Tributes many as Bush lies in state
Colleagues, rivals, strangers line up to honor former president
WASHINGTON — They came together Tuesday from worlds that can often seem so far apart, current and former elected officials, intelligence chiefs and foreign dignitaries standing alongside suitclad federal workers, college students and other everyday Americans. They came together to bid farewell to George H.W. Bush, the former president who dedicated years to public service.
Throngs of people streamed into the Capitol Rotunda for a quiet moment seeing Bush’s flag-draped coffin as his body lies in state. Those who gathered included Bush’s relatives, people who served under him while he was commander in chief and onetime political rivals, including Bob Dole, the former Senate majority leader and Republican nominee for president.
Dole, who had twice competed with Bush for the Republican nomination, approached the casket in a wheelchair. An aide helped him stand briefly before Bush’s body. With his left hand, Dole gave a salute to Bush, who, like him, had been veteran of World War II.
Jeb Bush, the late president’s son, posted on Twitter of the moment: “Just incredible. Thank you Senator Dole.”
Bush died last week in Texas and will lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda until today. His body was taken to the Capitol on Monday to begin days of tributes in Washington and Texas, which will include a national day of mourning and a state funeral today.
A parade of prominent names went Tuesday to bid farewell to the 41st president, their appearances reflecting chapters from his remarkable resume. Colin Powell, whom Bush named as his chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was there along with generals who served during the 1991 Persian Gulf War under Bush. Gina Haspel, the CIA director, approached with John Brennan and others who had similarly followed in Bush’s footsteps in leading the agency.
Members of Congress, where Bush served four years, trickled in and out, as did staff members for the Republican National Committee, which Bush once chaired. Former Secret Service directors went through, as did South Korea’s foreign minister and Kuwait’s former prime minister.
More recent additions to Bush’s life appeared. Sully, the steadfast service dog who accompanied Bush in the final months of his life, briefly took a spot in the Rotunda.
When a former president dies, the public mourning process offered by having them lie in state gives the American public a chance to say farewell. Bush is the 12th president to lie in state at the Capitol, a tradition that dates back to Abraham Lincoln in April 1865, although not every president has been honored that way. After Nixon died in 1994, his family chose not to have him lie in state.
The first person memorialized this way was Henry Clay, a former senator and speaker of the House, in 1852, according to the House of Representatives. In recent years, the honor has also been given to Sens. Daniel Inouye and John McCain.
Bush’s death leaves just four living former presidents as well as President Donald Trump.
Before Bush, the last presidents to lie in state were Ronald Reagan — for whom Bush served as vice president — in 2004 and, a little more than two years later, Gerald Ford, who also was a World War II veteran, congressman and vice president before serving as president. Statues of both men adorn the Capitol Rotunda.
Bush was ousted from office after one term in favor of then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, who was followed eight years later by George W. Bush. In 2016, Jeb Bush sought the Republican nomination, but he was defeated by Trump, who paid his respects Monday night.
Trump tweeted that he would be visiting with the Bush family at the Blair House and that first lady Melania Trump would give Laura Bush, one of her predecessors, a tour of holiday decorations.
“The former First Lady will be coming over to the White House this morning to be given a tour of the Christmas decorations by Melania,” Trump wrote. “The elegance & precision of the last two days have been remarkable!”
The line to get inside grew as the day continued, stretching outside into barricades set up along First Street. A tour guide said she expected the line to balloon at the end of the business day, saying that was what happened when crowds came to honor McCain and Ford. By the afternoon, some said it was taking as long as an hour and a half to get inside for a few somber moments.
Daniel Bean, a runner who changed his route to include the Capitol early Tuesday so he could attend the viewing, said he missed the way Bush handled himself in public office.
“I was quite impressed with his demeanor. You just don’t see that anymore,” said Bean, 63, of Upper Marlboro, Md., who joined the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1990, two years after Bush was elected to office. “I miss his way of doing things.”
Fleming El-Amin, 66, went to the Capitol midday with his wife, Cassaundra El-Amin, 67. The pair had traveled from Winston-Salem, N.C., to view Bush’s body, decades after meeting him when he visited Wake Forest University. For Fleming El-Amin, the president’s passing does not mark the end of an era.
“There’s always hope for tomorrow,” he said.