WATCH: Joe Biden Draws Laughs With Self-Deprecating Amtrak Joke at Bob Dole Memorial
President Joe Biden injected some levity into the memorial for late Senator and 1996 GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole with a humorous anecdote about the Amtrak rail line.
On Thursday, President Biden spoke at a Congressional tribute ceremony for Sen. Dole, who passed away Sunday at the age of 98. During the brief remarks, Biden called Dole “a giant of our history.”
“And that’s not hyperbole. Of wit and grace, of principle and persistence, of courage and conviction,” Biden added.
“I had the great honor of serving with Bob, as many of you around this casket have, I served with him for twenty-five years,” Biden said. “He did have great wit.”
“They once asked him why, in God’s name, he voted to continue to fund Amtrak,” Biden continued. “He said, ‘Because if he didn’t, Biden would stay overnight and cause more trouble.'”
To a smattering of laughter, Bide explained “I commuted every day. It’s a true story. He was the deciding vote.”
Like many of Biden’s humorous anecdotes, the Dole-Amtrak bit goes back a ways. In a 2009 speech, then-Vice President Biden told the tale slightly differently:
Bob Dole, who is an old friend, and used to be the minority and majority leader — and every time there would be a vote on Amtrak. And before Tommy came, I’d be the guy who was viewed as the guy, and Bill Roth, helping Amtrak.
And ever the vote on Amtrak there’s — you see, in the Senate there’s what they call the Well of the Senate. There’s two desks down at the bottom level below where the president of the Senate sits, and each, the democratic table and Republican table, they put a yellow sheet of paper out as Tom and Ted know. And they’ll say succinctly what the vote is about.
And every time we’d vote on Amtrak, Bob Dole literally would instruct the Republican desk to put the following note as to what the vote is: Vote to keep Biden in Delaware.
That was his great sense of humor, because he pointed out if Amtrak ever stopped running, Biden would move to Washington. Then that would be hell for everyone.
Watch above via MSNBC.
