Years. Hes also a beloved confidante and friend of mrs. Bush and the 41st president. Karen tumulty and peter baker and former congressman david jolly is with me on set for the hour. Let me start with you, jon meacham. Youve been on television nonstop since friday night when this news broke. We just saw the first image of what the celebration, what the official government celebration of the life of our 41st president looks like. And you and i both know its something that the family and gene becker, his devoted chief of staff have planned for, for not months but years. Whats it like for you to see these moments unfold . Well, as you say, its been inevitable. Obviously, this was going to happen. But theres something theres an interesting combination here. An intersection of two things. Theres the majesty of state which were watching and theres the warmth and fundamental decency and generosity of spirit of the man being honored. And so for me and for tens and tens and tens of thousands and maybe more americans who felt a connection to him, who believed that whatever his imperfections were, he did his best in the arena to make all of our lives better. As best we can in a fallen world, which i think was his mode de force. I think its particularly poignant. It would be impressive if it were simply the majesty of state. It would be warm and sentimental if it were just a man of such generosity of spirit. You put the two together, and i think you have a really overwhelming sense of honor and, honestly, gratitude. I dont know if you feel this way. I feel incredibly grateful to him for not having gone to wall street in 1948, which is what he was supposed to do. Were so glad he didnt always do what he was supposed to do. One of his favorite things and i might embarrass you, one of his favorite things was to be read to. And there were some people known for their great voices. Great actors and performers who he loved to have read to him and sing to him. I think in his final day he was sung to. He loved just a beautiful voice. He also loved, for you, to read to him the things that you wrote. What were his favorite things . What were the favorite parts of what you wrote about him . Oh, thats very sweet. The central reaction he had when i would read because the biography i wrote, a it was too heavy for him to hold on to. It was too long. That was mrs. Bushs central not her only objection but her central one. So we had people read it. I read it to him. And hilariously, and its almost as though were making this up, but you know its true. I would finish a section about being shot down or writing the acceptance speech or pulling together nato, whatever the hell it was. And hed go, thats an awful lot about me. Well, yes, mr. President , its your biography, sir. And he did the same thing, my friend ann mcdaniel reported back when the library opened in college station. He had his first tour of the final exhibits. And he looked around and said theres an awful lot here about me. And people might theres maybe there may be a cynic or two that will say that was an act. No. It was not an act. Being a press person for anyone with the last name bush was torture because the whole nature of being a press secretary is to speak for them, and they didnt like to speak about themselves. So it made it challenging. Talking about what these last eight months of his life were like without his soulmate, without his wingwoman, without barbara bush by his side. Very quiet. Very tranquil. I think gene becker would describe it as a roller coaster. He would have marvelous days, and then he would not have great days. I saw him last tuesday. So not quite a week ago when president obama came to pay his respects. Im not sure this is true, but i suspect president obama was his last public visitor. Which is interesting because imagine a country that managed to. Within the space of 30 years 20 years, sorry. 20 years. Managed to elect two of the most different people you can possibly imagine. Right . When George Herbert walker bush was born in that relatively dark victorian house in milton, massachusetts, in 1924, it was not implausible that the grandson of george h. Walker g. H. Walker of st. Louis and s. B. Bush of columbus, ohio industrialist and early Venture Capital guy, his maternal grandfather, it wasnt at all implausible that he would go to the best schools, go toandover, yale. He might be president. This is the kind of person we elected president. When barack obama was born in hawaii in the 1960s, that was not at all his path. And i think that one of the great things about america is that, as lincoln would say, everyone has a fair chance to rise as far as their industry, intelligence and talent will take them. And my sense is that my favorite line, of course, peter bakers marvelous story about secretary baker and the last hours there. But the last thing i heard when i left houston was that baker had said early in the week, you know, hefe, he called him hefe, boss or chief, i want to have oysters. And president bush said, maybe next week. He was always looking ahead. Peter baker, your story was the story that cracked my heart open and brought out the first tears when i read it saturday night after i put my son to bed. Take me through what you reported about the president s final moments. Well, as jon said, he had his good days and bad days. And on friday, he had had a number of bad days. Hed been in bed for several days. Hadnt been eating very much. His friend jim baker, his former secretary of state, comes by to see him. Comes by the house. And he perked up. His eyes opened wide. And he recognized his friend. Engaged him. He said, where are we going, bake . And baker said, were going to heaven. And bush said, thats where i want to go. And so it was a moment of clarity, a moment where he seemed to revive himself. He had breakfast. Hadnt eaten several days. Three soft boiled eggs, yogurt, fruit drinks. People thought he was rallying again. He was suffering from this form of parkinsons for several years and time after time seemed to come back from the brink of passing away to rally and show his strength. His fundamental strength and desire to keep going. They thought that was what was going to happen on friday. Secretary baker made another stop at the house before dinner. Then he was on the way back from dinner with his wife and a couple friends when the phone call came, you better come back to the house. He comes back and hes found that his friend, president bush, has suddenly begun to decline pretty quickly. They couldnt get to all the kids. Neil bush lives in houston. He was there. His wife was there. Another granddaughter was there. But it put the other kids on the speaker phone. Of course, the last of them was your old boss, president bush 43. And he was at home in dallas. And he told his father, you were a wonderful dad. I love you. And his father told him, i love you, too. According to secretary baker, those were his last words before pass away about a half hour later. You didnt have to look far to see sort of the way george w. Bushs presidency was shaped. Not necessarily by the policy positions of his father but by the experience of having watched his father in that pressure cooker, under the lights. And george w. Bush said in an interview last night something that i had often heard the inverse. I heard the 41st president , and i knew this firsthand, was very upset to see the 43rd president beat up in the press by you and your colleagues. I never heard 43 talk about how excruciating to watch the press coverage of his father. Were you surprised in hindslight having kocovered the 43rd president to hear that . You know him better than i do. These are real people. Its a real father and a real son. Didnt mean they didnt have differences. Department mean they didnt approach politics in a different way at times. Didnt mean that they didnt have some tension there as they as a young man grows up and tries to live in the shadow of this young man and prove himself. Took until 40 until george bush stops drinking and gets his act together in his life. For all of the incredible circumstances that they had, no other two people ever had, even john adams and john quincy adams, they didnt live through the second presidency the way these two did. For all of that, a deep and fundamental love. He wrote a biography of his father. It was a hallmark card. A love note to his father. And you can read that without feeling the intensity of their feelings about each other. Karen tumulty, you wrote an unbelievable story about the 41st president. One of the things that i lived through was his post presidency and the way he reached back to the man who deprived him of a second term, president clinton, and the way he reached forward and embraced the obamas. And i think peters colleague described him as the center of gravity in the former president s club. Can you talk about what you wrote about, about his postpresidency and the import. Well, sure. His loss in 1992 was a devastating blow. But then he and president clinton wrote in the Washington Post this weekend about the incredibly gracious letter that president bush left for him in the desk. This is a tradition between outgoing and incoming president s. But then he gives president clinton the best gift he possibly could in those early rocky years of the clinton presidency. George bush disars peer ppeared. He went home to houston. He walked the dogs, loaded the dishwasher. But he gave president clinton space. It was surely a great vindication when he finds himself back on that inaugural stand eight years later seeing his son inaugurated after having defeated bill clintons Vice President. But then the two of them bonded over tsunami relief and to the point where the bush sons would joke that bill clinton had practically become their brother. And i think it speaks to not only the sort of personal kind of graciousness and charm of these two men, but also george bushs reverence for the institution of the presidency. And his reverence for the fact that there are so few people on this planet who are going to know what its like to sit in this office. What it gives you and what it takes from you. Karen, i think that relationship between george h. W. Bush and bill clinton is one of the most interesting and it didnt have to be a natural one. As you said, its not natural to be so gracious to someone who has defeated you from the job. He loved being president. That resume that he came to office with was being president was something he worked toward his whole political career. Talk about how the 43rd president and his relationship with the obamas. And you saw Michelle Obama talking about how genuine her friendship is with 43 and all the intrigue about the piece of candy he handed her. You see almost the example set by the 41 and clinton relationship being replicated or at least imitated by the 43rd president and the obamas. And again, 43 gives 44 the exact same gift. He essentially disappears. Gives him space. Gives him time. And it surely must have you know, for as much as barack obama would spend, especially in the early years of his presidency, blaming a lot of the problems that he was confronting on his predecessor, george w. Bush taking his fathers lesson to heart, really decides to give his successor both space and the support he needs. And so thats why i think what you see is this real not only a personal bond but just a respect among this very small club of human beings. The expresident s club. Jon meacham, as we watch this event unfold, i mentioned gene becker. We havent shared with our viewers who gene becker is. And i am afraid of gene becker being mad at me, but i am pretty sure shes in that motorcade so its a safe time to talk about jean becker. Lets just hope theres no satellite radio. She dvrs this show. Lets do it now before she can see it quickly. Jean becker is the former president s chief of staff. She is the anchor to winward of bush world as the 41st president would say. Jean was a reporter from usa today. She went into the white house, i think, initially to write speeches for mrs. Bush, barbara bush. And then moved over to work for the president. I believe shes been chief of staff since 1997 or 98. Certainly in that period. And the most remark one of the most remarkable acknowledgements i ever read in a book was she really put together a unique contribution in president ial literature which is president bushs book all the best which if people dont have it, thats the book to get. Its president bush writing letters from andover through his postpresidency. He was st. Paul couldnt write letters the way this guy could. Theyre funny and human and touching and they fill you with joy when you read them. Youll cry. I warn you now. Theyve love bombs. Now knowing about how many he wrote, he usually probably sat down and wrote ten at a time. You felt like the most important person in the world. He wrote i cannot adequately express my thanks to jean becker and i feel totally justified in presumptuously saying that president bush would say that again today about her entire 20 years of service to him, to his legacy, to the family and to her friends. What jean did, david jolly, is she let the people who loved the family, she let the people who served the family continue to feel like part of the family, even after they left politics. And, you know, its interesting. This idea of the letter transcends to their whole life. Everyone felt like they knew them. I wasnt that important but i felt like part of the family. I was welcomed into their home in kennebunkport. It wasnt that they made it feel like an exclusive club was their magic. It wasnt. They had wide arms. Always an incredibly Diverse Group of people, i mentioned. Actors and performers. There were four generations of kids and their friends, democrats, republicans. They were welcoming in the most traditional sort of way. And i think that is the gift that he leaves us this week. The lesson that he leaves us with amidst his legacy is the contrast in political generations. We live in an environment where we reach for toughness. We reach for unkind words. Each of us. Not just our political leaders, but im guilty of it as well. And george h. W. Bush, you had a man who would never do that. And a lot of people forget he lost several critical races. He ran for u. S. Senate and lost. He ran for the presidency in 1980 and he lost. He lost again in 1992. Thats the one we all seem to remember. But it was that 80 race where he was asked, are you tough enough to be president of the United States . They said are you tough enough to be president of the United States . And he said if by toughness you mean moral character, if by toughness you mean conviction and principle and moral fiber, then, yes, im tough enough. If by toughness you mean bullying, no. Toughness to george h. W. Bush meant coming out with the respect of your colleagues and those that you run against. That is the lesson with which he leaves us. That is the story this week that we leave is that this was a president who, even in moments of loss, taught us that there is a fiber that holds us all together in a way greater than politics can ever do. We had some of these conversations around the death of mrs. Barbara bush last spring. We had some of these conversations around the death of john mccain. And were having some of the same conversations now. Do you think these moments pierce through or just reinforce what weve lost. They may not pierce through the chapter were living in now but doesnt mean they wont return. I see someone who reflects the ideals of this nation that were forged over 230 years. With all of our flaws, right . All of our imperfections. But laying true to claims that are greater to any one political party, they recognize weve had some dark chapters. Weve had to overcome as a nation. We have done so. But at the end of the day as a nation and the institutions that reflect our nation, they have always survived whatever those chapters might be. I am not optimistic that next week we have the same spirit of civility and respect between the parties. I am optimistic that what george h. W. Bush reflected in his service prevails in the very long run of the story of this country. You think its still out there . I do. After the break, more of these moving images and tributes to the 41st tribute george h. W. Bush who died on friday at 94. His casket right now on its way to the capitol where it will lie in state. John brennan, former director of the cia, among our guests. Every road in the world is now an information superhighway. phone ringing and the car has become an accessory to the smartphone. Ride hailing, car sharing, carpooling. Mobility services are proliferating. And theres a new generation who dont seem to want to own cars in the first place. It all means massive disruption to the car industry, cities, businesses and investors. Im Martyn Briggs for bank of America Merrill lynch. [narrator] for powerful suction, you need a shark. With two swappable batteries, at maximum suction the shark ion f80 has more run time than the dyson v10 absolute. Or, choose the upright model for whole home cleaning only from shark. This is moving day with the best for inhome wifi experience and millions of wifi hotspots to help you stay connected. And this is moving day with Reliable Service appointments in a twohour window so youre up and running in no time. Show me decorating shows. This is staying connected with xfinity to make moving. Simple. Easy. Awesome. Stay connected while you move with the best wifi experience and twohour appointment windows. Click, call or visit a store today. As that motorcade carrying the casket of former president george h. W. Bush makes its way to the capitol, we are awaiting that ceremony at the capitol in just about 15 minutes from now. But joining us right now is a man who, like president george h. W. Bush, also ran the cia. Its former director john brennan. Director brennan, one of the most underreported sections of george h. W. Bushs life, his time as director of the cia. I want to read the letter you and other former directors released over the weekend because it reminded me of this extraordinary period in which he led the cia. You wrote, as he approached that position as head of the cia as he did everything in his life as a duty and honor to serve, he assumed the role when the cia was experiencing great turmoil. He quickly strengthened morale among the Agency Workforce and competence. Although his tenure was short, the impact on the agency is indell ibl. This 1999 naming of the cia headquarters compound, the George Bush Center for intelligence was a fitting jesture to honor a man who embodies all that is best in public service. His leadership was the north star that we all tried to emulate during our time at the agency. What did he mean to the cia, director brennan . Well, he meant a lot, nicolle. He was director for less than a year. I think it was just almost a year, but he always referred to it as one of the most cherished periods of his professional life. He enjoyed working with cia employe