Bidens, legislators pay tribute to Bob Dole at U.S. Capitol Rotunda

Dave Goldiner

Bob Dole lay in state at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday as President Biden led a mournful chorus of tributes to an “American giant” who served his country with conservative values and trademark self-deprecating heartland wit.

The Kansas senator, war hero and Republican presidential candidate was remembered for epitomizing the civility and bipartisan comity that once ruled the Capitol.

“America has lost one of our greatest patriots,” Biden said. “May we follow his wisdom and his timeless truth and reach consensus.”

President Joe Biden speaks near the casket of former Sen. Bob Dole, who died on Sunday, during a congressional ceremony to honor Dole, who lies in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021.
President Joe Biden speaks near the casket of former Sen. Bob Dole, who died on Sunday, during a congressional ceremony to honor Dole, who lies in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021.


President Joe Biden speaks near the casket of former Sen. Bob Dole, who died on Sunday, during a congressional ceremony to honor Dole, who lies in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. (JONATHAN ERNST/)

Dole’s flag-draped casket was carried by a military honor guard into the Rotunda, where a small crowd of lawmakers and notables gathered.

The GOP lion of the Senate, who served nearly 36 years in Congress, died Sunday at 98 of lung cancer.

“God bless Bob Dole,” Biden concluded.

Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Democratic Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warmly greeted one another, setting aside partisan rancor in Dole’s honor.

McConnell said Dole’s childhood in “Dust Bowl poverty” taught the late senator to fight for food security while his status as a wounded G.I. made him a tireless advocate for veterans.

“His roots ran deep but he was always looking for new horizons,” said McConnell.

The casket of former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., arrives in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
The casket of former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., arrives in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.


The casket of former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., arrives in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/)

“To pay tribute to Bob Dole is to honor someone who redefined and elevated what it means to serve the country,” Schumer said.

Schumer recalled how Dole mocked him for his trademark proclivity for publicity.

“Don’t worry, Bob, it’s safe to get between me and the cameras now,” Schumer joked.

Dole’s widow Elizabeth, herself a former senator from North Carolina, nodded in agreement along with his home state lawmakers Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.)

The service was the first of several planned to commemorate Dole’s life and legacy. The Capitol ceremony and Friday’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral will be private. A motorcade bearing his casket is expected to stop at an event later Friday with actor Tom Hanks honoring his life and military service.

His body will then travel back to his hometown of Russell, Kansas where he’ll be buried on Saturday.

Despite being a staunch Republican who rarely veered from GOP orthodoxy, Dole was recalled as an even-tempered pragmatist who relished working across the aisle to reach compromise.

A joint services military bearer team moves the casket of former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., during arrival at the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state in the Rotunda, Thursday Dec. 9, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
A joint services military bearer team moves the casket of former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., during arrival at the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state in the Rotunda, Thursday Dec. 9, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.


A joint services military bearer team moves the casket of former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., during arrival at the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state in the Rotunda, Thursday Dec. 9, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/)

A lectern was positioned in a way that the statue of another Kansas statesman, President Dwight Eisenhower, could be seen in the background.

Elizabeth Dole, second from left, their daughter Robin, watch as a joint services military bearer team moves the casket of Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan. during arrival at the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state in the Rotunda, Thursday Dec. 9, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley is at left.
Elizabeth Dole, second from left, their daughter Robin, watch as a joint services military bearer team moves the casket of Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan. during arrival at the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state in the Rotunda, Thursday Dec. 9, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley is at left.


Elizabeth Dole, second from left, their daughter Robin, watch as a joint services military bearer team moves the casket of Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan. during arrival at the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state in the Rotunda, Thursday Dec. 9, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley is at left. (Anna Moneymaker/)

A child of the Depression, Dole served in World War II, where he lost the use of his right arm after being shot and wounded in battle.

Unable to use the right arm to shake hands, Dole used to hold a pen in that arm and shake with his left to make supporters feel more comfortable with his disability.

Dole earned a law degree then won a seat in Congress in 1960, before moving up to the Senate eight years later.

He was the GOP’s losing vice presidential nominee in 1976 alongside Gerald Ford and lost a White House bid to President Bill Clinton 20 years later.

Bob Dole
Bob Dole


Bob Dole (DAVID AKE/)

Dole showed off his gift for poking fun at himself after the loss to Clinton, who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom days before his own inauguration for a second term.

Dole stood at the podium and began speaking as if he, not Clinton, was about to be sworn in as president.

“I, Robert J. Dole … do solemnly swear … oh, sorry, wrong speech,” Dole exclaimed.

Elizabeth Dole, the wife of former US senator Bob Dole, escorted by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, follows her husband's casket into the US Capitol in Washington, DC where it will lie in state on December 9, 2021.
Elizabeth Dole, the wife of former US senator Bob Dole, escorted by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, follows her husband's casket into the US Capitol in Washington, DC where it will lie in state on December 9, 2021.


Elizabeth Dole, the wife of former US senator Bob Dole, escorted by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, follows her husband's casket into the US Capitol in Washington, DC where it will lie in state on December 9, 2021. (MANDEL NGAN/)

Dole’s long career in the Senate was marked by many GOP victories and some cross-party agreements including the Americans with Disabilities Act that to this day ensures a level of accessibility as a civil right and creating a federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dole announced in February 2021 a diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer. Although he was a strong and sometimes controversial supporter of the tobacco industry, he was a non-smoker.

With News Wires Services

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