that concludes this hour of msnbc live. i'm alex witt and look forward to seeing you again at noon. david gura is continuing with bp "up." >> welcome to "up." we start with special coverage of the death and legacy of george h.w. bush, the 41st president of the united states who died last night at the age of 94. he started his presidency with the vision to reshape america into a kinder and gentler nation. >> no president, no government can teach us to remember what is best and what we are. america is never wholly herself unless she is engaged in high moral principle. we as a people have such a purpose today. it is to make kinder the face of the nation and gentler the face of the world.

>> this morning his death marks the end of a political era and the end of a life dedicated to public service. president george h.w. bush one-term presidency was defined by international triumphs like the fall of the berlin wall and collapse of the soviet union bringing a peaceful end to the four decades' old cold war. >> for over 40 years the united states led the west in the struggle against communism and the threat it posed to our most precious values. this struggle shaped the lives of all americans. it forced all nations to live under the specter of nuclear destruction. that confrontation is now over. >> there was a speedy coalition victory in the first gulf war after iraq invaded kuwait in an operation that lasted just 100 hours. back at home he suffered a self-inflicted wound that cost him a second term in office. >> read my lips --

no new taxes. >> george h.w. bush leaves behind a rich and complex legacy. when asked by his granddaughter jenna bush in 2016 how he wants to be remembered, this is what he said. >> what do you want your legacy to be? >> i want somebody else to define the legacy. i've kind of banned the use of the l word. legacy word. that was past. now this is present, and -- i think -- i think history will get right to point out the things i did wrong and perhaps some of the things we did right. >> we begin in buenos aires, argentina, where president trump is attending the g20 summit. my colleague geoff bennett is there. how is president trump reacting to the news? we heard late last night from president bush's longtime friend and aide. >> right. a public contentious relationship. the white house put out a

statement attributed to president trump that praises the life and presidential legacy of the late former president george h.w. bush. so i'll read part of that statement. it says, president bush inspired generations to public service to be 1,000 points of light. president bush guided our nation and the world to a peaceful and victorious conclusion of the cold war. along with his full life of service to country, we will remember president bush for his devotion to family especially the love of his life barbara. 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 legacy of 41." despite that high praise, david, as you well know, no love lost between these two men especially during the 2016 presidential election. george h.w. bush, despite being a lifelong republican in the end declined to endorse donald trump over hillary clinton in that race. the public feud between president trump and the bushes

led to president trump declining to accept that invitation to the funeral for the late barbara bush. so now that george h.w. bush has passed, you see the statement from the white house. you see a tweet which i'll read momentarily from the president trying to hue to the norms of the presidency. a tweet sent this morning, he said president george h.w. bush led a long and successful beautiful life. whenever with him i saw an absolute joy for life, accomplishments great from beginning to end, a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all. those tweets from the president. we don't expect to hear from him until later holding a press conference here in buenos aires wrapping up day two of the g20 summit. remember, he scrapped that meeting set to have with vladimir putin the russian president. his schedule is clear. all we have are these written statements from the president praising his predecessor.

>> and covering the white house for us. traveling with the president in buenos aires, argentina, for that meeting of the g20. joining us from washington, host of "andrea mitchell reports" and "daily beast" columnist jonathan alter. start with you. going back to that interview in kennebunkport, shied away from talking about the l word. the notion of his place in history, trying to contextualized what he achieved during that one term in office? >> such a vintage george bush comment. he once said to the reporter, don't put me on the couch when they asked a question. he didn't want to try to analyze himself. he was uncomfortable with that, like a lot of people of his generation and focused on getting as much accomplished as he could and letting history be the judge. but i think that he knew that he would be judged favorably on a few things. one is standing up for the sense

of the importance of service. i'm not just saying public service, but service to others, and also skillfully managing the end of the cold war. he did not dance in the end zone. another american president might have reacted very, very differently. gloat eed as the soviet union w crumbling. a very perilous moment, because when your main adversary is coming apart, i think most historians and analysts thought it would end in war, that there was no way before 1989 that the soviet union would dissolve without violence, and the fact that that happened was not an accident. does bush get all the credit for that? no. but significant credit and his legacy forever will be that he helped that happen peacefully. >> andrea, turn to you on that note of george h.w. bush as the foreign policy expert.

so many oh bish abituaobituary, real progress in cooperation with global leaders. help us understand his legacy in that con texas. >> he was so well qualified to the commander in chief from his military service as an 18-year-old all the way to debeg an ambassador, a u.s. envoy to china, having been a member of the house in congress. all of those different roles prepared him and, of course, cia director, now at a time when the intelligence community is so under fire from the white house. he was a revered cia director as perhaps his favorite post are and the cia building at langley is named in his honor. he really drove down on the intelligence, loved absorbing every bit of it and understood it, and was very deeply engaged

in foreign policy. knew of these world leaders not only in personal diplomacy but in using the exercise of american leadership in global affairs, in multilateral organizations. everything has now been rejected by the trump republican party is what he celebrated in a bipartisan way. i think of the legacy here at home, because when i was no longer covering the white house and on capitol hill, i would see the other end of the budget negotiations, and that was the moment where he faithfully violated his own no new taxes ple pledge and arguably from that and pago, to pay for new expenditures and try to reduce the deficit leading to balanced budgets, this was the legacy on the economic side that made it possible for bill clinton to also do the budget deal of 1993, you know, with no republican

votes, and then have two decades of prosperity arguably, but he was hurt himself by the politics of that, and that was one of the reasons contributing to his failure to win re-election as the last, greatest generation world war ii veteran american president, and turning it over to the baby boomers. let me also add something i found so touching. looking back now today at the letter that he left, continuing a tradition from ronald reagan. leaving a letter in the desk drawer of the oval office as he left before noon to go up to capitol hill knowing that bill clinton, his archrival in that bitter 1992 contest was going to be succeeding him. he leaves this letter, dear bill, and it's, of course, dated, you know, january 20th, 1993. on inauguration day. he says, when i walked into this office, just now, this was his last trip to the oval, i felt

the same sense of wonder and respect i felt four years ago. i know you will feel that, too. i wish you great happiness here. i noever felt the loweliness soe presidents felt. there were be tough times. goes on to say, made difficult by criticism you may not think is fair. i'm not a very good one to give advice, but just don't let the critics discourage you or push you. of course, you will be our president when you read this note. i wish you well, i wish your family well and concludes, your success now is our country's success. i am rooting for you. good luck. george. the graciousness of that. the personal note, and also the sense of history is, i think, profoundly moving. >> thank you for reminding us of that, andrea. stay with us, if you would. i turn now to garrett haake at tinsley park. what do we know about what is planned in the coming days? something the bush family workedals diwork

ed diligently on over the past few years? >> reporter: right. a lot of planning going on for some time now. the final details are not yet made public, however, president bush will be taken to d.c., his body lie in state at the u.s. capitol and a service for him and the nation, frankly, before bush will come back to texas for more private and ceremonies for him here. and the same church where his wife barbara was brought and up the road, finally laid to rest beside barbara bush his beloved wife of 73 lost who, of course, we lost earlier this year. the former president had been in failing health for some time. at 94 years old, battling a form of parkinson's disease. up to late this week, he was still receiving guests here this weekend. we know former president obama

was here on tuesday for a meeting with former president bush. he had, of course, struck up quite the relationship with bill clinton over the years. the two traveled all over the world together raising money and taking part in other philanthropic activities and very fittingly, david, the last public picture we have of president bush was from november 1st, exercising his civic duty in the company of his great friend james baker and of his new service dog, casting a ballot here in the mid-term elections in houston, texas. a fitting final image, if you will, for this president. so identified throughout his whole life for public service doing one last public service casting his ballot here in houston, texas. >> thank you, garrett haake from houston, texas. andrea mitchell, turn to you before taking a break and ask another question about president george h.w. bush and foreign policy. there is a debate going on about

structuralism of bush's personality when it comes to president and with this president, president trump. how did president bush navigate that? talked about the winds of change in europe and we remember what happened in malta in 1989. the secret meeting with mikhail gorbachev and relationships he was able to broker. ho did he wed those things, make them work together? >> relying heavily on james baker, his close friend from their young days together in houston, but through his days as chief of staff at the white house and then treasury secretary under ronald reagan, when bush was vice president, but then one of the really preeminent secretary of state. blended policy and a knowledge bush had, of course, of the military and intelligence from his experiences in the military and also as cia director. i think both personal

relationships and respect for multilateralism. respect for nato and for those institutions, those postworld war ii institutions. foreign aid was not to help other countries alone primarily in america's interests to spend money, like half of 1% of the budget, on foreign aid to help as the marshall plan did, to rebuild. and a strong ally an economic powerhouse which wouldn't have happened, europe would not have been rebuilt would you american help and japan, without american help. all of that is in america's interesting because we're a global leader. that was his view and it will at some point return to the forefront, because the world needs america's leadership. it doesn't need china filling those vacuums by moving in all over africa and other countries and taking advantage of these countries and not building

long-term -- taking their resources and their labor and then building it for their own interests. that's not the way america plays on the foreign stage, at least not on the world stage, i should say, at least not until recently. >> andrea mitchell. jonathan alter with me as well. coming up, more more how the world of politics is reacting to the death of an american president who began a political dynasty. two presidents in one family. that's pretty good. and -- never overtaken by that. we've never felt this was the end of the world or something like that. both lucky. luck toy have served. he had two terms as president, and did a great job, and, of course, as a father, i'm really proud of that. with my hepatitis c, i felt i couldn't be at my best for my family. in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured and left those doubts behind. i faced reminders of my hep c every day. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret,

i was cured. even hanging with friends i worried about my hep c. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. mavyret is the only 8-week cure for all common types of hep c. before starting mavyret your doctor will test if you've had hepatitis b which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b, a liver or kidney transplant, other liver problems, hiv-1, or other medical conditions, and all medicines you take including herbal supplements. don't take mavyret with atazanavir or rifampin, or if you've had certain liver problems. common side effects include headache and tiredness. with hep c behind me, i feel free... ...fearless... ...and there's no looking back, because i am cured. talk to your doctor about mavyret.

when the guy inown front slams on his brakes out of nowhere. you do, too, but not in time. hey, no big deal. you've got a good record and liberty mutual won't hold a grudge by raising your rates over one mistake. you hear that, karen? liberty mutual doesn't hold grudges. how mature of them! for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise their rates because of their first accident. liberty mutual insurance. liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

this is moving day with the best in-home wifi experience and millions of wifi hotspots to help you stay connected. and this is moving day with reliable service appointments in a two-hour window so you're up and running in no time. show me decorating shows. this is staying connected with xfinity to make moving... simple. easy. awesome. stay connected while you move with the best wifi experience and two-hour appointment windows. click, call or visit a store today.

well, tributes to the late president george h.w. bush pouring in this morning. former president obama highlighting the 70-plus years of public service. a world war ii naval aviator and head of the cia, some of the posts he held. former soviet leader mikhail gorbachev calling george h.w. bush a true partner in ending the cold war. joining me now, presidential historian michael beschloss. michael beschloss, start with

you. a few moments ago we saw pictures of president obama bestowing the presidential medal of freedom there on president george h.w. bush and he said in that speech back in 2011 his life is a testament that public service is a noble calling. i refer to his naval career, on his 18th birthday, signed fo ee the navy. went to yale after that, graduated in two years' time. talk about that calling to pup lick service, if you would? >> david, yao you are absolutely right. this is a guy who served his country for 76 years from the moment he enlists in the navy right after boarding school and becomes the youngest flier in the navy. u.s. navy, in world war ii. you know, here's a case, what if we hadn't had george h.w. bush? one thing would have happened is that i think he was responsible for assuring the end of the cold war at the time it did, and also in thor its that it did without firing a shot, when he became

president of the united states. if someone else had become president, let's say if it was less able than george bush to build a relationship with the soviet leader, mikhail gorbachev, i think gorbachev would not have made concessions like opening the berlin wall, letting eastern europe free, and the things that finally led to our not having that confront aches with the soviet union. >> michael, there are a lot of remembrances from world leaders and also longtime political reporters as well. and here's a particularly nice one in the "washington post" today. one line and react to it if you would. he had a competitive nature and considerable ambition. not easy to discern under the sheen of his new england poly tests and earnest generosity. capable of rahning hard edged political campaigns and took the nation to war, but his principle achievements were produced at negotiating takes. to what you were saying there, a president who took us to war in iraq. a short war and military involvement in panama as well.

>> right. he was a tough competitor. he ran a very tough campaign in 1988 with a few rough edges, but he always drew a distinction between campaigning and governing, and he looked at that term of president as he served especially in foreign policy, he did get us into the persian gulf war the first time a united nations state had been invaded by its neighbor, kuwait by iraq, in the wake of -- just as the cold war was ending. he was trying to establish the principle for the post-cold war world that that would not happen and he got half a million americans to go half way around the world to defend a country kuwait many americans had never heard of. in the wake of vietnam, not a very easy thing to do. >> joe, you worked alongside hymn in the white house. how was he as a leader of that staff so much as it is just a staff inside the white house? >> a very personal, such a warm,

decent human being. cared about everybody. knew everybody's name. knew who you were. didn't matter if you were putting out the trash or making his meal or a staffer in one of the departments at the white house. he knew who you were and cared about you and talked to you like you were a human being that matters. i loved that about him. i thought he was a trick hum te human being. i was amazed. i thought a president would be pufred up and full of himself. not so with president george h.w. bush. we had an event in the east room of the white house, the physical periphysical -- first president to invite the tuskegee airmen, the first black fliers, invited them to the white house. brought hem and honored them at the ceremony. that was classic george bush. he was first to do it. >> andy card, talking about him as commander in chief.

talk about him as an executive. you saw it firsthand. graduated from yale and took advice to go to texas, oil business, had a career in business before getting into politics. got to the cia. was u.n. ambassador and then ambassador to china as well. how did he run the place? what was his approach to the presidency from an executive point of view? >> first of all, he was a student of government. he had the best resume of anyone that had ever been president. as a result, when he was president, he understood having watched ronald reagan, as ronald reagan's vice president very closely, and he watched general ford and richard nixon. so he had a great history of understanding the responsibilities of a president, and he knew that he should only make presidential decisions, not try to make every government decision. he was also someone who could be decisive when he had to be but it was almost like looking for the perfect time to make the decision so it could be

implemented to live up to expectation. also he had empathy of understanding what it means to use your presidential power in such a way that you might put people at risk. that means he did everything he could to avoid going to war. but he also had the courage to go to war and understood there would be consequences, some of them unintended. i fuound him to be a good studet of government. he did his homework. was phenomenal at diplomacy and much of it was personal diplomacy, jot nunot just diplof tactics from the state department. he would actually speak to leaders around the world and become friends with them knowing that would help find solutions to really challenging international problems. so he was the master of listening first and speaking second. he didn't try to dominate conversations. he was truly humble. but also understood the magnitude of the responsibility that he had and had the courage

to do it. he was an easy president to work for, in part because he was so kind and he was so listening and he was so engaged in other people's lives. it wasn't all about him. it was really about the duty that he had to the country, and he inspired others to recognize their duty to the country as they helped him do his job. >> to your point, perhaps no other president had a rolodex as big as he. michael beschloss, turn back to you to ask you to put president george h.w. bush in historical context. something he said to jon peop meacham. lost between the trials and tribulations of my son. i saw some historians refer to him as a transfetransitional pr. and when you look at the history of republicanism, how does he fit in? >> in the history of republicanism he was head of a party that no longer exists,

where there was still a new england republican party, where moderates were welcome. he was put on ronald reagan's nix in 1980 to represent the moderate wing along with ronald reagan's conservative wing. that's absolutely wrong. you can flip what you said or were quoting, david, and say actually president bush had a real accomplishment, which was the last president who won the presidency on his own as the third term of a party holding the white house without death, succession by death was martin van buren, in 1988. a lot of people were saying reagan had two terning but it's so deep in the dna of our country we change the party that owns the white house after two terms, george h.w. bush was able to reverse that tradition. >> michael beschloss, thank you. thanks to andy card and joe watkins as well. george h.w. bush made a single promise that may have pro pepped him into the office but did it ultimately cost him a second term jl how the 41st

president chose a life of service over the life of privilege he was born into. >> i've spoken of a thousand points of light, all the community organizations spread lie stars throughout the nation doing good. the old ideas are new again because they're not old. they are timeless. duty, sacrifice, commitment and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part in pumping in. [ applause ] with fidelity wealth management you get straightforward advice, tailored recommendations, tax-efficient investing strategies, and a dedicated advisor to help you grow and protect your wealth. fidelity wealth management.

to help you grow and protect your wealth. discover card. i justis this for real?match, yep. we match all the cash back new cardmembers earn at the end of their first year, automatically. whoo! i got my money! hard to contain yourself, isn't it? uh huh! let it go! whoo! get a dollar-for-dollar match at the end of your first year. only from discover. tremfya® is for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. with tremfya®, you can get clearer. and stay clearer. in fact, most patients who saw 90% clearer skin at 28 weeks stayed clearer through 48 weeks. tremfya® works better than humira® at providing clearer skin, and more patients were symptom free with tremfya®. tremfya® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. before starting tremfya® tell your doctor if you plan to or have recently received a vaccine. ask your doctor about tremfya®. tremfya®. because you deserve to stay clearer. janssen wants to help you explore cost support options.

- [narrator] meet shark's newest robot vacuum. it powerfully cleans from floors to carpets, even pet hair, with ease, and now for cleaning surfaces above the floor, it comes with a built in shark handheld. one dock, two sharks.

read my lips. no new taxes. [ cheers and applause ] a promise many believed helped propel then presidential candidate george h.w. bush to the white house and unfortunately one he'd have to go back ob when a democratic controlled congress voted increase existing taxes as part of the 1990 budget agreement. joining me, susan page with y"ua today." start with the interview you

had. starting with your interview in a moment. talk about the last interview with him. what did he have to say? you were working on your book about his late wife, barbara bush. >> right. working on a biography of barbara bush that comes out in march. he was frefte interested, curio suffering from the illness of parkinson's disease, having a difficulty of speaking so he could speak in short sentences and we talked mostly attal role barbara bush played in his long career. i asked, first time you saw her at that christmas dance in greenwich, connecticut, when you were both in high school what caught your eye? he said, she was so beautiful. >> they became pen pals after that. married more than 70 years. what was that relationship like as we focus on him, characterize

the linchpin, holding the bush dynasty together. tell us more about their relationship and what captured the longevity of it. >> she was quite devoted to him. adored him always and play add larger role than many understood at the time in his success. she was an important sounding board for him on bill political decisions in campaigns. she played an increasing role as he became more active in politics as her own confidence in her political judgment grew and she also pressed him to address some issues, for instance, during his presidency, one of the things george h.w. bush did was do much more than president reagan had done to address the crisis over hive-aids. one reason he did that, that was something that barbara busch had talked to him about for some time. >> go back to that commercial flight from chicago to philadelphia. you wrote about it this morning in y"usa today" and sit down wih then candidate or presidential hopeful george h.w. bush. what was that conversation like?

i imagine at that point he was just beginning to articulate, think what he would be like as a president. >> you know, the first national politician i'd ever interviewed, and these interviews usually go on 15 or 20 minutes. i was too stupid to understand that and sat next to him on the flight and stayed with him more than an hour and he was too courteous to tell me my time was up. one of the longest interviews i've done in a situation like that. he talked about his parents and how they had inculcated in him, a word i remember he used because it wasn't a word i heard before. inculcated in him the obligation of service. that was, indeed, the thread that you saw with president bush for his entire life. and he attributed that not only to his father who served as a senator from connecticut, but also to his really remarkable mother. >> susan, we hadn't talked about texas much yet in this hour. how did they end up there? you've got a young woman here

who is the daughter of a famous magazine publisher and somebody born to new england royalty, to the providence of new england. how did they end up in texas? >> i think in both wanted to escape their families in new england. george bush had offers to work for family firms on wall street. he didn't want to do that. barbara bush was very, admired very much, her mother-in-law but her mother-in-law was forceful and a city older, accustomed to giving a lot of advice and they wanted to strike out on their own. he talked to barbara bush that he wanted to do something real. not something in finance but something he could see and feel. so they went to texas where a lot of people were going in those it days to make their fortune in the oil patch. it was really a remarkable leap of faith. they moved to odessa, texas. they moved into half of a house. the other half was a mother and daughter prostitutes. they shared a bathroom and she

told me one of the most frustrating things was, it was like a jack and jill bathroom, and the other side when one of the clients of the women who lived there would use the bathroom they would leave their door locked so they couldn't get in to the bathroom. one of the really frustrating things about that. just imagine what a change that was from these, for these two people born to privilege in new england? >> from new haven to odessa. susan, last question. talking with joe watkins a moment ago during the break. he said the late president was wonderful at correspondence. wrote often, short notes, to members of his staff, members of the press as well. you're the recipient of some of those notes as well. >> one i remember in particular. he did a news conference when president and called on me like four, five times referred to me as ann. there weren't many women in the press corps, white house press corps. ann deservereaux was another on.

mixed us up. the press corps laughed every time he called me ann. when he left he said, why were they laughing? her name is susan. he then sent me a funny, corny, sweet note which is now framed and hangs on my wall at home. >> susan, thank you very much. the washington bureau chief for "usa today." the book she's working on "the matriarch" comes out in april of in ex-year. coming up, out of the oval, up in the air. the surprising ways the 41st president chose to spend his golden years as our special coverage of the life of george h.w. bush continues.

but some give their clients cookie cutter portfolios. fisher investments tailors portfolios to your goals and needs. some only call when they have something to sell. fisher calls regularly so you stay informed. and while some advisors are happy to earn commissions whether you do well or not. fisher investments fees are structured so we do better when you do better. maybe that's why most of our clients come from other money managers. fisher investments. clearly better money management. the biggest streaming collection of british telly ever. enjoy loved classics from the bbc & itv, and discover exclusive new shows fresh from the uk. and with a britbox annual gift subscription, a year of joy comes with two months free-it's the brits that keep on giving! this holiday, indulge in some great british telly.

give the gift of britbox today, at britbox.com

(burke) parking splat. and we covered it. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ hey, what are you guys doing here? we're voya. we stay with you to and through retirement. so you'll still be here to help me make smart choices? well, with your finances that is. we had nothing to do with that tie. voya. helping you to and through retirement.

♪ welcome back. we continue our special coverage this morning of george h.w. bush. the nation's 41st president who passed away last night at the age of 94. remembered as one of the most experienced publish servensanan our history and went on to serve as ambassador to china and director of the cia, and all of those years preparing him for the role of vice president in 1988. his one term in office is remembered for diplomacy and foreign policy successes rallying u.s. allies against iraq's saddam hussein in the first gulf war and guided his new world order through the fall of the berlin wall and collapse of the soviet union.

for all of his accomplishments on the world stage he was equally as proud of his family he lived to see grow into a political dynasty. he had the longest presidential marriage in history. george w. bush released a statement calling his father of man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. joining us now is former deputy secretary of state, michael beschloss is also back with me. talk about his personal apartment and comportment in the that job. a big biz in "newsweek" about the wimp factor. >> he loved that cover story. >> i'm sure he loved that article. help us understand what that had to say about him and you mentioned he loved it. how did he push back upon that characterization of him as a leader and a person in government? >> obviously, i'm being sarcastic. he actually hated it. it drove him crazy. it was about the wimp factor and

showed a picture of him on his boat. this was "newsweek were 1987 because for seven years at that point he had been ronald reagan's running mate and vice president and decided that he was going to be a definite number two. he was not going to compete with the president, and he did that so successfully that sort of like what eugene mccarthy once said of hubert humphrey. george h.w. bush at that point seemed to have the soul of a vice president, someone who was a perpetual number two. it almost caused him not to win the election in 1988. once he became president, a very different personality. >> felipe, turn to you. take us back to the late '80s, making that run hills. how did he dump rifferentiate hf from ronald reagan? >> 1988 was myfirst presidential election that i could vote in, and i remember taking it very seriously. i remember the reagan years but

more so the big moments. the assassination attempt. his inauguration, release the hostages, but i wanted to take it seriously. did a lot of research, in those days i don't remember what that meant. microfilm or something. >> yes. >> three things that stood out to me. one was, obviously, what's covereds with his naval service. i was 19 at the tilme. the notion he lied to qualify to get into the navy and by 19 had been shot down and was the sole survivor of nine pilots, i'd love to be that kind of wimp. and the second i think this goes a little to what michael was saying about being comfortable with, or too comfortable being number two. i remember reading two things. one was when reagan was shot, he was in the air, i believe, and he turned around and came back to d.c., and they wanted to fly him -- helo him on marine two to

the white house lawn. he says no one lands on the white house lawn except the president of the united states. that kind of presence of mind to know his place and not take advantage of something. what really struck me and stayed with me through really until now is, he wrote all of these notes. he was known for his notes and then they were put together in a note. he hated the word "i." i know that was an old -- how often do you hear a politician let alone a president shy away from the word "i"? these days we look back through a very different prism at our presidents, and whether you agree or disagree on what he did, there is something about the makeup of the man and the motivation of the man that seems like an era that's unfortunately gone, that we very much need

back. >> michael beschloss, i want to ask you about his principles and backbone. those today remember that campaign's in 1988 and will invoke lee atwater and lily horton advertisement. something the late president really regretted, that he becam placed upon him when running for office we've sooner nag peen ma. how he pushed back and successfully at times and yes, unsuccessful at some? >> a rough campaign and not his finest hour he and some around him might say, but he always drew that distinction twewe've talked about between governing and campaigning and once in office did not behave that way. go back to that letter he wrote bill clinton on inaugural day 1993. this is bill clinton had ended his political career. he defeated him.

george h.w. bush was, he was a sensitive person. he was not in great shape at that point, but he assured bill clinton, as clinton was coming in, you don't have to worry about criticism from me. you're my president, too. >> felipe, on that note, andrea mitchell reading that letter top of the show. there's a distinction between governing and campaigning. they were there after hurricane katrina. traveled to haiti after what happened there. explain that. this is a transcendent -- >> i don't know about explain it but overall it's fascinating at the last two people you would ever think to get together, someone who beat someone else for the presidency would ever become close, but when they left, when president clinton left office and right around, it started with the tsunami with them asked by president bush to

be, to take that on, president clinton was so excited by that. whenever i was around the clintons, i mean, president clinton is an outgoing guy. he'll talk about anything. he really would light up talking about going to kennebunkport. it wasn't just the relationship with president bush. it was barbara bush, and he loved the idea, he loved when barbara bush would say, you know, my fourth son -- or, you know, describe himself as george bush's brother by another mother. and i really think it was a very special relationship that was genuine, and, you know, i guess strange bedfellows, but it's nice to see. again, it's an era that hopefully is not gone. >> felipe, nice to see you. >> and thanks to you all as well. still ahead, world war ii veteran and former cia director and fashion icon.

how george buj.bgeorge bush.w. vogue from the ankles down. that is next. get a ford. if you want a car with driver-assist technology, get a ford. if you want waze and amazon alexa compatibility, get a ford. if you want a car that doesn't have any of that, get anything... but a ford. otherwise, you're gonna want a ford. ♪

i felt i couldn't be at my best for my family., in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured and left those doubts behind. i faced reminders of my hep c every day. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret,

i was cured. even hanging with friends i worried about my hep c. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. mavyret is the only 8-week cure for all common types of hep c. before starting mavyret your doctor will test if you've had hepatitis b which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b, a liver or kidney transplant, other liver problems, hiv-1, or other medical conditions, and all medicines you take including herbal supplements. don't take mavyret with atazanavir or rifampin, or if you've had certain liver problems. common side effects include headache and tiredness. with hep c behind me, i feel free... ...fearless... ...and there's no looking back, because i am cured. talk to your doctor about mavyret. ♪ applebee's bigger bolder grill combos are back. now that's eatin good

in the neighborhood. following his presidency, george h.w. bush spent his twilight years living this mantra, age is only a number. he began the tradition of skydiving on his birth dates back in 1999 when he turned 75, took the plunge again on his 80th, 85th and 90th birthdays, as as well.

while he was a daredevil in the sky, he was a fashion icon from the ankle down, famously donning flashy socks when he was out on the town. he wore vote socks when he cast his vote for his grandson. when he accepted the lbj award, he sported socks with his own face sewn in. and here he is with his bright mismatched sockses while he's holding his granddaughter. the 41st president had a lighter side that made an impact. susan page is back with us. let's talk about this. his life post presidency. i bring up the socks as an example. what was his approach to life outside the white house? >> you know, i think it took him a while to recover from being defeated for re-election by bill

clinton. he did in part by the political careers of his sons. he was so proud of george and jeb bush for the political careers that they had for themselves and so proud when george w. bush moved back into the oval office restoring the bush family to the white house. he also delighted in his family and his grandchildren. they have 17 grandchildren now. they have any number of great-grandchildren. and those were also -- the richness of his family life is something that sustained him throughout his career. it gave him a depth and a stability that helped him in facing some of the big issues that he faced in the white house and afterwards. >> susan, thanks again. strayed ahead, we'll continue our coverage of the life and death of george herbert walker bush. savin' on this! savin' in here.

rewarded! learn more at the explorer card dot com. and everyone i've ever opioloved away from me.thing everything. i blew my ankle out and i got prescribed pain pills by my doctor. if making my detox public is gonna help somebody i'm all for it. i just wish i would've had a warning.

well, not because it was easy. i mean, the game is all i know. you think back to your draft. it felt like a fantasy. but the second you know you can't compete anymore, you owe it to yourself, to your team, to find a fresh start. so, yeah, that's why i did it. that's why i walked away... from my fantasy league. (announcer) redeem your season on fanduel. play free until you win. fanduel. more ways to win. -we're in a small room. what?! -welcome. -[ gasps ] a bigger room?! -how many of you use car insurance? -oh. -well, what if i showed you this? -[ laughing ] ho-ho-ho! -wow. -it's a computer. -we compare rates to help you get the price and coverage that's right for you. -that's amazing! the only thing that would make this better is if my mom were here.

what?! an unexpected ending! with lower expense ratios than comparable vanguard funds. and we're now offering zero expense ratio index funds. that's value you'll only find at fidelity. ♪ one thing leads another

welcome back to "up." the white house flag is flying at half-staff as we continue our special coverage of the death of george h.w. bush, the 41st president of the united states. tributes continue to come in this morning celebrating his life and legacy, including this statement from his son, the 43rd president of the united states, george w. bush who writes jeopardy, neil, marvin, doro and

i are sadded to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear dad has died. the entire push family is deeply agreedful for 41st's life and love and compassion and fors those who loved and clarified and prayed for dad. george bush is being remembered as a family miami, a public serve quantity and a statesman. let's take a moment to listen to george h.w. bush reflect on how he would like to be remembered by history. >> i know i made plenty of mistakes. i know i messed things up and i know i didn't database database you know, do the campaign right maybe or things. let history make all that determination. but i think that -- or at least put it this way. i tried to do it with integrity and honor. it worries me because i think public service is noble and try