The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Biden pays tribute to Dole: ‘One of our greatest patriots’
President Joe Biden said America has lost one of its greatest patriots with the passing of former Sen. Robert Dole, honoring his longtime friend and statesman as “a giant of our history” who prioritized principles over party.
Dole, who died Sunday at age 98, lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Thursday, returning to the heart of the place that shaped nearly three decades of his political career and where he, in turn, produced so much of the work that would form his legacy.
“My fellow Americans, America has lost one of our greatest patriots,” Biden said at a ceremony honoring Dole. “We may follow his wisdom, I hope, and his timeless truth — that the truth of the matter is, as divided as we are, the only way forward for democracy is unity, consensus. The only way.”
Shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday, service members brought Dole’s coffin, draped in an American flag, up the Capitol steps, where they were greeted by Dole’s 85-yearold widow, Elizabeth Dole. They then slowly proceeded into the rotunda, where about 100 chairs were arranged in concentric circles around the Lincoln catafalque, a wooden platform where Dole’s coffin would rest.
Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and several members of
Congress — including the delegation from Dole’s home state of Kansas — stood and placed their hands over their hearts as Dole’s coffin entered the rotunda. Dole will lie in state until this morning. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, there will be no public viewing.
Dole, a World War II veteran who was awarded two Purple Hearts, represented Kansas in the Senate from 1969 to 1996 and was the Senate Republican leader for more than a decade. He also sought the presidency three times, winning the Republican nomination in 1996 before losing to incumbent Bill Clinton.
On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mcconnell, R-KY., said Dole kept true to his roots through his decades in public service and “built brighter futures for millions” of Americans.
“A son of Dust Bowl hardship who was laser focused on food security and rural issues. A wounded warrior who spent decades carrying fellow veterans and Americans with disabilities on his shoulders,” Mcconnell said. “Bob was the last of the Greatest Generation to run for president, but he was never stuck in the past. His roots ran deep, but he was always looking to new horizons.”
To pay tribute to Dole was to honor someone “who redefined and elevated what it means to serve country,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., eulogized.