person successful 1984, and helium held his party’s apical Senate station for much than 11 years, a grounds until Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell broke it successful 2018.

Dole’s 1980 bid for the presidency was short-lived. In the 1988 primaries, helium won the Iowa caucuses earlier losing to George H.W. Bush successful New Hampshire, wherever Dole glared into a TV camera and snapped that Bush should “stop lying astir my record.”

Stung by the defeat, helium nevertheless utilized it to poke amusive astatine himself. “The time aft New Hampshire, I went location and slept similar a baby,” helium said. “Every 2 hours I woke up and cried.”

By the clip helium yet got his crook successful 1996, Dole was 73, making him past the oldest first-time nominee — moving against 1 of the youngest presidents.

Dole tried to crook the 23-year property quality to his advantage, portraying himself arsenic a worker of the Greatest Generation pitted against an undisciplined babe boomer who avoided serving successful Vietnam. But helium couldn’t flooded a pronounced charisma spread with Clinton.

Clinton won 31 states, Dole 19.

Dole’s archetypal marriage, to an occupational therapist, Phyllis Holden, whom helium met portion recovering from warfare wounds, ended successful divorcement successful 1972. They had 1 daughter, Robin. In 1975 helium joined Elizabeth Hanford, a Nixon appointee who aboriginal became a legislator with her ain statesmanlike ambitions. The lucifer endured.

In 2014, asked what helium hoped his bequest would be, Dole spoke of hard enactment for the radical of Kansas, and couldn’t defy mixing successful a quip.

“That I lived to beryllium 200,” said Dole, past property 91. “Or astatine slightest 100. And that I person ne'er forgotten wherever I was from.”

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Cass is simply a erstwhile Associated Press writer. AP writer Jennifer C. Kerr contributed to this report.

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