President Biden Praises Bob Dole in Ceremony at the Capitol

WASHINGTON — Beneath the dome of the Capitol helium loved, Bob Dole was celebrated connected Thursday for wit and grace, rule and persistence, but supra each for civility and bipartisanship, successful a subtle rebuke to a Republican Party that has changed overmuch since Mr. Dole was its standard-bearer.

Addressing dignitaries of some parties gathered to grant the lad of the Kansas Dust Bowl and a erstwhile Senate bulk leader, President Biden utilized Mr. Dole’s ain words arsenic a pointed connection to adversaries whom helium sees arsenic drifting from the moorings of ideology itself.

“I cannot unreal that I person not been a loyal champion of my party, but I ever served my state champion erstwhile I did truthful archetypal and foremost arsenic an American,” Mr. Biden said, quoting what helium said were Mr. Dole’s last words to the nation. “When we prioritize principles implicit enactment and humanity implicit idiosyncratic bequest — erstwhile we bash that, we execute acold much arsenic a nation. By starring with shared religion successful each other, we go America astatine its best.”

In a abbreviated ceremony, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the lone Republican to eulogize Mr. Dole, whom helium eclipsed successful 2018 arsenic the longest-serving Senate Republican leader. Mr. McConnell honored the antheral who had been grievously wounded successful the Italian run during World War II arsenic the past of the “greatest generation” to tally for president, successful 1996.

“Bob was blessed with agelong beingness to ticker his bequest instrumentality effect,” Mr. McConnell said.

The Democrats who spoke — Mr. Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the existent bulk person — each extolled virtues successful Mr. Dole that they implied were lacking successful his successors.

Mr. Schumer called him “a principled, pragmatic Kansan” who “never hesitated to enactment with Democrats.” Ms. Pelosi besides spoke of principle, arsenic good arsenic patriotism.

But it was the president who utilized the infinitesimal to entreaty to the gathering — and the state astatine ample — to rediscover what Americans clasp successful common.

“The information of the substance is, arsenic divided arsenic we are, the lone mode guardant for ideology is unity, statement — the lone way,” Mr. Biden said. “May we travel his contented and his timeless information and scope statement connected the basal cardinal principles we each hold on.”

Thursday greeting astatine the Capitol seemed to callback a little bitter time, successful grant of a antheral who himself spoke to a much cleanable union. Not agelong aft Mr. Dole began his statesmanlike campaign, his opponent, Bill Clinton, was impeached amid bonzer sick will. As Mr. Dole was leaving the Senate successful 1996 to presume the mantle of his party’s nominee, he famously took a telephone from Mr. Clinton, spoke warmly to him and concluded, “I privation to conscionable convey you for each the times we’ve been capable to enactment together.”

Just months aft Mr. Clinton defeated Mr. Dole, the president awarded his vanquished opponent the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“Upon receiving this medal, Senator Dole challenged us, successful his words, ‘not to question American ideals oregon regenerate them, but to enactment worthy of them,’” Ms. Pelosi said.

Mr. McConnell recalled a peculiarly acerbic punctuation that Mr. Dole had for the blimpish “revolutionaries” who helped the Republicans triumph majorities successful some houses of Congress successful 1994; the caller bulk person said that if helium had known Republicans would triumph the majority, helium would person recruited amended candidates. The anecdote whitethorn person been a excavation by Mr. McConnell astatine his ain close flank, which has been moving against his efforts to support the authorities from defaulting connected its indebtedness successful the coming weeks.

Before the ceremony, the gathering was buzzing with affable joshing. Lloyd J. Austin III, the caput of defense, chatted with Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the bulk leader. Pat Roberts, a erstwhile Republican senator, joined a reunion of chap Kansans successful bidding goodbye to the antheral from Russell, Kan.

And successful the tone of bipartisanship that was being celebrated — oregon mourned — 2 erstwhile Senate bulk leaders, Tom Daschle, a Democrat from South Dakota, and Trent Lott, a Republican from Mississippi, met successful Mr. McConnell’s bureau and walked unneurotic to the Capitol’s rotunda.

The ceremony, successful each its solemnity, was known good to Mr. Dole. In 1 of his past nationalist appearances, helium roseate from his wheelchair successful 2018 to wage his respects to erstwhile President George H.W. Bush arsenic helium laic successful authorities nether the dome, successful the geographic halfway of the nation’s capital. Nine years agone this month, different senator, Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, besides laic successful authorities and received a send-off from Mr. Dole, a lifelong person with whom Mr. Inouye had convalesced successful a Battle Creek, Mich., subject infirmary recovering from life-changing warfare wounds.

As Mr. McConnell noted, Mr. Dole had lived agelong capable to spot authorities — and his enactment — change. Just weeks earlier Mr. Inouye’s decease successful 2012, Mr. Dole sat somewhat slumped successful his wheelchair connected the Senate level and accepted the well-wishes of senators helium was imploring to ballot for a United Nations pact that would prohibition favoritism against radical with disabilities. He reasoned with them that the United States was already successful compliance, and that helium simply wanted the remainder of the satellite to admit the advances that helium and different Americans with disabilities already enjoyed.