The Likely end of Bush-Dole Officeholders

  An amazing statistic is that since 1952, there has always been a Bush and/or a Dole in public office in America.  That is very likely to end on Tuesday!

 The era of Senator Prescott Bush  of Connecticut (1953-63); President George H W Bush (Congressman from a Texas district  (1967-71), Vice President (1981-89), President (1989-93) ); Governor Jeb Bush (Governor of Florida 1999-2007); and Governor George W Bush  of Texas (1995-2001) and President (2001-2009) will end in January.

At the same time, Bob Dole of Kansas (House member (1961-69) and Senator ( 1969-96) and Presidential nominee (1996) ) is long over, and his wife, Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina is finishing her first, and likely only term in the Senate, in a very close race with Kay Hagan, who she has accused of being an atheist.  What a sad likely ending to the career of "Liddy" who started off her career working for Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society as a liberal, became a Republican when she met and married Bob Dole, but still remained a reasonable moderate Republican in image, until suddenly, once in the Senate, she gained a reputation as a nasty, unpleasant, grouchy lady, greatly resembling Bob Dole’s image until he left the Senate during his Presidential campaign and seemed after that "liberated" enough to be laid back and funny in many public appearances in the years since 1996. 

Why would Elizabeth Dole go so low as to bring up the issue of atheism, as if it is a crime?  This is very similar to the charges that Barack Obama is a Muslim, which of course he is not, but what IF he was?  As Colin Powell said in endorsing Obama, there is nothing WRONG with being a Muslim, and we promote freedom of religion.  That should include the right to be an atheist, although Kay Hagan is NOT an atheist.  But this demeans Elizabeth Dole’s reputation and her recent persona as a senator and candidate downgrades her earlier contributions as a cabinet member under two Presidents.  The result is she is likely to be retired, and that will end a very long period of either a Bush or a Dole or both families being in public office.  Another sign of change, hopefully for the better!