Dole, the Disabled and Me

I've always respected Sen. Bob Dole. Unlike doctrinaire liberals, I admired him for his war record, his decency and his sense of humor.

His wife, Elizabeth, rolled him onto the Senate floor Tuesday. He was there in support of a United Nations treaty, which would ban discrimination against people with disabilities.

They say he sat there, shaking hands with members of the Senate, until his wife rolled him off the floor.

Then the Republicans voted against ratifying the treaty. The treaty needed a two-thirds vote to pass.

Because I'm disabled, I'm naturally supportive of such a treaty. I've been to many countries in this world and lived in Germany. If I wanted to travel, it would be nice to have some certainty that conditions might be more uniform.

I'm an independent who voted for Dole, but almost never votes for a Republican. Of course, when Dole was a senator, the party represented more than just rich people or anti-evolutionists.

I will never again vote for a Republican. My great-grandfather returned from the Civil War a Republican. My family always has been Republican. But Republicans are not the party of Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt or Bob Dole anymore. I'm staying Independent, but the GOP is too heartless to get my vote, ever.