Politician
Bob Dole
Notes from Evan Smith
"He is a member in good standing of an exclusive club: one of a handful of men, and they have all been men, white men, at least for now, who’ve won their party’s nomination and run, in a general election, for president of the United States. He’s also a member, in equally good standing, of another exclusive club, having served with great distinction for twelve years as the majority leader of the United States Senate. And he remains, at age 84, one of the sharpest, wisest, bluntest observers of American politics. Bob Dole was born in the town of Russell, Kansas, and played basketball at the University of Kansas. While in law school at KU, he joined the Army’s Enlisted Reserve Corps to fight in World War II. In 1945, during combat operations in Italy, he was hit by machine gun fire in his upper back and right arm, which was paralyzed and remains so to this day; for his bravery and heroism, he was awarded two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star. Five years later, after returning to Kansas and finishing his law degree, Dole ran for Congress and won. He quit after one term to become Russell County Attorney, then successfully ran again for Congress in 1960. Eight years later he ran for the Senate, and there he remained for twenty eight years, although he was Gerald Ford’s running mate in 1976 and made runs for the White House in 1980 and 1988. In June 1996, Dole quit the Senate to run for president yet again, this time winning the Republican nomination — at 73, the oldest first-time nominee in history — but he was crushed by Bill Clinton in an Electoral College landslide. In the years since, Dole has been a sought-after speaker and pundit and a pitchman for products ranging from Visa to Viagra, and he has lent his name to a Insitute of Politics at KU. He is also a special counsel in the Washington D.C. office of the Alston and Bird law firm. And he continues to speak up for American soldiers and veterans, co-chairing a commission to investigate problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and chairing the fund-raising campaign for the National World War II Memorial. Dole has more than earned a quiet retirment, but his still-energetic life and work are further evidence, not that we need any, of what a fine and honorable public servant he is." - Evan Smith, Texas Monthly Talks, Broadcast 2.14.08
