Arlen Specter: “I join my many colleagues in expressing my congratulations to Senator Dole for a historic career in the Congress of the…”

“I join my many colleagues in expressing my congratulations to Senator Dole for a historic career in the Congress of the United States, which ended with his resignation today, and I also express my regrets that we will no longer have Robert J. Dole as our majority leader and as our Republican leader. I speak for both the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which I represent, and in a sense, also for Russell, KS, because Senator Dole and I both grew up in Russell, KS. I moved to Russell from Wichita when I was 12 years old, so I have known Senator Dole for a good many years. My father, Harry Specter, was a friend of his father, Doran Dole. My dad was in the junk business, and the only scale big enough at the time to weigh the junk yard truck was the Dole scale and elevator run by Bob Dole's father. Our brothers, Kenny Dole and Morton Specter, both passed away at the same time, approximately 3 years ago. Senator Dole's story is a story like Horatio Alger, except that Bob Dole's story, compared to Horatio Alger, looks like Horatio Alger was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.”