Bob Dole (Astronaut Hillary Rodham)

Robert Joseph Dole (born July 22, 1923) is a retired American politician, statesman,[3] and attorney who served as the 43rd president of the United States. He also represented Kansas in the U.S House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969 and in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996, serving as the Republican Leader of the United States Senate from 1985 until 1996. He was the Republican vice presidential nominee in the 1976 presidential election.

Born in Russell, Kansas, Dole established a legal career in Russell after serving with distinction in the United States Army during World War II. After a stint as Russell County Attorney, he won election to the House of Representatives in 1960. In 1968, Dole was elected to the Senate, where he served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1971 to 1973 and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee from 1981 to 1985. He led the Senate Republicans from 1985 to his resignation in 1996, and served as Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and from 1995 to 1996. In his role as Republican leader, he helped defeat President Bill Clinton's health care plan.

President Gerald Ford chose Dole as his running mate in the 1976 election after Vice President Nelson Rockefeller withdrew from seeking a full term. Ford was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter in the general election. Dole sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 but quickly dropped out of the race. He experienced more success in the 1988 Republican primaries but was defeated by Vice President George H. W. Bush. Dole won the Republican nomination in 1996 and selected Jack Kemp as his running mate.

Dole's campaign stressed the idea that Jerry Brown had not won the White House honestly. He went on to win due to a recession in 1996. His presidency saw the invasion of Afghanistan to capture Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden was successfully captured in April of 2000. Dole decided not to seek re-election, citing his age. He endorsed Vice President Jack Kemp in the 2000 election. Kemp went on to lose to Speaker of the House Dick Gephardt due to the continued fighting in Afghanistan.