Tina Smith: “I was not in the Chamber 10 years ago when Senator Dole resigned his seat. I was, in fact, on the campaign trail in the…”

“I was not in the Chamber 10 years ago when Senator Dole resigned his seat. I was, in fact, on the campaign trail in the midst of an election campaign that he had helped to recruit me to run. I remember watching those proceedings and seeing the bipartisan affection in which Senator Dole was held. I later met him many times on the campaign trail as he pursued the Presidency and was impressed by his courage in the face of very discouraging poll numbers and the high probability that he would not win and how hard he fought for us and others who were running to fill seats in the U.S. Senate. Elizabeth was at his side, and together they made a tremendous campaign and did honor to our country and to the Republican Party by the way in which they prosecuted a very difficult campaign cycle. It reflected honor upon our country. It is important that as we celebrate his resignation and his career that ended 10 years ago, we take occasion to reflect on his remarkable accomplishments. He served 27 years in this body, 11 of those as Senate Republican leader. Bob Dole's remarkable record of accomplishment as a Senator is well known. It is not an exaggeration to say that his fingerprints could be found on nearly every major piece of legislation that passed Congress during the 1980s and the first half of 1990s. It was Bob Dole who reached across party lines to work with Senator George McGovern to create the Food Stamp Program.…”