Bob Dole to lie in state at Capitol as nation honours senator
6 December 2021, 20:14
The US Capitol has been considered the most suitable place for the nation to pay final tribute to its most eminent citizens.
The body of the late Senator Bob Dole will lie in state in the US Capitol on Thursday as congressional leaders honour the former Republican presidential candidate and World War Two veteran who served in Congress for 36 years.
Mr Dole died Sunday at the age of 98. He was a leader known for his caustic wit, which he often turned on himself but did not hesitate to turn on others, too.
He shaped tax and foreign policy and worked vigorously to help the disabled, enshrining protections against discrimination in employment, education and public services in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The US Capitol has been considered the most suitable place for the nation to pay final tribute to its most eminent citizens by having their remains lie in state.
Mr Dole won the Republican nomination in 1996, but was defeated when President Bill Clinton won a second term. He was also 1976 GOP vice presidential candidate on the losing ticket with President Gerald Ford.
Throughout his political career, he carried the mark of war. Charging a German position in northern Italy in 1945, Mr Dole was hit by a shell fragment that crushed two vertebrae and paralysed his arms and legs.
The young Army platoon leader spent three years recovering in a hospital and never regained use of his right hand.
