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Former President George H W Bush returns to capital to lie in state

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I was watching some of this and was moved by the sight of the motorcade, all the servicemen there as an honor guard, the music, etc. And this is just the beginning of several days of solemn activities to remember our former president. Even if you didn't agree with his politics, no one could deny that Mr. Bush was a war hero, a loving husband to his wife Barbara for over 70 years, a good father/grandfather, and that he loved and served his country with honor.

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Hard to believe that there is room in the capitol for both Pres. Bush AND his set of immense stones. Signed up for the Navy on his 18th birthday, flew a torpedo bomber, shot down in flames, only surviving crew member, then went BACK into combat for another year.

Won't see another man like that in the White House for a while.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Strangely moving article.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Working on disaster relief with his successor, Bill Clinton, must have forged a bond between them. To paraphrase his jokey quote above, who would have predicted various members of the Bush family (including 41) voting for Hillary Clinton of all people in the 2016 election?

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TorafusuTorasanToday 11:48 am JSTWorking on disaster relief with his successor, Bill Clinton, must have forged a bond between them. To paraphrase his jokey quote above, who would have predicted various members of the Bush family (including 41) voting for Hillary Clinton of all people in the 2016 election?

In early 1993 the now ex-POTUS Bush visited his oil reserves in Kuwait and the emir was to reward Bush with a medal for doing what the emirate was too chicken to do - drive Saddam's army out. Saddam sent a suicide car bomb that if successful, would've killed ex-Pres. Bush and several people. The bomb went too early, only the driver died - for nothing. Clinton responded by launching a missile attack trashing the Iraqi secret police HQ to teach Saddam 'that you don't try to kill our former head of state and expect to get away with it'. The former 1992 Presidential election rivals became buddies after that. They'd be jogging together, having each other as dinner guests, the works. Very much like the 2008 rivals Sen. John McCain and Pres. Barack Obama.

Look at who was at McCain's funeral. Look at that now iconic picture of former First Couples around the wheelchair-bound George at Barbara's funeral. ALL former POTUS's (the Carters are both ill and both Reagans are dead), their wives, Melania Trump and no Donny Douchebag. tRump is too ill-mannered, rude, despicable and such a narcisstic boor - and besides, why would George (now a quadraleptic) invite some brat that makes fun of people in wheelchairs? Civility - GHWB had it, Clinton has it, GWB has it even though he's stupid, Obama has it and Traitor Don doesn't know what that is. We need it back - badly!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

You just know they are sweating bullets over where to seat Trump. The code red danger zone is placing him next to "low energy" Jeb! and Jeb's wife, who immigrated from Mexico when she was able to get married. Now that is not so different from Mrs. Trump, who moved abroad at 19. All in all, Melania solo would be a much easier proposition for public appearances, as long as she keeps the tacky "kick me" slogan coats off her bod.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Bush, never a great communicator - something even he acknowledged - was out of touch with ordinary people.

he was a better communicator than that obnoxious Mussolini we have now. And while George Bush did good things, bad things, stupid things like all Presidents before and since him - until now.

He was denied a second term by Arkansas Gov. Clinton, who would later become a close friend. The pair worked together to raise tens of millions of dollars for victims of a 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and of Hurricane Katrina, which swamped New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2005.

In a recent essay, Clinton declared of Bush: "I just loved him."

Like John McCain, George Bush wisely made friends with former rivals. Good, bad, ugly - George Bush was a true President, an elected President and he behaved like one. I truly hated the 1991 Gulf war, felt it wasn't necessary and made things worse but it would've happened sooner or later. The American public just loves war and thinks it's entertainment. Still, George Bush did some good things while in office, and he quit his NRA membership when the fanatic loudmouth Wayne LaPierre said what he did after the OKC bombings. You have to give credit where it's due. It's a sad irony that during his term the Iron Curtain + Berlin Wall went down (that was GOOD) but now a fascist scumpot despot wants to build such a wall himself.

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Well, the civility lasted until the fifth comment before the ad hominem attacks on the current resident of the White House began. Is it really necessary?

Bush Sr. didn't get the respect from history that IMHO he deserved. He was excoriated for breaking his "read my lips, no new taxes" promise, but in reality if was probably the right thing to do. If not for the candidacy of Ross Perot taking nearly 20% of the votes, there is little doubt that Bush would have been re-elected.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

@Attila--how about that 1992 election, right? A "real" Texan oilman costing a transplanted New England oilman the election. That's the way the rib-eye roasts.

GHWB's father was a senator. GHWB was VP and President. Son GWB was a governor and president. There's now a fourth generation Bush politician running the Texas state lands agency: George P. Bush. There was even an honorary member of the family, Bandar Bush, AKA the Saudi ambassador. Maybe they could get Bandar out of retirement to be the stealth Bush candidate for 2020?

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Look at who was at McCain's funeral. Look at that now iconic picture of former First Couples around the wheelchair-bound George at Barbara's funeral. ALL former POTUS's (the Carters are both ill and both Reagans are dead), their wives, Melania Trump and no Donny Douchebag.

Because he wasn’t invited, so instead of putting their political differences aside, they had to make a political statement. I think that was done in very poor taste.

tRump is too ill-mannered, rude, despicable and such a narcisstic boor - and besides, why would George (now a quadraleptic) invite some brat that makes fun of people in wheelchairs? 

Of course the man wouldn’t have done that, but as for rude, he has every right to snipe back at people that do the same to him, he’s human and most people would do the same we’re they attacked in the same manner.

Civility - GHWB had it, Clinton has it, GWB has it even though he's stupid, Obama has it and Traitor

I think they are all civil, but each had their own flaws some of them mentioned more than others....and the interesting observation to your point, all these men were Washington establishment traditional, professional politicians, so I’m giving Trump slack because you have a man that never held political office before, therefore, he can’t be held to the exact same standards as someone that was groomed to be in politics. Again, all these men had their own flaws, but none were so attacked since they announced their candidacy, none of them.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Toratora, i agree completely. Most political dynasty families get weaker as time goes by. Witness the fall of the Kennedys as well to the state they now are in. They all should find something else to do. Public service is one thing, but intergenerational lust for power is another. It probably went a long way to costing Hillary the 2008 Democratic nomination too. How many people thought, "oh Jesus, another Clinton? That's the last thing we need!"

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@Attila--don't know if the Kennedy crew is the best example because they had big Catholic families (JFK the only Catholic president surprisingly), producing many possible political players. There's Joseph Kennedy III, now in his late 30s and already five years in Congress from Mass. Then you have the Schwarznegger-Shriver lineage who are part of the dynasty. Closer to our purposes in Japan, Caroline Kennedy was a factor in getting Obama elected and was handed the Japan ambassadorship for what seemed like the majority of the Obama years, a similar setup as Mondale under Clinton perhaps. It's hard to say that they are not still a political force.

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AttilathehungryDec. 4 04:16 pm JSTToratora, i agree completely. Most political dynasty families get weaker as time goes by. Witness the fall of the Kennedys as well to the state they now are in. They all should find something else to do. Public service is one thing, but intergenerational lust for power is another. It probably went a long way to costing Hillary the 2008 Democratic nomination too. How many people thought, "oh Jesus, another Clinton? That's the last thing we need!"

I think the problem with Hillary was that she would've been a figurehead President - that is, her husband would be calling out the shots in the back room. Why? He's done it. He learned how to charm during his 12 years as Arkansas governor and he has had 2 terms as POTUS. He knows the ropes, he's a master showman (hence the nickname 'Slick Willie'), and he has the experience. He's done it all.

I agree - there should be no more family dynasties. No more Clintons in the WH, no more Bushes, I don't want Michelle Obama to run, Amy Carter was smart not to, same for Susan Ford, Patti Davis (Reagan), all that. But at the same time, we do need people with the know how and experience. Obama did. Trump doesn't, and he's a criminal. And no, Oprah Winfrey doesn't get my vote either.

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