A life of service to his nation
George H.W. Bush was a son of privilege who repeatedly stepped up to serve his nation without a trace of entitlement. His was a history of bouncing back from political setbacks that would have deterred a lesser patriot. He was ever willing to put his pride, and even his life, on the line for his country.
As a Navy pilot at age 20, an injured Bush was left floating on a raft in the Pacific Ocean when his plane was hit by antiaircraft guns. Two of his colleagues were killed on that World War II combat mission in September 1944.
In the following decades, Bush would become a two-term congressman, a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, chair of the Republican National Committee, U.S. envoy to China, director of the CIA, two-term vice president and, ultimately, 41st president of the United States.
But underpinning the depth and breadth of that resume was a rare determination and resiliency that made it possible. He lost his first race for U.S. Senate in 1964, was elected to the U.S. House, then reached for the Senate again in 1970 — and lost again. Yet he stayed in public service, raising his profile to the point he became a leading Republican candidate for president in 1980, only to lose the nomination to Ronald Reagan.
In 1988, Bush became the first sitting vice president in 152 years to win the White House.
As president, Bush’s foreign policy experience was evident in his steady hand during the fall of the Soviet empire. In 1989 he sent U.S. troops into Panama to oust Manuel Noriega and in 1991 put together an international coalition to evict Iraqi troops from Kuwait.
Bush lost his re-election bid to Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton due, in part, to the lackluster economy and the perception that the president had been inattentive to the nation’s kitchen-table concerns. The gracious note he left to his successor in the Oval Office — “Your success now is our country’s success . ... I am rooting hard for you” — spoke volumes about Bush’s sense of decency and commitment to American ideals that transcend partisan alliances or personal rivalries.
The nation has lost a leader who represented the best of politics and public service.