UPDATE: Walker Stapleton, a close family member, reflects on the passing of President George H. W. Bush:
Our Country has lost a hero and I have lost my North Star. Some of my earliest memories include fishing with him while sharing 44 years of love and laughs. His selfless kindness towards others regardless of background or circumstance was unequaled. pic.twitter.com/hsS38SaE0K
— Walker Stapleton (@WalkerStapleton) December 1, 2018
—–
“I’m conservative, but I’m not a nut about it.”
–George H. W. Bush
Statement from Former President Barack Obama:
America has lost a patriot and humble servant in George Herbert Walker Bush. While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude. Our thoughts are with the entire Bush family tonight – and all who were inspired by George and Barbara’s example. pic.twitter.com/g9OUPu2pjY
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 1, 2018
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The Trump Sad!-ministration rose to the challenge and issued a statement, as well:
[of course, the statement didn’t bother to fact check. Bush was the youngest aviator during WWII, THEN he went to Yale].
And then, a more direct Tweet from Twittler.
No way any of that was written by Trump – it's thoughtful, eloquent, and written above a 3rd grade level.
I'd bet my mortgage payment that The Screaming Yam didn't write either of those statements himself. They are far too classy.
——————————————————-
I had to prove I’m not a robot and by the time I was in, you beat me to the punch. David.
If George H.W. Bush were Walker Stapleton's North Star he would have denounced Trump rather than playing footsy with him.
In fairness to Walker, pardoning your cronies to protect you from prosecution for your crimes is right up 41's alley. Not to mention the racism, appointing a sexual predator to the court. Maybe not so different.
Well.. you mean like Bush denounced Reagan for Iran Contra? or other slippery things? yeah.
Stapleton is a douche. I am sure his family knows it too.
(When Jeb starts visiting Iowa next year, he's going to deny knowing that guy)
He did at least say that Trump was, "a blowhard" and declined to endorse him for president even after he had the nomination.
He went further than that. He voted for Hillary, and said so publicly….
The Trump crime family has so damaged the very concept of the presidency that all of his predecessors now look good.
H.W. Bush was no wimp. Anyone gutsy enough to fly off a WW II carrier with only the most minimal navigation aids is heroic to the point of foolhardiness.
But courage is no substitute for good planning. He was not a good president, mainly because he did not stand up to the right-wing preachers who ultimately hijacked his presidency. As a war leader, he had the rare wisdom of knowing when to stop, realizing that overthrowing Saddam would do more harm than good. His fool kid felt otherwise and we are still mired in the middle east as a result.
Compared to Trump, Bush was a titan. But, compared to Trump, my parakeet is a titan. And my parakeet is dead.
Poppy Bush unwittingly ushered in the era of low expectations to the presidency. Now, our nation is engaged in an endless limbo contest to learn just how low we can go.
In the end, Bush was a decent, honorable guy who did his honest best. That cannot be said of the scoundrel who now sits as his sucessor.
Barry Goldwater warned the country about those right wing preachers.
Maybe we can stop praising these folks as paragons and just let them be dead. Maybe say we’re sorry for the family’s loss. But this insane recasting of their actual legacies is tiresome.
Or maybe, Sudy, we can show a dollop of human decency and share a common humanity in the hour of our grief. If that offends your snarling psyche, sue me!
Too bad Poppy Bush showed zero (0) human decency for those afflicted with AIDS at the start of that epidemic in the 90's. It was politically advantageous to him to demonize them as deserving of their fate and divert funding away from AIDS research. Kind of poetic justice that he died on World AIDS day.
The date crossed my mind, too, G.G. At least Papa Bush would say the word. Ronnie never would and did nothing as the Epidemic was ramping up.
Exactly, Cook.…. I had a lot of issues with Daddy Bush but I am old enough to remember Ronald Reagan.
On HIV/AIDS, Daddy Bush was a noticeable improvement. He said the four-letter word (acronym) AIDS. He appoint Anthony Fauci (one of the most knowledgeable people on the subject) to the Dept. of Health and Human Services. His wife held the HIV-infected babies to demonstrate that it is not contagious in that manner. He also signed the ADA which provided recourse for people discriminated against on the basis of HIV status.
Granted, he may not have done as much as his three successors – even his dimwitted son advanced treatment availability – but he was an improvement over Reagan.
Appreciate the perspective. Thanks for the background material.
Need to clarify some things here. The AIDS epidemic began in the early 1980s, not the '90s. The Reagan Administration was quietly pro-active in revising social security disability rules to account for the epidemic and get people onto benefits. Medical records to confirm the diagnosis were needed, but with those in hand, the approval rate was high and quick. Advocacy groups helped to push this effort.
There was also a lot of ongoing research that began in the '80s into the various diseases caused by the AIDS virus. Was it quick? No. These diseases were complex in nature and a lot of research was needed; lots of trial & error.
There was also a clear attempt to link AIDS with God's retribution against a horrible lifestyle. It was trotted out ad nauseam to show how morally disgusting homo's were and how God would get you if you went to bed with someone of the same sex. If Bush showed human decency towards those affected by this terrible disease, his political peers and the leading Evangelicals of the time did not.
At least, women don't have to worry about "David Cop-a-feel" anymore.
As Charles de Gaulle said of Petain, "Old age is a shipwreck."
The same thing happened when "Ronny Raygun" passed away. I was sitting with a group of people waiting for a meeting while a radio blared in the next room. At one point we caught ourselves looking at each other quizzically, when one of us verbalized what was on all our minds…Who the hell are they talking about?…certainly not the man we all thought we knew.
Sure…a family has lost its patriarch…many children have lost their grandpa…many friends have lost a man who, by most accounts, was a pretty nice guy.
But…let us not elevate him to sainthood, like the right has done with Ronald Reagan. The Republican party did not get here in spite of Ronny and Poppy, they got here because of them.
Here's a heart tweaker for JohninDenver, and anyone else who appreciates service dogs, or dogs in general:
‘Mission Complete’ For Sully, George H.W. Bush’s Service Dog
Tweeted by Jim McGrath, Bush's spokesman