Republican and Democratic politicians, including former Senate colleagues, are sharing condolences and memories commemorating the life of Bob Dole, who passed away at 98 on Sunday morning.
The big picture: Dole, the Republican presidential nominee in 1996, was the longest serving Republican leader in the Senate until 2018, when current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell surpassed his record.
What former colleagues are saying: "Bob was an American statesman like few in our history. A war hero and among the greatest of the Greatest Generation," said President Joe Biden, who served alongside Dole in the Senate for nearly 24 years. ...
- "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," said Biden, who paid a personal visit to Dole last February after his stage four cancer diagnosis. The White House also noted on Sunday that the president and first lady Jill Biden had spoken by phone with Dole's wife, Elizabeth.
- Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) recalled that Dole had taken him, "under his wing" when he first arrived in the Senate, calling the former senator a "best friend & mentor."
- “Whatever their politics, anyone who saw Bob Dole in action had to admire his character and his profound patriotism. Those of us who were lucky to know Bob well ourselves admired