Dole’s casket arrives at Capitol to lie in state

The casket carrying former Sen. Bob Dole arrived at the Capitol building on Thursday, where the Kansas Republican and celebrated war veteran will lie in state in the Rotunda.

Dole, who served in the Senate for nearly 30 years before an unsuccessful campaign for president in 1996, died in his sleep on Sunday at the age of 98. He had revealed in February that he was battling stage 4 lung cancer.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced on Monday that Dole would lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda and have a formal arrival and departure ceremony. 

President Biden is set to speak at a congressional tribute ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda along with congressional leadership. Vice President Harris, the first lady and second gentleman will also be in attendance.

There will not, however, be a public viewing of Dole’s casket because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Democratic leaders announced.

Dole’s casket arrived at the Capitol just before 10 a.m. Eastern time Monday morning. His wife, Elizabeth Dole, and his daughter, Robin Dole, watched from the steps of the building as the late senator’s casket was carried up the stairs to the building.

Bob Dole died one day before he and his wife would celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary.

Biden on Thursday extended the display of flags at half-staff for two days, with the honor now set to end at the end of the day on Dec. 11.

Dole captured national attention in 2018 when former President George H.W. Bush was lying in state at the Capitol following his death. Dole rose from his wheelchair and stood, with help, to salute Bush’s casket, who was a fellow World War II veteran.

Dole first entered Congress in 1961 to represent Kansas in the House. He served in the lower chamber for eight years before being elected to the Senate, where he remained for almost three decades.

The Kansas Republican rose to the highest tiers of GOP congressional power, serving as Senate majority leader at two different points in his congressional tenure.

He also made three separate bids for the White House throughout his time in Washington, only once securing the GOP nomination in 1996. He ultimately lost that race to then-President Clinton.

Dole was a celebrated war veteran, having served in World War II in Europe before being seriously injured in 1945. He was caught in a German machine gun attack, which left him temporarily paralyzed from the neck down.

The former senator was highly respected from both sides of the aisle, which was illustrated by the statements that rolled in from Republicans and Democrats after his death was announced.

That bipartisan spirit broke through in Dole’s final op-ed that was published in USA Today after his death. In the piece, he said being effective in Congress is difficult to achieve amid political infighting.

“During my years in Congress, Democrats and Republicans were political combatants, but we were also friends,” Dole wrote.

“I learned that it is difficult to get anything done unless you can compromise — not your principles but your willingness to see the other side,” he added.

“Too many of us have sacrificed too much in defending that freedom from foreign adversaries to allow our democracy to crumble under a state of infighting that grows more unacceptable by the day.”