joe biden has ordered flags flown at half staff honoring dole as "an american statesman like few in our history. a war hero and among the greatest of the greatest generation. and to me he was also a friend whom i could look to for trusted guidance or a humorous line at just the right moment to settle frayed nerves. i will miss my friend." cnn's wolf blitzer has more now on the life and legacy of bob dole. >> reporter: bob dole was the kind of politician you'll have a hard time finding in washington these days. much of the country only saw the cartoon image, hatchet man. >> senator dole has richly earned his reputation as a hatchet man. >> reporter: pundits who didn't know better, labeled him mean spirited. but he wasn't defined by grouchiness or gridlock.