The last president of Greatest Generation and his greatest gift

George H.W. Bush was the last president of the “Greatest Generation.”

They grew up – and survived – the Great Depression.

Then they saved the world from evil.

Now, as the nation mourns the 41st president of the United States, perhaps the legacy of George Herbert Walker Bush can tackle one last task in service to his country.

Perhaps he can save us from ourselves.

Maybe the thought of this fundamentally good and decent man can remind us that our politics does not have to be the ugly quagmire it has devolved into in the decades since he left the White House.

Bush famously served only one term as president, losing to the young Democratic governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton.

Incredibly, Bush went from the glorious heights of victory in the first Gulf War only to see the economy go off a cliff. Eventually, it forced him to renege on his pledge not to raise taxes.

“Watch my lips,” the president infamously remarked.

Today, as we look back, we prefer to watch his actions, and mourn not only the passing of a fundamentally good and decent man, patriot and statesman, but also lament the passing of common decency in politics.

Bush was born into wealth in a Connecticut family. That did not stop him from answering the call after Pearl Harbor.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday.

He survived when his jet was shot down during a bombing run over Japan when he was all of 20 years old.

After his military service, Bush enrolled at Yale University, captaining the baseball team to two College World Championships and graduating Phi Beta Kappa.

He entered the business world, which took him to his adopted home, Texas, and the oil fields.

But Bush, who died late Friday at his Houston home at the age of 94, soon again felt the call of public service. He was elected twice to Congress starting in 1967.

He served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, as well as China.

Eventually he would serve two terms as President Ronald Reagan’s vice president before beating Democrat Michael Dukakis to become the 41st president of the United States in 1988.

His crowning achievement was putting together the coalition that drove the invading Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1991. It took only 100 hours.

But it seemingly didn’t take much longer for Bush’s fortunes to turn. The economy soured. Bush was suddenly seen as “out of touch” with the America people.

A few decades later, looking back, it could be said that George H.W. Bush was never more “in touch.”

Bush brought a quiet dignity to the White House. He was warm, cordial and congenial, with both allies and his foes, political or otherwise.

His calling card, aside from a lifetime of public service, was one of uncommon decency and kindness.

Upon leaving the White House, he left a hand-written note to the new president. It was the start of a long friendship with Democrat Bill Clinton, one that continued and only grew stronger after both were out of office.

They teamed in a historic effort of past presidents to raise funds in the wake of the devastation wreaked on New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina.

The note left to the incoming president would become Bush’s calling card. It’s a relic of another era, a personal connection that left a lasting impression on those who received them.

Bush would see his son George W. Bush become the 43rd president of the United States. Another son, Jeb, would be elected governor of Florida.

The Bush family became an American political dynasty.

But they never considered themselves royalty.

The same words have been repeated again and again in the days since news first broke of the elder Bush’s passing.

Decency. Integrity. Someone who looked for ways to unite the country, not divide us.

Retired Gen. Colin Powell, who served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Bush’s top military adviser, referred to him as the “perfect American,” someone who should be remembered for “a life of quality, a life of honor, a life of honesty, a life of total concern for the American people.”

George H.W. Bush. Patriot and statesman. A man of substance who exuded decency, generosity and kindness.

Greatest Generation, indeed.