As former Republican Senator Bob Dole lay at the Capitol rotunda Thursday, President Joe Biden and congressional leaders paid tribute to the man who spent 36 years in Congress. He died Sunday at the age of 98. The video above shows clips from the event. In paying tribute to Dole, President Biden said, “America has lost one of our greatest patriots.”
“We disagreed on a number of things, but not on fundamental things. We still found a way to work together,” Biden said. “We genuinely respected one another as colleagues, as fellow Americans.”
Biden also shared part of Dole’s “final message that he left to the country.”
“I cannot pretend that I have not been a loyal champion of my party, but I’ve always served my country best when I did it, so first and foremost as an American, where we prioritize principles over party, humanity, over personal legacy,” Biden quoted Dole as saying. “When we do that, we accomplish far more as a nation. By leading with shared faith in each other, we become America at its best.”
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Dole was being paid tribute among the “pantheon of patriots”. She kissed the hand of Dole’s wife and daughter before telling those gathered that Dole’s “principled leadership” was long respected “on both sides of the aisle.”
“Over the course of his storied career, he earned a reputation as a fighter for hardworking American families, a leader who could be trusted as a man of his word,” Rep. Pelosi said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Dole embodied “the finest qualities of the American people.”
“The real engine behind Bob’s 98 remarkable years was his love, his love for Elizabeth and for Robin, for public service, for Kansas and for America,” Sen. McConnell said. “Today we honor the amazing life that love created.”
While he didn’t serve with Dole, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) added “to pay tribute to Senator Bob Dole is to honor someone who redefined and elevated what it means to serve country.”