Podcast appearances and mentions of Bob Dole

Send a textEpisode 428 – Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 9) Out as RNC ChairmanPower in Washington can rise quickly — and shift just as fast. Part 9 explores the dramatic turning point when Bob Dole's tenure as chairman of the Republican National Committee comes to an abrupt end and George H. W. Bush is brought in to take the helm.Through a series of revealing phone conversations, listeners are taken inside the political maneuvering at the highest levels of the Nixon White House. We hear the tone, strategy, and personal dynamics in calls between President Richard Nixon and Bush, as well as between Nixon and Dole, offering a rare window into how leadership decisions were made during one of the most volatile periods in modern political history.This episode examines not just the mechanics of Dole's removal, but the broader political context surrounding it — a moment when the administration was increasingly consumed by the unfolding Watergate complex scandal. Ironically, stepping away from the RNC chairmanship may have distanced Dole from the day-to-day political machinery that would soon be engulfed in controversy.Part 9 captures the tension, loyalty, and hard political realities behind a pivotal transition — showing how a setback in the moment may have altered Dole's long-term political trajectory and spared him deeper entanglement in one of the defining crises of the twentieth century. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send a textEpisode 427 – Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 8) With Nixon's Help (B)Part 8 follows Bob Dole deeper into the inner orbit of presidential politics as the Nixon years reshape both America's place in the world and the future of the Republican Party.The episode begins with the historic opening to China, as President Richard Nixon makes his groundbreaking trip to Beijing — a geopolitical gamble that stunned the world and redefined Cold War diplomacy. We explore how moments like this elevated the stakes for Republicans in Washington and strengthened Dole's role as a trusted political ally during a presidency operating on the global stage.At home, the administration's controversial wage and price controls reveal the economic pressures of the era and the political balancing act required to defend them. Listeners hear how Dole, now an increasingly visible national figure, navigated these debates while helping maintain party unity.The episode also examines the landslide election of 1972 and Dole's pivotal role as chairman of the Republican National Committee. As the party's chief political strategist, Dole was at the center of messaging, organization, and turnout efforts that helped deliver one of the most decisive victories in presidential history.A highlight of the episode is an insider look at the political mood of the moment through a revealing conversation between Nixon and his advisor Harry Dent. Their exchange provides a candid assessment of the election results, party dynamics, and the direction of American politics at a moment of overwhelming Republican strength.“With Nixon's Help (B)” captures Bob Dole at the intersection of global diplomacy, domestic economic turmoil, and high-stakes party leadership — a period when his influence expanded far beyond the Senate chamber and onto the national political stage. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send a textEpisode 426 – Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 7) With Nixon's Help (A)Part 7 explores a pivotal chapter in Bob Dole's rise on the national stage — his growing alliance with Richard Nixon during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American history.As the Nixon administration grappled with the war in Vietnam, Dole emerged as a reliable and disciplined voice defending administration policy on Capitol Hill. This episode examines how Nixon's stewardship of the conflict shaped Washington's political climate and how Dole's loyalty strengthened his standing within the party and at the White House.We also dive into the political firestorm surrounding the Pentagon Papers — the leak that intensified public distrust and sharpened partisan battles in Congress. Listeners will hear how Dole responded in real time to the crisis and what it revealed about his instincts as a political combatant and party loyalist.The episode further explores Dole's connections to key Nixon figures, including Attorney General John Mitchell and senior advisor John Ehrlichman, offering insight into the broader political network surrounding the administration. Through these relationships, we see how Dole's influence grew not just as a senator, but as a trusted ally during moments of national controversy.“With Nixon's Help (A)” captures the intersection of war, scandal, loyalty, and ambition — and shows how Bob Dole's alignment with a powerful president helped accelerate his path toward national leadership. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send a textBob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 6) Welcome to the United States SenateWhat was the Senate really like when Bob Dole walked into it in 1968? Part 6 answers that question through the voices of the people who lived it.This episode moves beyond biography and into lived institutional memory, as a remarkable lineup of Senate insiders describe the culture, pace, and power structure of the United States Senate at the height of a turbulent political era. Listeners get a ground-level view of what it meant to be a freshman senator — where seniority ruled, relationships mattered, and influence had to be earned one conversation at a time.We hear from Dole's longtime chief of staff Sheila Burke, along with former senators Bob Packwood, Thad Cochran, Howard Baker, and Daniel Inouye — a bipartisan group offering candid reflections on Dole's early reputation, working style, and rapid rise.A central theme of the episode is Dole's emergence as what colleagues came to call the “Sheriff of the Senate” — a sharp, disciplined defender of Richard Nixon who was never shy about taking on critics of the administration. Through these firsthand accounts, listeners hear how Dole blended loyalty, combativeness, and strategic instincts to carve out a distinct role in one of the world's most powerful legislative bodies.Part 6 is an insider's tour of a bygone Senate era — its personalities, its unwritten rules, and the political battleground where Bob Dole began transforming from a new arrival into a force within the chamber. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textBob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There – Part 5 Getting Into Politics (B): The Senate CampaignIn Part 5, the journey continues as Bob Dole takes his biggest political leap yet — a run for the United States Senate. This episode explores the ambition, strategy, and sheer determination behind a campaign that would elevate him from the House to one of the most powerful chambers in American government.We begin with the political terrain of Kansas — a state where retail politics, personal reputation, and regional loyalties mattered just as much as party labels. Dole's campaign had to balance conservative grassroots energy with the broader appeal needed to win statewide, and listeners will hear how he built that coalition county by county.From there, we follow his transition from candidate to senator: assembling a staff, opening his first Senate office, and stepping into the traditions, hierarchy, and slower pace of the United States Senate. After the fast-moving world of the House, the Senate demanded patience, relationship-building, and a long view of power.This episode also captures a pivotal moment in Dole's rise on the national stage — his introduction to Richard Nixon. Their first encounters offered a glimpse into the Republican Party's emerging leadership and gave Dole an early look at presidential-level politics from the inside.Part 5 is about arrival and adjustment — the shift from ambitious congressman to freshman senator, learning a new institution, building influence, and stepping closer to the center of national power. The apprenticeship continues, but the stage just got much bigger. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textBob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There – Part 4 Going Into Politics (A)Before he was a national figure, he was a young Kansan with grit, ambition, and a deep belief in public service. In Part 4 of our series, we follow Bob Dole's path from student life and small-town law practice to the rough-and-tumble world of national politics.This episode traces Dole's formative years — how college sharpened his discipline, how the courtroom shaped his instincts, and how retail politics in western Kansas taught him the art of personal connection. His service in the Kansas House of Representatives and as county attorney in Russell, Kansas gave him a front-row seat to the everyday concerns of working Americans, grounding the pragmatic style that would define his career.From there, we follow his uphill race for Congress and his arrival as a freshman in the U.S. House of Representatives — a place where power had to be earned, alliances mattered, and survival required learning fast. You'll hear how Dole navigated the hierarchy, built relationships, and found his footing in Washington.We also explore two defining moments of his early congressional years:His vote in favor of Civil Rights legislation, a decision with both moral weight and political riskHis role in backing Gerald Ford over Charles Halleck in the battle for House Republican leadership — a move that aligned him with the party's futureMost of all, this episode captures what it felt like to be Bob Dole at the beginning: a newcomer in Washington, studying the system, building credibility, and laying the foundation for a career that would eventually shape American politics for decades.This is the story of apprenticeship, ambition, and the quiet, crucial years where a young congressman learned how power really works. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Översiktsserien fortsätter. Det kommer handla om presidentvalet 1996, Bob Dole, Reform party, Ross Perot, Brooklyn Dodgers, Jack Kempe, misslyckat besök hos Barry Goldwater, tveksam kampanjfinansiering, Clintons omval, divided government, stark ekonomi och inrikespolitisk stiltje. Bild: Första presidentdebatten mellan Bill Clinton och Bob Dole under presidentvalskampanjen 1996. Källa: WikipediaPrenumerera: Glöm inte att prenumerera på podcasten! Betyg: Ge gärna podden betyg på iTunes!Följ podden: Facebook (facebook.com/stjarnbaneret), twitter (@stjarnbaneret), Instagram (@stjarnbaneret)Kontakt: stjarnbaneret@gmail.comLitteratur översikt USA:s historia- Liberty, Equality, Power: A history of the American People, John Murrin, Paul Johnson, James McPherson, m.fl.- Give me liberty: An American history, Eric Foner- America: A concise History, James Henretta, Rebecka Edwards, Robert Self- Inventing America: A history of the United States, Pauline Maier, Merrit Roe Smith, m.fl.- Nation of Nations: A narrative history of the American republic, James West Davidson, Mark Lytle, m.fl.- The American Pageant, David Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas Bailey- Making America: A history of the United States, Carol Berking, Robert Cherney, m.fl.- America: A narrative history, George Brown Tindall, David Emory Shi- The American Promise: A history of the United States, James Roark, Maichael Johnson, m.fl. - The American People: Creating a nation and a society, Gary Nash, John Howe, m.fl.- Of the People: A history of the United States, James Oaks, Michael McGerr, m.fl.- The enduring vision: A history of the American People, Paul Boyer, Clifford Clark, m.fl.Litteratur för denna era:- Deadlock and disillusionment, Gary Reichard- The age of Reagan, Sean Wilenz- The American Century, LaFeber, Polenberg, Woloch. - American Dreams: The United States since 1945, H. Brands- Recent America: The United States since 1945, Dewey Grantham- Restless Giant, James Patterson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a textFebruary 2026 on the Wallace Podcast Network — One Month. Three Podcasts. A Shared Journey Through History.This February, all three shows across the Wallace Podcast Network come together for a powerful month of storytelling that connects world history with hometown legacy.On Grand Strand Politics, we revisit our acclaimed January 2024 special series, “Robert Hirsch: Our Mayor.” This special rebroadcast honors Mayor Robert Hirsch — a World War II pilot who flew soldiers over enemy lines before returning home to help guide Myrtle Beach through a defining era of growth and change. It's a story of courage in war and leadership in peace, right here on the Grand Strand.And there's even more exciting news tied to this story — a brand-new book about Mayor Hirsch's remarkable life, The Blonde Bombshell by Colonel Daniel Hunter Wilson, is available now on Amazon. The book dives deeper into the wartime heroism and civic leadership that made Hirsch such an unforgettable figure in local history.Meanwhile, Randal Wallace Presents: “Bob Dole – The Life That Brought Him There” and The Richard Nixon Experience will simulcast episodes exploring two of the most consequential political relationships of the 20th century: the partnership between Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon… and later, the bond between Nixon and Bob Dole.Across these episodes, listeners will travel from the battlefields of World War II to the shifting political landscape of the late 1960s and early 1970s — discovering how shared wartime experiences shaped a generation of American leadership, both on the national stage and in communities like Myrtle Beach.It's a month of intertwined stories — of service, sacrifice, ambition, and legacy — told across three distinct shows with one shared historical thread.We invite you to tune in all February long to all three podcasts across the Wallace Podcast Network for a unique, connected listening experience that brings history to life from the global stage to the local shoreline.Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this remarkable episode, we step out of narration and into history itself.Episode 422 is built entirely around a rare, deeply personal interview conducted by the Eisenhower Presidential Library with Senator Bob Dole when he was 95 years old. What unfolds is not just a recollection of events — it is a living voice from a man who stood at the crossroads of America's greatest generation and its modern political era.Dole takes us back to the moment he arrived in Washington as a newly elected congressman and met President Dwight D. Eisenhower for the first time. He reflects on Eisenhower not simply as a president, but as a commanding presence — a leader whose character, steadiness, and wartime gravity left a lasting imprint on a young lawmaker just beginning his national career.He also recounts his own war story in Italy — the wounds that nearly took his life, the long months of recovery, and the emotional and physical toll of returning home changed forever. In Dole's own voice, we hear how that experience shaped his admiration for Eisenhower and for a generation of leaders forged in global conflict.Because this interview was recorded late in Bob Dole's life, it carries the authenticity — and the imperfections — of a 95-year-old man revisiting memories that are both vivid and distant. There are pauses. There are moments of searching. And there is something profoundly moving about that. What you hear is not a polished political performance, but a lifetime being remembered in real time.This episode is not about editing or interpretation — it is about listening.And what Bob Dole gives us here is a final, honest, and deeply human reflection on war, leadership, and the man who inspired him to serve.Episode 422 invites you to sit with history — and to hear it speak. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textDwight Eisenhower: The Inspiration (A)What kind of leader shapes a young soldier's idea of courage, duty, and sacrifice—and then stays with him for a lifetime?In this powerful second chapter of our Bob Dole series, we turn to the man who became Dole's lifelong hero: Dwight D. Eisenhower.Long before Bob Dole entered politics, he was a wounded young officer watching the world being remade by war. And at the center of that war stood Eisenhower—the Supreme Allied Commander who carried the weight of history on his shoulders as he ordered the D-Day invasion that would determine the fate of Europe and the free world.In this episode, we explore why Eisenhower became Dole's model of leadership and character, beginning with a sweeping look at D-Day, the Allied victory, and the burden Eisenhower carried in sending thousands of young men into battle. We trace Eisenhower's rise from soldier to president, his extraordinary list of accomplishments, and his complex partnership with Richard Nixon, a relationship that would shape American politics for decades.We also examine Bob Dole's deeply personal connection to Eisenhower's legacy, including his leadership in the long effort to build the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C.—now a permanent tribute to the man who inspired him.And as Eisenhower led the greatest military operation in history, Bob Dole was fighting his own war. We follow Dole into Operation Grapeshot, his arrival in Italy, and the brutal reality that would soon change his life forever.The episode closes with Eisenhower's own haunting reflections on the true price of war—words that echo through Bob Dole's story and the lives of all who served.This is the first of two episodes exploring Dwight Eisenhower's towering career and the enduring influence he had on Bob Dole—soldier, senator, and statesman.A story of leadership under fire. A story of heroism, humility, and history. And the story of the man who inspired Bob Dole to believe that service was worth the cost. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textBOB DOLE LECTURE: One Soldier's Story Special EditionIn this extraordinary special edition, Bob Dole returns home to Kansas—and to the school that bears his name—to tell the story that shaped everything that came after.Standing before a new generation, Dole recounts the moment on a battlefield in Italy when his life was shattered by war, and the long, uncertain months that followed in a military hospital. With humility, clarity, and quiet courage, he describes learning to live again from a hospital bed, facing pain, disability, and doubt—while refusing to surrender the future.But this is not just a story of survival.It is the story of how a wounded soldier became a national leader.From Percy Jones Army Hospital to the halls of Congress, from small-town Kansas to the pinnacle of American political life, Dole traces the improbable road that carried him from despair to purpose, and from service in uniform to service in government.Recorded before students at the Bob Dole–named school, this lecture is both deeply personal and profoundly American—a testament to resilience, duty, and the idea that adversity does not define us, but can instead forge us.One Soldier's Story is Bob Dole, in his own words, offering a legacy lesson about courage, perseverance, and what it truly means to serve. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textSeason 17 PremiereBefore Bob Dole became a Senate leader, a presidential nominee, or a national symbol of resilience, he was a 21-year-old second lieutenant fighting for his life on a hillside in Italy.This season-opening episode begins at the moment everything changed.Through Bob Dole's own words and historic audio, we return to the brutal final months of World War II and the Allied push through Italy during Operation Grapeshot, the last great offensive in Europe. We hear Dole describe the battlefield where he was struck down, the comrades he was trying to save, and the wounds that would leave him permanently disabled—but never defeated.The story widens through the voices of two other giants of American history who were fighting just miles away.Senator Ted Stevens recounts the shock of Pearl Harbor and America's sudden plunge into global war. Senator Daniel Inouye, wounded only a few hills from where Dole fell, shares his harrowing combat experience and the loss that forever marked him.Their paths would converge at Percy Jones Army Hospital in Michigan, where Dole, Inouye, and future Senator Frank Hart lay in hospital beds, learning how to live again. In this episode, we explore what life was like inside that ward of shattered young men—and what Bob Dole was like when the world he knew had just ended.We also hear from Michael Glassner, Dole's longtime aide and traveling companion, who describes the daily realities of caring for Dole's war-caused injuries, and from Senate Leader Trent Lott, who reflects on Dole's character and on the enormous debt America owes to the Greatest Generation.This is more than a war story. It is the origin story of a statesman.Episode 420 launches Season 17 of our landmark Bob Dole series, beginning the final great chapter of the World War II generation—told through the life of the last of its national leaders. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this special tribute episode, we honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell — Olympic athlete, decorated Marine, master silversmith, and one of the most consequential Native American leaders in the history of the United States Senate.Campbell's journey was uniquely American: from a childhood marked by hardship, to representing the United States in the Olympics, to becoming a powerful voice for Native nations and Western communities in Washington. As a U.S. Senator from Colorado, he reshaped the national conversation on tribal sovereignty, cultural preservation, and the dignity of Indigenous peoples, while also embodying a rugged independence that defied political labels.This episode is also dedicated to Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, a fellow Western original whose music, like Campbell's life, celebrated freedom, wandering, and the search for something deeper than fame or power. Both men came to represent a uniquely American kind of spirit — restless, generous, and rooted in tradition while never afraid to push beyond it.Through stories, reflections, and historical context, we remember Ben Nighthorse Campbell not just as a senator, but as a craftsman, a warrior, and a bridge between worlds — a man who carried the past forward while carving out space for a more honorable future.This is a tribute to a life lived with courage, authenticity, and enduring impact — and to the kindred spirit of Bob Weir, whose music has long been the soundtrack for America's long and winding road. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textBob Dole returns January 20, 2026Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There — Season PreviewHow does a small-town Kansas boy, gravely wounded on an Italian battlefield, rise to become one of the most powerful and respected figures in American politics?This season of Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There traces the extraordinary journey of Bob Dole from the moment his life was forever changed in World War II through his ascent to the highest levels of American government. Beginning with his devastating combat injury and long recovery, the series follows Dole through his early political career in Kansas, his elections to Congress and the U.S. Senate, his tenure as Republican National Committee Chairman, and his emergence as a central figure in Washington during some of the most turbulent decades in modern history.Listeners will travel with Dole through the Nixon years and Watergate, the razor-thin 1974 Senate race against Dr. Bill Roy, and his rise onto the national stage as Gerald Ford's 1976 vice-presidential running mate. The season continues through his 1980 and 1988 presidential campaigns, his pivotal role as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and his leadership in landmark moments such as saving Social Security in 1983 and launching the historic McGovern–Dole effort to feed hungry children around the world.As both Senate Minority Leader and Majority Leader, Bob Dole became one of the great legislative strategists of his era, and this series reveals how power was actually wielded in Congress from the 1970s through the 1990s—how deals were made, how coalitions were built, and how policy became law.Featuring voices of friends and foes alike—fellow senators, staffers, journalists, and contemporaries—along with rare archival audio from news coverage and C-SPAN, this season offers an intimate, inside-the-room portrait of a man who helped shape a generation of American politics.More than a biography, Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There is a master class in leadership, resilience, and the inner workings of the United States Senate at a time when history was being written day by day.Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textHAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!!!Last year ws a year of extremes but overall we saw our show expand to include a new local broadcast and we completed several projects we hope to bring you in this coming year of 2026. Please join us here for another exciting year at "Randal Wallace Presents" , "The Richard Nixon Experience" and " Grand Strand Politics" Here is what is on tap for next years: BOB DOLE — A Three-Season Audio Documentary SeriesTwo Upcoming InstallmentsSeason TwoBob Dole: The Life That Brought Him ThereBefore the campaign. Before the slogans. Before the headlines — the life.Season Two traces the extraordinary, often overlooked journey that forged Bob Dole long before he became a presidential nominee. From a Kansas boy who left for World War II and returned with devastating injuries, to a patient rebuilding himself at Percy Jones Army Hospital alongside other wounded veterans, this season tells the story of how grit, discipline, and moral clarity shaped one of America's most consequential political figures.This season follows Dole's ascent from Russell County Attorney to Congress, and then to the United States Senate, charting his rise through the Republican Party during some of the most volatile decades in American history. We examine his tenure as RNC Chairman, his role during Watergate, and his legendary razor-thin 1974 Senate reelection victory over Dr. Bill Roy — a race that changed the trajectory of his career.Listeners will also hear the inside story of Dole's vice-presidential campaign, his years as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and his time as both Majority and Minority Leader.Built from original interviews with U.S. Senators, senior Dole staffers, and journalists, alongside rare archival audio and historic news coverage, The Life That Brought Him There is not just biography — it is the story of how leadership is forged.This is the season that explains who Bob Dole was before America decided what to make of him.Season ThreeBob Dole Campaign 1996: The Campaign of a LifetimeA front-row seat to one of the most dramatic presidential races of the modern era.Season Three is an immersive, deeply reported account of Bob Dole's 1996 run for the presidency — a campaign built on legacy, urgency, and the belief that a lifetime of service still had one final chapter to write.This season takes listeners inside the primaries, strategy fights, and pressure-packed moments that defined Dole's quest to defeat a sitting president. Through exclusive oral histories from Dole insiders, U.S. Senators, campaign veterans, and journalists, we reveal how the campaign was really run — and how close it came to changing American history.Adding a rare dimension, host Randal Wallace brings listeners along through his own experience as a volunteer in the pivotal South Carolina primary, where the campaign was nearly derailed — and later across the long, grinding road to the Republican nomination and the general election. Using archival news coverage, historic speeches, behind-the-scenes stories, and firsthand testimony, The Campaign of a Lifetime reconstructs the race as it actually happened — not as it was simplified afterward.Plus we look at the the three books our host has Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

On the Epstein matter, the current DOJ is not just putting its thumb on the scale for Trump. It's his defense team. Make no mistake: The top two officials at the Justice Department are executing Trump's wishes to cover-up the victims' statements and the details about Epstein's 2008 sweetheart deal. It's the president's cover-up, and the mainstream media needs to call it for what it is. And over at CBS's "60 Minutes," Bari Weiss wants Trump to know she's on the administration's side as well. Meanwhile, Vance made clear at AmericaFest that he's cool with literal Nazis in the MAGA coalition as he readies for his 2028 run. Plus, Kushner and Witkoff are still doing Putin's bidding, the governor of Louisiana is adding the (pretend) invasion of Greenland to his portfolio, and Tim reads from the Monday Mailbag. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday" with Rep. Ro Khanna on the Epstein files Tim on Gavin Newsom's podcast Lauren on the DNC burying its 2024 autopsy report The LIVE 'Bulwark Take' on the Stefanik crash and burn Part of Bob Dole's '96 Republican convention speech that Tim referenced  Monday Mailbag email: BulwarkPodcast@Thebulwark.com

Send us a textWelcome to the first episode of our special Holiday Season, "The Great American Authors", Bob Dole's series will return in January 2026. In this episode we welcome you to our series, an introduce you to our host, Randal Wallace's,  English teacher Mother, Gloria Bulmer. She was also a writer and as part of a writing class, had some of her writing published in only one book by Coastal Carolina University, as part of a writing class in 1983, also one of her short stories won an award. Our host has that award hanging at his home. This series is dedicated to his mothers memory. Her influence led to the selection of the very first author to be profiled in our series, F. Scott Fitzgerald, my mother's favorite author. Fitzgerald wrote essays, short stories, and several novels: "This Side of Paradise", "The Beautiful and Damned,"" The Diamond as Big as The Ritz" ,"  Tender is the Night', "The Last Tycoon", and his biggest one of all "The Great Gatsby" which ironically flopped when it first came out in 1925.  The Great Gatsby was one of many books given to soldiers during Word War 2, to help keep them occupied, that led to a resurgence of Fitzgerald's writings. All that success coming, long after he had died. Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul , Minnesota, and we will take you there to hear about his early life story, then we will meet Zelda Sayre, whom he met while serving in his Army days in Alabama. They had one of those renown love affairs and it was her denial of his marriage proposal that spurred his first literary success. He had a surge of success before his writing stopped being popular, the money dried up, and he headed to Hollywood to be a screenwriter. His wife became ill and was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and he battled alcoholism. It was a tough life but a glamorous one. We will cover it all and listen in on the descriptions of the Jazz Age which formed the foundation of much of his writings, especially "The Great Gatsby." Throughout the series we will also give you lists of writing tips for each of the authors covered, so if you have any aspiring authors in your family, this series, which will have 16 episodes, may be something you want to let them know to tune in for over the holidays.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textJoin us starting November 25, 2025 for a Christmas Holidays Special 16th Season as we venture into new territory. Over the end of November and through out December we will spend 16 episodes looking at the Great American Authors, From F. Scott Fitzgerald to Stephen King and all points in between. We hope you will join us as we take a little break from American Political History and take a deep dive into American Literature, its history, and learn some writing tips from some of the greatest authors our country has ever produced. This sixteen episode season will feature F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edgar Allan Poe, Dr. Suess, John Steinbeck, Thomas Wolfe, Mark Twain, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Harper Lee, J. D. Salinger, Margaret Mitchell, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, William Faulkner, Ian Fleming, J. K Rowling, Pat Conroy, Gene Hackman, Kurt Vonnegut, Walter Mosley, Lee Child, Stephen King, John Grisham, Joyce Carol Oats, Sinclair Lewis, Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemingway, Jimmy Carter, Marilyn Quayle,  Newt Gingrich, Bill Clinton, James Patterson, and the announcement about our hosts own three books, a history companion book to this podcast, and two novels by Randal Wallace. We hope you will join us starting November 25 for The Great American Authors Special Season and Bob Dole will return in "Bob Dole The Life That Brought Him There" in January, 2026. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this brief update we want to fill you in on our special non-political season to carry our show through the holidays, and some tribute episodes we have planned to look back at some of those we lost this year but have not had a chance to look back at as the season progressed. We look forward to 2026 for the return of Bob Dole in our final two seasons looking back at his life and career. Thanks for tuning in and please join us for an exciting special season over November and December of 2025. Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn our season finale we zoom in on the fight over a Balanced budget Amendment on the 1995 Congressional agenda. You will hear Senators go round and round , from Pete Domenici, to Bob Dole, to Paul Simon, to even South Carolina's own Senator Ernest Hollings. All this debate rages as Bob Dole inches closer and closer to filing for President of the United States. We will take you right there, after an emotional moment between Bob  Dole and  President Bill Clinton over the love both men had for their mothers, to the announcement stage as Bob Dole starts out into the 1996 campaign. Then we travel back in time to the battle torn Italian country side  in April 1945 and an event that changed the trajectory of the life of second Lieutenant Robert J. Dole of Kansas forever.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this episode we start to move you through the big moments of 1995 as we get closer to the kick off of the 1996 Presidential Election. Bob Dole has not totally made his mind up yet and its clear to his wife and staf he needs to make the definitive move. We will relive these moments as Bob Dole makes up his mind to run for a third time for President and we watch several of the more important accomplishments of the Republican Congress make its way through the system. This is the first of our two part Season Fifteen Finale, Bob Dole 1993 - 1995 The Last Man Standing.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this episode we set the stage for 1995 as Newt Gingrich becomes the biggest star in politics as he becomes the first Republican Speaker in 40 years. We will look back at his rise and watch him consolidate his position. Plus this also marks the move by Bob Dole to seriously look at his own run for the Presidency.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textAs we open this episode , we will see Bob Dole truly become the last man standing from an era of political figures who had dominated the scene for over two decades. There would be two Senate leadership races as George Mitchell retired as the Democratic Leader and Alan Simpson faced a challenge in his position as Bob Dole's number two man in Republican leadership. Both races would be decided by one vote. We will hear Senator Tom Daschle describe the situation that unfolded on the democratic side after his opponent, Senator Jim Sasser of Tennessee, was defeated in his election. That left Tom Daschle facing a last minute challenge from the much more Senior Senator from Connecticut, Chris Dodd. Daschle will tell the story in his oral history of how he won the election to replace George Mitchell as Democratic Leader. Then we will hear from both candidates in the race for Republican Majority Whip as Dole's longtime Whip faced a challenge from a rising political star in the Senate and former House Whip in Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi. It would come down to one vote, and Simpson would lose. That race would leave Bob Dole the only leader left from a generation of leaders who had been at the helm of government for decades. Representative Bob Michel had retired in the most recent election cycle, Speaker Tom Foley was defeated, Alan Simpson lost his Whip post, George Mitchell retired, and in 1992 George H. W. Bush had been defeated for President. The only member of leadership in either party that was still there was Bob Dole, and it would again come to him to keep everyone on track as we head into 1995.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textAll eyes were trained on one man as the lame duck session began. It was the soon to be new Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. In this episode we introduce you to him and watch those first moves from the new star of politics in 1994.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textThe power switch was swift as all eyes fell on the Republican leadership in the hours after the Republicans swept to to power in both houses of Congress. There was a push for moving the Contract with America's agenda to the forefront, talk of downsizing the staffs in Washington, and both leaders were busy ironing out what exactly their agendas were going to be. Then came an even bigger piece of news. That Senator Richard Shelby arguably the last Southern Conservative Democrat was ready to finally come over. Senator Phil Gramm had been trying to convince him for years but Shelby had remained loyal to the Democratic Party, but as you will hear, he just did not feel it was home any longer, and he was going with the ever rising tide in Alabama before he found himself politically homeless. Richard Shelby became a Republican, and he would  remain one for the rest of his career which lasted until 2022 when he retired from the Senate.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textWhen the sun rose on November 9, 1994, Washington D.C. had had a seismic shift in the politics it had known for nearly a half century. Even the House Speaker Tom Foley, of Washington State, had lost his seat in Congress. There is hardly words that can describe how brutal the night before had been for the Democratic Party and its President Bill Clinton. The Contract for America had nationalized the election and every congressional candidate had run on the platform in the Republican Party and they had all , to a man , won. The Democrats had had a few bright spots, Senator Ted Kennedy had survived his brush with political death from the challenge of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and LBJ's Son in Law Chuck Robb had beaten back Iran Contra Scandal figure Oliver North. But the bright spots had been few and far between. The Democrats had seen some of their brightest stars extinguished from Governor Mario Cuomo of New York , to Governor Ann Richards of Texas, Former Budget Committee Chairman Dan Rostenkowski was defeated, the Speaker had lost, Representative Jack Brooks lost, and a new Republican star named Lindsey Graham had quietly won a seat in South Carolina. Bob Dole would be returning to his position as the Senate Majority Leader as opposed to being just the Minority Leader, and with all this change captivating the attention of the nation, and its capitol city, Washington D.C., it left  President Bill Clinton standing at a podium proclaiming to whomever would listen that "the President is still relevant here." It was a case of total victory, and the Capitol was now "Under new Management."  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIt is election day 1994 at last, and this is the coverage of that historic night. For the first time in 40 years the Republicans will take control of Congress. It is a clean sweep too, the Republicans would win in every category and level of government. They would win the control of the House, the Senate, the Governors Mansions, and the State Legislatures, it was a total and complete victory. Bill Clinton was clearly on the ropes and the spotlight would move down Pennsylvania Avenue to a new star that was about to dominate the conversation for the next year, the new Speaker of the United States House of Representatives  from Georgia, Newt Gingrich. But that would all come later, after this night. On this night, without question, at least in my lifetime, this was the biggest night for the Republican Party ever. While Newt Gingrich would get the majority of the spotlight, and people would be looking for the reaction that would be coming out of the White House, from Bill Clinton. One man, in my opinion, could truly kick back and say, he had been the one continuous leader that had brought his party back from the brink after the disaster of 1992. Of everyone involved, this was truly Bob Dole's night.   Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textAs we close in on election day in 1994, both President Bill Clinton and Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, hit the campaign trail as the de-facto heads of each party to try and pull their candidates through all across the country. We will look at them both as they have rallies across the country from Seattle, to Denver, to two national radio addresses. The stakes are sky high as both of them fight hard for their two teams as the balance of power in both houses of congress teeters on the verge of victory or defeat for both sides of the aisle.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn 1994, our host Randal Wallace, was active in the leadership of the Lander University College Republicans. That year the long term Congressman from the Third Congressional District of South Carolina , Butler Derrick, decided to retire from Congress. That made the race for  Congress a wide open one to fill the seat.It was then that he got involved in the Congressional campaign of a one term State House member named Lindsey Graham.  It was a political friendship that would continue on until this day. Graham would win in 1994 and again in 1996, 1998, 2000, and then he would move on to the United States Senate in 2002, 2008, 2014, 2020, and he will be up for re-election again in 2026. He would become a national political figure as one of the leading people in the Congress of the United States. He emerged as a House manager in the Impeachment Trial of Bill Clinton, he filled the seat of Strom Thurmond, and lead the Republican Party efforts to answer any number of major issues plaguing the country both domestically and internationally.  His greatest accomplishment is most likely his efforts to end the stalemate over Judicial appointments that led to control of the Supreme Court eventually ending up in the hands of a conservative majority. In this episode, we look back at the man many have called the Senator of the 21st Century, Lindsey Graham. We start at his race for Congress in 1994, and we gather up a lot of the biographical materials the press put together during Graham's short campaign for President in 2016, Sadly, we could find nothing on the 1994 race on audio, but we do have an unusual source, the memoir of our Host, Randal Wallace, written from his materials in 2007 in his unpublished Memoir "The Eye of The Storm." We also follow Lindsey Graham's life at various times over the next 31 years.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this episode, we will give you a taste of the dramatic races from all across the nation. Two Bush brothers were on the ballot, we had a barn burner for Governor in South Carolina, and the House and Senate had close races too. It was a dramatic campaign in an historic year at the polls.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this episode we kick of the 1994 Midterm elections. As we look at Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole and Senate Republican Campaign Committee Chairman Phil Gramm, begin their march to the majority in the United States Senate. We will listen in as Bob Dole deftly answers questions about the year's most controversial Senate race in Virginia between Chuck Robb, the son in law of former President Lyndon B. Johnson, and Oliver North the former aide to Ronald Reagan. We will introduce the Midterm elections to you here,  as we get ready to kick off a multiple episode look at these monumental elections from 1994.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Episode 70 Fireside Chat With Rachel Barkow and Casey Michel Recorded at our 2025 White-Collar Symposium earlier this month, this special episode gives guests Rachel Barkow and Casey Michel an opportunity to address the issues explored in each other's books. With host Matt Adams as moderator, Rachel — an author, law professor and former clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia — and Casey — an investigative journalist and Director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation — explore the common themes in criminal law that connect their works. Rachel and Casey dig into how constitutional rights, judicial interpretation of those rights and legislative statutes influence both mass incarceration and foreign lobbying. Their conversation weaves together turning points and pivotal figures in U.S. history — Richard Nixon and Bob Dole, the Gilded Age and the 1960s — and identifies how those moments and individuals have shaped today's realities.

Send us a textIn this episode, we look back with a great deal of respect to a very formidable adversary for most Republicans like me, in Senator George Mitchell of Maine. He was the Senate Majority Leader for most of the Bush Administration and the first two years of the Clinton Administration. He was most likely the single biggest factor in making George H. W. Bush eat his no new taxes pledge during the budget negotiations of 1990. He decided to retire in 1994. This dinner was held in his honor and to raise money for a scholarship fund that he set up with the remainder of his reelection campaign fund to help more people get an education. Mitchell was the son of an Irish immigrant janitor, and a textile worker in Maine. He knew the value of a good education and how hard his parents had worked for him to have the opportunities this nation provided. This dinner was his way of setting up a fund to help those coming up behind him. It was here that we also got a chance to see both Bob Dole and President Clinton give good hearted speeches in tribute to the outgoing Majority Leader. It is a chance to size them up as they go head to head, but this time, it is all in good natured fun and in honor of a highly respected colleague, all on the eve of the 1994 midterm elections.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textThe Contract with America would change everything in Washington D.C. For four decades the United States House of Representatives had been controlled by one party. The Republicans had settled into a life of being a permanent minority. That total control of the Federal Government had led to decades of entrenchment for democrats everywhere you looked in the running of the government. They were in all the bureaucracy, the courts, and in control of everything within the congress. It was a dominance that had brought down a President in 1974, and thwarted the agenda of three more Republican Presidents. It was time for a change and the unpopularity of the Clinton agenda would finally bring about an opportunity for that change. What Republicans needed was a field general. It got one in House Minority Assistant Leader, Newt Gingrich. He would develop the Contract with America, help sell it to the country, and to his fellow Congressman, he would help educate not only a class of Congressional candidates but also a generation of campaign operatives that they brought in, and took to school educating them on how to run a campaign. They polled the issues, they polled the voters, and they laid the groundwork for a foundation to nationalize the election. It gave every candidate a set agenda to run on. I would argue, and do in this episode, that it was a one-two punch that led to the success of the Republican Party in the elections of 1994. First off, you had Bill Clinton lurch to the left, which was unpopular with the vast majority of the electorate, but you also had Bob Dole there to stand the ground at a moment when every other Republican in the Federal Government was demoralized after the loss in 1992. It was Dole that held the ground against Clinton's left wing leap. Dole stopped the Gays in the Military, didn't have a single defection on the budget, and defeated the Healthcare boondoggle. It was a mighty impressive performance for a man leading the minority party in Congress. It was Bob Dole's leadership during those two years that laid the foundation for the campaign that, without question, Newt Gingrich, was able to lead to victory in 1994. A one-two punch that nearly knocked out the Clinton Administration. It was the high tide of the Republican comeback from the debacle of 1992.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textSouth Carolina has always been enormously proud of its military Collegiate institution, the Citadel, in Charleston S.C. Senator Ernest Hollings was a proud graduate of the University as was so many very prominent people throughout the state. Graduates include Governor Justin Hagood, Pat Conroy, Charles Tew, Greg Davis, State Senator Stephen Goldfinch, U.S. Representatives Nancy Mace, Gresham Barrett,  and State Representative Thad Viers are all among the list. In this episode we listen in as Senator Strom Thurmond, himself a graduate of Clemson University back in the era when it was a military college, introduces Senator Bob Dole and welcomes him to the Citadel. In this episode, we will also see the University bestow on Bob Dole an honorary Doctorate of Laws, as they welcome a genuine American hero to the podium to address the class of 1994. We are not sure but we think , given the date of this event May 14, 1994, that the Senators left The Citadel and then headed to another event that honored Vietnam Veterans in Columbia S.C. It was there that our host, Randal Wallace, got a chance to meet Bob Dole and snap the only photograph he had with the Senator, back in the era before cell phone cameras made pictures an easy thing to get, and that photo is now the cover art for this Podcast series.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this episode we look back at one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in the entire history of the country, the 1994 Crime Bill. It has been the source of many misconceptions and misinformation, even some of which has been spread by me. I had actually forgotten that this piece of legislation actually wasn't a bipartisan piece of legislation. That it was not sponsored by Republicans and that even Stom Thurmond, so often maligned, as a man willing to incarcerate people on a big scale actually opposed this bill. This bill was the product of Democratic majorities, led by Senator Joe Biden, and pushed by President Bill Clinton. It was a big jobs bill and advocated for the expansion of the Federal Prison system. It put people in jail for long and in some cases lifetime sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. Here you will listen in on President Clinton as he signs the bill, listen as his democratic collogues brag on the bill, and we will hear the press conference given by Bob Dole, Trent Lott, Alan Simpson, and Strom Thurmond among other Republicans in opposition to the 1994 Crime Bill. Plus, in fairness, we will give you a review of what the bill did right, and how it actually did cut the crime rate that was seen by everyone as out of control in 1994.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textI may not agree with his every conclusion about the history of the Special Prosecutor and Special Counsel office  and the people who have held it. But I can say that I could find no fault with how this one man handled the job. The Special Counsel and Special Prosecutors Office, begun in 1974, as a way to investigate the sitting President and his staff for alleged wrongdoing, has a history so awful, with so much wrongdoing itself, that it is literally almost impossible to defend as an institution. I don't think the abuse of power has any equal in our governmental history. The shameful conduct of Archibald Cox, Leon Jaworski, Richard Ben-Veniste, Henry Ruth, Lawrence Walsh, Ken Starr, and even the behaviour of our modern day investigators in the Trump-Biden-Trump era is enough to make even the worst tyrants blush. In my opinion, there are possibly two exceptions to this appalling record of power hungry maleficence, Robert Hurr, who investigated the records found in Joe Biden's garage, and Robert Fiske, the original Whitewater Scandal Special Prosecutor. Both men laid out what they saw in detail, and then either walked away, or were in the process of doing so when they were replaced. You cannot ask for anything more than that. In this episode, we get a real treat, as Robert Fiske traveled to Vermont to speak on the history of the Special Prosecutor and Special Counsel Offices and put the Robert Mueller Investigation into historical context. That investigation was ongoing when this lecture occured. The lecture was hosted by the Vermont Law and Graduate School and it runs nearly an hour. I may not agree with all of his opinions on the office, but I certainly can say, I always agreed with his decisions when he held the power to destroy people, and didn't, always looking at the facts and not trying to further his own career at the expense of others.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textThe Whitewater investigation takes a giant leap as Attorney General Janet Reno appoints a Special Prosecutor to look into the case coming out of Arkansas. Former Watergate House Judiciary Committee staffer Bernard Nussbaum is now the assistant legal counsel to the President and his advice is not "No but Hell No!1 Mr. President, don't do that!" But it fell on deaf ears as Democratic Senators put pressure on the White House to take the step and allow a Special Prosecutor to be appointed. At first Clinton got lucky. Janet Reno appointed Robert Fiske to oversee the job. He may actually be the one and only Special Prosecutor in the history of its existence who was willing to look at a case and render a nonpartisan fair judgement, which he did, that nothing had happened in Arkansas involving President and Mrs. Clinton, and that Vince Foster had, in fact, committed suicide. He got fired for saying it. Not in so many words, but the Special Counsel statue had run out and Republicans worked to get it renewed. When it was renewed Janet Reno recommended that Fiske remain the Special Prosecutor and be allowed to finish his report. They removed him, and replaced him with Kenneth Starr instead. The rest is history. This is that story.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIt has been described as the hardest assignment in Washington D.C. It is the response to the sitting President after the State of the Union Address by a member of the opposition party. The President, speaking to a Joint Session of Congress, has a packed House chamber to talk with and a national audience tuning in. The person given the task to respond to it is usually alone in a room with a camera. It is by no means a fair matchup. In 1994, you also had the added stress of having to match T.V. Personas with President Bill Clinton arguably the greatest television Presidential orator of all time. Only Ronald Reagan could give the guy a run for his money. This daunting task would fall to Bob Dole, not once but twice in three years, as he was selected to give the Republican response to the State of the Union in 1994 and 1996. He volunteered, so you can't feel too sorry for him, but it was a tough assignment all the same. The speech Dole gave in 1996, is far better remembered, because he came across like an undertaker. However, in 1994, he was received in the homes of millions of Americans much better. The speech was singularly focused on the Healthcare debate, a debate the Republicans were winning. Dole had a very well put together chart from Senator Arlen Specter's office on just how big and expansive a bill the Clinton Healthcare plan actually was, and Dole did a masterful job of delivering the message. It was one of his better performances. Here it is in its entirety, plus a little bit from President Clinton's speech as well. When we finish those two addresses to the nation we will fast forward you to an interview with Bob Dole as he lays out the Republican agenda, and his thoughts on an array of subjects, for the rest of 1994. It is an interesting interview, and  one of the first times Dole drops the hint that he was indeed going to be a candidate in 1996 for President of the United States.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textThe Republicans did offer up an alternative to the Clinton Healthcare proposal. It was the Dole/Packwood Republican Alternative plan. In this press conference you will hear Bob Dole discuss the proposal and have Senator Bob Packwood lay the plan  out for the press corp.Here are two Republican leaders trying to get their ideas on the table in order to address the growing healthcare crisis. In a lot of ways the plans were not far off but the political divide and the history of big majorities for democrats in congress would lead some decision makers on the Clinton side to try and push their proposal forward and sideline republicans. It would prove a disastrous decision and lead both plans to fail. It would be yet another two decades before Healthcare would be addressed again.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this episode we take a look back at Hillary Clinton when she first burst onto the national scene in the early days of the Clinton Administration. She was a lady busy redefining the role of the First Lady. She was an active serious advisor to her husband. An accomplished career woman in her own right she had been the single person Bill Clinton had always relied on for his policy and often political advice. She was aggressively pushing an agenda all her own and the President was supporting it even as the press began to start focusing on her place in the Clinton Administration. All of this was happening on a wide variety of areas when President Clinton zeroed in on addressing the growing healthcare crisis in the country. Clinton decided he had more faith in his wife's ability to get it done than on any other political ally or advisor. This is the story of that effort. What she did, how hard she worked at it, and how it failed largely due to her approach. The bill was to big and to expansive, and it had been written giving only lip service to Republican concerns and advice. In the Washington D. C. of that era it would prove to be a mistake not to include your opposition especially to push aside its leader, Bob Dole.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this episode we look back at the other man who alongside, Bob Dole and Pete Wilson, spoke at both funerals for Pat and Richard Nixon. The Reverend Billy Graham was a giant figure in the second half of the 20th Century. His influence on the spiritual lives of people around the globe is rivaled only by the various Pope's who served during his lifetime. He was a major figure in the American Civil Rights movement, and he was an advisor to every President from Harry Truman to Barak Obama. He played an enormous role in 1968 in the election of Richard Nixon to the Presidency. This was learned in a recent blockbuster book by Dr. Luke Nichter who became the first author and historian to gain access to the VIP Notebooks that Billy Graham kept for over 70 years as his ministry grew and he became more and more involved in advising the major public figures of the era. In this episode we will hear from him, as we also say goodby to President and Mrs. Nixon, listening in on both eulogies, and we will examine the role Billy Graham played, through the Billy Graham Evangelical Association videos, in the the civil rights movement and with the various Presidents. Plus we will hear a segment of an interview with Historian Luke Nichter about the role Graham played in politics especially during the crucial year of 1968.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textIn this episode we cover the deaths of both Former First Lady Pat Nixon and former President Richard Nixon who both passed away within 10 months of one another in 1993 and 1994. As anyone who has been listening to our podcast on a long term basis knows, the life and career of Richard Nixon is a central focus of our show. We even have a sister podcast titled "The Richard Nixon Experience" that is a second avenue to listening to the many episodes we have produced on the President and his life. This episode adds some additional materials we have not used before mixed in with some of the material from our Nixon series that ran a couple of years ago. We have the newly released video of President Clinton meeting President Nixon for the first time in 1992.  We also feature for the first time the eulogy given for Mrs. Nixon by Bob Dole, and several portions of oral histories about President and Mrs. Nixon from the Bob Dole oral history project, with Dole, George McGovern, and Sheila Burke, Bob Dole's Senate Chief of Staff. We think this is an excellent addition to materials we have already produced on Nixon. It should add to the already growing materials that have been brought to the forefront of Nixon scholarship in recent years. It seems a growing appreciation has been happening for the Presidency of Richard Nixon, and we here at this podcast are proud to have played a small, and very early role, in that new appreciation for the 37th President and his many accomplishments. As we have said and written repeatedly we believe he deserves to be ranked among the 4 Greatest American Presidents, and it appears our podcast tag line is truly now at hand. The Renaissance of Richard Nixon is finally happening at last.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

“If you see the Pope, tell him hello.” That's what Jack Copeland would say—and he just might have meant it. In this unforgettable episode of Kent Hance: The Best Storyteller in Texas, Kent dives deep into the wild, colorful life of Jack Copeland, a larger-than-life character from Dimmitt, Texas, whose name-dropping was only outmatched by the truth behind it. From rubbing shoulders with Margaret Thatcher and Bob Dole to orchestrating international oil deals with Exxon and Japanese officials, Copeland's life was anything but ordinary. Kent shares hilarious and heartfelt stories about Copeland's uncanny ability to be everywhere, know everyone, and always be in the middle of a big deal—whether it was real or not. You'll hear about: The time Copeland pre-scheduled his own funeral (and then postponed it). His Acapulco condo pitch—despite the city's rising crime. The “Rolex” gift that turned out to be a knockoff. His legendary name-drops, including a moment with President George W. Bush. But this episode isn't just about Copeland. Kent also reflects on business wisdom, job interview tips, and the importance of authenticity—sprinkled with his signature humor and insight. From UFO conventions in Roswell to dodging a seat on Enron's board, Kent's stories are as educational as they are entertaining. Memorable Quote: “Every ‘no' is one no closer to a yes.” – Snake Adams Whether you're chasing big dreams or just love a good Texas tale, this episode is packed with laughs, lessons, and legends.

Send us a textJim Brady was a popular member of the Reagan campaign , and briefly the Reagan Administration. He was gunned down in 1981 in the attempt to assassinate Ronald Reagan. He lived, but suffered permanent brain damage, leaving him paralyzed and slow to speak for the rest of his life. His wife, Sarah Brady, would go on to lead a lifelong crusade to bring some form of gun control to America. This is the story of the passage of the bill named in her husbands honor. Bob Dole opposed the legislation. This episode we will hear the floor debate between Dole and Senate Leader George Mitchell. We will learn how Dole treated everyone fairly, and we will get to see a real test between the President and the Minority Leader. In this early battle between the two leaders of their party, Clinton would win. The Brady Bill passed the House of Representatives 238 - 189 , and it passed in the United States Senate 63 - 36 with an amendment. The Bill introduced one of the things that Bob Dole had been pushing for years, a National instant background check.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textThe North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, opened up the largest free trading block in the world. It was supported by every living former President in 1993, and Bill Clinton worked very hard to make it happen. He got support from an unlikely source.Bob Dole. In fact, he had bipartisan support and opposition. Our own two Senators here in South Carolina, Strom Thurmond and Ernest Hollings, one a Republican and the other a Democrat, both opposed NAFTA's passing. This is the story of how it passed through Congress. You will hear from three living former Presidents: George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald Ford, in the Bush speech you will also hear about an opinion piece written by Ronald Reagan in favor of NAFTA as well. It was a controversial piece of legislation, and while it delivered on many of the high hopes when it passed, it also did not stop some of the very concerns those who were opposed to its passage brought up in their arguments. In this episode we will hear some of the oral history that Bob Dole gave and you will hear for yourself some of , what sounds like , regret he voices, ever so briefly, in his interview about supporting the passage of the bill. Here is the story of NAFTA, how it passed, and what people thought about it as the historic debate raged in Washington.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us a textAs this series has unfolded I am sure that most people have listened in and thought it was more about President Bill Clinton than Senator Bob Dole. That will begin to change with this episode. This is where we will begin to use an absolute treasure of a find from the Dole Archives collection at the Robert J. Dole School for Politics in Kansas. In this episode we will be introducing you to these oral histories compiled by Richard Norton Smith of various major figures who served in the same era as Senator Bob Dole. I think you will get extraordinary insight not just to Bob Dole the man, and the era in which he served , but also valuable insights on how your United States Senate actually functions. We are very excited to be diving into this collection to help tell the story of one of the greatest leaders our nation has ever produced in Senator Bob Dole. We want to thank all of those who contributed to this collection, the Dole Institute and historian Richard Norton Smith. These oral histories are an absolute treasure.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

This week, Cody and Jimbo visit with former PRCA calf roper, Dave Owen. Dave was also a Kansas State Senator, Kansas Lieutenant Governor, and former campaign manager and confidant to the legendary Bob Dole. Dave is a very impressive man and tells some great stories you won't want to miss!

The late Kansas Sen. Bob Dole was a champion for disability rights. One of his biggest accomplishments was getting the Americans with Disabilities Act passed, 35 years ago this week. We'll look back on the role Kansas played in this landmark civil rights law.

He has entertained tens of millions of people over the course of four decades with iconic film and TV appearances, yet he remains humble and modest - He is Mystic Pizza, Falcon Crest and Perry Mason (to name a few!) actor, William R. Moses!His Mom, Marian McCargo and big brothers, Rick and Harry Moses were in the business and, although his step-dad, Congressman, Alphonso E. Bell did not entirely approve, Billy, a high school and college athlete found himself pulled towards acting. A typical Take-Your-Kid-To-Work day found young Billy on the set with Leonard Nimoy, Fess Parker and John Wayne! Or on Capitol Hill with Ted Kennedy, Gerry Ford and Bob Dole. Ample inspiration to dream big! Billy's resume includes the iconic prime time soaps Falcon Crest and Melrose Place, the role of Marc Christian, Rock Hudson's boyfriend, in a groundbreaking film about the legendary Hollywood and LGBTQ history figure, and he has the distinct honor of sharing his feature film debut, in the movie Choices, with fellow newby, Demi Moore!As attorney and P.I. Ken Malansky in NBC's Perry Mason TV film series, Billy worked closely with Raymond Burr and, as it turns out, our own Fritz Coleman who guest starred on an episode entitled, The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host.From a Mystery Cruise Ship with the Olsen twins to Perry Mason's Colorado courtroom, to the magical setting of Mystic, Connecticut, to his first Negroni on The Love Boat set with Eddie Albert to valiantly attempting to keep Viola Davis from Getting Away With Murder, Billy's stories provide a front row seat to the show biz of the glorious final few decades of the 20th century and journeying on into the aughts and beyond.In recommendations--Weezy:  The Lost Passenger by Frances QuinnFritz: Mobland on Paramount+Path Points of Interest:William R. Moses on WikiWilliam R. Moses on IMDBPerry Mason TV MoviesMystic PizzaMystic Pizza RestaurantMobland - Paramount+The Lost Passenger by Frances QuinnThe Case of the Telltale Talkshow HostMedia Path Podcast