Late Sen. Bob Dole was a “man of principle” and a “master of the Senate” through his career in politics that lasted through six U.S. presidents, said President Joe Biden during remarks at Dole’s funeral service on Dec. 10 at the Washington National Cathedral.
“We disagreed but were never disagreeable. I found Bob to be a man of principle, pragmatism and enormous integrity,” said Biden who worked with the statesman for 25 years in the U.S. Senate.
Biden praised Dole’s courage for his support of civil and voting rights as well as the creation of the Martin Luther King Day holiday over the objection of some Democrats and fellow Republicans and Democrats.
“God what courage Bob Dole had,” Biden said, adding that Dole, himself known for political compromises as well as confrontation, was worried about the current state of American democracy.
“In his final days, Bob made it clear that he was deeply concerned about the threat to American democracy, not from foreign adversaries but to the division tearing us apart from within.”
Dole was honored Friday at Washington National Cathedral as top leaders from both parties gathered to display the kind of bipartisanship now rare in modern government, a tribute to the longtime Kansas senator’s ability to practice bare-knuckle politics without losing an overriding sense of civility.
Dole’s flag-draped casket was carried into the sanctuary by a military honor guard as the congregation stood and Dole’s wife, former North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole, and daughter, Robin, looked on. Joining top leaders of Congress at the invitation-only ceremony were former Vice President Mike Pence and actor Tom Hanks, as was Bill Clinton, who beat Dole to win reelection as president in 1996.
Dole’s longtime friend, President Joe Biden, sat with first lady Jill Biden in the first pew. Dole’s casket will later travel to the World War II Memorial on the National Mall for a public “celebration of life” featuring Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. Army Band.
Dole, who died Sunday at age 98, was wounded in the war, served nearly 36 years in Congress and was GOP Senate leader for more than a decade. In February, he announced he’d been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.
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