Biden visits Bob Dole after diagnosis of cancer

Biden visits Bob Dole after diagnosis of cancer

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The two served in the Senate together and Dole he is a “close friend” of the president, the White House said.

Dole, the 1996 Republican presidential candidate, was one of the main Republicans to say openly after the November election that Biden had won.

“The election is over and (Joe) Biden will be president on January 20. I know that the president didn’t budge and may never budge, but he won’t be in the White House on January 21,” Dole told the Kansas City Star in mid-December.

He noted at the time that Biden is a friend and said that the Democrat had been “a good president” of the Senate Judiciary Committee: “He did a good job. Proud to be liberal – I hope not very liberal – but he knows the government it works and Congress works and all of that will be of benefit to Joe. “

As vice president, Biden paid an emotional tribute to Dole, who was seriously injured during World War II in 2011, in a ceremony that honored Dole’s tireless efforts to create the national WWII memorial. Biden noted that the two traveled together to the beaches of Normandy, France, on the anniversary of D-Day.

The then vice president said he had long admired Dole’s “unparalleled devotion” for the country’s veterans.

“He always knew and taught me what many of us have learned – that we have many obligations in this country, but we have only one truly sacred obligation. And it is to prepare those we send to war with everything they need and to care for those who return from war and their families with everything they deserve, “said Biden at the 2011 ceremony.

Dole, 97, announced his cancer diagnosis on Thursday.

“I was recently diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. My first treatment will start on Monday,” he wrote on Twitter. “While I certainly have some obstacles ahead, I also know that I will join millions of Americans who face their own significant health challenges.”

Dole has suffered a number of health problems in previous years. In 1991, he had surgery for prostate cancer, had surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm in 2001, was hospitalized in 2005 after a fall at his home, and was treated for a leg infection in 2009.

In addition to his unsuccessful candidacy for the White House in 1996, Dole also ran for president in 1980 and 1988, but was not named. He was a running mate for President Gerald Ford in 1976, after Nelson Rockefeller refused to remain vice president.

He served for 27 years as a US senator from Kansas, including two stints as a Senate majority leader. He was also a congressman from 1961 to 1969.

In January 2018, Dole was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civil honor awarded by Congress.

The visit with Dole was not on Biden’s public schedule for Saturday.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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