Former Sen. Bob Dole hospitalized

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., said Monday he is "making great strides" as he recovers from pneumonia and knee surgery in Washington.

Dole -- a former Senate majority leader who was the Republican nominee for president in 1996 -- was working on behalf of his law firm's clients from his room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Politico reported, citing a source.

"Thanks to the great doctors and nurses at Walter Reed, I am making great strides, working between sessions and hope to be fully recovered and back at the office in a few weeks," Dole -- who is with the Alston & Bird law firm -- said in a statement given to Politico.

Dole, 86, was hospitalized at Walter Reed last summer for an elevated heart rate, the report said.