Senator Bob Dole
Senator Bob Dole
Founding Member of the Bipartisan Party for Health Care Reform
Recognized as one of the most prominent political figures of our time with a distinguished record of service, Bob Dole continues to make a difference in the lives of the American people. Dole’s unconventional candor and prairie wit are a rarity, especially in Washington.
Dole’s insight and unique perspective after 35-1/2 years in Congress are sought after on a daily basis. As an advisor, political commentator, guest on late night talk shows, star of two Super Bowl commercials and best-selling author, Dole is part of the American landscape.
As special counsel to one of the nation’s premier law firms, Senator Dole provides his advice on how Washington really works. As a leading voice on public policy issues, he is a tireless advocate on behalf of America’s veterans, people with disabilities and the millions of people living in hunger throughout the world.
Dole serves on the advisory board of the Bipartisan Policy Center with three other former Senate majority leaders – Tom Daschle, George Mitchell and Howard Baker – who in 2009 released the Leader’s Health Care Project recommendations on reform of America’s health care system. He actively supports the work of the Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas, providing a forum for civil discourse and promoting the idea of politics as a honorable profession.
Dole is Honorary Advisor to the Honor Flight Network, which flies World War II veterans to Washington to see the National WWII Memorial. As chairman of the National World War II Memorial, dedicated in 2004, Dole led the nation in honoring the heroes of his generation and helped enshrine the legacy of sacrifice for freedom.
In 2008, Dole was co-recipient, along with former Democratic presidential candidate and Senate colleague George McGovern, of the World Food Prize, which recognizes individuals who have advanced human development through increased quality, quantity and availability of food. In recent years, he has worked closely with Senator McGovern on a global school lunch program and various other hunger and nutrition initiatives.
In 2007, Dole served as co-chair of the President’s Commission on the Care of America’s Returning Wounded Warriors, which offered groundbreaking recommendations on the management of care for our wounded and injured service members.
Dole’s recent best-selling World War II memoir, One Soldier’s Story, chronicles his harrowing experience on and off the battlefield and the lessons learned through his struggle to survive. One Soldier’s Story is a tribute to those who defended liberty in its darkest hour and his gift to future generations, a destined-to-be-classic about overcoming adversity and making the most out of life.
Following the attacks of September 11, Dole joined forces with former rival President Bill Clinton to serve as the co-chair of the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, assisting the educational needs of the families of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Flight 93. He served as honorary co-chair of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, part of President George W. Bush’s USA Freedom Corps.
As the Republican Presidential nominee in 1996, Dole offered himself to Americans as a honorable leader. His candidacy for the White House cemented his reputation as a honest, respected statesman who will long be considered one of the most powerful senators and brilliant legislators of our time. In 1997, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom as a tribute to his character and contributions to the nation.
President Ronald Reagan said of Dole as a Senate majority leader, “His title of ‘leader’ is not just a job title, it’s a description of the man.” President Bush called Senator Dole “a great Republican leader, as great as any in the past.” Bob Dole is one of only 20 Americans to serve as Senate majority leader, and his first stint in that position in the mid-1980s won praise nationwide. According to Congressional Quarterly, Senator Dole “proved a point that badly needed proving at the time: the Senate could be led.”
The American public started seeing the lighter, entertaining side of Senator Dole’s legendary sense of humor with his post-election appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He is the author of two best-selling books on political humor – Great Presidential Wit, I Wish I Was in the Book and Great Political Wit, Laughing (Almost) All the Way to the White House.
Bob Dole was raised on the plains of Western Kansas. This tough, common-sense conservative from America’s heartland accumulated political achievements second to none. In addition to becoming the Senate majority leader and candidate for President, he also served as chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, his party’s nominee for Vice President, a member of the House of Representatives, and chairman of the Republican Party. He earned national acclaim for his leadership on behalf of the disadvantaged and Americans with disabilities, and for his mastery of foreign affairs.
During World War II, he was a platoon leader in the legendary Tenth Mountain Division in Italy. In 1945, he was gravely wounded on the battlefield and was twice decorated for heroic achievement. His decorations include two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster. He is married to the Honorable Elizabeth Hanford Dole, former senator from North Carolina.
Senator Dole’s effectiveness as a consensus-builder and his commitment to deficit reduction and economic growth have earned him the admiration of Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike. On issue after issue, Senator Dole is a statesman who has made his mark.