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America mourns former president George H.W. Bush, dead at 94
WASHINGTON, Dec 1, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Flags flew at half-staff in Washington Saturday as Americans prepared for a week of solemn tributes to George H.W. Bush, in his home state of Texas and in the US Capitol, a day after the former president died aged 94.
Tributes poured in from world leaders in memory of the 41st US president, who guided America through the end of the Cold War and launched the international campaign to drive Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein’s forces from Kuwait.
Many of those same leaders are expected to attend Bush’s state funeral next week, alongside President Donald Trump who was notably absent from the funerals of the statesman’s late wife Barbara, and of veteran fellow Republican John McCain.
Although the two Republican presidents were in many ways polar opposites — with Bush reportedly once dismissing his real estate mogul successor as a “blowhard” — Trump paid tribute to the late leader’s “essential authenticity,” saying he had “inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service.”
“Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy for life and true pride in his family,” Trump tweeted, on a personal note. “His accomplishments were great from beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all!”
Declaring a national day of mourning for December 5, Trump also signaled his respect for the Bush family by calling off a press conference planned at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires.
While funeral arrangements were still being finalized, plans are to include a commemoration in Houston, where Bush lived after leaving the White House, then in Washington, where he is expected to lie in state in the US Capitol, and then back to College Station, Texas, where the Bush presidential library is located, for his burial.
Bush, who died Friday surrounded by friends and family at his home in Houston, was a decorated World War II pilot, skilled diplomat and onetime CIA chief who saw his son George follow in his footsteps to the Oval Office.
From former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to current heads of state, leaders praised Bush both for his strength and his moderation, and for a commitment to international cooperation typified by his assembling of a global coalition to oust Iraqi invaders from Kuwait in 1991.
– ‘Grace, civility and social conscience’ –
Paying tribute, the oldest surviving former US president Jimmy Carter, said Bush’s administration “was marked by grace, civility and social conscience.”
With flags at half-staff at the White House, Britain also took the rare step of lowering flags in government buildings.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier praised Bush for his “unwavering support for German reunification.” Gorbachev called him “a true partner” in winding down the Cold War.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in Buenos Aires along with Trump, mourned the loss of a leader who “strongly supported the alliance with Europe.”
The Dalai Lama sent a message of condolence to George W. Bush, recalling that his father was the first sitting US president to meet the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader in defiance of China.
George W. himself paid tribute to “a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for.”
Bush is the first US president to die since Gerald Ford in 2006. A service for Ford in Washington’s National Cathedral drew leaders from around the world, and Bush’s will be expected to do the same.
Bush, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, had been in failing health for months. He is survived by his five living children and 17 grandchildren.
CNN reported that the codeword CAVU — for “ceiling and visibility unlimited,” bracing and providential words for a former naval aviator like Bush — was used to let relatives know of his death.
– ‘New world order’ –
Born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts into a wealthy New England political dynasty, Bush put his studies on hold to join the US Navy during World War II.
He flew 58 combat missions and was shot down over the Pacific by Japanese anti-aircraft fire.
He returned home and graduated from Yale University, eventually launching a brief career in the oil industry in Texas.
But the world of politics was calling.
He served in the US House of Representatives, as Washington’s envoy to China and as chief of the Central Intelligence Agency before being elected Ronald Reagan’s vice president.
Eight years later, as he accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for president in 1988, Bush pleaded for a “kinder, and gentler nation.”
As head of state, Bush was a foreign policy pragmatist who led the United States through the turbulent but largely peaceful end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union.
He declared a “new world order” in 1990 and drove Iraq from Kuwait with a lightning air and ground assault — and the backing of a coalition of 32 nations.
But despite his international success, he was denied a second term over a weak economy, losing the 1992 election to upstart Democrat Bill Clinton.
He later would see his son George occupy the Oval Office for eight years — they are only the second father-son duo in American presidential history, after John and John Quincy Adams.
– ‘Patriot and humble servant’ –
In his post-presidency years, Bush turned to philanthropy, joining forces with Clinton to raise funds for victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
He also worked with ex-presidents Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama and son George to raise money for hurricane victims in Texas in 2017.
“I am profoundly grateful for every minute I spent with President Bush and will always hold our friendship as one of my life’s greatest gifts,” Clinton said in a statement.
In 2011, Obama awarded Bush the highest US civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“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,” Obama and his wife Michelle said in a statement.
BSS/AFP/MMA/0003HRS