Dole mastered the caustic wisecrack, often against himself

WASHINGTON – Bob Dole’s predominant scowl concealed a dry, often caustic wit. He singed governmental rivals with it — but didn't spare himself.

Wisecracks came with the territory of the Senate seasoned and erstwhile Republican statesmanlike candidate, who died Sunday astatine property 98.

A sampling:

—Dole was Republican Party president astatine the clip of the Republican break-in of Democratic office successful the Watergate analyzable connected June 17, 1972. He quipped that the break-in happened connected “my nighttime off.”

—Asked however the ungraded would impact GOP prospects astatine the polls: "Well, we got the burglar vote.”

—His swipes astatine President Richard Nixon could beryllium biting: “History buffs astir apt noted the reunion astatine a Washington enactment a fewer weeks agone of 3 ex-presidents: Carter, Ford and Nixon. See No Evil, Hear No Evil ... Evil.”

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—Did helium privation the disgraced Nixon to run for him? "I wouldn’t caput if helium did a flyover.”

—He was nary instrumentality of Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich backmost successful the day: “He’s conscionable hard to enactment with. It’s either Newt’s mode oregon the highway. He’s got a batch of ideas. Some of them are good; not many.”

—After Democrat Bill Clinton’s 1992 statesmanlike victory, Dole, past the Senate Republican leader, was asked astir moving with the incoming Clinton administration: “Our intent volition not beryllium to make gridlock. Oh, but possibly from clip to time.”

—Dole besides wasn't keen connected New York congressman Jack Kemp, a nonrecreational shot subordinate earlier his governmental career: “There was a definite shot subordinate who forgot his helmet and past started talking supply-side theory."

—But past Dole picked Kemp arsenic his moving mate successful the 1996 statesmanlike election: “This volition not beryllium a mean and divisive campaign. Jack and I are going to get on conscionable fine.”

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—Sizing up Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, these days the Senate bulk leader: “The astir unsafe spot successful Washington is betwixt Charles Schumer and a tv camera.”

—“Bob, what person you been doing lately?” speech amusement big David Letterman asked Dole a fewer days aft his 1996 statesmanlike predetermination nonaccomplishment to Clinton. "Apparently not enough,” Dole said, grinning.

—Dole’s sarcasm could beryllium mean-spirited, arsenic erstwhile helium asserted successful the 1976 vice statesmanlike statement that each the wars of the 20th period were “Democrat wars.”

—He came to regret that remark: “I was expected to spell for the jugular. And I did — my own.”

—On his governmental scorecard: "I don’t cognize however galore radical tally for vice president and president and suffer both.”

—Life connected Capitol Hill: “If you’re hanging astir with thing to bash and the zoo is closed, travel implicit to the Senate. You’ll get the aforesaid benignant of feeling and you won’t person to pay.”

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—On his mediocre showing successful the 1980 New Hampshire Republican statesmanlike primary: "The time aft New Hampshire, I went location and slept similar a baby. Every 2 hours I woke up and cried.”

—In a June 2016 tweet, erstwhile helium was 92: “I’m impervious that it’s ne'er excessively precocious to articulation Twitter.”

In tweets this year, helium mourned the deaths of Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Trumka, Walter Mondale, John Warner and different once-leading nationalist figures — arsenic good arsenic the decease of comedian Norm Macdonald, who mimicked Dole erstwhile they appeared unneurotic connected “Saturday Night Live.”

—"I loved laughing with him," Dole tweeted Sept. 14 aft connection of Macdonald's death.

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