Bush grandson discusses family’s leadership at ABA convention
It’s easy to revere family members as heroes when they have been presidents of the United States, governors of Texas and Florida, and a U. S. senator from Connecticut.
George Prescott Bush, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the grandson of former President George H. W. Bush and the nephew of former President George W. Bush, a former Texas governor, and the great- grandson of former Republican U. S. Sen. Prescott Bush, of Connecticut, addressed the Arkansas Bar Association’s 114th annual meeting on Friday at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
Bush reflected on his family’s leadership over the decades, and the importance of volunteerism and service to the community.
“It goes without saying that my father and my grandfather and my uncle are my heroes and role models. For most people, family, faith and friends serve as role models in their lives as well,” Bush said.
While lauding the accomplishments of his father, uncle
and grandfather, Bush said with a laugh that his grandmother, former first lady Barbara Bush, “rules the Bush family with a cold, iron fist, one that she’s utilized against me on several occasions.”
“You think Betty White is one tough grandmother, wait until you meet mine,” he said.
Bush spent a few months in the White House during his grandfather’s term. He said his grandmother insisted that he perform public service work at a homeless shelter in Washington.
“At an early age, learning the stark contrasts between haves and have- nots was a powerful reminder of how truly lucky I am and we all are for having what we have,” Bush said.
Bush, who addressed the 1988 Republican National Convention at age 12 on behalf of the first President Bush, said the political scions in his family are “giants” of leadership in the country. Bush said he has learned from his famous family that “there is really one common unifying theme as it relates to their style of leadership and that is that they accord their personal and public lives as servants rather than as masters.”
“They lead by example as opposed to rhetorically stating their accomplishments,” Bush said. “They think about others before thinking about themselves.”
Bush said that growing up around his illustrious family members, he has learned that, as President John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Bush praised President George W. Bush’s leadership following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which he said “regretfully many Americans have forgotten.”
“My uncle’s leadership skills were not only demonstrated in rallying support for the noble pursuit of eradicating terrorism and organizations that would harm peace- loving citizens of our country, but more importantly his ability to lead with his heart and help our nation overcome arguably the traumatic event of its history,” Bush said.
“People forget the trauma and emotion of losing several thousand comrades, citizens from over 50 nations working in the World Trade Center and hundreds of our finest law enforcement officials and firefighters.”
Bush said most of his uncle’s presidential library in Dallas will be “dedicated to remembering this time in our nation’s history.”
“For the most part, he devoted his presidency to the promises he made to defend this country from attack,” Bush said.
Bush said President Barack Obama has embraced elements of President George H. W. Bush’s foreign policy. Before becoming President Ronald Reagan’s vice president, George H. W. Bush served as U. S. ambassador to the United Nations, chief of the U. S. Liaison Office in the People’s Republic of China and director of the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency.
“Who can forget my grandfather exhibiting a cool temperament during the first Persian Gulf War and assembling a coalition of 34 nations in a U. N.- authorized action against Iraq in response to her invasion and subsequent annexation of Kuwait?” Bush said.
Bush said his grandfather’s joint efforts with former President Bill Clinton to deploy aid and relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast is a “case study in leadership and bipartisanship which I believe we need more of in our country now more than ever.”
“Even though we give my grandfather a hard time about his newly adopted son, his efforts have demonstrated in my opinion statesmanship and class at its highest level,” Bush said.
“Reaching out to a former political opponent that he lost to, I think, is a case study or reaching out and extending a hand, not to mention that together they are a pretty good fundraising crew and arguably solve more problems than several governmental entities.”
Bush said his father exhibited another example of leadership by encouraging Florida state employees to engage in volunteer community service.
“He led the charge and went into the inner city of Tallahassee and mentored, along with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, a fifth- grader after school,” Bush said. “Pretty soon it was very difficult to walk around Tallahassee without seeing people mentoring a child or participating in some sort of public service.”
Bush said that, from his experiences with both presidents and his governor father, he has learned that in the roughand- tumble world of politics “there’s great sacrifices, but there’s incredible rewards.”
The incredible rewards Bush said he has experienced being part of the legendary political family have included addressing the Republican Convention at which his grandfather was nominated to be president and later accompanying his grandfather at Christmastime on a relief mission to earthquakedevastated Armenia.
Bush said participation in U. S. State Department delegations to Nicaragua and Brazil during his uncle’s administration were equally notable and memorable.
“It’s true honor to represent our country,” he said.
Bush was also part of a congressional delegation in 2012 to Saudi Arabia in the midst of the Arab Spring, the recent revolutionary wave of revolutions and protests in the Arab world.
“It spoke to the rich, rewarding experiences you get with public service,” Bush said.
He said that while campaigning for his uncle, “I visited every state including Arkansas, spoke at over 100 high schools and college campuses. I campaigned just about everywhere and learned politics from the grassroots of Iowa and New Hampshire all the way to the large media markets of New York, California and Texas.”
Bush said he was drawn to reserve naval officer career and subsequently served a tour in Afghanistan with special operations forces.
“When people ask me about public service and politics, I always say that joining the military has been a complete blessing for me and I know it to be the highest form of public service,” Bush said.
Bush said public service is not just about politics. He said former House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill’s political edict to “think locally and act locally” is the best approach to public service “whether it’s joining the PTA, running for the school board or just writing an op- ed in your paper, sometimes that’s a way to shape public opinion and be involved and utilize your creative juices in public service.”