Dole stays busy on speaking circuit

Jan. 1, 2005
BOB Dole once said of Bill Clinton, He's a good speaker a better speaker than me. But these days, Dole has a much more relaxed style than he had when

BOB Dole once said of Bill Clinton, “He's a good speaker — a better speaker than me.”

But these days, Dole has a much more relaxed style than he had when he was campaigning against Clinton, even showing the witty side of himself that wasn't so obvious then. Asked by David Letterman during Clinton's second term to comment on Clinton's expanding waistline, Dole replied, “I never tried to lift him. I just tried to beat him.”

Dole is always in demand, whether it's speaking at the Ag Alumni Fish Fry at Purdue University or the American Academy of Audiology's Convention & Expo in San Antonio.

And now he's headed for the NTEA Convention, where he'll give the Keynote Address at the President's Breakfast on Thursday, March 3.

“Bob Dole has unparalleled experience in serving and leading his country,” says Mike Frizzell, NTEA convention chairman and president of Royal Truck Body — River City in Sacramento, California. “Our members look forward to hearing his insights.”

Dole's current projects include chairmanship of the International Commission on Missing Persons and of the National World War II Memorial, along with an active role in a number of non-profit groups. In addition, he is special counsel to Alston & Bird and has established his own company, Bob Dole Enterprises Inc, to handle his business interests.

He remains active in politics, helping hundreds of GOP candidates in nearly every state. He also is a frequent guest on talk shows and news programs — during the 2000 election, he was a regular on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart — and has written two best-selling political satire books: Great Political Wit: Laughing (Almost) All the Way to the White House and Great Presidential Wit: I Wish I Was in the Book. He has hawked everything from Dunkin' Donuts to Viagra.

In short, Dole gets around. In one recent calendar year, he traveled over 218,000 miles, stumping for Republican candidates, and going around the world in support of various business, charitable, and humanitarian concerns, including several missions to the Balkans.

Dole is a World War II veteran who was injured on the battlefield in Italy, earning him two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. After a long recuperation and rehabilitation, he went to law school, entered politics, and was first elected to Congress in 1960. He was re-elected to the House of Representatives in the next three elections.

In 1968, he ran successfully for the U.S. Senate, representing Kansas. While still a Senator, in 1971, President Richard Nixon named him Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Republicans elected him Senate Majority Leader in 1984. After the Democrats regained control of the Senate in 1986, Republican senators asked Dole to continue his party leadership as Senate Minority Leader. When Republicans recaptured the Senate in 1994, he was again named Senate Majority Leader. His 12 years as party leader in the Senate made Dole the Republican Party's longest-serving Senate leader since its founding in 1854. In 1996, he resigned from the Senate to concentrate on his quest for the White House.

In addition to his leadership responsibilities in the Senate, Dole served as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee from 1984-1986 and 1995-1996.

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Dole joined with Clinton to serve as Co-Chair of the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, assisting the educational needs of the families of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Flight 93.

In January 2003, he was appointed Honorary Co-Chair of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, part of President Bush's USA Freedom Corps.

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About the Author

Rick Weber | Associate Editor

Rick Weber has been an associate editor for Trailer/Body Builders since February 2000. A national award-winning sportswriter, he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Fort Myers News-Press following service with publications in California and Australia. He is a graduate of Penn State University.