Do You Dream Of Being President when you grow up? Well, Bob Dole didn't. When Senator Dole was a young boy in Russell, Kansas, he wanted to be a doctor.
But then in 1941 the country went to war, and everything changed. Dole was 19 when he left the University of Kansas and joined the Army. He returned from battle with a shattered right shoulder and some shattered dreams.
Dole was almost completely paralyzed. He could not feed or bathe himself. "I had to learn to walk and learn to feed myself and a lot of things you take for granted every day," he said last week. For three years, Dole worked hard to recover from his injuries. He gave up his plans to be a doctor and became a lawyer and politician instead.
Dole still cannot use his right hand. He doesn't like to talk about his injury too much. What he does like to talk about is his hope to be the next U.S. President.
For 20 years, Dole has had presidential dreams. In 1976 he was the Republican vice-presidential candidate. Dole and Gerald Ford lost that election to Democrats Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. In 1980 Dole wanted the Republican presidential nomination, but Ronald Reagan got it. In 1988 Dole tried again, but George Bush won it instead. Dole is now 72. If he is elected this time, he will be the oldest person ever to become President.
Good News For Dole
It looks as though 1996 will be Dole's year to win the nomination. He won all seven important primaries on "Super Tuesday" last week, and that made him almost unstoppable. He has 741 delegates and needs 996 to be nominated. He should have that many by March 26.
"In a democracy, the candidate with the most votes wins,"' said Steve Forbes, one of Dole's rivals. "It's that simple." With those words, Forbes quit the race last week and promised to support Dole. Forbes had spent $30 million--almost all of it his own money--on his campaign to be the nominee.
Pat Buchanan, Dole's remaining Republican rival, insists on staying in the race. Buchanan, who has only 72 delegates, knows he cannot be nominated. But he hopes to have enough support to be a powerful influence at the Republican Party's convention in August.
Dole says he wants to make peace with Buchanan. "It is time to come together now and put our ideas together and build a strong agenda for November," Dole says.
A New Race Begins
Now that Dole is the Republican front runner, he is ready to focus on the man he will have to beat on Nov. 5: President Bill Clinton.
A Dole-Clinton contest is a special situation. Two powerful officeholders will be pitted against each other. As majority leader of the U.S. Senate, Dole decides what issues are debated and what bills are voted on. But as President, Bill Clinton can veto (or reject) bills that Dole pushes through the Senate.
Both men will have to balance their desire to win the election with their job responsibilities. "If there is something like balancing the budget that we can get done, we ought to get it done regardless of politics," says Dole. "I think the American people expect us to get some things done."
Their Favorite Things
Bill Clinton and Bob Dole may be political opponents, but they have more in common than you might think. Check out their lists of favorites:
Birthplace
Bob Dole: Russell, Kansas
Bill Clinton: Hope, Arkansas
Birth Date
Bob Dole: July 22, 1923
Bill Clinton: August 19, 1946
Favorite Color
Bob Dole: Blue
Bill Clinton: Blue
Favorite Movie Star
Bob Dole: John Wayne
Bill Clinton: John Wayne
Favorite Childhood
Bob Dole: Basketball
Bill Clinton: Basketball
Favorite Spectator Sport
Bob Dole: College Basketball
Bill Clinton: College Basketball
Childhood Hero
Bob Dole: Dwight Eisenhower
Bill Clinton: His mom and John F. Kennedy
Last Book Read
Bob Dole: A biography of Lincoln
Bill Clinton: A biography of Lincoln
Favorite Recent Movie
Bob Dole: The American President
Bill Clinton: Babe
Campaign Song
Bob Dole: You'll Never Walk Along (Rodgers and Hammerstein)
Bill Clinton: These Are the Days (10,000 Maniacs)