Posted on Dec 6, 2021
Bob Dole, a man of war, power, zingers and denied ambition | AP News
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Bob Dole willed himself to walk again after paralyzing war wounds, ran for Congress with a right arm too damaged to shake hands, and rose through the Senate ranks to become a long-serving Republican leader and tough and tireless champion of his party.
He embodied flinty determination to succeed.
Yet Dole, who died Sunday at age 98, was most famous for the times he came up short.
He was the vice presidential running mate in President Gerald Ford’s post-Watergate loss and he sought the presidency himself three times. He came closest in his final race, securing the 1996 Republican nomination only to be steamrolled by President Bill Clinton’s reelection machine.
Dole later said he had come to appreciate the defeats as well as the victories: “They are parts of the same picture — the picture of a full life.”
He embodied flinty determination to succeed.
Yet Dole, who died Sunday at age 98, was most famous for the times he came up short.
He was the vice presidential running mate in President Gerald Ford’s post-Watergate loss and he sought the presidency himself three times. He came closest in his final race, securing the 1996 Republican nomination only to be steamrolled by President Bill Clinton’s reelection machine.
Dole later said he had come to appreciate the defeats as well as the victories: “They are parts of the same picture — the picture of a full life.”
Bob Dole, a man of war, power, zingers and denied ambition | AP News
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United States Senate
WWII World War Two
Congress
Posted 3 y ago
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Bob Dole on Letterman 11/8/1996 in Washington, D.C., 3 days after losing the presidential...
“When Rabbis Bless Congress: The Great American Story of Jewish Prayers on Capitol Hill" .. buy the new book here:https://www.whenrabbisblesscongress.comhtt...
In retrospect, re: the '96 Presidential Campaign; then Pres. Clinton had a soaring economy and Sen. Dole, as prestigious a Senator that he was, started out with a serious uphill battle in his attempt to unseat Pres. Clinton. In his campaign stumps, Dole came off as extremely rigid with monotone lackluster speeches, while Clinton, the master of the downhome Arkansas drawl came off as your friendly neighbor with a healthy list of Presidential accomplishments and Clinton went on to shellack Dole in the Electoral College 379-159. I remember seeing Dole right after the election on the Letterman Show and he was absolutely non-stop funny and had Dave and the audience rolling on the floor the whole time. I thought that if Dole had performed his campaign speeches and debates that way, he might have had a chance to unseat Clinton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7vCZq7_IQM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7vCZq7_IQM
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