BOB DOLE : 1995 Clinton's Comeback

Send us Fan Mail

Senator Lindsey Graham has died at age 71. He has been a good friend to me for my entire political career . I cannot say enough good things about him as a human being and as a United States Senator. Here is our look at his career. 

This is a giant loss for the nation, 

Questions or comments at  , [email protected] ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Send us Fan Mail

After two previous attempts at the White House, Bob Dole hits the campaign trail as the clear front runner for the Republican Party Nomination to run against a very unpopular Democratic President.  Throughout his career he had to wait his turn, against Ronald Reagan, against George H. W. Bush, and now finally it was his turn now. 

In this episode, we travel through those first few days with Bob Dole, savoring the moment for a man who had worked in the shadows for so long to build a better America. This was his moment. 

So, let's ride through the country with Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the last of his generation to make a competitive bid for the Presidency of the United States. 

Questions or comments at  , [email protected] ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Send us Fan Mail

In this special episode, we will listen to the audio of a special short film. It is the campaign introductory video for Bob Dole in 1996. Of all the campaign videos I have saved and seen in over 40 plus years around politics, this is my favorite. 

That is probably because Bob Dole is my favorite. When I contacted the campaign in 1995, they had me come up to Columbia S.C. and get boxes of the videotapes to give out in Greenwood S.C. where I lived and went to college at Lander University. I kept a box and wrapped them up for Christmas gifts in December. I know, what a present right? 

I was as fanatical a Dole man as you ever wanted to meet, and 1995 and 1996 are still the best years of my life in politics. I had so much fun, and this video was the start. So, enjoy as we look back at the campaign of 1996, the campaign of a lifetime. 

Questions or comments at  , [email protected] ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Send us Fan Mail

In our second ever special event we take you back , as though you were watching live coverage, of the day Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole R- Kansas announced his candidacy for President of the United States of America. 

It was an extraordinary moment in the history of the country because it was not just the announcement of candidate for President, it was the announcement of the start of the final campaign for a generation of Americans who had built the American Century. Underneath all the pomp and circumstance, underneath all the anticipation for yet another Dole run for President, underneath all the hype for another Presidential year on the horizon, was that under current, that everyone seemed to realize, that what we were actually watching was the beginning of the last campaign for the Greatest of Generations. 

It was mentioned throughout the day repeatedly,  and everyone realized it was time listen, to soak in history, as it was passing before our ears and eyes. 

It was a big moment, and in this episode we will take you back in time, and relive the day as if we were there covering it all live in 1995. 

Questions or comments at  , [email protected] ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Send us Fan Mail

This is a housekeeping show to explain why we decided to add a season to our Bob Dole series. this additional season also includes a miniseries on the fall of Senator Bob Packwood, one of Bob Dole's chief lieutenants in the Senate. We hope you enjoy our coming season and our continued look back at giant political figure and the last of the Greatest Generation to run for President, Bob Dole. 

Questions or comments at  , [email protected] ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Send us Fan Mail

Season Eighteen of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole takes us into one of the most dramatic and consequential years in modern American politics: 1995.

At the beginning of the year, Republicans appeared to be at the height of their power. Fresh off the Republican Revolution of 1994, Bob Dole stood as the overwhelming favorite for the Republican presidential nomination, and many believed the White House was within reach.

By the end of the year, however, the political landscape had changed dramatically.

In this special season preview, we look ahead to the major stories that will define our upcoming episodes, including:

• Bob Dole's long-awaited announcement for President of the United States
 • The tragic Oklahoma City bombing and its political aftermath
 • The stunning fall of Bob Packwood and its impact on the Senate
 • The crowded Republican presidential field challenging Dole's path to the nomination
 • Colin Powell and his brief flirtation with a presidential campaign that captivated the nation
 • The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the shockwaves it sent through the world and the Middle East peace process
 • The growing crisis in Bosnia and the difficult decisions facing American leaders
 • The two federal government shutdowns that would redefine the relationship between Congress and the White House

At the center of it all stands Bob Dole — Senate Majority Leader, Republican standard-bearer, and a man attempting to navigate a rapidly changing political environment while pursuing the presidency he had sought for decades.

Meanwhile, President Bill Clinton begins one of the most remarkable political recoveries in modern history. Written off by many after the 1994 elections, Clinton would spend 1995 rebuilding his presidency and setting the stage for a comeback that few saw coming.

This season is a story of ambition, tragedy, triumph, political warfare, and unexpected turns.

A year that changed Washington.

A year that reshaped two presidencies.

And a year that would determine the course of the 1996 election.

Welcome to Season Eighteen.

Bob Dole: 1995 — Clinton's Comeback.

Questions or comments at  , [email protected] ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Send us Fan Mail

A discussion about the things coming up across the Wallace Podcast Network and an update on all three of the books we have coming out soon. 

Questions or comments at  , [email protected] ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Send us Fan Mail

Episode 458 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 39)

A Bonus Show: A Couple of Stories by Bob Dole

As our journey through the life and career of Bob Dole continues, we take a brief detour from the main narrative to share a collection of fascinating stories that simply deserved to be heard.

Over the course of researching this series, we encountered a number of memorable moments from Dole’s oral history interviews that, while not essential to the chronological story, offered unique insights into his experiences, personality, and remarkable career. Rather than leave them on the cutting room floor, we’ve gathered them together for this special bonus episode.

We begin with reflections on Dole’s life and legacy from Karl Rove, recorded during FOX News coverage of Dole’s funeral, providing context for how his colleagues and admirers remembered him after his passing.

From there, Dole takes center stage, telling stories in his own words, including:

• His meeting with Saddam Hussein and the impressions he took away from the encounter
 • His experiences meeting Daniel Ortega during a turbulent period in Central American politics
 • A fascinating story involving Slobodan Milošević during the conflicts that reshaped the Balkans
 • His work with Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the effort to preserve and strengthen Social Security

These stories highlight a side of Bob Dole that often gets overlooked — the diplomat, the negotiator, the observer of world events, and the Senate dealmaker who built relationships across party lines and around the globe.

Some are humorous.

Some are revealing.

And all of them provide a deeper appreciation for a man whose public career spanned some of the most consequential decades of the twentieth century.

Not every story fits neatly into history’s timeline.

But sometimes the stories left over are among the most interesting of all.

Questions or comments at  , [email protected] ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Send us Fan Mail

Episode 457 – BOB DOLE: The Life That Brought Him There, Part 38
The Bush Years (1989–1992) (C): The ADA, the 1990 Budget Deal, and the End of the Bush Administration (Season Finale)

As the George H. W. Bush years draw to a close, Senator Bob Dole finds himself at the center of some of the most consequential legislative battles of his career.

In this season finale, we examine three defining chapters of the Bush Administration and Dole's role in shaping them.

First, we look at the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, landmark legislation that transformed opportunities for millions of Americans. For Bob Dole, a wounded World War II veteran who spent years overcoming the challenges of disability himself, the issue was deeply personal. We explore how Dole worked across party lines to help move the legislation through Congress and why the ADA became one of the proudest achievements of his public life.

Next, we turn to the bitter struggle over the 1990 budget agreement. Facing mounting deficits and economic uncertainty, President Bush entered negotiations with congressional leaders that culminated in a controversial bipartisan deal. The agreement broke Bush's famous "Read My Lips: No New Taxes" pledge, triggering outrage among conservatives and creating divisions within the Republican Party that would linger for years. We examine Dole's difficult position as Senate Republican Leader and his efforts to navigate the competing demands of governing, party loyalty, and fiscal responsibility.

Finally, we trace the final years of the Bush presidency, from the triumph of victory in the Gulf War to a slowing economy, rising political challenges, and the turbulent 1992 election. As President Bush's popularity declined and Governor Bill Clinton emerged as a formidable challenger, Bob Dole increasingly found himself looking toward the future—and toward the possibility of his own presidential campaign.

This episode closes the story of Bob Dole's journey from war hero to Senate Republican Leader and one of the most influential figures in Washington during the Bush years. Along the way, we have witnessed the experiences, struggles, triumphs, and setbacks that shaped the man who would soon become the Republican Party's standard-bearer.

Next season, the story continues with BOB DOLE: 1995 – Clinton's Comeback, as America enters a new political era marked by divided government, the Republican Revolution, and the opening chapters of Bob Dole's final quest for the presidency.

The life that brought him there is complete. The campaign that will define his legacy is about to begin.

Questions or comments at  , [email protected] ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Send us Fan Mail

Episode 456 – BOB DOLE: The Life That Brought Him There, Part 37
The Bush Years (1989–1992) (B): The Tower Nomination (2) – The Fight!!

The battle lines are drawn.

What began as what appeared to be a routine confirmation for former Texas Senator John Tower to become Secretary of Defense quickly exploded into one of the most bitter and contentious nomination fights in modern Senate history.

In this episode, we follow the escalating political war that engulfed the Senate as allegations concerning Tower's personal conduct, drinking habits, and relationships with defense contractors dominated headlines across America. Democrats questioned whether Tower possessed the judgment necessary to lead the Pentagon, while Republicans argued that an accomplished public servant was being subjected to rumor, innuendo, and character assassination.

At the center of the fight stood Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole. A longtime colleague and friend of Tower, Dole emerged as one of the nomination's most forceful defenders. As the controversy intensified, Dole worked behind the scenes and on the Senate floor to rally Republican support, challenge the accusations against Tower, and defend what he believed was the constitutional responsibility of the Senate to judge a nominee fairly.

The confirmation battle soon became about far more than John Tower. It became a struggle over partisanship, personal character, the advice and consent role of the Senate, and the future relationship between Congress and the newly inaugurated Bush Administration.

Through committee hearings, floor speeches, media scrutiny, and intense political maneuvering, we examine how the nomination transformed from a personnel decision into a national political showdown. Along the way, we hear from the senators who fought for Tower, those who opposed him, and the leaders who understood that the outcome would set a precedent reaching far beyond a single nomination.

This is the fight—the bruising Senate battle that tested friendships, challenged political loyalties, and became one of the defining confirmation struggles of the late twentieth century.

Questions or comments at  , [email protected] ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!