Very well in politics. He reached the highest peak. He was the president of the United States. But we must remember as has been pointed out in this statement that was released he was a texing otexas oil pioneer. He was a very successful businessman. He really gave that up to serve his country in another way outside of the military. Absolutely. There is an expression, you see this at his president ial library, i mean his office, his personal motto, he has two of them. One was faith, family and friends. And the second was to your point, any definition of a successful life must include service to others. So while a lot of people think of him as being raised in
grinwhich, and a new england born and bred welltodo family, he did go out and make his fortune, and he was pretty humble once he started out. Once he made money, he turned back to what he thought was most important, which was Public Service. Lets go onto talk about as well, so he became the 41st president of the United States, survived by their four children and their spouses. And lets talk about his wife as they preceded him in death. You hardly saw them apart, and we knew obviously back in april when she passed that it broke his heart. And remember, jamie, he went to the hospital after that and everyone was concerned because this was a love story of the ages. Absolutely. They were married i believe for 73 years, in and of itself
remarkable. And it was a great love affair. They met when they were very young. He named his plane in world war ii after her. And i think one of the things that was at least for me just heart breaking was when she passed away, there were two moments. One was when the public came to pay their respects, he had been watching on tv and as hard as it was for him, he said i have to go to the church and thank them. And he stopped there for hours greeting people. And then the second thing was, you know, just the pictures of him at her funeral and at the gravesi site. And then as you point out 24 hours later he ended up in the hospital. And, you know, we werent sure he was going to make it. It was a very, very rough time. And it will not go without notice. You know, after she passed he said we wanted to go up to maine where she spent every summer of his life except one summer when he was in the war. And he had a wonderful summer there, this past summer. And he saw his granddaughter, barbara, get married quite recently. But there was the sense that he was on borrowed time this past year. Jamie, standby. I want to bring in now cnns
dana bash. Dana joins us in houston now via telephone. This awful news coming in late on a friday night, and here on the east coast early and to a saturday morning, dana. Truly a loss not only for america but for the world. No question. Look, george h. W. Bush was a gentleman first, a patriot first, a family man, someone who people around the world saw particularly as he got older, in his later years in realtime and frankly more in retrospect as really unique. And somebody who served his country with such zeal and with such honor, and just to see the
way that he was particularly again in his later years with people in both parties, members of congress, people who were running for president and became president after him. The relationships that he formed with them, with their spouses i think really it really says a lot. And it is an incredible, an incredible loss. A life welllived, of course. And george h. W. Bush said this, you know, probably more than anyone, but it is a time to celebrate his life. But of course a time to mourn the passing of him and his life but also what he represented. You know, its i think for the first time we started calling president s by numbers and 41 is important, 43 is important. And the only reason we did that is because his son ended up becoming the 43rd president of
the United States, which he was extremely proud of, and he was often referred to as 41, and george w. Bush was referred to as 43 to make a simpler, but i think it was terms of endearment. Oh, absolutely. I covered the bush 43 white house for a while and saw his father, you know, up close and personal beaming with absolute pride. But also, you know, talk about a small club, he also knew the incredible difficult decisions that his son, any president would have to make. And to have the two of them in that club together was really remarkable. And he of course beamed with pride and also was very cautious in helping his son when his son reached out, but also taking
many, many steps back and letting his son find his way. Lets read the statement, dana, and discuss it. This is from speaking of 43, the 43rd president of the United States, george h. W. Bushs son, george w. Bush, on the death of his father he said in a statement, yeb, neil, doro and i are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years our dear dad has died. The entire bush family is deeply grateful for 41s 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. Thats from his son. Imagine having to craft that statement right at this moment. No, and look just in the same
calendar year that they lost their mom. And as jamie was talking about, the year before i came on, that that was after that when president bush, 41, was sick they werent sure that he was going to last much longer than she did. First of all, because he wasnt well but also because of their incredible love story. I mean, it was right around then we were learning from our colleague sanjay gupta, that a broken heart is real thing, its a physical thing. And so these bush children have lost both of their parents within a matter of months. Again, two lives incredibly well lived. And the people who lived their own way, who frankly passed away their own way, but, you know, as children no matter what age your parent is, it doesnt make it
easy. Well said. Youre absolutely right. Again, if youre just joining us, you can see it there on your screen, George Herbert walker bush, the 41st president of the United States has died at the age of 94. Im speaking now with our dana bash, and i want to bring in now president ial historian Douglas Brinkley. Good morning to you. I wish we could be speaking under better circumstances right now, but how will George Herbert walker bush be remembered . Hell be remembered as one of americas great president s. He only served one term, but his foreign poly was just amazing, don. The very fact of the matter was he became the president as the berlin wall came down, oversaw in the reunification of europe to make sure it went smoothly, the break up of the soviet union in 1991. He was a wartime president with
the Gulf War Which America Won and showed a limit to American Intervention and simply liberate kuwait from Saddam Hussein. And middle east diplomacy panama in a successful operation. Its a very large Foreign Policy record, and he brought together a team of Extraordinary People during his presidency to foreign affairs. People that worked for him like dick cheney and Coleman Powell and others. Also, don, he had that great resume of a world war ii hero, the fact he had been with a diplomatic envoy to china,
ambassador of the united nations, congressman from texas. Its a remarkable story and he supports the patriarch of something akin to a dynasty of able to have his son become president and famously have 41 and 43. And he is loved by democrats, republicans. This past week barack obama came to mind and he came to pay his respects to president bush just a few days before he died. Hes really loved by all americans. And also signed the american disabilities act, thats huge, douglas. That is very large. And i always mention that because people forget in parking lots for people with
disabilities. He pushed very hard for environmentalism particularly with air quality. And hes really everybody thought he would have been a twoterm president but alas when he ran for reelection in 1992 bill clinton and al gore fashioned themselves as new democrats won. And bush became a oneterm president. But he represents duty, honor, country. I once heard barack obama i got to talk to him and he told me one of the moving moments when he flew to texas to College Station and it was raining, and theyre greeting him in a wheelchair was George Herbert walker bush because a president was coming to his home state. He was the epitome of a gentleman along with barbara bush that just passed this past year. Theyre just almost synonymous with each other. They had such a long and fruitful marriage. And its a heart breaking time for us. If youre just joining us, the 41st president of the United States, George Herbert walker bush, has passed away at the age of 94, the age of 94. With his life story now here is cnns anderson cooper. George hub Rt Walker Bush was born in milton, massachusetts, on june 12, 1924. The son of a future u. S. Senator he married barbara pierce. In 2001 his eldest son Texas GovernorGeorge Walker bush became the 43rd president , the first since John Quincy Adams to follow his father into the white house. Im now about to enter. So help me god. His second son jeb bush served two terms as florida governor, and ran for president ial nomination. He made a fortune in the oil business. There his future in republican politics blossomed. That one fact help bush become elected to two terms as congressman. His disappointment didnt last long. We view this item as so seriously we consider it a possible Turning Point in the history of the united nations. His political profile was high enough president nixon appointed him to ambassador of the united nations. President ford sent him to china to head up the u. S. Liaison
office as part of a initiative in u. S. China relations. And in 1975 bush came home to become director of the cia, a job an associate said he truly loved. He left that job when carter became president and soon became a player in National Republican politics. Bush ran against reagan in the gop primaries, winning some but withdrawing when it became clear he wouldnt become nominee. As Vice President bush spent a lot of time on the road and was reagans Heir Apparent in 1998. I want a kindler and gentler nation, like a thousand Points Of Light in a broad and peaceful sky. He also made a Campaign Promise that would come back to haunt him. Read my lips the selection of a running
mate surprised many. My choice for vicepresidency is senator dan quail of indiana. The voters supported the ticket. Bushs focus returned to international affairs. He presided over the collapse of communism in the former soviet union and the end of the cold war. He ordered u. S. Troops into latin america to capture the panamanian dictator. The responsibility for sending someones son or daughter into harms way rests on the shoulders of the president , so it is the most difficult decision. He would order u. S. Troops into combat again, ally with other countries to free kuwait from iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein s aggression. Saddam hussein remained in power and remained a grudge. If youve got to have
security, if i have to have it with the secret service, ive got the best there is and we will continue to be careful. The United States retaliated with a Missile Attack against iraqs intelligence headquarters. The man behind the plot would not be captured for another decade, and the second president bush ordered a u. S. Invasion of iraq. Ladies and gentlemen, we got him. At home president bush was hammered by critics for compromising with congress on tax increases and breaking his no new taxes promises. Well, it was a mistake to go along with a democratic tax increase. And i admit it. In a threeway battle with bill clinton and ross pero, he lost. At his sons request he also briefly reentered the public
spotlight. In the aftermath of the devastating tsunami. He joined with former president bill clinton to help raise money for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in asian. As a young navy pilot bushs plane was shot down and he had to bail out over the pacific. As a far older man he would jump from planes again to celebrate his 80th, 85th and 90th birthdays. It feels good. Its an exhilaration. It sends a message with these guys all around the globe just because youre an old guy you dont have to sit around drooling in the corner. Get out and do something, get out and enjoy life. It brought him back to the white house in 2011 to receive the nations highest civilian honor, the president ial honor of freedom. This is gentleman inspiring citizens to become points of
light in service to others. President bush posed for a photo with other surviving president s. The years had taken a toll on his body but his dignity and resolve shone through. I do not fear what is ahead, for our problems are large but our heart is larger. Our challenges are great but our will is greater. President h. W. Bush dead at the age of 94. President ial advisor david gergen joins us now. David, just as anderson was saying in the piece there, a man of great dignity. He was a man of great dignity, and in the Rearview Mirror of history, that dignity his dead Kagds Dication to serv
book better and better, dont they . He was the last of the group of president s we call our world war ii president s. Men who came of age in the war and called the latest generation. They came home from service as george h. W. Bush did and took off their uniforms and went to work to move the country forward. We have president s through kennedy through george h. W. Bush we call our world war ii president s. Its a passing of a generation. He was certainly a man of quiet character. He did not like to pat himself on the back. He wasnt braggadocious, but as Douglas Brinkley pointed out, he will be remembered for his great Foreign Policy acumen. I think thats right, especially in the way that he
brought the cold war to an end. We didnt fire a shot, but we won the cold war. And very importantly he made it clear he did want want anybody in his administration to dance on the grave of the soviet union but rather to treat them with more respect and to try to in great them into the community of peaceful nations. That obviously worked for a while, it hasnt worked, you know, right now that whole effort is under threat. But nevertheless bringing the cold war to a successful and peaceful conclusion, and thensary, very importantly he was extremely successful moving forward with the reintegration of the country which had plunged the war into a world war twice in the first half of the 20th century. And way he handled the german integration has tributed to a much more peaceful germany ever
since. Can we talk with the way he dealt with his predecessors and the way he dealt with other president s . You could not have asked for a more classier handoff to a president than this, from one to another. I think it worked both ways. In the past of course it wasnt easy but nevertheless a smooth transition from reagan to bush, from a president to a Vice President. But then after he lost, it was a Heart Breaking Loss for him after one term. But nonetheless he passed on the presidency to jimmy carter and his team. I thought with enormous grace. And it went smoothly, and after george h. W. Bush left office, he became friends with carter and then he became very good friends with bill clinton. And bill clinton was almost like a son they never had in the bush household. And it was sweet to see that. I think it really was one of the
things that contributed to in the country a sense of were all in this together. Talk to us then about the 90s, about that handoff having been a president ial advisor. This was the time of the first iraq war. And then having as you said to lose to bill clinton and then turn and there there are at the white house there during the inauguration and turning over the levers of power to a democratic challenger in a very hard fought campaign. Let me just say im glad you helped me correct that, absolutely. George h. W. Bush was defeated by bill clinton and it was a handoff to bill clinton which did go smoothly. And as i say later the two of them later became friends. But it was hard for george h. W. Bush to lose that election. He had a very high approval rate, it was 88 after he went into kuwait and liberated kuwait from Saddam Hussein, and then also had the restraint not to go into iraq. His numbers went up to 88 , and then over the next few months or so he dropped precipitously after six months. He never got the cred in the polls about that, but i remember the story telling, he had a great sense of humor. And i remember after he left the presidency, he was quite along in age jumping out of an airplane, it was remarkable. But he said when he got down to the ground, he was taken off the parachute and barbara walked over to him and she said,
george, i havent seen anybody fall that fast thats run for president. I want you to standby, david, and i want to bring in Cnns Wolf Blitzer. Wolf blitzer is traveling with the current president now. Wolf, if you can hear me wolf, can you hear me . I hear you. You became White House Correspondent shortly after bush left office, if my timing is accurate. But certainly his legacy carried on into that administration you were covering in that white house. Well, i was the Pentagon Correspondent for cnn while he was president of the United States, don. And i remember vividly covering all of