Bob Dole dies

Per the White House: Earlier today, President Biden and the First Lady spoke on the phone to Senator Elizabeth Dole to express their sincere condolences at the passing of her husband, Senator Bob Dole.

Michelle and I were saddened today to hear about the passing of Senator Bob Dole. Senator Dole and I differed on policy, and I didn’t serve with him in the Senate. But I did get to know him over the years, and for that I will always be grateful.
Senator Dole was a war hero, a political leader, and a statesman — with a career and demeanor harkening back to a day when members of the Greatest Generation abided by a certain code, putting country over party. His sharp wit was matched only by his integrity, and he lived his life in a way that made it clear just how proud he was to be an American, and how committed he was to making this country everything he knew it could be.
Our thoughts are with Elizabeth – who has lived her own remarkable life of service – and all those who knew and loved a true American hero.

"In the last few weeks we also lost Gen. Colin Powell, another great American hero, and now Bob Dole. It's something to reflect on, to learn from, and especially for some of the politicians who are operating today, to go back and take a look at Bob Dole's career. Sure there were fights and sure he got into political arguments with the opposition, even within his own party, but you know what? He always had a sense of what was right for America... and he was willing to do that, and I think all of us are grateful. And I think I speak for all of us when I want to express our deepest condolences to his wife Elizabeth Dole, to his family, to Robin Dole, and I think I speak for all of us when I say: May he rest in peace and may his memory be a blessing," Blitzer said.

A month after being sworn in as President, one of the first conversations I had with anyone outside the White House was with our dear friends, Bob and Elizabeth Dole, at their home in Washington. Bob had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, and I was there to offer the same support, love, and encouragement that they showed me and Jill when our son Beau battled cancer, and that the Doles have shown us over the half century we’ve been friends. 
Like all true friendships, regardless of how much time has passed, we picked up right where we left off, as though it were only yesterday that we were sharing a laugh in the Senate dining room or debating the great issues of the day, often against each other, on the Senate floor. I saw in his eyes the same light, bravery, and determination I’ve seen so many times before. 
In the Senate, though we often disagreed, he never hesitated to work with me or other Democrats when it mattered most. He and Ted Kennedy came together to turn Bob’s lifelong cause into the Americans with Disabilities Act — granting tens of millions of Americans lives of greater dignity. On the Social Security Commission, he led a bipartisan effort with Pat Moynihan to ensure that every American could grow old with their basic dignity intact. When he managed the bill to create a federal holiday in the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. — a bill that many in his own caucus opposed — I will never forget what he said to our colleagues: “No first-class democracy can treat people like second-class citizens.”
Another bipartisan effort, the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, provided school meals and food for nursing mothers and young children. It saved the lives of countless young people who would otherwise have died in infancy — and brought dignity to tens of millions of families at home and abroad. This work, for Bob, was about more than passing laws. It was written on his heart.
Bob was an American statesman like few in our history. A war hero and among the greatest of the Greatest Generation. And to me, he was also a friend whom I could look to for trusted guidance, or a humorous line at just the right moment to settle frayed nerves. I will miss my friend. But I am grateful for the times we shared, and for the friendship Jill and I and our family have built with Liddy and the entire Dole family.
Bob was a man to be admired by Americans. He had an unerring sense of integrity and honor. May God bless him, and may our nation draw upon his legacy of decency, dignity, good humor, and patriotism for all time.

"I am saddened to learn of Bob Dole’s passing. He was a true statesman who served his country with distinction for 79 years.
I respected his character and commitment to American ideals. Our country has lost one of its great champions," Clyburn tweeted.

"Senator Bob Dole was a truly great man who lived an extraordinary life of service to America and he will be deeply missed by all of us who had the privilege to know him... His courageous service in World War II, his heroic recovery, his service in the House and in the Senate where he served as Majority Leader and his service on two national tickets, including as Republican nominee for President in 1996... were all driven by a love of country and patriotism synonymous with the Greatest Generation…Bob Dole’s legacy is a legacy of service and Karen and I send our deepest sympathies and prayers to his beloved wife Elizabeth, the entire Dole family and all who loved and admired this true American hero from Kansas. God Bless Bob Dole."

"Whatever their politics, anyone who saw Bob Dole in action had to admire his character and his profound patriotism," McConnell said in the statement. "Those of us who were lucky to know Bob well ourselves admired him even more. A bright light of patriotic good cheer burned all the way from Bob’s teenage combat heroics through his whole career in Washington through the years since. It still shone brightly, undimmed, to his last days," the statement said.