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George H.W. Bush, RIP
President George H.W. Bush passed away Friday evening at 10:10 pm CT at the age of 94. Bush family spokesman Jim McGrath posted the following statement to Twitter:
George Herbert Walker Bush, World War II naval aviator, Texas oil pioneer, and 41st President of the United States of America, died on November 30, 2018. He was 94 and is survived by his five children and their spouses, 17 grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and two siblings. He was preceded in death by his wife of 73 years, Barbara; his second child Pauline Robinson “Robin” Bush; and his brothers Prescott and William or “Bucky” Bush.
Rest in peace, sir.
Update: His son, President George W. Bush, has released a statement from his siblings and himself:
Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died. George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.
A video retrospective from the New York Times:
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Published in Politics
It was meant as approval for the family. And for a time and national attitude among the country’s elites that has largely passed.
Just one more word from me, and then I’m gone: No one is telling anyone what to think or how to express it. That’s absurd. What I am saying, and people who agree with me are saying, is that we believe it is in appropriate to talk about the alleged failings of a leader on the day he passes on. We are not talking about Putin, Stalin, or any other wicked person. We are talking about a former President of the United States. I think it is wrong, foolish, and arrogant to not be able to show just a little courtesy and respect. I hope that this now is clear. I am not talking about shutting up forever. Let’s debate this stuff eventually. I am talking about respect.
It’s just possible, George, people disagree with you on what is respectful, without being absurd, wrong, foolish, or arrogant. You certainly attribute a lot of negative attributes to people who respond to events and ideas differently than you, for someone who never scolds and isn’t arrogant. I don’t read anyone here talking about George Bush as if he was wicked.
Maybe it’s my family background, but we always prioritized the truth about each other, even if it wasn’t all that flattering (sometimes this leads to shared humor about human foibles and eccentricities). I think it’s important (respectful of the whole person) to be real — not to mythologize flawed people who make mistakes, which is all of us. It makes the contrast with their virtues and accomplishments all the greater.
George Will had a good column today. The closing paragraph:
George H.W. Bush was caught between worlds. As president, he could be himself at last.He was, by then, an Eisenhower Republican, whose prudence was displayed first when the Berlin Wall came down, next when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, and Bush, when expelling him, stopped short of invading Iraq. Presiding over the orderly end of the Cold War and the vast coalition for Desert Storm, Bush earned the lasting admiration of a discerning posterity, a judgment more important than the one rendered by the undiscerning electorate that in 1992 limited him to one term.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-extraordinary-life-and-times-of-george-hw-bush/2018/12/01/4fb34fa6-f4ff-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?utm_term=.a5d53817ae12
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Politico has a nice piece:
Todd Purdom concludes:
Thanks, Gary. I don’t quite understand Will. I never thought he was a big fan. But the column is written elegantly. I have always wished I could write as beautiful as Will.
My grandfather retired at 50 years old with a heart condition, and he spent a great deal of time over the thirty years that followed working with the Shriners to raise money for the Shriners’ hospitals. Grampa traveled all over the country on his mission. :-) One July he and Grandma were in Dallas for a Shriners fund-raising parade, and President Bush came to the Shriners’ hotel to meet them and thank them. Someone took a picture of a very warm handshake and smile between Grampa and George Bush. Grampa kept that picture over his breakfast table for the rest of his life. He really liked and admired President Bush. And from the looks they exchanged, I’d say they were were two peas in pod. Very centered on helping people. And always with a sense of humor.
I have a tear in my eye!
Out of respect for loved ones, and others in mourning, it is generally considered poor form to offer much criticism of a man immediately after his passing. Or at least it was. After all, we’ll have plenty of time to crucify the deceased later on, after a decent interval. And it’s not as if we haven’t already made all the same criticisms when he was alive. I mean, now that’s he’s suddenly dead, is that when you want to kick him again for good measure? I do sometimes, depending on the man in question, but I also don’t want to be that much of a jerk.
Am I telling you how to behave, or what to say? Well, yeah, but you’re an adult, so you can do what you want. But if you’re an adult, you should already know this stuff.
And, no, no one’s asking you to lie, or to lionize anyone. Just, you know, leave off your disagreements with the deceased for a while.
No one was kicking him. Context and discussion is not “kicking.”
Semantics. Substitute “criticizing his faults” for “kicking,” if you must.
The second hour of Howie Carr has some really great coverage. I’m not sure when they put the podcast up.
Another great tribute to H.W., this time from Hugh Hewitt:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-hw-bush-was-a-tireless-leader-others-should-follow-his-example/2018/12/03/af2a39d6-f720-11e8-8c9a-860ce2a8148f_story.html?utm_term=.df67648a7969
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This one is my favorite piece so far. I dearly wish 41 had lived to see it!
https://www.yahoo.com/news/called-george-bush-wimp-cover-newsweek-wrong-140012335.html
GHWB knew he wasn’t a wimp. But he did not harp back the arsh-les who kept at it.
He did what was right, even at cost to himself. That is not wimpy. That is greatness.
Jonah Goldberg has really captured President Bush in this article.