Sen. Bob Dole's final column: 'Too many of us have sacrificed too much'

This is Sen. Dole’s final op-ed. He began drafting it, with pen and paper, in October and finished it on Nov. 23. He died on Sunday.

Dwight Eisenhower said America is best described by the word "freedom." It’s an all-purpose sort of word, one that we salute like the flag on the Fourth of July, even if no two of us define it in exactly the same way. This gives rise to a perpetual tug of war between those on the left who look to an activist government to broker economic security and a level playing field without which democratic capitalism can degenerate into mere survival of the fittest, and those on the right who pursue freedom from – especially from heavy-handed dictation, stifling taxes or overregulation that can smother individual initiative and discourage social mobility.

Conservatives put their faith in the marketplace, even while conceding its imperfections. When I was growing up in Dust Bowl Kansas, drought didn’t wear a party label. I saw too many decent, hardworking people, exponents of rugged individualism, who played by the rules but were denied prosperity by factors beyond their control – or Washington’s. In the U.S. Army, I submitted to the temporary regimentation required to ensure an Allied victory. It didn’t erode my self-reliant values. But it did reinforce my belief in teamwork.

And that is why teamwork is needed in Washington now more than ever. During my years in Congress, Democrats and Republicans were political combatants, but we were also friends. I learned that it is difficult to get anything done unless you can compromise – not your principles but your willingness to see the other side. Those who suggest that compromise is a sign of weakness misunderstand the fundamental strength of our democracy.

Bob Dole's abiding legacy: A belief in hard work, an aversion to big talk and Kansas roots he never lost

Conservatives as innovators

During my early years in the Senate, eager to demonstrate that conservatives could be legislative innovators, I supported Richard Nixon’s small government approach to national health insurance and welfare reform. Later I worked across the aisle and with the George H.W. Bush White House to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. Finally, nothing in public life gave me more satisfaction than teaming up with my Democratic colleague, Sen. George McGovern, to combat hunger in this country and abroad. We set aside past political battles because putting food on the table is the least partisan act imaginable.

Today, I am proud to say our work lives on with the USDA’s McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. This initiative supports educational efforts to some of the most impoverished areas around the globe while also fostering child development and food security in low-income, food-deficit countries.

Cartoonist Mike Thompson: They don't make 'em like Bob Dole anymore