Biden visits Bob Dole after cancer diagnosis

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

Dole, the 1996 Republican presidential candidate, was one of the key Republicans to make it clear after the November election that Biden won.

“The election is over and (Joe) Biden will be president on January 20. I know the president hasn’t conceded and he may never do, 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 the Democrat had been “a good chairman” of the Senate Judiciary Committee: “He did a good job. Proud to be a liberal – hopefully not too liberal – but he knows how the government works and Congress works and it will all be to Joe’s advantage. “

As Vice President, Biden paid a moving 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 World War. Biden noted that the two traveled to the beaches of Normandy in France together on the D-Day anniversary.

The then vice president said he had long admired Dole’s “unprecedented dedication” to the country’s veterans.

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

Dole, 97, announced her cancer diagnosis on Thursday.

“Recently I was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. My first treatment will start on Monday,” he wrote on Twitter. “While I certainly have a few hurdles to overcome, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges.”

Dole has suffered from a series of health problems in previous years. In 1991, he was operated on for prostate cancer, underwent 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 White House candidacy in 1996, Dole also ran for president in 1980 and 1988, but was not nominated. He was President Gerald Ford’s running mate in 1976 after Nelson Rockefeller refused to remain vice-president.

He served for 27 years as a United States Senator from Kansas, including two as the Senate Majority Leader. He was also a member of Congress from 1961 to 1969.

In January 2018, Dole received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed 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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