Bob Dole battles home-schoolers

Its Bob Dole vs. the home-school lobby, round two.

This marks the second time the former senator will square off against Mike Farris, president of the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, on the same issue: an international treaty on rights for people with disabilities.

Farris mounted a public campaign against the treaty when the Senate took it up in 2012, fanning concerns among prominent conservatives like Rick Santorum and the Heritage Foundation that it could infringe on the rights of parents whose children have disabilities, threaten states rights and become a legal tool for pro-choice advocates pushing against restrictive abortion laws.

Proponents maintained that the treaty would have no effect on American law, but the detractors proved stronger: The treaty fell short of being ratified by five votes.

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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to approve the treaty Tuesday morning, but its not clear if it has enough votes to pass the full Senate.

Dole, who was injured while fighting in World War II and had been struggling with his health at the time of the vote, was on the Senate floor in a wheelchair when it failed.

Hes quite a machine, Dole said of Farris.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the treaty Tuesday morning, largely along party lines. Two Republicans Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) voted with committee Democrats in favor of the treaty.

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Bob Dole battles home-schoolers