A strong sense of character
President 41: Not a one can compare
Joe FITZGERALD Sometimes words get in the way, which is why the passing of George H.W. Bush seems to speak for itself — because no words are needed to compare what we have to what we’ve just lost. And that’s not to put a knock on his successors, none of whose resumes could hold a candle to the magnificent life that was lived by our 41st commander in chief. Will we see his likes again? The way politics are played today would make that doubtful. Slick? No. But he was sin- cere, which was better. Polished? Not a bit. But what we saw was what we got, which was better. A great orator? Not even close. Then again, who can calculate the damage done to this country by smoothtalkers? George Herbert Walker Bush, who died Friday at 94, was a president Americans could point to with pride, even if vigorously disagreeing with his policies. He was a thoroughly decent man, a family man who was married to his late wife Barbara for 73 years, making them the longest wedded couple to ever inhabit the White House. Born to great privilege, an alumnus of Phillips Academy, he surely could have found a way to wiggle out of serving his country, but when Pearl Harbor was attacked he enlisted in the Navy and became America’s youngest naval aviator three days before his 19th birthday. He would fly 58 combat missions and make 126 carrier landings in the Pacific Theatre, but he faced his greatest peril while attacking the Japanese communications center on the island of Chichi Jima. Though his plane was hit and burst into flames, he completed his assignment before bailing out, dropping bombs that wreaked havoc on the enemy. This future president would then float for four hours in an inflated raft, finally being rescued just as the enemy, who were executing and cannibalizing American pilots, moved in to capture him. They say he would openly weep the rest of his life over buddies who didn’t make it home. As a president he was a soft-moving target for wise- guys looking for a laugh, especially when he told the 1988 GOP convention of his wish for “a kinder, gentler nation.” They had a field day with that, but here’s how he amplified it: “It means helping a child from an unhappy home learn how to read. It means teaching troubled children there’s such a thing as reliable love. Some would say that’s soft and insufficiently tough, but where is it written we must act as if we do not care, as if we’re not moved? Well, I am moved; I want a kinder, gentler nation.” Wouldn’t that sound good right now? In a world that too often mistakes kindness for weakness, George Herbert Walker Bush had strength of faith, strength of conviction, and, most importantly, strength of character, the best strength of all. Thank you, Mr. President! God bless.