- Former Sen. Bob Dole paid his respects to the late President George H.W. Bush
- He visited his flag-draped coffin in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol
- An aide helped Dole stand out of his wheelchair so he could salute Bush
- Both men were World War II veterans
- They had a bitter fight for the 1988 GOP presidential nomination but later became friends
Former Sen. Bob Dole paid his respects to the late President George H.W. Bush on Tuesday afternoon and was helped out of his wheelchair so he could stand and salute the casket.
The 95 year old can no longer walk. An aide lifted him from behind so the former senator could be upright to salute Bush, a fellow World War II veteran.
Dole than sat in his wheelchair for a few moments, blinking back tears, as he stared at the flag-draped coffin containing the remains of his fellow member of the Greatest Generation.
Former Sen. Bob Dole paid his respects to the late President George H.W. Bush.
Dole was helped up so he could stand and salute his fellow member of the Greatest Generation.
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Bob Dole and George H.W. Bush (with Barbara Bush) were together in December 2016 for the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
A steady stream of visits, both prominent figures and ordinary Americans, have been pouring through the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol to pay their respects to the 41st president, who died on Friday.
Bush and Dole ran against each other in the 1988 Republican presidential primary in a bitter battle, where Dole famously told Bush: ‘Stop lying about my record.’
Bush ultimately won the nomination and Dole stayed in the Senate.
But the two men forged a working relationship.
Dole helped shepherd The Americans with Disabilities Act through Congress, which Bush signed as president.
At the signing ceremony, Bush paid tribute to his former rival who lost the use of an arm in World War II during a battle in Italy.
‘Bob Dole has inspired me,’ Bush said at the time.
Bush, a Navy pilot, was shot down during the war in 1944. He was the last veteran to serve as president.
The two men first met when they both served in the House of Representatives and were assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.
They were from different backgrounds – Bush a child a privilege from Greenwich, Connecticut, while Dole grew up in Kansas during the Great Depression – but had their lives tied together by their membership in the Republican Party.
Bob Dole sat in front of the coffin for a few minutes.
Bob Dole and George H.W. Bush were together in 2016 to remember the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Dole was awarded the Bush library’s award for public service in December 2016; both men were there in their wheelchairs.
Bush campaigned for Dole in 1996 when Dole was the GOP presidential nominee.
They were together in December 2016 for a ceremony at the Bush Center in Texas, remembering the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Dole was given the library’s award for public service at the time.
Both men sat in wheelchairs as Dole praised Bush’s leadership, referencing their bitter GOP primary fight in 1988.
‘Many people doubted I could serve the President since we had a rather rough campaign, but it wasn’t true – because of the man he was, not because of me,’ Dole said. ‘I was proud to be his leader in the Senate because I liked what he stood for. He wanted to make America – well I won’t say great again – I think that somebody else already said that.’
‘The president and I are part of a disappearing generation,’ Dole told Time magazine at the time.
The former president and former senator also had an amusing exchange on cocktails at their dinner with the magazine.
Bush, holding a martini, asked Dole what he wanted to drink.
‘A Cosmopolitan,’ Dole said.
‘What’s that?’ Bush asked.
‘Hell if I know,’ Dole said. ‘But they’re good, I’ll tell you that. Vodka and other stuff.’
[H/T Daily Mail]
