george h.w.: yes. we do. a lot of thank you notes for campaigns. ,e have had a lot of people when word that we're putting the book of letters out. said i thought this was a great letter. it was great. book, are you surprised this is on the bestseller list? this is less serious. we are up there with harry potter and i don't know who the latest movie star is. it may not stay forever. i think it has had its fourth printing in this hanging in there better than i thought it would. we had a lot of fun with this. i don't want to write a memoir. this is the closest you will get because it is not about substance. it is about heartbeat. pulse, what makes my family come together. what hurts us. what makes us cry and laugh. >> back to the chronology, you were the committee chairman what year? winter of 1973. >> why did you do? george h.w.: the president asked me to. because he thought i would be the best guy to be chairman of the party. 1972 --was reelected in he called the whole cabinet together, we want everyone

george h.w.: i did not write characters. that must be somebody else's. >> you were trying to do the english with the characters around it. be.ge h.w.: oh, could characters, all it was was speaking. >> what did you learn? george h.w.: how to buy noodles and chinese. i learned about the importance of china. i was there in a tough time. i saw the disadvantages of a closed society. having been there i appreciate , there are far more human rights than when i lived there. not perfect, family was still a strong entity in china. i remember thinking the family is falling apart in china. the minute i got there, i saw how wrong it was. i saw the beginning of real growth in china. society was closed. people were scared to talk to you. you are followed if you went up a little alley. i learned about the blessings of freedom. our freedom. >> you fly into houston, your name is on the airport. you drive out of dolly madison highway and there it is. george bush cia. named after you. there is a major conference going on here when we tapes this

although i did not vote for george h.w. bush, i thought overall he was a very good president. , did not agree with everything but you're never going to agree with everything every president does anyway. he was a great example of how a president behaves. he never had any bad -- had anything bad to say about people publicly. he was a good christian man and there was a lot to say about the way he handled his office. it is sad to say that people did not take some of those attributes the heart when they voted for our last presidential election. i hope they look at those attributes in our next presidential election. host: on the phone joining us , thes warren finch director of the george h.w. bush presidential library. mr. finch, thank you for joining us. guest: good morning. host: what will be the legacy of president george h.w. bush? guest: a life of service from his earliest days. one of the youngest eyelets to pilots to serve in the navy during world war ii, congressman, ambassador to the , vice nations, rnc president, presid

george h.w. bush. eric: very compelling and meaningful address at the forum by the secretary who gave personal advice, don't always think about everything, just serve the country, talked about selfless service and you're looking the screen at a man who did just that. exclusive town of connecticut, son of u.s. senator, went off to midland, odessa, texas to find own fortune fields of the state before turned to public service as chairman gop harris country republican at the same time when you couldn't get many republicans in the lone star state to congress to the head of the republican national committee, the united nations, ambassador to china, vice president and, of course, president, life of selfless public service, he was gracious, thoughtful, considerate and had character. the one person to work with him closely joins us now, denise ross, distinguished fellow, denise ross, point person on many diplomatic efforts and both republican and democratic administrations and worked especially in the mid

george h.w. bush has died in houston at age 94. along with being the 41st president, he was a world war ii combat pilot, republican congressman from texas, a party chairman, ambassador to the u.n. , head of the cia and vice president to president reagan. this morning, during the takeington journal" we your calls on the life and legacy of george herbert walker bush. your calls and comments live next on "washington journal." >> -- we treated the white house as the people's house and treated the office with respect (202) 748-8001. that is much more important than any individual piece of legislation. >> here here. host: good morning, and welcome to "washington journal." remembering the life of the 45th u.s. president, george herbert walker bush. bush was the youngest navy pilot in world war ii and the last world war ii veteran to serve as u.s. president. he became the first president since john adams >> >> to >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> this >> 43rd president, -- george herbert walke

>> george h.w. bush, despite the fact that he did feel strongly about that, the events of 2016, this is someone who would like the fact, and you can be sure he specifically approved this, an invitation going to the incumbent president and him attending, trying to close the circle with healing. there has always been a relationship between a sitting president and the former presidents. we're living in a moment that we really haven't seen in american history where president trump has little to no relationship with any former president. so if george h.w. bush felt that his memorial service could end that and turn things in the right direction, i can very much see him approving of that. >> let me ask you about your approach to george h.w. bush. he's been described in a number of obituaries that i've read as someone who didn't have many vociferous enemies in washington, d.c. what was his approach to dealing with folks in the other party? >> andy karr said it earlier this morning. he was somebody that unde

he had had the same job, george h.w. bush having served as president, you know, just one president between them, bill clinton and yet, there was never any sort of reaching in to the oval office when george w. bush was president. he was there to receive a phone call but never anything heavy-handed and i'm sure people can debate whether that was a good or bad thing. i think on foreign policy, a lot of people in the center on the left were more comfortable with 41's philosophy than 43. as a family story, 41 viewed george w. bush as his son first and president second and some of the pictures that hung on the walls the longest were the pictures of 41 and 43 in the oval office on the day 43 was inaugurated and 43 always spoke and the bushes are all criers, but nothing got 43 choked up more than his dad, the 41s president calling him on some of the lowest points of his presidency to tell him he loved him and that was always what was relaid to those of us who got to hear about the calls. >> we're joined by john, biographer of geo

george h.w. bush. i'm going to read you pieces of this, president trump saying that 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 authenticity, wit and unwavering commitment to faith, family and country, president bush inspired generations of fellow americans to public service, to be in his words, a thousand points of light illuminating the greatness, hope and opportunity of america to the world. president trump goes on to talk about some of the defining moments of george h.w. bush's life and legacy, talking about how he always find a way to set the bar higher. president bush guided our nation and the world to a peaceful and victorious conclusion of the cold war and as such set the stage for the decades of prosperity that have followed. through all he accomplished, he remained humble. president trump and the first lady saying along with his full life of service to this country, we will remember president bu

and yet george h.w. said. it's a lesson taught by his mother, told to avoid the big "i ams," something his aides and advisers think might have hurt him, his refusal to go to germany after the fall of the berlin wall. obviously a man who had a healthy sense of self-b but did not like gushing. >> when president bush walked in, he went over to the former presidents and the former first ladies, shook their hands, went down the aisle and thanked them for coming. that when you were arriving there, it was a beautiful gesture, i thought, on his part. >> it was. as i said before, he really is now the patriarch of this bush family, this bush dynasty, a family that started with his grandfather, prescott bush, who was a senator from connecticut, that was then assumed by his father, george h.w. bush. not the oldest son of prescott bush but the one who assumed the leadership role in the family and now it falls to w, to bush '43. it was a nice gesture of him shaking the hands of the four formers that were there on the

i remember talking to president george h.w. bu george w. bush the day before he became the president. he was getting ready to receive the instructions on how to work with the military to introduce a code that would start a nuclear war. and i was -- i remember being in that same position watching george h.w. bush get those instructions and i told the president that the toughest decision that you'll have to make will be the one that will be to send young men and women into harm's way that will make sacrifices that you wouldn't want on anybody. and i watched him make those unbelievely difficult decisions and i told george h.w. bush about it. it's not a game, it's not a theory, it's a reality and i was struck how when president bush made the decision to go into panama and this was the first president bush. i was there after he had been briefed and he was sitting at his desk. he looked up and said out loud that he was making a decision that would cause young men to die and sure enough, some people did die when we captured nor yeah ga a iega and

the obamas writing george h.w. sh's life is a testament to the notion that public service is a noble, joy us calling. his son, president george w. bush said his father was a man of the highest character and the best man a son could ask for. >> and he never stopped serving, i saw him up close working on tsunami relief in asia and home after katrina. joining us now is jois jonathanr and karen also joins us. karen, let's go to george h.w. bush's undoing in the end, he served one term. that was because america was in recession. there were criticisms of him at the time that he was not able to connect with americans over the kitchen table issues that they were struggling with at the time. from as sure-foot ted as he wasn the international stage, at a very turbulent and dangerous time, he was not quite as certain of himself on domestic policy. so he gets hit by two big problems economically. one is the recession. the other is americans growing concern about the enormous federal deficit. and he was not somebody who was able

george h.w. bush has away at the age of 94. that word coming to us just over an hour ago. a statement released by his son, the 43rd president george w. bush. he had governed this country from 1989 to 1993, a time of moment momentous change. the fall of the berlin wall, the reunification of germany, major global events that played out under the watch of george h.w. bush, a one-term president whose legacy in the last 25 years in the generation since his presidency has in many ways been enhanced in a way that few one-term presidents before him we have seen. hallie jackson, who's covering the current president donald trump on his trip to buenos aires, joins us from there. we have heard from president trump in the last few minutes? >> reporter: we have. in a statement from president trump amnd first lady melania trump responding to the death now of former president george h.w. bush. i'm going to read you pieces of this. president trump saying that melania and i join with the grieving nation to mourn t

george h.w. bush, who died at age 94 on friday. john we will hear from lawrence, former chief of staff who represented nancy pelosi, discussing the future of democratic leadership in the 100 60th congress. also, sebastian gorka, former deputy assistant president trump, talks about the mueller investigation and the trump administration alison -- national security policy. live, sundayurnal, at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. received a statement from the office of former president george h.w. bush this morning, which i want to read to you. we also received a tweet from president donald trump this morning a couple of hours >> president george h.w. bush let a long, simple, and beautiful life. whenever i was with him, i saw his joy for life and pride in his family. his compliments were great from beginning to end. end. he was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all. i would also like to read you one more statement from president bush's son, president george w. bush. let's hear from ken calling fr

as george h.w. bush liked to say, and you see on the library, a life without service was not a life that he wanted to live, and his family knew that, and he spent a great part of his time in public service. there are a couple of other words that we've heard used about him tonight that i think are always important, but never more so important than the time that we're living in. we heard former president bill clinton use the words "total class." and we heard former president barack obama, a democrat, say a gentleman. and i think civility, his graciousness, the way he handled himself is a role model we all will miss. >> jamie, dana, thank you. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> i'm don lemon. it is the top of the hour. here is our breaking news. the 41st president of the united states, george h.w. bush has died at the age of 94. the flag at the white house flying at half-staff right now as flo

george h.w. bush has died at the age of 94. the flag at the white house flying at half-staff right now as flowers pile up outside the bush home in houston, texas. tributes are pouring in from president trump and former presidents barack obama and bill clinton. as well as former vice president al gore and condoleezza rice, james baker, and so many more. the nation mourning the man who devoted his life to service to his country and to his family. cnn's john king now with the story of george h.w. bush, the politician. ♪ >> reporter: it was the defining promise of his presidential campaign. >> read my lips. no new taxes. >> reporter: that was his 1988 republican convention speech. just two years later, during the buildup to the gulf war, he broke it, knowing it would infuriate conservative, and perhaps cost him his job. >> as we speak, our nation is standing together against saddam hussein's aggression. but here at home there is another threat, a cancer gnawing away at our nation's health. that cancer

but the bush family, we know that george h.w. not vote for president trump. we know that george w. bush did not vote for president trump. so this is a room and part of his appeal, i suppose, the idea that he was very anti-establishment even though he is now the embodiment of the establishment. president trump is in a room full of people who did not vote for him in many ways. >> good to see jimmy carter there, as well. these are truly, truly remarkable pictures all being shown in honor of the 41st president of the united states. >> it's a glorious cathedral, the national cathedral and quite an assemblage. traditionally, the sitting president would be one of the people asked to give a eulogy. that is not the case here. you can say bush 43, it's a unique situation because bush 43 would be giving the eulogy. you can say that the bush family clearly chose not to have the current president actually speak. he was invited. i don't know if it is a slight smile on the face of barack obama, the awkwardness of the situation. >> first of all,

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, in his later years in realtime and frankly more in retrospect as really unique. and somebody who served his 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 who were running for president and became president after him. the relationships that he formed with them, with their spouses i think really -- it really says a lot. and it is an incredible, an incredible loss. a life well-lived, of course. and george h.w. bush said this, you know, probably 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. >> you know, it's -- i think for the first time we started calling presidents by numbers and 41 is important, 43 is important. and the only reaso

george h.w. bush, the 41st president of the united states, has died at the age of 94 at his home in houston. mr. bush died last night less than eight months after his wife of 73 years, barbara bush, passed away. >> i, george herbert walker bush, do solemnly swear. >> i, george herbert walker bush, do solemnly swear. >> that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states. >> that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states. >> sreenivasan: george herbert walker bush became president in 1989. his inaugural address included the words "kinder" and "gentler," words thad become part of his legacy and tat he also used in his acceptance speech republican convention in 1988. >> i want a kinder and gentler nation. >> sreenivasan: mr. bush was 1 born on ju 1924, in milton, massachusetts. the son of a wealthy family, he grew up in greenwich, connecticut, and spent summers at the family's oceanfront home in kennebunkport, maine., his fatherprescott bush, was

george h.w. bush and the life that he lived. i will say that it's almost as if bush 41 inspired this president to even move beyond his own boundaries that he showed the first two years by delivering to this country and the world a statement upon george h.w. bush's passing that was graceful and was presidential and quite frankly what's been lacking a bit in the past. i want to talk to jon meachum who on wednesday will be eulogizing george h.w. bush and who spoke about him yesterday at the national cathedral. you know, jon, we to talk about what a great man george h.w. bush was and how he guided america and the world through the ending of the cold war, how he reunified germany, how -- well, just, you know, a cia director, an u.n. ambassador, ran the rnc, vice president, president, congressman, took courageous stands. he was a great man, but what is so remarkable in 2016 and the great take away from his life has to be that he was a good man. he was fundamentally a decent man. not only when he was pr

george h.w. bush. i am john king in washington. >> i am dana bash in houston. today we honor the life of the 41st president, george herbert walker bush. he died late last night at the age of 94. months after his wife's death. he is known as a war hero. to those close to him, his most important role was family man. he was a father to six and has 17 grandchildren. his love story with barbara bush is one for the ages. in his last years of life, the former president said he was never scared of death. >> doesn't scare me. used to. when i was a little kid, thinking about dying, scared. you get older, larry, you don't think about it, i have too much to do, too much to live for, too much happiness. no regrets about anything. no regrets about one single thing in my life i can think of. i made mistakes, but they don't measure up to regrets now. >> you may remember a few months ago the touching cartoon of barbara reuniting with her young daughter in heaven. after barbara bush's death, there's now a new draw

george h.w. bush was shot out of the sky in the pacific. president george w.first lady laura bush are in the capitol. >> his life was about a life of service. it wasn't just how can i win the presidency. you are talk about a world war ii veteran,ing a congressman, a u.n. ambassador, and made his life about serving his country and his family. unfortunately that generation is gone. because everything now is about me me me. i tip my hat to george h.w. bush. he was one of the finest americans ever alive. liz: george w. bush is the coldest child of george and barbara bush. they were married 73 years. they are the longest married presidential couple ahead of jimmy and ross land carter. >> i have been married 7 years going on 8 years. i tip my hat to anyone married for much longer than that there is. barbara bush just sits there and waits for president bush to come home. they put up that picture and said i'm sure she's at the gate waiting for him to come home. you could see she was tangibly moved by the moment. there is george w. bush hugging well wishers. you know,

the motorcade carrying former president george h.w. rs of the bush family, including former president george w. bush, is right now on its way to capitol hill for this memorial service. cnn's manu raju is in the capitol rotunda where the ceremony will happen. and manu, we've seen the diplomatic corps fill the rotunda. we have seen some local dignitaries, the mayor of washington, muriel bowser, the governor of maryland, larry hogan. tell us what you see. >> reporter: yeah, we'll see more and more officials. bush administration officials from his administration coming in. we saw colin powell just moments ago enter, as well as trump administration officials, too. cabinet level officials. steven mnuchin, as well as wilbur ross. the senate is filling up, too. mitch mcconnell and the senate republican and democratic leadership soon will gather, as well as we await their remarks during the ceremony in the rotunda. now, when the casket does arrive in the front of the east front capitol of -- east front steps of the capitol, it will move up the s

george h.w. bush or his son, former president george w. bush, that was a father, a son, paying tribute to his father as he was brought up the capitol steps. the bushes are known -- they'll be the first to tell you that they are emotional. that they cry easily. i know that he was steeling himself. you could certainly see on his face the emotion as he, you know, struggled to keep it together. >> tom friedman of the "new york times" is with us. like me and john and jamie, you spent a lot of time covering the president of the united states in various capacities. as you look back and watch what's going on right now in the rotunda, what goes through your mind? >> well, the biggest thing that goes through my mind now, wolf, is looking at the friends and colleagues that are there lined up. what a high-quality team he had around him. i covered secretary of state james baker, traveled virtually all 750,000 miles with him during those four years, including several trips with the president. and when you thin

and lord knows, george h.w. bus george h.w.ush, and eight years, there was never a hint of any dissent, of any separate agenda, he was just utterly loyal, at least to what the public could see to ronald reagan, and reagan, i think, one, was certainly respected him, and thought, i think presidents always feel that the vice president is the one who, because of the amendment that they can only serve to regrow terms, can carry on their legacy, and at that if you get somebody from the opposite party, in this case it would have been michael dukakis, they will undo a lot of what that president has accomplished in his eight years. so reagan was very supportive of george h.w. bush, bush 41, and it was a kind of seamless transition from one to the other. it was interesting, though, -- there was one question, you pointed out earlier, bret, reagan was so much larger than life, in a way that bush would have admitted he wasn't, that he needed to establish a separate identity and one of the things that he did at that new orleans convention in

and lord knows, george h.w. bus george h.w.ush, and eight years, there was never a hint of any dissent, of any separate agenda, he was just utterly loyal, at least to what the public could see to ronald reagan, and reagan, i think, one, was certainly respected him, and thought, i think presidents always feel that the vice president is the one who, because of the amendment that they can only serve to regrow terms, can carry on their legacy, and at that if you get somebody from the opposite party, in this case it would have been michael dukakis, they will undo a lot of what that president has accomplished in his eight years. so reagan was very supportive of george h.w. bush, bush 41, and it was a kind of seamless transition from one to the other. it was interesting, though, -- there was one question, you pointed out earlier, bret, reagan was so much larger than life, in a way that bush would have admitted he wasn't, that he needed to establish a separate identity and one of the things that he did at that new orleans convention in

. >>> the 41st president of the united states, george h.w. bush has died. >> i, george herbert walker bush, do solemnly swear. we are americans. peace and security, freedom, and the rule of law. i love being president. i love working at trying to help people and do myself proud. >> what have you assessed? >>> come on. >> thank you. >> tried again to muck around in our elections this last month, and we are seeing a continued effort along those lines. >> and battle sometimes make great friendships, so it's really terrific. thank you. ♪ >> announcer: this is "new day weekend" with victor blackwell and christi paul. >>> good morning. >>> president trump has returned to the u.s. he is home now as the nation, of course, preparing to mourn his predecessor george h.w. bush. >> this morning, the president returned with news of a cease-fire. at least a pause in the trade war with china. according to the white house, $200 billion in tariffs on chinese goods are on hold after president trump met with the chinese president xi jinping on the sidelines of th

george h.w. bush has died. the 41st president of the united states passing away in his hometown of houston overnight at the age of 94. condolences pouring in from across the world as the man who was known as 41 is remembered fondly by his family, friends and politicians from both sides of the aisle. the former president remembered as a man devoted to service who spent his entire life fighting to make the united states a better place. war hero, congressman, cia director, vice president, and finally, president. >> i george herbert walker bush -- >> he was in the oval office for some of the biggest events. victory in the gulf war. >> as president, i can report to the nation aggression is defeated. the war is over. >> also at the helm for the end of the cold war. the fall of the berlin wall. a dedicated public servant who spent his life after the presidency helping to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for charitable causes. a devoted husband to the love of his life barbara. who passed earlier thi

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 l

george h.w. bush's house seat in houston for three decades, right? >> that's right. >> until he retired. before george h.w. bush, that house seat -- there was redistricting but it was a democratic state and democratic area and he turned it republican. >> wolf blitzer, it is a small thing in a way, the daughter of a democratic president crying at the funeral of a republican president, but it does say something about what this country is capable of and what we are so sorely lacking too often, wolf. >> yes, it certainly does, jake. it was a really, really moving moment. all of these moments, you know, have been so powerful and such a distinctive opportunity for this country to get together, at least right now, and to remember the 41st president of the united states who now lies in state here at the u.s. capitol. we're watching the first official ceremony in washington honoring george herbert walker bush on his service to his country. i'm wolf blitzer with a special edition of "the situation room". f

bush is defeat -- george h.w. bush bush is diet fated by bill clinton and is dejection, and george w. said it wasn't depression but deflation. his fatherhunt finished the race he was running, and he kind of has to find himself again. but one of the ways he does that, one thing that really galvanizes him is that his son, gets into politics. both run for the governorships of their senate 1994. it's expected that jeb will win the governorship in florida and it's sort of expected that george w. bill lose against the popular an riches in the state and the opposite happeneds. that's the surprise in the family. not that people expected jeb to win because he this political heir apparent. they look at the races and handicap them and say ann richards is a formidable candidate. >> barbara says you're going to lose. >> she said, you're going to lose, and it didn't matter to george w. bush. it didn't matter. and that is the other thing that his father teaches him. failure is not failure. because you can learn from it. and that'

george h.w. bush. his remarkable journey from world war ii pilot to the white house, his love story with his wife of 73 years, his lifetime of dedication to his country, and devotion to family. all starting with the headlines in 60 seconds. >> we are a team. we're a united country, and when the going gets tough, we get moving! >> the nation mourns the passing of president her. >> he was one of the last true american political heroes. >> he passed away in houston at the age of 94. >> president trump has ordered american flags to be flown at half-staff. >> december 5 will be a national day of mourning. >> he was a wonderful person, a wonderful man. >> americans remember the life and legacy of president h.w. bush. >> the strength he exhibited is what helped bring the cold war to an end. >> and one of his favorite hobbies, sky diving. >> our family has had a front-row seat for the most amazing love story. >> the bushes were married for 33 years, longer than any other president and first lady in u.s.

george h.w. bush passed away at his home in houston last night. it comes after eight months his wife of 83 years barbara died. he issued a statement calling his father the man of highest character. he praised him. more coverage of the passing of george h.w. bush coming up. . >> reporter: for more than 40 years now a part of every president's job description has been to put up with being laughed at on "saturday night live." george bush was no exception. but he did more than just tolerate dana car i have making fun of him. he showed he was able to have fun at his own expense. >> dana, george bush here, i'm watching you do your impression of me and i get to to say, it's nothing like me. it bears no resemblance, it's bad. it's bad. >> well, i'm sorry, mr. president, i think it's a fair impression. >> i don't see it, it's totally exaggerated. it's not me, those crazy hand gestures. the pointing thing, i don't do them. also non-god da, i never said it. i never once says that da da. >> reporter: problem

president george h.w. bush. i'm john king in washington. >> i'm dana bash in houston. >> the 41st president died late last night at the age of 94, just months after his wife's passing. he's being remembered as a humble man with a young heart, an accomplished politician on many levels. from congressman to vice president to president. >> and president trump just spoke about the passing of george h.w. bush at the g-20 summit in argentina going on right now. >> mr. president, have you spoke to president george h.w. bush? >> yes, i have and jeb also. i expressed my deepest sympathies. he was a wonderful man. >> president trump went on to say he led a full life and a very exemplary life. former presidents are reacting. president obama says america has lost a patriot and humble servant. former president bill clinton who defeated george h.w. bush said few americans have been or ever will be able to match president bush's record of service to the united states. to those close to him, his most important role as a husband

george h.w. bush and his mark on history. i'll talk with jon meacham who wrote the definitive book on the 41st president next. let's be honest. every insurance company tells you they can save you money. save up to 10% when you bundle with esurance. including me, esurance spokesperson dennis quaid. he's a pretty good spokesperson. ehhh. so when i say, "drivers who switched from geico to esurance saved an average of $412," you probably won't believe me. hey, actor lady whose scene was cut. hi. but you can believe this esurance employee, nancy abraham. seriously, send her an email and ask her yourself. no emails... no emails. when insurance is affordable, it's surprisingly painless. ♪ applebee's bigger, bolder grill combos are back. now that's eatin good in the neighborhood. 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 that's value you'll only find at fidelity. i a

george h.w. bush is known as this kind, gentle man. pretty fierce campaigns. and george w. bush was one of his enforcers who would let you know if you wrote something that he felt was unfair to his father. >> all branches of the u.s. military are participating in this event right now. joint base andrews. the casket eventually will be moved to the hearse. the u.s. air force band, the ensemble will play "my country 'tis of three." there will be currently the joint forces color guard positioned. this ceremony, this very, very powerful ceremony is about to begin and the family, no doubt, will play a critical role, not just today, but throughout this week. >> the family, you asked the children, they never wanted to disappoint their father. that was the worst thing, if he said, i was disappointed in you. and they really want this not only to be a celebration, but they want everything to be just right for him. and just a little side note. i know that jeb bush stopped by the staff office today, as his father would have done to thank everybody o

george h.w. bush was born into privilege but had a spirit of service. he and his wife, barbara bush, also raised their children with those same valleues. >> cnn's camy hard tongue is in houston -- kaylee hartung is in houston right now. the city honoring the president and getting reaction from people there. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. as houston's mayor has said he was one of our most esteemed and relatable neighbors. you can only imagine many houstonians waking up this morning to the news of george h.w. bush's passing and recognizing they will never again see him at an astros game, supporting the baseball team, or at a texans football game in houston. the mayor saying george and barbara bush was boosters of everything houston. and that will be a hole that will be left in this community. we're also of course hearing from the bush family. jeb bush tweeting this morning, already miss him. of course, there was a statement from george w. bush overnight, very soon after. 41's passing sayi

and certainly made george h.w. bush rest in peace. more now with shep smith. od afternoon, i'm shepard smith. our coverage begins today with george herbert walker bush making his final journey to washington. a live look at joint base andrews where the casket is set to arrive minutes from now, followed by a ceremony which we will bring you live during this newscast. hours ago a send-off in texas from the president's adopted hometown of houston. ♪

reporter: we are learning more about the final moments of george h.w. sh surrounded by a small group of friends and family and clergy inside his home friday night just a few minutes from here. his final words were to his son george w. on a speakerphone and his son told him he been a wonderful dad and daddy loved him and bush 41 told his son i love you too in the past not long after that. the president's son neil was also in the room at the time and he spoke last night about how close both of his parents were to the city. >> they love the people here. anybody that would ask my dad even when he was in a wheelchair for a picture, he would stop them graciously, you know, he would treat everybody the same, with the same amount of respect. he loves houston. reporter: the president has now been moved here to this funeral home which is now surrounded by barricades and more than a dozen houston police officers and police vehicles. try the president will be moved to washington d.c. thinks to a lift from the white house. >> will be sending air force one, which is a

bush when i think of the george h.w. bush presidency i think of bipartisanship and working together with both sides of the aisle as opposed to the truck president there's a lack of bipartisanship and not only working with his own party but working with the other party as well george bush was just president and leader for our country and i think he had great values and you know when you think about divided america you know he really stood to have everyone represent you know one one country and it was really special for a great leader i met him briefly in one nine hundred ninety two when he was running for reelection and he lost but our interaction was very brief but he was very gracious and i will always remember that and i just want to show my perspective. you know i have to be the change the way that people see george h.w. bush. oh definitely there's some a softening of his his legacy in the memories there through some a rose colored hindsight there was he was not a perfect president we should remember his policy is his

bush, the son of president george h.w. bush, father and son both served as president for a time in american history. >> actually, we were talking about everyone being assembled. we have seen all of the former living presidents who are in the cathedral, but we have not seen president trump and the gop leader of the republican party in san francisco, jason clark, is here. everyone is there, but president trump is not there. is it customary for him to enter last? >> it is customary. due to security concerns. >> and now here comes president trump and first lady melania trump. >> the president chose a blast. -- shows up last. >>> again, life pictures from inside the national cathedral. in the front row, you see all of the past living presidents. from right to left come easy jimmy carter, the oldest living president at 94 years old. he is the same age as president george h.w. bush. >> his wife is well. then hillary clinton and bill clinton. michelle obama. barack obama. and then melania trump and president trump. they arrived la

so george h.w. e first president to fly on board these planes and they are being retired, as you might know. so this is kind of a fitting end to his presidency. george terwilliger was deputy attorney general under george h.w. bush and acting attorney general at the close of his administration. you worked closely with the man, you've heard some of the memories of those who covered him. but what about working in his administration? tell us what that was like. >> well, it was a wonderful experience and one of the things i've reflected on over the last couple of days was the quality of the people that president bush had around him. when i think back on going to meetings at the white house in the situation room with bob gates as deputy national security advisor chairing the deputies committee. of jim baker being over at the state department. brent skull kroft national security advisor. bill barr, attorney general. just an incredible collection of really talented people. and i think that's one of the thing

those george h.w.ush was director of the central intelligence agency for only a from january 1976 to january 1977, their headquarters building in northern virginia is named after him. a videoeelamerica, tribute created by the cia for his january 2016 visits to their headquarters, to mark the 40th anniversary of his tenure as want thistitled i job: george h.w. bush and the cia. this 13 minute program was recently declassified and released by the cia. >> this is the man who has had a distinguished public life, when you stop and think about them. vice president, president, father of another president, cia director, ambassador to china, ambassador to the united nations, he's any debt she is a capable man who has handled every task the country has called upon him -- he is a capable man who has handled every task the country is called upon him. individually -- >> is the most kind and thoughtful person i have known in my life. you can talk to a lot of people about george h.w. bush and they will tell you the s

the world honors george h.w. bushtoday," saturday, december 1, 2018. >> from nbc news this is a special edition of "today," remembering president george h.w.ush. >> good morning. welcome tok "today." thu for joining us on this special edition of "today" on a saturday morning. as w mourn the passing of the nation's 41st president, george herbert walker bush, peter i in buenos aires and harry smith is here. >> a lotf memories are flooding in this morning. former president bushed dedic life in in -- his life the service of the country. the condolences have been pulling in since late last night. let's get to garrett haake. >> reporter: the president's long term skesperson announced the death late last night and condolences poured from from all over the world. the former president had been 94 years old and he has been ttling a form of parkinson's disease and he had been in failing health for some time. he was last seen in public casting his vote in the midterm elections back on november the 1 but he had been receiving

george h.w.h spent about the past 24 years with his wife barbara not long after leaving the white house until her passing in april of this year. the longest married presidential couple in history at 73 years, and we've been watching as people bring flowers here to the gates of this community including a couple of funeral wreaths that were hung earlier today joining some of the other bouquets and american flags that have been left behind to honor the combat navy pilot who flew 58 missions in world war ii, the son of a senator, the father of a president and a governor. george h.w. bush was a congressman, an ambassador to the u.n., director of the cia and, of course, a two-term vice president under ronald reagan before his four years in the white house beginning january 20, 1989. and in a statement his son, the former president -- george w. bush -- wrote after 94 remarkable years, our dear dad has died. george h.w. bush was the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. the entire bush family is deep

we're honoring the legacy of george h.w. bush. his passing comes several monies after the pacing of his wife, first lady barbara bush. he was not short on achievements. he was one of the youngest aviator to serve in naval history, a congressman, ambassador, vice president all prior to taking to the white house and oval office. his presidency saw the fall of the berlin wall, the collapse of soviet union and he famously launched operation desert storm along with coalition forces to drive saddam hussein and the iraqi government out of kuwait. flags are flying at half staff outside the white house and u.s. capitol building. i want to bring in garrett haake who is in houston and tammy leitner is in the george h.w. bush museum. garrett, let's start with you. this is the town of george h.w. bush. >> that's right, richard. this has been his hometown off and on since 1993 where he returned after losing the white house in that bid against bill clinton in 1992. this will be where he comes back to after the first part of the state funeral cer

george h.w. bush has died. he was 94, the oldest president in history. bush 41 spent the summer at his home in maine, which he loved so much, he talked about how happy was to be there but returned in october to texas, where his spokesman said the president was looking forward to some "proper tex-mex," the day after his stomach the funeral of his wife, barbara bush, he checked into a hospital with and infection. he went home a couple of days later. he had a former parkinson's disease. doctors treated him for pneumonia and other infections in recent years. george herbert walker bush was born on june 12th, 1924. in milton, massachusetts, south of boston. he was a decorated u.s. pilot who flew torpedo bombers, and survived being shot down during world war ii. he met barbara pierce at a christmas dance when they were just teenagers. they got married in 1945 when he was home on leave from the war. he later graduated from yale university and then with bar but they moved to texas to work in the oil busin

george h.w. bush's dialings set the gold standard for the presidency -- >> a big idea, a new world order where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind. >> reporter: president bush charted u.s. policies that promoted eastern europe's peaceful emergence from communism. the fall of the berlin wall, the breakup of the soviet union, and the end of u.s.-soviet proxy wars in nicaragua and el salvador. >> some had felt that we were so infat waited in the change -- infatuated in the change with eastern europe that we were neglecting this hemisphere. that is not the case. regime he removed a drug-dealing strongman, manuel noriega, turning it into the narco state. and the biggest u.s. military operation since the vietnam war, president bush put together an international coalition that liberated kuwait after it had been invaded by saddam hussein's iraq. >> the skies over baghdad have been illuminated. >> reporter: after just over five weeks of aerial

george h.w. bush. as you mentioned, they are expecting upwards of 3,000 invited guests here. we're told by organizers that they seat 3,300 and they expect it to be a packed house. of course, a nation in mourning and a country remembering the life and legacy ofpr former ident george h.w. bush, which is soon not to be forgotten. decades of public service in the military and congress, as vice president and thend com in chief, his passing bring forth memorials in maine and outside of his childhood home in massachusetts. of course, his body making his final trip to washington, d.c., where, again, it will lie in state at the national -- a the capitol rotunda. the national cathedral, again, expecting upwards of3,000 invited guests, including president trump, the first lady, as well as past presidents. cathedral staff saying, this is only the fourth state funeral here, and they're creating a sacred place for aum mtal moment of mourning. >> our president george. bush is one of the ul gieulogists. there's

resident george h.w. bush. response to tariffs, confirming the 90-day deadline for talks as trump ramps up the pressure. countdown to opec. with just one day to go before the critical summit, oil gains ground. the nation today remembers the legacy of president george h.w. bush, and perhaps the most important part of that legacy lies in his foreign-policy achievements. dictator isf the over. >> i'm peter jennings in new york. astonishing news from east germany where the authorities have said that the berlin wall does it mean anything anymore. [cheering] >> by the grace of god, america won the cold war. >> his presidency from a foreign policy standpoint, he was such a consequential president. he knew foreign policy. he understood it. he managed the end of the cold war peacefully without a bang. >> it was his foreign policy dream team that helped him do that. >> a tremendous privilege to be asked to join the team. .t was a great team we had all worked together before the administration. so he put the old. team bac