WASHINGTON — Bob Dole lay in state Thursday at the U.S. Capitol, as the president and others gathered to pay tribute to a “giant of our history” who served the country in war and in politics with pragmatism, self-deprecating wit and a bygone era's sense of common civility and compromise.
President Joe Biden, a longtime friend, said Dole — the former Republican senator, presidential contender and World War II veteran from Kansas — should have the final word as he read from his colleague of 25 years' own plea for the country to come together and find common ground.
“Truth of the matter is, as divided as we are, the only way forward for democracy is unity — consensus — the only way,” Biden told those gathered. “We may follow his wisdom and his timeless truth and reach consensus on the basic fundamental principles we all agree on.”
The morning ceremony brought about 100 invited guests and congressional leaders as Dole's casket, draped with the American flag, sat under the dome. Dole, who served nearly 36 years in Congress, died Sunday at the age of 98.
Biden said Dole “belongs here, in this place, this temple to liberty and temple to possibility.” The president said of Dole: “He, too, was a giant of our history.”
The service will be the first of several in Washington commemorating Dole’s life and legacy. Thursday’s event at the Capitol and Friday's funeral at the Washington National Cathedral are closed to the public. But Dole's funeral will be livestreamed at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, and his motorcade is expected to stop by later at an event with actor Tom Hanks honoring his life and military service before the casket travels to his hometown of Russell and later Topeka.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Dole was being honored among the “pantheon of patriots” — his casket placed atop the Lincoln catafalque that has been used since 1865.
Pelosi kissed the hand of Dole's wife, Elizabeth Dole, and his daughter, Robin, who were seated near Biden, before telling those gathered that Dole's “principled leadership” was long respected “on both sides of the aisle, both sides of the Capitol.”
Elizabeth Dole appeared to cry as she approached the casket and reached out her hand.
Black draperies hung on doorways under the Capitol dome in preparation for the service. About 100 chairs were set up, socially distanced for COVID-19 protocols.
A lectern was positioned in a way that the statue of another Kansas stateman, Dwight Eisenhower, would be seen in the background behind the day's speakers.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, now the longest-serving Republican Senate leader, said earlier that Dole idolized Eisenhower, calling the former president and general a hero who embodied “the finest qualities of the American people.”
“We can say with certainty that Eisenhower isn’t the only Kansan who meets those standards,” McConnell said in a speech earlier this week.
Born a child of the Dust Bowl in Russell, Kansas, Bob Dole suffered paralyzing and near-fatal wounds after being shot in World War II that sent him home with a severely damaged right arm that he could not use to shake hands. Instead, Dole held a pen in it and reached out with his left as a way to put greeters at ease.
After earning a law degree at Washburn University, he worked as county attorney and served as a Kansas state legislator before running for Congress in 1960, joining the House for eight years then going on to win the Senate seat. He was the GOP's presidential nominee in 1996, his third and final campaign for president — a race he never won.
Dole’s quick wit was on display after losing the presidential contest to incumbent Democrat Bill Clinton, who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom days before the 1997 inauguration.
McConnell said when it was time for Dole’s remarks, he stood at the podium and began: “I, Robert J. Dole … do solemnly swear … oh, sorry, wrong speech!”
But that humor was rarely seen on the campaign trail or in his public pronouncements, where it could have helped him win more votes.
Instead, Dole was seen as a GOP “hatchet man,” a mentee of Richard Nixon and chairman of the Republican National Committee during the Watergate era. He went on to become the sharp-tongued vice presidential running mate to Gerald Ford, another lost race.
But it was Dole's long career in the Senate where he grew to see the value of reaching across the aisle to Democrats and secured his more lasting achievements — most notably the Americans with Disabilities Act that to this day ensures a level of accessibility as a civil right.
At times, Dole bucked his own party, particularly on a landmark tax bill, and helped create the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday.
The former senator announced in February 2021 a diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer. Biden visited Dole at his home at the Watergate complex.
