The 43rd president said he has learned lessons from his predecessors about how to make a mark after leaving the White House. And so the challenge is how to live life to its fullest. On the other hand, I am confident that when this chapter of our life is finished, that we'll both be able to say that we've advanced the cause of peace and freedom and -- and the human -- and helped improve the human condition.
Remembering 'Bush tended to In July, Bush visited Zambia and Botswana to promote a health initiative that focuses on cervical and breast cancer prevention and treatment. He also helped create the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, which focuses on long-term economic reconstruction projects that create jobs and promote economic opportunity.
Laura Bush said her husband rarely itches to add his voice to the daily political debate. The former president said he knows the library dedication will re-stir the debate about his presidency, and he conceded the library is in part an effort by him and supporters to influence history's verdict.
But he predicted visitors would find it "more objective" than they might have imagined and he showed little interest in revisiting flash points like Iraq, Hurricane Katrina or the financial crisis.
Or the scorn with which many look back at the Bush presidency. A glimpse at a White House before everything changed. We gave it our all. Made the best judgment calls I could. I didn't compromise my principles. And I'm a content man. And I am excited about what we're going to do here.
The library path is a quick reminder of how everything changed on a crisp September morning. One early exhibit is filled with children's books -- education reform was to be a major first term priority. Brazile: Bush came through on Katrina.
Candidate Bush had promised a humble foreign policy, with a heavy focus on the Western Hemisphere. Photos: George W. Bush: His life in pictures. Bush, seen here in January , served two terms as President of the United States. His father, George H. Bush, was the nation's 41st president. Hide Caption. Bush was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on July 6, Here, he looks up at his parents, George and Barbara, as they pose for a portrait in April Bush's life, legacy — Bush and his parents are photographed in Rye, New York, during the summer of Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush, became a US senator in Bush, left, is the eldest child of George and Barbara Bush.
Barbara is holding her youngest son, Marvin, and her husband is holding their son Neil. At bottom left is their son Jeb. The couple also had a young daughter, Robin, who died from leukemia in Bush went on to attend Yale University like his father, graduating with a degree in history in He later attended Harvard Business School and got a master's in business administration.
Bush was a pilot in the Texas Air National Guard from His father was a naval aviator who fought during World War II. Bush's life, legacy — Bush, in the red shirt, is seen with his father and his three brothers in From left are Neil, George H. Bush holds his twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, in Members of the Bush family pose for a photo in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Bush is third from left behind his young daughter Barbara. Bush and his wife, Laura, attend his father's inauguration in Bush worked on his father's presidential campaign. Bush has a "leg up" on his father as he clowns around for the camera in A year earlier, the younger Bush became part-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. Bush celebrates after he was elected governor of Texas in Bush, a Republican like his father, ran for Congress in but lost.
Bush hugs his daughters Barbara, left, and Jenna after his election win in Bush's father joins him and Laura at his inauguration in Texas in Bush went on to win a second term in before running for president. Bush practices his national convention speech while working at the governor's mansion in Texas in July Bush shakes hands with his Democratic opponent, Vice President Al Gore, at their first presidential debate in October Confetti falls on Bush as he concluded his presidential campaign in Austin, Texas, in November Bush is embraced by his wife, Laura, at the governor's mansion in November Bush lost the popular vote but edged Gore in the Electoral College.
His victory didn't become official until December, when the US Supreme Court, by a margin, suspended a recount in the deciding state of Florida. Gore conceded the next day.
Bush is sworn in as President in January Bush delivers his inaugural address. Bush gets a pat on the back from his dad during his inauguration ceremonies. At the time, the President was visiting a school in Sarasota, Florida.
Bush prepares to address the nation on the evening of September Bush speaks to rescue workers, firefighters and police officers at the rubble of New York's ground zero, three days after the September 11 attacks. Bush and his Cabinet bow their heads in prayer before a White House meeting on September 14, Bush's life, legacy — Bush drives his pickup truck at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, in A banner on the aircraft carrier said "mission accomplished," drawing criticism because the war in Iraq was still far from over.
Bush never said the words "mission accomplished" in his speech -- he actually said "our mission continues" -- but the President later expressed regret about speaking in front of the banner. Bush waves after addressing delegates at the Republican National Convention in Bush addresses the audience as he debates Democratic challenger John Kerry in October Bush takes a phone call from Kerry, who was conceding the election.
Bush reels in a catch in Kennebunkport, Maine, in Watching is his daughter, Barbara, and cousin Billy. Of course, Bush did not have a perfect record in foreign policy, but history has been kind to him and will likely be kinder still as time goes by. As a country, we are greatly in the debt of Bush and his administration, and the best way we can honor his legacy is by cultivating the virtues in our own lives that he sought to cultivate and practice in his.
Judd Gregg and former Gov. At the breakfast, I was wearing a tie with all of the flags of the world on it. I also did an internship at the Bush White House in the fall of When Bush lost in November to Bill Clinton, the interns at the White House were given a chance to write letters to him.
I took a lot of time, earnestly writing about how I thought he ought to have no regrets and that he had been so well prepared for the presidency as former head of the CIA, a former congressman, former envoy to China, and former U. Within 48 hours, I received a thoughtfully typed-up letter addressed to me, with my address marked as the White House Executive Office Building a nice touch , that sincerely thanked me for my letter with a real Bush signature as opposed to one of those awful stop-start auto-pen signatures that everyone could tell were fake.
After 25 more years working in and around government, I have several other reflections of former President Bush. On Dec. Bush was to arrive Dec. I was told by a senior State Department official later that the Secret Service recommended that Bush not go to Argentina because it could not guarantee his personal safety. Despite the personal danger, Bush went anyway and spoke to both houses of the Argentine Congress, giving a boost to President Carlos Menem and his policies of reforming the country.
Menem was eternally grateful, and this began an era of good feelings between Argentina and United States that lasted for about 10 years. Second, Bush believed in the value of allies and relationships. He really worked at U. The late Bill Martel wrote a very dense but important book about grand strategy in , and his take was that George H.
I have a photo from the pancake breakfast and the autographed letter framed in my home office. Eulogy virtues are those that are spoken of at a funeral—the personal qualities and character that a person is to be remembered by, the things that matter most in a life well-lived.
What is most notable about former President George H. Bush is that his remarkable life fused the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues. His many professional accomplishments, almost unsurpassed by any other American in public life, all stemmed from his sterling personal character. His fidelity to duty, honor, and country shaped his decades of national service and leadership, even as his integrity, resolve, discipline, and surpassing kindness and decency marked his conduct in all aspects of life.
He represented the best of America, and it is much the better for having been led by him during some of the most consequential moments of the 20th century. During our troubled current era, may we dedicate ourselves anew to being worthy of his legacy.
Kori Schake is the director of foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute, a former U. Twitter: KoriSchake. Phil Levy is the chief economist at Flexport and a former senior economist for trade on the Council of Economic Advisers in the George W. Bush administration. Twitter: philipilevy. Peter D. Feaver is a professor of political science and public policy at Duke University, where he directs the Program in American Grand Strategy.
Bush administration, and a former foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. Twitter: danrunde.
Bush went on to Yale, the alma mater of his father and grandfather, Prescott Bush , a banker and U. He trained to become a pilot and completed his active-duty service in Bush then returned to Texas to work in the oil and gas industry and eventually started his own exploration company.
On November 5, , he married Laura Welch , a librarian and school teacher. The couple had twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, in In , Bush ran for the U. House of Representatives from Texas but lost to his Democratic opponent in the general election.
Afterward, he returned to his oil business, which he sold in Bush moved to Washington , D. He was re-elected four years later. In the election, Bush and running mate Dick Cheney , a former congressman and U. Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, by a margin of electoral votes, though Gore won the popular vote by The election was the fourth election in U.
The Taliban regime was quickly toppled; however, Bin Laden was not captured for another decade. With the goal of protecting the United States from future terrorist attacks, Bush also signed the Patriot Act into law created the Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security, which was officially established in November Then, in the spring of , the United States invaded Iraq in order to overthrow leader Sadaam Hussein , whose regime was accused of supporting international terrorist groups and possessing large caches of weapons of mass destruction WMD.
In December , U. Bush ran for re-election in and defeated Democratic challenger John Kerry , a U. Bush enjoyed strong public approval ratings throughout much of his first term; however, during his second term his popularity plummeted. He began his presidency with a federal budget surplus; however, factors such as the enormous cost of fighting two wars and the broad tax cuts led to annual budget deficits starting in Then, in , with America experiencing its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression , Congress passed a series of controversial Bush administration-sponsored plans to bail out the financial industry with hundreds of billions in federal funds.
Bush also lobbied unsuccessfully for a plan to replace Social Security with private retirement savings accounts. Throughout his terms, Bush rarely wavered from his stance as a social conservative.
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