At 91, Bob Dole Remains Actively Involved in Politics and Policy

Former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, who celebrated his 91st birthday on Tuesday, has reemerged in recent weeks to make his voice heard on matters of politics and policy.

Dole spent part of his birthday with a former colleague, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, to lobby the full Senate to pass the Disabilities Treaty, an international treaty modeled after the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The treaty was voted out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 22 by a 21-6 vote, but it faces a tougher challenge before the full Senate.

Dole was outspoken on the issue of veterans' healthcare, telling USA Today in June that the scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs was a "disaster."

The former Republican presidential candidate also has reengaged in campaign politics, including recording the voice-over for an ad for Kansas Rep. Lynn Jenkins, who is seeking re-election.

In a voice which has slowed over the years, Dole lays out some of the "big challenges" the nation is facing from the "IRS and VA scandals. Medicare in trouble and Obamacare making things worse."

"But I believe in America because I believe in leaders like Lynn Jenkins. She works hard on the big issues," Dole says.

Dole has held a range of public roles in his long career, including serving in Congress for 35 years and earning the distinction as the longest-serving Republican Senate leader.

Dole was the 1996 Republican nominee for president, President Gerald Ford’s vice presidential candidate in 1976, and the 47th chairman of the Republican National Committee.

To mark his birthday, the Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas made available online hours of interviews about Bob Dole's Senate career.

His activism, however, should come as no surprise as Dole himself indicated in a September Washington Post op-ed that he would remain engaged and focused on the future, not the past.

"From Barry Goldwater and George McGovern to John Kerry and John McCain, I’ve taken heart from senatorial colleagues who refused to be defined by their failure to become president. Sure, losing an election hurts, but I’ve experienced worse. And at an age when every day is precious, brooding over what might have been is self-defeating," Dole wrote.

Dole, who was severely wounded during his service in World War II, spends many weekends at the WWII Memorial greeting veterans and their families, according to Politico.

Related Stories:

• Home School Lobby, Bob Dole to Battle Over Disabilities Treaty
• Bob Dole Attacks Obama Policies in Ad for Rep. Lynn Jenkins