George "W" Bush spoke well at the funeral. It's seems incredible to think of all the jibes he came in for during his presidency. The World would give it's right arm to have him back right now!
Bush Sr. was a pretty good president, though, like Reagan, he seems to get a lot of credit for the fall of the Iron Curtain, yet the guy who should get it, Mikhail Gorbachov, gets little or none.
And with all the presidents on the front row, it was nice to see the only one who pre-dates the 90's, Jimmy Carter. For my money, the best man there and still sharp as a tack, mentally, judging by recent interviews I've heard.
Surely one of the most decent people ever to have graced frontline politics.
And to add to your list, still - or at least until quite recently - building homes for the underprivileged.
Could there be a greater contrast with the cruel, ignorant waste of skin currently dragging the office of US President through the dirt?
Yes, as far as former Presidents are concerned, I put Carter right at the top. He has been nothing but admirable since he left office. Many weren't fond of his presidency, but I would argue that the late 70s was probably the worst time to be a president/prime minister of a country. The only countries who were doing well financially back then were the OPEC nations; they effectively had the rest of the world over a barrel (pun partially intended). Both of you pointed out many of his good work after his presidency; he also coordinated with the UN to monitor elections abroad in an attempt to expose potential corruption in them.
Amazingly, Carter is the same age as George H.W. Bush (94) - as you pointed out, you'd never know it by hearing him speak even today; he's completely lucid. Another thing they had in common was the military - everyone has been properly recounting GHWB's exemplary military record, but Carter himself served and was even a graduate of the US Naval Academy (an underreported fact). A bit sad that he (Carter) will eventually be the next one (most probably) to have all of these ceremonies.
I have to say that it was illuminating to hear all of the commemorations for GHWB this week - he certainly had grit. He lost a LOT of elections before he started breaking through. He also deserves a star for having to endure being the head of the RNC (Republican National Committee) during the Watergate era! That couldn't have been fun...
Well, again, R.I.P., George H.W. Bush.
. The lady who dated Clint Eastwood for 13 years and appeared in 6 of his movies.
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