Bob Dole, the First and the Best Compassionate Conservative

Then-Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole makes a point during a Memorial Day speech in Clifton, N.J., in 1996. (Reuters)

Bob Dole was far more than a nice guy: He was an American. An iconic American. An American who put country, goodness, and goodwill before all.

“I thank the Lord I’ve kept my wits, funny wits but still my wits.”
— Bob Dole, 2020

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I
n 1996, then–Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole adopted a slogan for about one week that succinctly summed up one of America’s great statesmen: “A Better Man for a Better America.”

He was the first and the best of the compassionate conservatives. Before pundits and pollsters drove the phrase into oblivion, a compassionate conservative was a statesman who never let his zeal or passion for the proliferation of freedom and liberty undermine a foundation of kindness, humility, and empathy.

Dole could negotiate and compromise with the best …