Years as VP key to the making of Bush’s persona

For 41st president of the U.S., the office was never about him but about the people he served, writes Greg Ebel.

The passing of George H.W. Bush has brought many deserved accolades and remembrances about a U.S. president and his place in history. While these are all poignant, beautiful and underline a time of dignity in the presidency, George H.W. Bush should also be remembered as a great No. 2.

Much will be made of his presidency’s successes and setbacks as well as his place in presidential lore. I will take away very separate memories and lessons. I didn’t get the pleasure of meeting the president until the early 1990s when I was serving as chief of staff to the deputy prime minister and minister of finance for Canada, the Right Honourable Donald Frank Mazankowski. Well before that meeting, “Maz” would tell me fond stories, humorous anecdotes and serious discussions he and Bush 41 shared. Interestingly, these were almost all when George Bush was vice-president to President Ronald Reagan. Maz and George H.W. Bush shared the distinction of being “Veeps” to a global leader and, as such, spent a lot of time together both socially and professionally. They both showed a deep loyalty to their bosses, stayed below the radar while getting the job done without being, as President Bush would say, braggadocios. They were fixers in their respective administrations. They were doers. They were fiercely protective of their bosses even when they disagreed.

Living around the corner from the Bushes for the past dozen years has provided the opportunity, on numerous fronts and occasions, to be with and interact with President Bush and his great family. To the end, he served in a strong supporting role for numerous causes in Houston and Texas. None of these perhaps more illustrative of his servant leadership than the support role he played for the Barbara Bush

Being a loyal, disciplined and worthy No. 2 will almost assuredly lead to being, when and if called, a great No. 1.

Foundation for Family Literacy and its associated great deeds.

Being in the No. 2 role shapes a leader’s future and moulds their style and definition of service. It helped shaped Vice-President Bush’s persona and understanding that success was all about those he served. This surely aided in ensuring that by the time he was inaugurated as the leader of the free world that he fully recognized that it was not about him but the people, country and the world he served as president. As an aside — and no small one — being No. 2 in the Bush family to Barbara Bush can only have further expanded his ability to be a great No. 1.

So, the historians will now take the life of the 41st president of the United States and determine the lessons on presidential leadership and policy we should all absorb with his passing. That is all grand, but for me, the lessons from his life are more about how he always conducted himself in his penultimate position, not his ultimate one.

Being a loyal, disciplined and worthy No. 2 will almost assuredly lead to being, when and if called, a great No. 1.

If you are a No. 2 today — no matter how steely your ambition or competitive your spirit — learn and practise these lessons well.

If you are already a “commander-in-chief,” pray each day for a deputy like George Herbert Walker Bush.