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good evening. i'm chuck todd here in

washington. we are, of course, continuing our special coverage as the nation remembers and mourns the loss of president george h.w. bush. this is the service at the u.s. capitol that is beginning literally right now. president bush's remains have just entered the capitol. let's watch.

let us pray. we give you thanks, almighty god for the appearance among us, of great men and women who serve as inspirations for all americans to be their best in service to god, country and neighbor. this day, we honor our 41st president, george h.w. bush. president bush dedicated his entire life to public service, as a vocation. first, in the military, then as a member of congress, a diplomat, director of the cia, vice president and, finally, president. it is a record of service reminiscent of john quincy adams, and unmatched in nearly a century.

we thank you, oh god, for having endowed president bush with -- and ask that his example of service to others might be an inspiration to all american ame indeed to all the world. as we continue this celebration of honor, grant who attend to these proceedings might be our best selves, in service to all our brothers and sisters, as you might call us to be. dear lord, thank you for inspiring such greatness in president george h.w. bush and continue to bless the united states of america. amen.

>> that was the house chaplain. you're about to hear three je l eulogy us, starting with mitch mcconnell, paul ryan and then the vice president. >> 30 years ago, on the west front of this capitol, george herbert walker bush addressed the nation for the first time as our president. he said, we meet on democracy's front porch. a good place to talk, as neighbors and as friends. the words of a humble servant who loved his fellow citizens and of a principled leader who knew america not only guards our own future, but also safeguards democracy for the world. today, this hero has returned to

the cap titol a final time. not on the front porch of our democracy this time, but here, in its hallowed cathedral. beneath paintings that tell the story of our land and our liberty. and flanked by statues of his fellow champions whom he joined in making that story possible. george bush was just a teenager when he volunteered for military service and became the navy's youngest aviator. he was only 20 only that september day in 1944 when his plane was hit on a bombing run. but through the fire and smoke, george bush stayed steady at the controls. only once he accomplished his mission did he parachute out over the pacific. a steady hand staying the

course. that's what george bush gave us for decades. decorated aviator, congressman, ambassador to the united states, envoy to china, cia director, eight years as vice president and our commander in chief. through the cold war and the soviet union's collapse, he kept us on course. when the rule of law needed defending in the persian gulf, he kept us on course. with his even temperament and hard-won expertise, george herbert walker bush steered this country as straight as he steered that airplane. he kept us flying high and challenged us to fly higher still. and he did it with modesty and

kindness that would have been surprising in someone one/tenth as tough and accomplished as he was. the patriot who lies before us was blessed with many gifts. but there was no doubt which he prized most of all. a great love story began at that christmas dance when george bush met barbara pierce, and the grace and virtue they taught their children have enriched this nation through a family of leaders. today, the nation stands with that family, with our 43rd president, with jeb, neil, marvin and all the bush grandchildren and gre great-grandchildren. we stand with you in mourning, but also in gratitude. gratitude for lives well-lived

and duties thoroughly fulfilled. gratitude that god gave this country george and barbara bush, and that they may now be reunited in the light of his grace. >> as americans, we have no more solemn duty than laying a great patriot to rest. here lies a great man. to the bush family, on behalf of the whole house, republicans and

democrats, we are profoundly sorry for your loss and we are honored to celebrate this wonderful life with you. like so many, i feel a personal debt of gratitude today, a sentiment no doubt countless millions of americans are feeling at this moment. the 1988 campaign, that was the first one i was ever involved in. we handed out literature at the jam jamesville baseball games and the rock county fair. i remember going to this big rally at miami of ohio the day after the first debate. the whole experience really drew me into politics. he was the first president i had the chance to vote for and he was the first president to teach me and many of us that in a

democracy, sometimes you fall short. and that how you handle that, that is just as important as how you win. an old preacher once said, grace is but glory begun and glory is but grace perfected. grace is but glory begun and glory is but grace perfected. glory is transcendent in the life of our republic. this rotunda is a trumpet call to glory. tributes to the giants all the way up into the sky. grace -- grace is different. it's more elemental. it is not larger than life, it is the stuff of life.

the connective tissue in a free society. it deepens the well of our common humanity. throughout his life of service, president bush personified grace. his character, his character was second to none. he reached the heights of power with uncommon humility. he made monumental contributions to freedom, with a fundamental decency that resonates across generations. no one better harmonized the joy of life and the duty of life. there's that indelible image of him as commander in chief during the gulf war, waving to a sea of troops during a visit during thanksgivin

thanksgiving. there are all these images we have of him as a devoted husband, that twinkle in his eye that barbara always brought out, especially in those big, huge family photos you all had in kennebunkport. this one, i will never forget. there was that image of him as a loving father reaching out to hold his son's hand at the national cathedral after 9/11. there's this letter he wrote his children on the last day of 1990, as he wrestled with the decision over operation desert storm. he begins by recounting the family christmas and he apologized if he seemed distracted. "i tried not to be," he writes. then for about a page, he elaborates on his struggle over sending young americans into harm's way. twice in the letter he writes,

"every human life is precious." and the original copy, he adds by hand a note wishing his family a new year. in consequential times, george herbert walker bush demonstrated the finest qualities of our nation and our humankind. a great leader and a good man. a gentle soul of firm resolve. he showed us that how we live is as important as what we achieve. his life was a hymn of honor. his legacy is grace perfected. his memory will belong to glory.

god bless the 41st president of the united states. >> speaker ryan, leader mcconnell, leader schumer, leader pelosi, members of congress, distinguished guests, but most of all, to president george w. bush, governor jeb bush, neil, marvin, doro and the

entire bush family, it is deeply humbling to stand before you today at the beginning of a week in our nation's capitol when we will commemorate and celebrate the lifetime of service and leadership of the 41st president of the united states. president george herbert walker bush. the bible tells us to mourn with those who mourn and grieve with those who grieve, and today, on behalf of the first family and my family and the american people, we offer our deepest sympathies and respects to your family. and we thank you for sharing this special man. with our nation and the world. today, president bush becomes the 32nd american to lie in

state in the united states capitol rotunda. soon, americans from every corner of the country and every walk of life will make their way to this rotunda to pay the respects of a grateful nation. upon the death of abner, it is written that king david said, do you not realize that a great man and commander has fallen in israel today? george herbert walker bush was such a man. while he was known as the quiet man, it was not for lack of nerve or daring. for in all of his 94 years, president bush never lost his love of adventure and he never failed to answer the call to serve his country. born into a tradition of public service, george herbert walker bush began his own life of service when he was still in

high school. after the japanese attacked pearl harbor in december 1941, he wanted to do his part, so, he enlisted in the united states navy on his 18th birthday. on receiving his wings, he became the nation's youngest naval aviator, and was sent to the south pacific, where his story almost ended. september 1944, on a bombing raid, his aircraft was hit. his engine caught fire. but he still managed to hit his target before bailing out and being rescued by american forces after some four hours at sea. all told, he flew 58 combat missions, and for his bravery under fly, he earned the distinguished flying cross, which would have been enough honor for any american life, but george herbert walker bush was just getting started. after he came home, he staked his claim to a booming post-war america by making a name for himself in the oil business. for four years, he walked these

halls as a congressman from houston. president nixon took notice of the young texan and asked him to be our ambassador to the united nations. he led our party during a tumultuous time for the presidency, and after earning the respect of another president, he did the work of a diplomat, as the first united states envoy to china and led the cia. and then, for eight years, george herbert walker bush served as the 43rd havenvice president of the united states. i'm told he once joked about the job, saying there was, quote, nothing substantive to do at all. but as history records, during those years, he set the standard. as a sound counselor and loyal

adviser to an outsider who came to washington, d.c. to shake things up. cut taxes, rebuild the military, and together, they did just that. and then, in 1988, he made history again and george herbert walker bush was elected in a landslide as the 41st president of the united states of america. becoming the first sitting vice president to win the presidency in more than 150 years of our history. he served during an uncertain time in the world, made momentous by his leadership. president bush oversaw the crumbling of the berlin wall, and under his leadership, america won the cold war. he took our nation to war to rappel aggression in the persian gulf and through his leadership

as commander in chief and the brilliance of our armed forces, the united states won a decisive victory. when president george herbert walker bush left office, he left america and the world more peaceful, prosperous and secure. president bush was a great leader who made a great difference in the life of this nation. but he was also just a good man. he was devoted to his wife, his family and his friends. i was lucky enough to meet him in 1988, when he was vice president. and i was a 29-year-old just getting started in politics. then, as always, i was struck by his approachability. there was a kindness about the man that was evident to everyone

who ever met him. all his years in public service were characterized by kindness, modesty and patriotism. he was so modest, in fact, that he never wrote an autobuy kwog if i. but he did leave a record of his life in the thousands of letters that he wrote. i'm told that he started writing letters to his parents when he was 18 years old, and over time, his circle of correspondence grew to include family, friends, advisers, staff, business associates, former presidents. and just about anyone who would take the trouble to write to him. after a lifetime of writing letters, my son got one just not too long ago. as i told two of his sons this weekend, when our son made his first tail hook landing as a

marine aviator on the uss george herbert walker bush, i took the liberty of writing the ship's namesa namesake, to ask for a small favor. i didn't write him as a vice president to a former president, i just wrote as a proud dad of a marine aviator to a former navy pilot. i asked him to sign a picture of the flight deck that i could give to my son. now, we were told by the staff that the president had long since ended the practice of signing autographs and we understood that. but little to my surprise, just in time for my son's winging, there came not only a signed photograph, but of course, a letter. hand-signed, as well. august 2018.

in that letter, president bush wrote to my son, in his words, "congratulations in receiving your wings of gold. i know how proud you and your family are at this moment." and then, in words that assured us that the letter came directly from him, he wrote, "though we have not met, i share the pride your father has for you during this momentous occasion and i wish you many cavu days ahead. all the best, g. bush." i would come to learn that that acronym, cavu, is a term navy pilots have used since world war ii. it stands for ceiling and visibility unlimited. president bush described cavu, in his words, as the kind of weather we navy pilots wanted

when we were to fly off our carrier in the pacific, and he once wrote a letter to his children, saying that cavu, in his words, describes my own life as it's been over the years and as it is right now. ceiling and visibility unlimited. though that may well describe the essence of this man, and it may well have been his vision, the vision he had for his life, for his children, his children's children and his country, no barriers, no boundaries, no limits. so, we mourn with those who mourn and grieve with those who grieve, but we do not grieve like those who have no hope.

for president george herbert walker bush had that hope. his faith sustained him throughout his life of service and we pray that faith will be a source of comfort for all those who mourn the loss of this good man and great american. president george herbert walker bush loved his family and he served his country. his example will always inspire and his lifetime of service will be enshrined in the hearts of the american people forever. may god bless the memory of george herbert walker bush and god comfort his family and friends and may god continue to bless the united states of america.

>> those three eulogies there from the three official leaders of congress, the head of the senate, the head of the house and, of course, the president, there, of the senate. now we're about to hear from the naval academy glee club here and we will let that play out, as well. ♪ oh beautiful ♪ for spacious skies ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ for purple mountain majesty ♪ above the fruited plain ♪ america

♪ america ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ and crown thy good ♪ with brotherhood ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ oh beautiful ♪ for heroes proved ♪ in liberating strife ♪ who more than self ♪ their country loved ♪ and mercy more than life ♪ america ♪ america

♪ may god thy ♪ til all success ♪ in nobleness ♪ and . we're about to see a few wreaths about to be laid in bipartisan fashion by the bipartisan heads of the senate. michael beschloss is here with me. and michael, this is an opportunity for the entire american public to say good-bye to george h.w. bush.

this is the moment for everybody, this is the people's capitol, and they're going to be able to go through this tonight, as soon as this official ceremony is over. >> you will see lines of people going in here and paying their last respects, you know, reminds me of after john kennedy was in exactly the same place, you know, his remains were also on the lincoln cat that fall, just as george bush's are tonight. all through the night, they streamed in. people would look at the crowds and sort of say, why are you here? and every single one would give a different story. >> beautiful moments. ann compton, you covered this president very closely, you -- one of my great joys was working with you during the obama white hou house, you were at another network. george h.w. bush -- he appreciated these moments. he knew that america needed them. >> even though i think

personally he might be uncomfortable with this, but chuck, the warmth and grace of the tributes to george herbert walker bush over the last almost 72 hours, now, suddenly, this moment seems to be a moment of exquisite pain, especially for that family sitting there. they're the only ones in chairs, the rest of the audience is stand, and especially for president george w. bush, who is now facing the reality, sitting there, looking at his father's casket, and it is -- he -- in that face you and i have known so well, a moment of real stress -- it's all really becoming real to him. >> it is. it's a who's who of the republican party. michael steele also here with us, as well. michael, i assume this was -- you were a young man when he was the head of the republican party. >> yeah -- >> you're still a young man. >> i appreciate that. no, really, i mean, the fact that this weekend, there was a lot of talk about all the very

big federal things that he did, as vice president, president, cia, but what i took note of is what he did at a very critical time for the country, as chairman of the republican national committee, when watergate is breaking out all around him, he steered that ship. he made sure that the party survived beyond that presidency, and, you know, it spoke to his leadership in so many ways. leadership that we really wouldn't really begin to appreciate until now. >> and actually, at the last cabinet meeting of richard nixon, when everyone was dodging the issue, will nixon stay or go, george bush, as chairman of the republican party, said to nix objection nixon, in front of all these other cabinet members, i think you should resign. made nixon furious. >> what's fascinating, george h.w. bush didn't like when people talked about him.

it's my favorite anecdote now, the interview that jenna bush did with her grandfather and he said, historians will talk about the mistakes that i made and talk about the successes that we had. i and we. and this is the ultimate i/we -- >> it's the definition of a presidency and it's the definition of the man itself, in many respects. >> and look at the vast resume that he brought to the presidency. he had been a member of congress. he had done the other cabinet level positions. he'd been the ambassador to china. and when he took over, in 1989, the world changed during those four years. >> sure did. >> unrecognizable, by the end of his four-year term. >> i don't think even we as a country understood we needed somebody with that much preparation, if you think about it. boy, i hope we have a former ambassador to china in the job,

oh, i hope we have -- in a moment, michael beschloss, it's sort of like, it's a good thing that happened when we had the person with the most experience possible. >> exactly right. looking back, as a historian, if i look at the years of 1989 to 1993, say, what do i want in a president, i want someone with that kind of experience, who knows, you know, why germany is divided, thoughs how important it is to try to get the soviet union to open the berlin wall and let eastern europe be free, and also who knows how to deal with the opposition in congress, because george bush never had a situation where he was dealing with his own party in control of congress. >> trying to think, he didn't even get two years with a republican senate. >> no. >> he had a democratic house and senate the entire time. >> and if you look at the transcript of george bush's inaugural address, just before he gives the formal part of the speech, you see the transscript, it says, hey, dadny. he's waving at dan, and he's

trying to build bridges. >> he was liked, but he wasn't feared. i wonder if he didn't have the leverage during those four years that could have gotten him farther, with even his modest program and his agenda. >> well, if you look, you know, some colleagues have noted, oh, my god, he had so many bipartisan achievements -- >> he didn't have a choice otherwise. >> what was going to do that? which is the epitome of george h.w. bush, which is, look, you work with the people that are there, not the ones you wish were there. >> it's profoundly important, in the face of everything else, that we're dealing with today, in government and leaders, not just anyone specifically, but leadership, generally speaking, and i couldn't help, chuck, in listening to some of the attributes and the kind words, when people talk about his generosity, his sense of duty, his decency, i couldn't help but think, are they sort of mourning the passing of that?

>> right. let's listen to the naval hymn here. something that's very familiar and will be a very familiar song all week long. ♪ ♪

♪ >> let us pray. >> eternal father, strong to sa save, in whom we live and move and have our being. we praise you for your generous providence that provided our nation and world with the gift of your servant, president george herbert walker bush.

lord, we're grateful for the privilege you gave us to learn and grow from his integrity, kindness, heroism, courage, excellence, service, intellect, humility, civility and spirituality. as we celebrate this well-lived life, challenge us, oh god, to also lead the world better than we found it. continue to comfort those who mourn, touch each member of the bush family with your mercy, love and grace. and god, support us all the day

long until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes and the busy world lies hushed and the fever of life is over and our work is done. then, in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging and a holy rest and a peace at last. we pray in the name of george herbert walker bush's savior and friend, jesus christ. amen.

>> we'll now see the family paying their respects first, and then you're going to see the public, you'll start to see everybody passing through, but of course, the family will be paying their respects first. so, the family being escorted out.

michael beschloss -- and now we'll start to see people filing out, filing around, paying their respects, and, you know, for these -- it's interesting, i've always wondered, for this first family, who have to publicly mourn, and you wonder -- and i just sit there and wonder, when do they get to have their own moment? because this is tough, to everybody watching you and you probably feel as if every moment you're being watched. i know they know how to handle this moment as a family, but it's -- to publicly mourn when you need some private time is probably tough. >> right. and the ones i've talked to, members of presidential families who have been through this, what i tend to hear from them is during the days of public ceremonies, it's almost a help that they have to be in public and walk the right way and look the right way and say the right things, but then, once the spotlight is off and this is all over, they say, it's two or three times as bad. >> yeah.

>> and what it must be like at kennebunkport next summer with both the loss of barbara and george bush. the family will still make that a mecca, but when that generation goes, the center kind of -- you lose the center. the center doesn't hold. and for a family this devoted to each other, it's very, very painful. >> we have threrent lott joinin us. he was in the house leadership during the reagan/bush era. became a senator, i believe, during the bush presidency. i hope i've got all of that correct, so, he has spent a lot of time, both with vice president bush, president bush, you name it, and he was, obviously, in that ceremony. senator lott, i know he was a friend of yours, my condolences to you for losing a friend. just give me your thoughts on today's ceremony. >> well, first of all, i think this is a moment of unity. you saw republicans and democrats there together, and

all praising him for the job he did for our country, but for being a good man. and i think it's a moment that the country needed. i hope it won't end this week. this was a great man, he served his country so well, and i hope maybe we can learn some lessons from the life he lived and from the outpouring of appreciation and love that we've seen this week. >> take me into those days in the '80s and '90s there. he seemed to be a guy that thought, well, give me a deal that's possible, rather than setting terms that are impossible. is that fair? >> it is fair. you know, he believed in getting the job done. and doing the right thing for the country. sometimes it's painful. sometimes, if you're a president, you have to make a tough decision that hurts you politically, or puts our men and women at risk overseas in a worthy cause. he met the tough task. he made the decisions. and he paid some prices for it along the way. but i always admired the fact

that he would make the tough decision. and i always appreciated his affability. i had the occasion a couple of years ago to kennebunkport to see the president and barbara. that very morning, he'd been out on a cigarette boat. when i went over to visit with him and ask him how he was doing, his first question was, how's my old friend thad cochran, my colleague from mississippi who was having health problems. it was sort of typical of george bush. so, he set a great example. of course, wonderful family that we all would like to emulate. >> now, we're watching the family pour out of the capitol right now. you know, one of the things, trent, that struck me while we were talking, he wasn't one of those presidents that just would bash congress to bash congress, because it was easy for political gain. you almost got the sense he felt like, well, i'm not going to do that, i like those people and those are my friends, what am i doing? >> yeah. i was always proud of the fact that one of his best friends when he was in the house and afterward was g.v. sonny

montgomery, a congressman from mississippi, a democrat. they loved each other. literally loved each other. but the president set examples for us, not only in his leadership, but he was so qualified for the job. probably as much as any president we've ever had, when you go back and look at his entire life. but he reached out to people beyond just his narrow circle of friends and the congress or into government. he reached out to everybody, and he showed, you know, an appreciation and interest. i had a disagreement with him one time, but he never held it against me, and was unfailingly courteous and friendly and helpful any time he could be, so, i was elected to the senate the night he was elected president. it was quite a night. i'll never forget it. >> i was just going to say, i thought your transition was on the same election night. trent lott, former senate majority leader, worked with president bush when he was president and vice president.

thank you for coming on. >> my pleasure. thank you very much. >> let me go out to kasie hunt. she is outside on this unbelievable washington evening tonight. here in the capitol, in the nation's capital, to saynation' goodbye to president bush. kasie? >> reporter: it's really been just a remarkable evening here. the sunset that we saw as george h.w. bush was carried up those stairs was stunning. i think this is really just put into sharp relief how much our politics have changed in the course of what -- it doesn't feel like it should have been that much time. but the stunning difference between the way george h.w. bush governed, and obviously he campaigned with as sharp of elbows as anybody. but the things he was able to accomplish when he was in the white house, and frankly, he was working with a democratic

congre congress, big, sweeping accomplishments that made major differences for the millions of americans of any political stripe, really just astonishing. as you listen to, and i listened to speaker ryan and the vice president eulogize george h.w. bush, you just wonder if they're not, you know, eulogizing this way of doing politics. i think a lot of people here at the capitol, you know, this is a frustrating time to try to be doing big things on behalf of the country under the trump administration. and so, you know, i think we're all sort of grappling with this, and whether or not it really is the end of an era. there are a lot of people hoping it doesn't have to be that way, chuck. >> thank you, kasie hunt. i think those are important words. as i noted earlier, if they figure out how to pause their fight over a border wall this week and not shut down the

government, that proves they cannot shut down the government any time they want on this front. michae michael steele? >> you just hit it on the head, chuck. you know, in one sense, it's sad that we have these officialer is kno -- official ceremonies like this to have to remember how it used to operate and function. times no less partisan in many respect respects. >> but thought it was partisan then. that was basically my coming of age as a young political journalist, the tail end of the bush administration. it was partisan. >> absolutely. and the american people liked divided government when they saw it. >> so they claim. they chaim this all the time. >> but we've also seen a country where the respect for institutions, the supreme court

justices just standing at the side of the casket, some of them appointed by this president, and the kind of lack of respect for major institutions. a couple of days like this isn't necessarily going to rekindle that warm and fuzzy feeling. >> no, it won't. it's interesting about the supreme court, to watch them all there, not in their robes, not very often you see them in public together, not in their robes. i believe ruth bader ginsburg was there. i don't think she could stand for the ceremony. >> because the audience here was standing. >> they had to stand there. michael beschloss, you know what's interesting, even as two supreme court justices he named as president, epitomized this straddle that he always straddled between the moderate wing of his party, the new england wing of the party, the southern wing of the party, the moderate liberal republican versus the conservative southern republican, it feels like that's

what we're also eulogizing here, is that wing of the party doesn't -- >> that is gone. he was from texas, but he was a new england republican. i mean, he was born in -- >> that was a sin to some conservatives. >> yes, absolutely. he was born in massachusetts, grew up in xwrgreenwich, connecticut. it was a rough thing for him, and when he went on to ronald reagan's ticket, reagan asked that question, before i make you vice president, this is the december of 1980, i have to know if you're going run on the platform. he was talking about, above anything else, abortion. and bush, who had been pro-choice, changed his mind. >> that was the first time that issue was put into a political context. so to have reagan make that point was part of his compromise. >> right. >> you saw the compromising of this new england republicanism to the submerging conservative push from the south.

>> hue, we're talking about the role george h.w. bush played and sort of the two republican parties, if you will. he was the head of one, and he would try to bridge the divide between the two. fair in your mind? >> very fair. i wrote for "the post" today. i'm a bush republican. i was volunteering for him in '78 when he was running against ronald reagan and howard baker. he's our last world war ii president. when i saw those midshipmen singing, i thought of an 18-year-old george bush flying in a plane, splashing it down twice. that's before he became college. and when he became president, his war cabinet was there, dick cheney, colin powell, and then you look forward to the cabinet

today, mike pompeo served under him as commander in chief. defense secretary mattis was under him in the gulf war. john bolton was an assistant attorney general at the department of justice. bushies are everywhere. john roberts was his deputy solicitor attorney general, for goodness sake. >> yeah. michael, you brought up another point, the president's service. it's interesting, when he was president, it was something i believe four of the last five presidents had all served. now four of the last five presidents have not served, reagan, clinton, w., obama, now this one. five of the last six. it is interesting, we were in this sort of -- we do this historically. we go to -- and i imagine that in 20 years, we may have four or five straight presidents that have military service, but it is -- there is something about

that too that we're passing. this is basically the only living president with military service is jimmy carter. >> that's right. i think you can generalize about presidents that have had military service, that bloodshed in a major war are not abstract. they naturally had empathy and understand the cost. if you look at the story of george h.w. bush, the few days before desert storm began in 1991, that january, he was almost heart broken because he knew what this would mean in a very real sense from his own experience. >> and take us back to that -- you're at the white house, doing all-nighters. >> for the whole time. we now see coming into congress so many new members of congress who served. there is that new generation coming on there. the president's steadiness

during all the things that were going on, but for the persian gulf war, knowing that only the u.s. could have stopped saddam, knowing it had to be a coalition of the willing with the arab countries. and i remember the day he came back to the white house. he had gone to camp david with his war council. and he came back and said how rewarded he was. even the arab world was united against saddam hussein. i burted out, king hussein of jordan. the next day, i'm handed -- called up front and handed a letter, hand written from him, saying, i wasn't pleased with my answer to you. i hope i wasn't offensive. >> the commander in chief, the guy who is -- >> the reporter who had taken it, signed it with a happy face. >> i wonder if we could picture the current commander in chief

writing letters like that. michael steele, is it -- it is -- is it fair to say that we are memorializing the -- that wing? it's interesting, he was saying there's a lot of bushies left. >> it's not the same. i'm sorry, it's not the same. a lot of those people have moved far away from herbert walker bush stood in order to stand where they are today. i mean, that's just the reality of it. >> but his political life, geographically, and frankly, when you trace the abortion issue, he basically -- he reluctantly moved to where the party was headed. i don't think he moved to texas, but he seemed to geographically and ideal logically -- >> i think in that sense, though, context is everything. those issues were not as dominant and outcome determinative as they are today. you know, the 1980 election did not hinge on your position on abortion, for example.

so for him, he stood alongside of those issues. he didn't fight them, just stood alongside of them. today, it's a different struggle and conversation. >> michael steele, thank you very much. michael beschloss, thank you. our msnbc coverage will continue right now with ari melber. i hand the baton to you, sir. >> thank you, chuck todd. good evening to you at home. we're going to continue this special coverage. this tribute continues in the u.s. capitol rotunda to former president george h.w. bush. we have seen family members departed. vips are still playing their respects and members of congress filing out of this commemoration. and so while we have a lot to get to later in the hour, we continue this coverage and begin with a panel that can reflect on what we're witnessing. greetings to each of you.