On Saturday, Saint Louis University junior Elizabeth Keenan met
with former Kansas Senator Bob Dole. Dole was in St. Louis to speak
at Washington University to help the school celebrate its 150th
anniversary.

This meeting was a follow-up to a letter that Keenan sent Dole
as an assignment for her Introduction to Literature Studies
class.

The assignment was to write famous U.S. citizens, asking them
what America meant to them. Keenan chose Dole because he had been
involved in politics and the military. She thought that these two
attributes would help form Dole’s opinion on the United States.

"I got a surprising e-mail from one of Bob Dole’s (office)
aides about the letter I sent him. She said that he is in St. Louis
this Saturday and if I can, he would like to try and meet with me
for a few minutes, "Keenan said.

Keenan and Dole met in the lobby of his hotel Saturday Sept. 20,
for five minutes. She asked him what the United States meant to him
and if he thinks this meaning has changed over time. Dole’s
response was that the meaning of America is freedom, liberty and
opportunity. He further explained that this meaning has not
changed, it has only been enforced over time, by the people who
immigrate to this country.

"He was really personable and you could see he has a sense
of humor. He seems like he cares about the youth of America,"
Keenan commented on the meeting, "I have a lot of respect for
him."

Following his speech at Wash U., Dole responded to questions
from the audience. Dole discussed voter turnout, minority concerns,
medical malpractice, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the
nation’s deficit, the situation in the Middle East, women in the
military and the Democratic presidential campaign candidates.