American giants: President Joe Biden pays tribute to Bob Dole, Buck O’Neil Wednesday
Before launching into details of the federal infrastructure plan, President Joe Biden paid tribute to Bob Dole and Buck O’Neil while speaking at the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority on Wednesday.
“If the sun shines a little brighter on Kansas City this week it’s because Bob and Buck are up there sharing a laugh with one another,” Biden said.
Biden’s visit, aimed at touting the recently passed infrastructure bill, came days after Dole’s death and O’Neil’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Biden, who served alongside Dole in the Senate, praised the Kansas senator and former presidential candidate as an “American giant” and a “leader of honesty, decency and good humor.”
The president is expected to be in attendance at Dole’s funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
“The nation owes Bob Dole a debt of gratitude for the remarkable service and a life well lived,” Biden said.
Biden also acknowledged O’Neil, the former Kansas City Monarchs player and manager and the first Black coach in Major League Baseball, as “one of the games greatest ambassadors and finally, finally a hall of famer.”
O’Neil was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, 15 years after he was passed over for a spot shortly before his death in 2006.
