The LuLac Edition #3947, December 4th, 2018

BOB DOLE’S SALUTE

Former Senator Robert Dole salutes the body of George H.W. Bush. (Photo: Time)

It was one soldier saluting another. One whose journey has ended, the other who is walking his final steps on this earth. The show of respect and affection was a reflection exhibited by the two men through the years. But it wasn’t always like that.
No two men, veterans or politicians could have been more different than George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole. Bush, born rich, Dole, poor. Bush was a war hero and survivor who walked away physically unscathed by his military experience. Dole was seriously injured in his war experience and maimed for life. Bush went on with his life in a carefree physical manner, Bob Dole would be in rehab for years and to this day bears the scars of yesteryear where part of his body was torn apart.
Bush wrote thousands of letters putting pen to paper. Bob Dole held a pen clenched in a portion of what remained of his hand when on TV to camouflage his disability.
Bush lost more elections than Dole but had the blessing of Presidential appointments. Dole won and fought in every election to win his seniority. 1988 was the climactic year that the two faced each other. It all began with the Iowa Caucus, that manufactured piece of politics showcasing the fickleness and sometimes more often than not, the ignorance of Iowa citizens. Dole won but TV preacher man Pat Robertson came in second. Bush third.
But Robertson became the story and not Dole. By the time the GOP got to the New Hampshire primary, both he and Bush were neck and neck. Robertson became a footnote in the peculiarity of the Iowa thought process. "Where was my bump?" Dole most likely thought after Iowa. He won and after the hubbub about the right wing Godsmacker, It was Bush vs. Dole again.
When Bush won mainly by painting Dole as a tax raiser, the Kansas Senator was asked if he had a message for Bush.
On national TV Dole snarled, “Yeah, tell him to quit lying about my record.
That was the nadir of the relationship but in the years that followed, both men reconciled and became very close. Bush worked hard for Dole against Bill Clinton in 1996 but the White House for Dole was not to be.
The years ensued and the two great men grew old. But those who remember heated races of the past remember their fights, their disagreements and their ultimate service.
Bush the whole physical specimen did everything he could to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. It was a pet project of Dole’s and there was opposition from corporate interests. This time the two went to political war on the same side and the bill became law.
Years ago I gave that bill little thought but now having the characteristics of being disabled,  I am grateful for their work, as are millions of Americans.
The fact that Dole rose from his wheel chair and saluted his former friend and foe is not surprising. It tells us that even though they came from separate worlds and were dealt different cards, this truth remains.
Honor, dignity, respect and friendship in this case was never a barrier between these two of the Greatest Generation. It was just the way things were supposed to be.