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Don Lemon Tonight
Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush Dead at 94. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired December 01, 2018 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: He was a Texas oil pioneer. He was a very successful businessman that -- he really gave that up to serve his country in another way outside of the military.
JAMIE GANGEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. There's an expression, you see it at his presidential library and in his office, his personal motto, he had two of them.
One was faith, family and friends and the second was, to your point, any definition of a successful life must include service to others.
So while a lot of people think of him as being raised in Greenwich and New England, born and bred from a well-to-do family, he did go out to Texas and make his fortune. And it was pretty humble when he started out. But once he made money, he turned back to what he thought was most important, which was public service.
LEMON: Let's go on to talk about as well. He became the 41st President of the United States, survived by his five children and their spouses.
Let's talk about his wife, who preceded him in death. As we look at the pictures of Barbara Bush, you hardly saw them apart. We knew obviously back in April when she passed that it broke his heart. Remember, Jamie, he went to the hospital after that. Everyone was concerned because this was a love story of the ages.
GANGEL: Absolutely. They were married, I believe, for 73 years; in and of itself, remarkable. This was a great love affair. They met when they were very young at the school dance. He named his plane in World War II after her.
And I think one of the things that was, at least for me, just heartbreaking was when she passed away, there were two moments. One was when the public came to pay their respects. He had been watching on TV.
And as hard as it was for him, he said, I have to go to the church and thank them. And he sat there for hours, greeting people.
Then the second thing was just the pictures of him at her funeral and at the grave site and then, as you point out, 24 hours later, he ended up in the hospital. We weren't sure if he was going to make it. It was a very, very rough time. And it will not go without notice.
After she passed, he said he wanted to go up to Maine to Kennebunkport, where he spent every summer of his life, except one summer, when he was in the war and he had a wonderful summer there this past summer.
And he saw his granddaughter, Barbara, get married quite recently. But there was the sense that he was on borrowed time this past year.
LEMON: Jamie, stand by; I want to bring in CNN's Dana Bash. Dana joins us in Houston now via telephone, this awful news coming in late on a Friday night. Here on the East Coast early into a Saturday morning, Dana. But truly a loss, not only for America but for the world.
DANA BASH, CNN SR. U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No question. Look. George H.W. Bush was a gentleman first, a patriot first, a family man, someone who people around the world saw, particularly as he got older and in his later years, in real-time and, frankly, more in retrospect, as really unique and somebody who served the country with such zeal and with such honor.
And just to see the way that he was particularly, again in his later years, with people in both parties, members of Congress, people --
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BASH: -- who were running for president and became president after him, the relationship that he formed with them, with their spouses, I think really -- it really says a lot.
And it is an incredible, incredible loss. A life well lived, of course. George H.W. Bush probably said this more than anyone. But it is a time to celebrate his life but of course a time to mourn the passing of him and his life but also what he represented.
LEMON: You know, I think for the first time we started calling presidents by numbers and 41 is important, 43 is important. And the only reason we did that is because his son was the 43rd President of the United States, which he was extremely proud of. And he was often referred to as 41 and George H. Bush referred to as 43 to make it simpler.
But I think it was terms of endearment.
BASH: Oh, absolutely. I covered the Bush 43 White House for a while and saw his father up close and personal being with absolute pride. But also, you know, talk about a small club, he also knew the incredibly difficult decisions that his son, any president would have to make.
And to have the two of them in that club together was really remarkable. Of course, beaming with pride but also was very cautious in helping his son, when his son reached out, but also taking many steps back and letting his son find his way. LEMON: Let's read the statement and discuss it. This is, speaking of 43, this is the 43rd President of the United States. George H.W. Bush's son, George W. Bush, on the death of his father.
President George W. Bush said this in a statement, "Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro and I are saddened to announce that, after 94 remarkable years, our dear dad has died. George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for.
"The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41's life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens."
That's from his son. Imagine having to craft that statement at this moment.
BASH: And just in the same calendar year that they lost their mom. As Jamie was talking about with you before I came on, that that was -- after that when President Bush 41 was sick, they weren't sure that he would last much longer than she did, first of all, because he wasn't well but also because of their incredible love story.
It right around then that we learned from our colleague, Sanjay Gupta, that a broken heart is a real thing. It's a physical thing. And so these Bush children have lost both of their parents within a matter of months. Again, two lives incredibly well lived.
And people who lived their own way, who passed away their own way. But you know, as children, no matter what age your parent is, it doesn't make it easy.
LEMON: Well said, you're absolutely right. Again, if you're just joining us, you could see it on the screen, George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States, has died at age of 94. I'm speaking with Dana Bash. Also Jamie Gangel is on the line.
I want to bring in now presidential historian, Douglas Brinkley.
Douglas, hello to you; I wish we were speaking under better circumstances.
But how will George Herbert Walker Bush be remembered?
DOUG BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: He's going to be remembered as one of America's greatest presidents. He only served one term but his foreign policy was just amazing. The very fact of the matter was he was the president when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.
He oversaw the German reunification, working with Europe to make sure that went smoothly. He was president at the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. He was a war-time president with the liberation of Kuwait, more commonly known as the Gulf War, which America won. And he chose to limit to American intervention by not ordering our --
[00:10:00] BRINKLEY: -- country to go into Baghdad but to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein and Middle East peace diplomacy, his operation to capture Manuel Noriega out of Panama in a successful operation and buck the Panamanian drug runners.
It is very large foreign policy record. And he brought together a team of extraordinary people during his presidency in foreign affairs, people that worked with him like Dick Cheney and Colin Powell and others.
So he's going to be remembered mainly for that foreign policy but also he had that great resume of the flyboy, the World War II hero, the fact that he had been an early diplomatic envoy to China, ambassador to the United Nations, congressman from Texas. It is a remarkable American story. And he is the patriarch of something akin to a dynasty, able to have his son become president and have 41 and 43.
And he's loved by Democrats and Republicans. This past week, Barack Obama came to mind, University, Rice, he went and paid his respects to President Bush. Saw him just a few days before he died. He is really loved by all Americans.
LEMON: He also signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. That's huge, Douglas.
BRINKLEY: That's very large. When I speak, I always mention that because people forget that there used to not be any entrances or parking lots for people with disabilities. Now, due to Bush, that came to fruition. He pushed very hard for environmentalism, particularly on clean air and water, but particularly with air quality.
He's really -- everybody thought he would have been a two-term president but, alas, when he ran for re-election in 1992, Bill Clinton and Al Gore, fashioning themselves as new Democrats, won. But Ross Perot ran a third party race in 1992 and got 19 percent of the vote, which made him a one-term president.
But he grows in the hearts of Americans because he represents duty, honor, country. I went and heard Barack Obama, I got to talk to him and he told me one of the most moving moments was when he went to Texas to College Station and it was raining.
And they're greeting him in a wheelchair, George Herbert Walker Bush, because the president was coming to his home state. So he's the epitome of a gentleman and along with Barbara Bush who just passed the past year, they were a first couple that is beloved. George and Barbara Bush, her life; Ronnie and Nancy Reagan or Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, they're just sort of synonymous with each other. They had such a long and beautiful marriage.
LEMON: It is a heartbreaking time for us now. Just getting the news in. Douglas, I want you to stand by.
If you're just joining us, the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush, has passed away at the age of 94, age of 94. With his life story now, here is CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): George Herbert Walker Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts on June 12th, 1924. The son of a future U.S. senator, he married Barbara Pierce. They had six children; two would follow his footsteps into public life.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, George Walker Bush, do solemnly swear.
COOPER (voice-over): In 2001, his eldest son, Texas governor, George Walker Bush, became the 43rd president, the first since John Quincy Adams to follow his father into the White House.
JEB BUSH (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA: I'm now about to enter, so help me God --
COOPER (voice-over): His second son, Jeb Bush, served two terms as Florida governor and in 2016 unsuccessfully ran for the Republican presidential nomination.
After earning a degree at Yale, the elder Bush moved his family to Texas, where he made a fortune in the oil business. There his budding interests in Republican politics blossomed. That one fact helped Bush become elected to two terms as a congressman. But he was defeated in two subsequent bids for the U.S. Senate. His disappointment didn't last long.
GEORGE H. W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We view this item as a -- so seriously that we consider it a possible turning point in the history of the United Nations.
COOPER (voice-over): His political profile was high enough that President Nixon appointed him U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Later he became chairman of the Republican National Committee.
President Ford sent him to China to head up the U.S. liaison office as part of a new initiative in U.S.-Chinese relations. And in 1975, Bush came home to become director of the CIA, a job associates said he truly loved.
He left that job --
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COOPER (voice-over): -- when Democrat Jimmy Carter became president and soon became a player in national Republican politics. Bush ran against Ronald Reagan in the 1980 GOP primaries, winning some but eventually withdrawing when it became clear he wouldn't be the nominee.
But Reagan believed the Texas oilman could help him win over the party's moderates and named him as his running mate. As vice president, Bush spent a lot of time on the road. He was Reagan's heir apparent in 1988. BUSH 41: I want a kinder and gentler nation, like 1,000 points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.
COOPER (voice-over): He also made a campaign promise that would come back to haunt him.
BUSH 41: Read my lips: no new taxes.
COOPER (voice-over): His selection of a running mate surprised many.
BUSH 41: My choice for the vice presidency is Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana.
COOPER (voice-over): The voters supported the ticket.
BUSH 41: So help me God.
COOPER (voice-over): As the nation's 41st president, Bush's focus returned to international affairs. He presided over the collapse of communism in the former Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. He ordered U.S. troops into Latin America to capture Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.
BUSH 41: The responsibility for sending someone's son and, today, daughter into harm's way rests on the shoulders of the president. So it is the most difficult decision.
COOPER (voice-over): He would order U.S. troops into combat again, allied with dozens of other countries, to free Kuwait from Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's aggression. The first Gulf War didn't last long.
In less than six weeks, the Iraqis were booted from Kuwait but Saddam Hussein remained in power and held a grudge. Years later, a car bombing plot hatched in Iraq targeted Mr. Bush during a visit to Kuwait.
BUSH 41: You've got to have security. If I have to have it with the Secret Service, I've got the best there is and we will continue to be careful.
COOPER (voice-over): The United States retaliated with a missile attack against Iraq's intelligence headquarters. The man behind the plot would not be captured for another decade. The second President Bush ordered the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.
COOPER (voice-over): At home, President Bush was hammered by critics for compromising with Congress on tax increases and breaking his "no new taxes" promises.
BUSH 41: Well, it was a mistake to go along with the Democratic tax increase. And I admit it.
COOPER (voice-over): In a three-way battle with Bill Clinton and Ross Perot, he lost. He lived long enough to see his son accomplish what he did not: win a second term in the White House.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So help me God --
BUSH 43: So help me God --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations.
COOPER (voice-over): At his son's request, he also briefly reentered the public spotlight.
BUSH 41: The aftermath of the devastating tsunami --
COOPER (voice-over): He joined with former president Bill Clinton to help raise money for victims of the 2004 earthquake and tsunamis in Asia. The two reunited in late 2005 to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
As a young Navy pilot, Bush's plane was shot down and he had to bail out over the Pacific. As a far older man he would jump from planes again to celebrate his 80th, 85th and 90th birthdays.
BUSH 41: It feels good. It's an exhilaration. It sends a message around with these guys all around the globe that, just because you're an old guy, you don't have to sit around drooling in the corner. Get out and do something. Get out and enjoy life.
COOPER (voice-over): It was a life that brought George Herbert Walker Bush back to the White House in 2011 to receive the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those of you who know him, this is a gentleman, inspiring citizens to become points of light in service to others. His life is a testament that public service is a noble calling.
COOPER (voice-over): At his beloved wife Barbara's funeral, President Bush posed for a photo with other surviving former presidents. The years had taken their toll on his body but his dignity and resolve shined through, part of a graceful final act in a life of public service.
BUSH 41: I do not fear what is ahead, for our problems are large but our heart is larger. Our challenges are great but our will is greater.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: President H.W. Bush, dead at the age of 94. Presidential advisor David Gergen joins us now.
David, just as Anderson was saying it in the piece there, I was thinking, a man of great dignity.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: He was a man of great dignity. And in the rearview mirror of history, that dignity and his restraint, his dedication to service all look better and better, don't they?
LEMON: Yes.
GERGEN: I think we've gone through a lot of tumult since then. But he was the last of a group of --
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GERGEN: -- presidents we call our World War II presidents, men who came of age in the war and became what Tom Brokaw rightly called the greatest generation.
They came home from service, as George H.W. Bush did, and took off their uniforms and went to work to move the country forward. We had presidents from Kennedy to George H.W. Bush, we call our World War II presidents. So it is a passing not only of a man, but a man who commands enormous respect and I think a passing of a generation.
LEMON: He was certainly a man of quiet character. He did not like to pat himself on the back. He wasn't braggadocious (sic).
But as Douglas Brinkley pointed out, he will be remembered for his great foreign policy acumen.
GERGEN: I think that's right, especially in the way that he brought the Cold War to an end. We didn't fire a shot when we won the Cold War. And very importantly, he made it clear he didn't want anybody in his administration to dance on the grave of the Soviet Union but rather to treat them with more respect and to try to integrate them into the community of peaceful nations.
That obviously worked for a while. It hasn't worked -- right now that whole effort is under threat. But, nonetheless, bringing the Cold War to a successful and peaceful conclusion and then, very, very importantly, he was extremely successful moving forward with the reintegration of Germany, a country which had plunged the world into world wars twice in the first half of the 20th century.
And the way he handled Germany and the German integration has contributed to a much more peaceful and democratic Germany ever since.
LEMON: Can we talk about how -- the way he dealt with his predecessors, the way he dealt with other presidents?
You couldn't have asked for a classier handoff to a president than this, from one to another.
GERGEN: Oh, I think so. I think it worked both ways. It wasn't easy but nonetheless smooth transition from Reagan to Bush, from a president to a vice president. But then after he lost -- you know, it was a heartbreaking loss for him after one term.
But then no later than, he passed on the presidency to Jimmy Carter and his team, I thought, with enormous grace. And it went smoothly. And you know, after George H.W. Bush left office, he became friends with Carter and then he became really good friends with Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton was almost like a son they never had in the Bush
household. It was sweet to see that. I think it really was one of the things that contributed to, in the country, a sense that we're all in this together.
LEMON: Talk to us about -- then about the '90s, about that handoff, having been a presidential advisor. This was the time of the first Iraq War. Then having, as you said, to lose to Bill Clinton and then turn -- there they are at the White House there, during the inauguration -- and then turning over the levers of power to a Democratic challenger in a hard -- very hard-fought campaign.
GERGEN: Let me just say, the hour's late and I -- he was -- I'm glad you helped me correct that smoothly. He was obviously -- George H.W. Bush was obviously defeated by Bill Clinton and it was the handoff to Clinton that I was really talking about, which did go smoothly.
And as I say, they later -- the two of them later became friends. But it was hard for George H.W. Bush to lose that election. He has -- he had climbed to a very high approval rating, like 88 percent after he went into Kuwait and liberated Kuwait from Saddam Hussein.
And then also had the restraint not to go into Iraq. His numbers went up to 88 percent. And then over the next six months or so, he dropped precipitously by 50 points in six months. And he never got the credit at the polls that historians have given him about that.
But I remember hearing him tell a story a couple of years later. He had a great sense of humor. Remember when he jumped out of a plane after he left the presidency; he was well into his 70s, I think. Maybe it was late 60s, but he was quite along in age. And for him to jump out of an airplane was remarkable.
But he said, when he got down to the ground, he was taking off his parachute. Barbara walked over to him and said, George, I haven't seen anybody fall that far that fast (INAUDIBLE) for president.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: I want you to stand by, David. I want to bring in now CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Wolf --
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LEMON: -- Blitzer is traveling with the current president in Buenos Aires now.
Wolf, if you can hear me, Wolf, can you hear me?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: I hear you.
LEMON: OK, Wolf, you became White House correspondent shortly after Bush left office, if my timing is accurate. But certainly his legacy carried on into the administration that you were covering that White House for. BLITZER: Well, I was the Pentagon correspondent for CNN while he was President of the United States, Don. I remember vividly covering all of his aspects as President of the United States, including, of course, during the first Gulf War, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
Remember it was in August of 1990 he was President of the United States, Dick Cheney was then the Defense Secretary. And all of a sudden, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, it was August 1st, August 2nd, 1990.
And there was enormous uncertainty what would happen next, where were the Iraqis. They were moving through Kuwait like a knife goes through butter. There was nothing stopping the Iraqis from continuing through Kuwait into Saudi Arabia to the oil fields in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia.
And President Bush had to make some critically important decisions. And he made very important decisions to send a very strong signal through the Defense Secretary, through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Colin Powell, at the time, to let Saddam Hussein know that, if he moved further, it was going to be -- it -- the U.S. was going to respond militarily.
Eventually, as we all know in January of 1991, the U.S. did respond. And Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm and within a few weeks, the air war had done its mission. Then the ground war; Kuwait was liberated. President George H.W. Bush clearly was very popular as a result.
U.S. troops -- and the U.S. deployed more than half a million troops in the Persian Gulf area to get the job done. And it was done relatively quickly and then the U.S. pulled out and did not go into Iraq itself. Pulled out, got the job done and then, at that point, you know, as David Gergen was pointing out, the president was extremely (AUDIO GAP) --
LEMON: That's CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Wolf Blitzer is in Buenos Aires and obviously there's some technical issues there. We'll get Wolf back up, and Wolf explaining the foreign policy expertise of this particular president, George H.W. Bush, as Douglas Brinkley pointed out, that will be his legacy, just how well he handled foreign policy.
And because he was a man who -- of quiet, calm and reserved, he didn't like to brag about his accomplishments in that way.
I want to bring in -- back in David Gergen, who is a presidential advisor, to pick up on what Wolf Blitzer was talking about.
We got to remember that, during the time, David, there was the first Gulf War that we dealt with. Operation Desert Shield, which became Operation Desert Storm. But it lasted for less than a month, from January 16th, 1991, to February 27th of 1991, where the U.S. declared victory in Iraq.
I wonder how much that had to do with the outcome of that particular election?
GERGEN: Well, you know, there are two things, I think, from a foreign policy standpoint, that stand out -- and we could move to the politics of it -- that I think were particularly instructive for how to handle foreign policy well and be successful at it.
The first one is that before the United States -- he committed the United States to go in and kick Saddam Hussein out, he formed an international coalition of the willing. Jim Baker, the secretary of state, traveled across much of the world to bring nations together to support that effort and also to help pay for it.
And at the end of the day, the United States actually made money; by the time everybody paid their bills, we actually wound up in the black, which never happens. But the important thing was to have the coalition because it gave moral force to the notion of -- you know, why Saddam -- it was legal to kick Saddam out of there.
But the other thing that was extremely important and -- because it was not a lesson that was followed by his son necessarily -- and that was when we knocked Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait and he started retreating, his forces were retreating back in toward Baghdad, there was a lot of pressure from some of the junior people around George H.W. Bush to go into Iraq and go after them, to topple Saddam Hussein right there.
And Bush refused. He was very restrained about it and he did it for two reasons. One, he didn't like the idea of shooting soldiers --
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GERGEN: -- in the back as they were retreating. But very, very importantly, he had made a commitment to the Saudis and to others that once we kick Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, we would not follow him into Iraq.
And George Bush was a man of his word and that's why people trusted him and why he commanded so much respect because he didn't want to break his promise to those countries, even though there was this building pressure.
And that made a big difference in how later presidents -- for example, Barack Obama himself made it very clear when he came into the office that one of the men he most respected was George H.W. Bush in the way he conducted foreign policy. He very much respected Brent Scowcroft, who was his national security advisor.
And those lessons were passed from one president to another in a very, very successful way. And I think, again, George H.W. Bush deserves a lot credit for doing that. It did not give him the political victory that he expected. He assumed that the country would be grateful. He didn't go out and try to sell it hard. He was bashful about that.
And he just never got the -- he didn't get the votes from the voters. They wanted to move onto other things. But nonetheless, as Brinkley said, it does go down in the books as a highly successful foreign policy and one that continues to be a model for today's world. And we ought to be paying a lot more attention to it, frankly, than we do.
LEMON: Well said. I want you to stand by, David Gergen, more on the life of George Herbert Walker Bush now from our Jamie Gangel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BUSH 41: So help me God.
GANGEL (voice-over): George H.W. Bush may have sat in the Oval Office for just four years but his legacy will last for generations. In foreign policy...
BUSH 41: This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait.
GANGEL (voice-over): -- Bush's coalition building during Desert Storm was unprecedented, uniting nearly 40 countries and ending the conflict in a matter of weeks, a playbook for all presidents that followed.
JAMES BAKER, BUSH 41'S SECRETARY OF STATE: If you want to know how to fight a war, take a look at the way George Bush fought the First Gulf War.
GANGEL (voice-over): The Cold War ended on his watch without a shot taken or a bomb dropped.
COLIN POWELL, BUSH 41'S JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: He didn't gloat because it would not be in his nature to gloat at someone else's misfortune.
GANGEL (voice-over): That same diplomatic restraint also shown when the Iron Curtain collapsed.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, BUSH 41'S SOVIET SPECIALIST: On the day that the Berlin Wall came down, we all went over to Oval Office to tell President Bush that he had to go to Berlin.
GANGEL: You wanted --
RICE: I wanted him to go to Berlin.
GANGEL: And he said --
RICE: And he said, what would I do, dance on the wall?
He said this is a German moment. And I thought, the President of the United States to step back, this is a German moment.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think he deserves credit for getting the world off in the right direction at the end of the Cold War. The Cold War being over was not an excuse to pack up and go home. It was an excuse to build a new world of cooperation.
Time will prove that he was right in wanting an integrated, cooperative world of strong security but lots of freedom, lots of democracy, lots of interaction between people. GANGEL (voice-over): On the domestic front, Bush is credited for making improvements to the Clean Air Act and signing the Americans with Disabilities Act, critical legislation that revolutionized access for millions, including Bush himself when he suffered from Parkinson's in his final years.
NEIL BUSH, SON OF BUSH 41: That community, I think, holds my grandfather up as a hero. He wasn't their likely hero. They have all these big kind of liberal advocates that advocated for their movement. But my grandfather is the guy who got it done. It's not just through things like wheelchair access but it's changing the culture of how people with disabilities, you know, can shine and let their abilities shine and have jobs in places where they might not have jobs. So I think that's an awesome legacy.
GANGEL (voice-over): Another legacy: many will remember Bush for this.
BUSH 41: Just because you're an old guy, you don't have to sit around drooling in the corner. Get out and do something. Get out and enjoy life.
GANGEL (voice-over): Bush did just that, jumping over and over and over again, even for his 90th birthday.
BUSH 43: I think the reason he did it is because he's got a young heart and it's the thrill of the job. And once he did it the first time, it became a natural for the next four or five times.
GANGEL (voice-over): And while Bush 41 disliked the word dynasty, no question he was thrilled...
BUSH 43: I, George Walker Bush, do solemnly swear.
GANGEL (voice-over): -- when his oldest son became the 43rd --
[00:35:00]
GANGEL (voice-over): -- President of the United States.
BUSH 43: He felt a sense of pride and I was grateful for that. I was happy that he was happy.
GANGEL: Did he give you any advice?
BUSH 43: No, no. And he was very guarded about giving me advice unless I asked for it.
GANGEL (voice-over): But for many, Bush 41 will long be remembered for what he did after the White House.
N. BUSH: The family legacy isn't about who's president or first lady or governor. The family legacy is the legacy of service.
GANGEL (voice-over): He turned a campaign vision into a post- presidential mission statement. BUSH 41: Leaders, I want a kinder and gentler nation, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.
GANGEL (voice-over): That call prompted millions to volunteer. And Bush and wife Barbara did their part, too, helping to raise an estimated $1 billion for charity.
JEB BUSH (R), FORMER GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA: It does fit my dad's philosophy that the definition of a successful person is not just about how much money you make or the W's on your -- in your column. It's about helping others. It's about acting on your heart.
GANGEL: Is there a phrase that you think embodies him?
N. BUSH: I would say it is service above self.
GANGEL (voice-over): A legacy that led him to receive the highest civilian award in the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: His life is a testament that public service is a noble calling. We honor George Herbert Walker Bush for service to America that spanned nearly 70 years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was President Obama, that was February 15th of 2011, when he gave and George H.W. Bush received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House, a White House that he once presided over.
Speaking of President Obama, I want to read this statement. It is coming from the office of Barack and Michelle Obama.
By the way, President Obama has just visited George H.W. Bush, president 41, H.W. Bush three days ago, three days ago. And so he said, he and the former first lady, say in a statement on the passing of George H.W. Bush, "America has lost a patriot and humble servant in George Herbert Walker Bush.
"While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude, not merely for the years he spent as our 41st president, but for the more than 70 years he spent in devoted service to the country he loved.
"From a decorated Naval aviator, who nearly gave his life in World War II, to commander in chief of our armed forces, with plenty of posts along the way, ambassador to the United Nations, director of Central Intelligence, U.S. envoy to China, Vice President of the United States," again, I am reading from a statement from the office of Barack and Michelle Obama.
"George H.W. Bush's life is a testament to the notion that public service is a noble, joyous calling and he did tremendous good along the journey, expanding America's promise to new immigrants and people with disabilities, reducing the scourge of nuclear weapons and building a broad international coalition to expel a dictator from Kuwait.
"And when democratic revolutions bloomed across Eastern Europe, it was his steady diplomatic hand that made possible an achievement once thought anything but ending the Cold War without firing a shot.
"It is a legacy of service that may never be matched, even though he'd want all of us to try. After 73 years of marriage, George and Barbara Bush are together again now, two points of light that never dimmed, two points of light that ignited countless others with their example.
"The example of a man who, even after commanding the world's mightiest military, once said, 'I got more of a kick out of being one of the founders of the YMCA in Midland, Texas, back in 1952 than almost anything I've done.
"What a testament to the qualities that make this country great, service to others, commitment to leaving behind something better, sacrifice in the name of lifting this country closer to its founding ideals. Our thoughts are with the entire Bush family tonight and all who were inspired by George and Barbara's example."
From the former president, Barack Obama, and the former first lady, Michelle Obama, on the passing of President George H.W. Bush.
I want to bring in now Jeffrey Engel. He's the director of The Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. He joins us now by phone.
I think what the former president said --
[00:40:00]
LEMON: -- is true, a statesman in many ways who was as humble as anyone.
JEFFREY ENGEL, SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY: Yes, he really should be remembered perhaps the last great gentleman of Washington, D.C. He really was from another era, as previous commentators have mentioned, from the World War II era but also from an era where you really could reach across the aisle and even if you disagreed with your political opponents, still see them as loyal and faithful Americans.
And he really was a man who represented the idea of cooperation and of negotiation as much as partisan victory.
LEMON: It is believed -- or do you believe that he governed one of the most successful -- during one of the most successful times in history?
Why do you say that?
ENGEL: I think actually we could very easily say he's the most successful one-term president in history. And I think the reason is that he governed during what is arguably the most complex and difficult international system, international series of problems in American history, perhaps with only the challenge being Franklin Roosevelt during the height of World War II.
As previous people have said, during his time in office, the Cold War ended. The entire structure of the international system ended. Germany, which was the great problem of the 20th century in many ways, was solved through Bush's leadership.
And that's not even mentioning events such as the invasion of Panama or the -- obviously the defense of Kuwait and the conquest of Kuwait and the defeat of Iraq in the Gulf War.
And in a sense it is really almost difficult to imagine that all of those events occurred during a four-year term. In fact, to be honest, all of those events occurred, by and large, in the first half of Bush's presidency.
If we think about president Donald Trump at this point, he had not faced any of the, thank goodness, he has not faced any of the difficult international problems that Bush not only faced but really conquered and succeeded in during the first two years of his administration. Just as remarkable, remarkable series of events to occur during one presidency.
LEMON: Stand by, please, Jeffrey Engel. I want to get now to Anita McBride. She joins us via phone as well. She was a director of White House personnel under President George H.W. Bush.
Thank you so much for joining us, Ms. McBride, and I'm so sorry for your loss.
ANITA MCBRIDE, DIRECTOR OF WHITE HOUSE PERSONNEL, BUSH 41 ADMINISTRATION: Oh, thank you so much for having me on. I know, my heart is crushed. Anybody who had the privilege to work for and know this incredible, wonderful man, Jeff Engel and others, that statement from President and Ms. Obama, I'm one of those people who was inspired and so was my husband.
And that's how we met, thanks to George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. It is personal but also an example for the country, that's a big loss for everyone right now.
LEMON: There's so much to talk to you about. But I have to say, we keep talking about him being the President of the United States. We would be remiss; he was the Vice President of the United States and served in that capacity with dignity as well as did the former first lady, Barbara Bush, right?
MCBRIDE: Yes, absolutely. And in fact, (INAUDIBLE) personal aide as vice president and then -- and the presidential years. And I was on President Reagan's staff. And so to know George H.W. Bush more as president than as vice president but no president can ask for a more loyal servant and loyal public servant.
It was just a great example for all of us working in the White House, young people from all over the country, learning under these two incredible leaders. LEMON: This stood out to me. I want you to respond to this. You mentioned the former president, Barack Obama. It says, even after commanding the world's mightiest military, he once said, "I got more of a kick out of being one of the founders of the YMCA in Midland, Texas, back in 1952 than almost anything I've done."
That's humility.
MCBRIDE: It is incredible. And if you go to his boyhood home of George W. Bush in Midland, it actually was the home to George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, where they raised their family. The only site in the country that is home to two presidents and two governors, because Jeb lived, there, too, and a first lady.
And you really see what a humble life they had there. And the big move, of course, as we all know, from Connecticut and down to the West Texas Plains. It is just -- of course he was always a part of his community, no matter where he lived. Here in New York, where I am right now. Thinking about his years as the U.N. ambassador and then, of course, as --
[00:45:00]
MCBRIDE: -- the envoy to China. He and Barbara Bush riding their bikes around Peking at the time. It was, wherever he went, he was a fixture in the community and certainly left his mark and her mark everywhere.
LEMON: The director of White House personnel under George H.W. Bush, Anita McBride, we've been speaking to her. Anita, thank you, speaking to her --
Absolutely and, again, I'm sorry for your loss.
MCBRIDE: Thank you, Don.
She's been talking about George Bush, the man, the family man. Here's CNN's Wolf Blitzer on the story of George H.W. Bush, the family man.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): "He trusted others and inspired their loyalty. And above all, he found joy in his family and his faith."
Those are the words of an admiring son, George W. Bush, writing about his father. George H.W. Bush grew up in Connecticut. His father was a banker and eventually a U.S. senator. In 1945, he married Barbara Pierce, daughter of the publisher of "McCall's" magazine.
More than anyone, she was his companion and sustaining light in peace and in war.
BUSH 43: He would complete 58 combat missions. These were tough days. But he had something that kept him going. And if you look closely at the photographs of the planes he flew, you will find what kept him going in the name he had painted under his cockpit, Barbara. BLITZER (voice-over): A daughter, Robin, died of leukemia at age 3. Four sons, George W., Jeb, Neil and Marvin, and one daughter, Doro, were adults by the time he became president. Over time, gatherings at the family compound in Maine became larger and more raucous.
LARRY KING, CNN HOST: What is it like, Doro, since you can't agree on everything, when, inside the family, you disagree with the president or a governor?
DOROTHY BUSH KOCH, DAUGHTER OF GEORGE AND BARBARA BUSH: We -- there isn't a lot of that. Actually, when I spend the weekend with my brother or my father, we sort of talk about fishing or laughing. And it is not like that. But I think people voice their opinions.
BLITZER (voice-over): Although they lived public lives, the Bushes guarded their family's privacy and resented outsiders' attempts to pry in or to play up stories of rivalry between the father and son presidents.
BUSH 41: We know who we are. We know how we get along. And there's no rivalry. There's no kind of trying to live up to something or bring the boy up or -- I mean, it is crazy. We're a close, loving family, Larry. And these speculative stories just drove me crazy.
KING: How about you?
BARBARA BUSH, WIFE OF GEORGE H.W. BUSH: Well, they are nutty. There was people saying we wanted Jeb to be president, not George.
That's -- who writes things?
Two books were written about me by someone who never said boo to me, ever. So, I mean, I think you just overlook those. They're just not true.
KING: But you got angry with your husband, didn't you?
B. BUSH: Always.
BLITZER (voice-over): Shortly before the start of the 1991 Gulf War, President Bush summed up his feelings about his family in a letter to his children.
BUSH 41: Like I said, I had a little plaque made. It says CAVU, C-A- V-U. CAVU was the kind of weather we Navy pilots wanted when we would fly off our carrier in the Pacific. We had little navigational instrumentation, so we wanted CAVU, ceiling and visibility unlimited.
"Because of the five of you, whose hugs I can still feel, whose own lives have made me so proud, I can confidently tell my guardian angel that my life is CAVU and it will be that way until I die, all because of you."
BLITZER (voice-over): Wolf Blitzer, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: Dignity, class. That was Wolf Blitzer reporting. Wolf joins us now live.
Wolf, we've been talking about the family man. His primary causes included literacy, cancer research, volunteerism. He and his wife, Barbara, would raise more than $1 billion for charity in their years after the White House.
BLITZER: He really was an amazing person. And having covered him during many of those years when he was in public office, you could see the decency, Don, that he brought to the presidency. He brought to all of the positions he had, as CIA director, U.S. ambassador to China, as Vice President of the United States.
And after he left office, he built a very strong relationship with a man who actually beat him back in 1992, Bill Clinton. They worked together in many areas, worked together with all the subsequent Presidents of the United States, including his own son.
Don, Jeff Zeleny, our White House correspondent is here. We're at the G20 summit in Argentina right now. As we know, President George H.W. Bush attended --
[00:50:00]
BLITZER: -- many of these kinds of international summits and we're just getting in a statement right now from the current President of the United States.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We are indeed, Wolf. We're getting a statement from President Donald Trump just a few moments ago. He said this. Let's read it.
He said, "Melania and I join with a grieving nation to mourn the loss of former president George H.W. Bush, who passed away last night.
"Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit and unwavering commitment to faith, family and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service, to be, in his words, a thousand points of light, illuminating the greatness, the hope and opportunity of America to the world."
President Trump goes on to say this, "President Bush always found a way to set the bar higher. As a young man, he captured the Yale baseball team and then went on to serve as the youngest aviator in the United States Navy during the Second World War.
"Later in life," President Trump says in this statement, "he rose to the pinnacle of American politics as a congressman from Texas, envoy to China, director of Central Intelligence and vice president of eight years to the president, Ronald Reagan, and finally to President of the United States.
"With sound judgment, common sense and unflappable leadership, President Bush guided our nation and the world to a peaceful and victorious conclusion of the Cold War. "As president he set the stage for decades of prosperity that have
followed. And through all of that he accomplished, he remained humble, followed the quiet call to service that gave him a clear sense of direction.
President Trump concludes in this statement tonight, "Along with a full life of service to country, we'll remember President Bush for his devotion to family, especially the love of his life, Barbara. His example lives on and will continue to stir future Americans to pursue a greater cause."
He concludes with this, "Our hearts ache with his loss. And we, with the American people, send our prayers to the entire Bush family as we honor the life and the legacy of 41."
So, Wolf, that statement from President Donald Trump here in Buenos Aires at the G20 summit. Certainly a passing of the torch, President Bush 41. There's this presidents' club, as you know. And President Trump does not necessarily fit into that so easily.
Of course, Jeb Bush ran against Donald Trump and lost that Republican primary. But both George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush campaigned vigorously for their son. But it is a moment here in American history and indeed the world history where politics set aside for a moment, tribal politics at least.
And we celebrate this life of George H.W. Bush. And as you said earlier, extraordinary, how he really became so close to Bill Clinton, who defeated him in 1992, and just three days ago, Barack Obama, the most recent Democratic president, visited President Bush in Houston. So again, this is a passing of the torch with that new statement tonight from President Trump.
BLITZER: And we're here in Argentina right now, in Buenos Aires at the G20 summit. I suspect the world leaders who have gathered here, the leaders of the 20 industrialized nations, most industrialized nations, they will be paying their respects, their tribute to this great American.
ZELENY: No question about it. And these meetings are resuming tomorrow. And this is in this economic forum. And this summit actually came after President George H.W. Bush was in office. This summit came after the 2008 financial crisis but certainly is one of these gatherings of world leaders that President George H.W. Bush loved so much.
Look at his record of service, from spanning a lifetime of a World War II fighter pilot through the House of Representatives, CIA, vice president for eight years, president for four years. He certainly was a worldwide leader. So no question tomorrow here in Buenos Aires -- today, actually, in Buenos Aires, there certainly will be a sense of remembrance for this president as we mark a point in time here.
And this is someone who history will remember so well, not for his -- for losing his -- after his first term but for all he served to America and certainly this is something that we're remembering tonight here as we just saw in that statement.
BLITZER: And what is clear is such a decent person and as we just saw, what a wonderful family man, loved his family. And the grandchildren, the great-grandchildren, they're all paying their respects right now.
ZELENY: No question about it. And George H.W. Bush was someone who, yes, he was 94 years old but he was the youngest 94-year-old person perhaps in America. He would jump out of airplanes every year for his birthday. He would be out on the campaign trail.
I recall him being out there campaigning for George W. Bush when he was running in 1999 and 2000 in those Iowa caucuses, of course, the same ground that his father was passing on in 1980.
And this is someone who loved family, loved life. He was the chairman of the Republican National Committee during Watergate and after that he went on to lead the CIA and after that he went on to --
[00:55:00]
ZELENY: -- other points of service. This is someone who -- it really is an American legacy that we don't see anymore, not just the family name of Bush but for so much more of his service.
BLITZER: If you think about that resume he brought when he was elected President of the United States, he served two terms as Vice President of the United States with Ronald Reagan. But in 1988 he was elected and took office on January 20th, 1989. He brought all that service, all of that record from Congress, from the CIA, from U.S. ambassador to China. He had an incredible resume.
ZELENY: No question. You cannot think of someone stepping into the role, into the Oval Office with a resume like that. Never mind the fact that he served as vice president. He ran against Ronald Reagan. That is an example of a moment in time we don't see necessarily as much today.
But this is someone who was born to the job in many ways but came of age in the job through many different ways. Of course, the first Gulf War, this is someone who was viewed as adversary by so many. There was assassination attempt on his life, as you remember, after the Gulf War.
This is someone who spanned partisanship. At this moment in time, as we think about all our tribal politics locked into place, this is a man, a leader, a president who was so much more than the R after his name. He was a true American hero and a legend.
BLITZER: That came through, Don, as I remember having interviewed him on several occasions over the years in various capacities. He was such a decent, strong person who was so deeply committed to doing the right thing.
You know, he's going to write but he was so deeply committed to doing his best for the American people. And all of us will remember him very, very fondly and emotionally as we go through these next several days and weeks.
LEMON: You're absolutely right. Jeff Zeleny said he was the youngest 94-year old that he knew. We should point out that he jumped out of planes, not only on his 75th birthday but on his 80th and 85th and 90th birthdays. He was a daredevil in a certain sense.
But you're right, the humility of this man, because it took decades for him to even talk public about his experiences in war. This is a quote from him.
He said, "It was just part of my duty. People say 'war hero.'
"How can a guy who gets his airplane shot down is a hero and a guy who is good enough that he doesn't get his shot down is not?"
That's what he told CNN in 2003.
BLITZER: Yes, truly an amazing person. When we look back on his accomplishments, once again, I just want to remember what he did during the first Gulf War back in 1991 when Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait. He created this very impressive coalition of more than 20 or 30 nations. They built up more than half a million U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf to go in and liberate Kuwait and did it within a matter of weeks, an air war followed by a ground war.
And then the U.S. pulled out very, very quickly from that region. He was, as you remember, he was enormously popular as a result. But politics faded relatively quickly and, in 1992, when he was up for re- election, he was defeated.
LEMON: Yes. We're looking at pictures of him now in 1990 in Saudi Arabia.
Wolf, stand by, please.
We'll get back to Wolf who has done so much reporting in Washington during the time that George H.W. Bush was President of the United States.
I want to get to CNN's Kaylee Hartung, who is outside the Bush family residence in Houston, Texas.
Kaylee, good evening to you, where you are.
What's going on?
KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, just in the time since this news broke, we've seen the television trucks line up on the streets surrounding the Bush residence. This is the home that George H.W. Bush and Barbara shared for many years here in Houston. They returned here in 1993 after leaving the White House.
As the mayor of Houston said in a statement he just released, they could have gone anywhere after leaving Washington but they chose to come here to this beloved city, where his political career actually began as the chair of the Harris County Republican Party. Here in Houston, Barbara and George, beloved figures themselves, very
familiar figures, whether you saw them at an Astros baseball game, sitting behind home plate, or at Texans football game, ever since that team moved here to Houston, people saw them as relatable, as other members of this community.
But there's very little relatable about the events that will transpire in this city over the coming days. We understand the Bush family will congregate here in Houston in the next couple of days. There will be a private service held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, the church that George and Barbara attended for many years here together, the same church where Barbara's life was remembered just a couple of blocks behind us here.
