meacham: typhoid mary. mr. obama: i felt bad for the guy because he became a cause re inside the republican, the limbaugh, fox news media world, which is how marco got elected, essentially saying you are not a true believer. and i think the challenges we continue to have -- it has gotten worse, not better with the internet and all these .hings taking place is one of the things you discover as president is that the post-world war ii order that was constructed by fdr, truman, and eisenhower, and george marshall, that that basic notion of liberal -- not liberal in , you know, partisan terms, but a pluralistic, liberal, market-based, rule of law-based democracy and those sets of universal principles, democratic and republican leaders believed in those things. and that is the running thread basically from 1945 all the way through reagan. there were certain ideas that jim, regardless of how it was viewed, whether it was far right or right, there were certain ideals that you assumed you had to follow because that was

meacham: mrs. bush raised a family, endured the loss of a daughter to leukemia, and kept everything and everyone together. as the wife of one president and the mother of another, she holds a distinction that belongs to only one other american in the long history of the republic, abigail adams, who was present at the creation. from the white house to camp david to walker's point, in hours of war and peace, of tumult and calm, the bushes governed in a spirit of congeniality, civility, and grace. instinctively generous, barbara and george bush put country above party, the common good above political gain, and service to others above the settling of scores. the couple had met at a christmas dance in greenwich in 1941, not quite three weeks after pearl harbor. she was wearing a red and green holiday dress. he endeavored to get introduced. she was 16, he was 17. he was the only boy she ever kissed. her children, she remarked, always wanted to throw up when they heard that one. [laughter] mr. meacham: in

in this part of the program, pbs news hour judy woodruff interviews jon meacham. it's 40 minutes. >> all right. the second portion of our presidents in the press president were really delighted. the previous panel were terrific and thank them all very much for the years of experience and expertise and we are also so proud and privileged that we are able to have judy woodruff and jon meacham here to join us today for the second part of the discussion of a critical element in the relationship, of course, the country has with the press and the president. i turn it over to judy woodruff and jon meacham. thank you. >> what a great panel. i was taking notes and listening, learning a lot from the conversation. full disclosure. i'm sitting here with an amazing historian but i'm the true antique in the room. i've covered seven presidents going back to jimmy carter. so hearing some of these stories was just terrific, jon. >> that's great. >> i had the great good fortune to have this conversation with one of america's extraordinary presidential, america's historian and someo

/russia relationship back to normal. >> jon meacham, presidential historian.truck by your words this morning and the crisis seems to be ever more crisis filled as we go through these days. today we have a federal judge telling the court that michael flynn sold out his country as national security adviser for donald trump. we've never been in a place like this. what would your advice be to democrats in the house of representatives about how they should handle their powers next year in relation to what they're seeing in this existential constitutional crisis? >> part of what they need to see oubl is director mueller's report. the first three great impeachment efforts are instructed but not dispositive. the republicans tried to get andrew johnson before 1865 was out. they opened hearings in the house trying to find reasons to remove him from office. ultimately it failed by a very narrow margin in the senate. but they were really after him because he was trying to undo the implications of the verdict of the civil war. cut to nixon. andrew johnson was about politic

that is from meacham. of the current occupant of the office, but i don't really think it was. i think people were just praising this man as he -- as he lived his life, and not necessarily making a comparison to the world in which we live, in which this does not exist in large doses because bush was so singular that way. so in every story everybody told, it was about the way this man lived his life with decency and with integrity and that is the way he governed and that is the way he was trusted not only by people in this country but as mulroney put it, all around the world. that every world leader felt that way about him. so i think it was an ode to the man's essence. >> david. >> you know, we can't all identify with what it is to be a president or to have a father who is a president, but we can identify with them as people going through relationships in their lives just like we all do, with our spouses, with our siblings, with our kids, with our parents. i remember george w. bush talking about a note that

i did slightly disagree with john meacham. i think it is accurate to call george h.w.ush a founding father of the 21st century, because really the decision that he was involved in at the end of the cold war set the stage for what would come after. in many ways, we are living through now. it is the case that the flags were flown at half-staff in germany as well contribute to the fact that it was largely due to his leadership that germany was reunited within nato. bush 41 was the guy who persuaded russia to go along. we are now seeing some of the unraveling of that order that he builds, nevertheless i think it was -- we are acting on a stage that he said. >> bret: something that the canadian prime minister, mentioned in his eulogy, in fact the german chancellor angela merkel was there as you see the 43rd president george w. bush and former first lady laura bush exiting the plane. >> one of the very special takeaways of all of us that will remember, it was a family of class, faith, of people coming together. of rambunctious humor in some ways. this notion as well that som

jon meacham, general barry mccaffrey. thank you, gentlemen, both. >>> coming up, it has already made for uncomfortable moments and uncomfortable comparisons because the death of our foreign president comes during this particular presidency. we'll talk about contrasts when we come back. >>> 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. >> that's part of what we were talking about. president george h.w. bush at his own inauguration in '89. this week bush is being remembered as the last of his kind and a stark difference to the leadership style of our current president. while bush 41 encouraged that kinder, gentler nation, president trump came into office with his talk of american carnage at his inauguration. having already declared the american dream in his words is dead. and as the "washington post" headline points out, "honorable, gracious and decency. in death bush beco

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meacham. david: it makes a point. mistake to think that president bush was simply a nice guy. he was a nice guy to those who knew him well but there was a field to him. when he needed to fight in a campaign, he knew how to fight and do not hesitate. richard: he made very tough decisions. he was a fighter. but in a way in which we have respect. david: i want to thank my alsoague, tom king, and former indiana senator richard lugar. thank you both very much. we watch the hearse the part with the motorcade for the national cathedral. i want to welcome now kevin cirilli. he is on the scene right there at the national cathedral. we have seen some of the dignitaries. i think i saw president obama and chancellor merkel. described the scene if you could. now isas the bush family in route to the national cathedral behind me for the funeral services for former president george h.w. bush, some top global dignitaries will be a accompanying this funeral in addition to president trump and the first lady as well as german chancellor

j jon meacham is absolutely right.resident bush was somebody who always felt that it was important to put country first. that's what he did. he put country first. he did it and sacrificed basically a second term to do the right thing. i just had enormous respect for the man. i had the utmost personal as well as professional respect and regard and love for george h.w. bush. just not only a great man but also a good man, a man who cared deeply about people and who was every bit as kind and gentle behind the scenes as he is in public. you remember, of course, the speech he gave where he said he'd like to see a kinder gentler nation when he accepted the nomination back in 1988. he really did make an effort to do that. even at the end of the conflict with saddam hussein, the president had almost tears in his eyes when he spoke to congress, because the whole idea was not to needlessly sacrifice human life and to lose people, even in that conflict. i loved that about him. he's somebody who he himself had experienced war as a

i think -- if john meacham is right and john meacham is the poet lawyureate. >> we're going into a spendingdown fight, which includes the border wall, which is something we saw the president fight fiercely for and democrats fight fiercely against. we're at a key moment, getting to the top of the pyramid that is the mueller investigation. however, i think the longer term, to the people who have to make big choices come january, what can they take away today? we talked about that when senator mccain died. nancy pelosi may become speaker, democrats will take power in the house. president trump has to decide how do i navigate in this new world? his instinct is to fight, to do combat at 6 a.m. on twitter until the end of the day. is there a reassessreassessment? don't know. wouldn't bet on it. this is a moment of choices. >> you know, john, everybody watching, the wrong thing to take away is that this is an ode to a bygone era. the reason they're celebrated is because it's what is our american public and political life. it's a tough media climate, tough political climate, we're so divided in lot

because he had asked jon meacham to write it.he end, he said that's a lot about me. it's typical. >> juan: that is the guy. >> martha: when you talk about planning your own funeral and planning funerals, you wanted to hear what was going to be said. >> juan: thinking about the train ride which i think is a real "take you back to another era in america," the most famous train ride in terms of funerals this franklin delano roosevelt. the longest-serving president. he makes this trip from down south where he died come all the way to hyde park in new york state. that was literally lined with people almost all the way and people showing tremendous emotion for who he was. >> martha: abraham lincoln's was pretty good too. >> juan: i missed that. >> martha: a pretty amazing ride as well. >> jesse: rfk as well. he wasn't the president. he was campaigning for president. after he was assassinated, his body was also taken by train, i think, to new york city. i believe in the '88 campaign, george h.w. bush went to a few campaign stops via tra

let me start with you, jon meacham. you've been on television nonstop since friday night when this news broke. we just saw the first image of what the celebration, what the official government celebration of the life of our 41st president looks like. and you and i both know it's something that the family and gene becker, his devoted chief of staff have planned for, for not months but years. what's it like for you to see these moments unfold? >> well, as you say, it's been inevitable. obviously, this was going to happen. but there's something -- there's an interesting combination here. an intersection of two things. there's the majesty of state which we're watching and there's the warmth and fundamental decency and generosity of spirit of the man being honored. and so for me and for tens and tens and tens of thousands and maybe more americans who felt a connection to him, who believed that whatever his imperfections were, he did his best in the arena to make all of our lives better. as best we can in a fallen world, whic

brian mulroney and jon meacham. on the 18-year-old president bush. young man at the time obviously. as the plane went down in the pacific and the life-long question he had for himself. why was i spared? jon meacham beautifully summed up at the end of the eulogy looking at all of you, looking at the family and the friends and listening to all of the extraordinary elements of his life. said this is why. this, this is what i. >> he lived his life with unbounding graciousness. i was reflecting reflecting in h today. i was lucky to be with 41 the day his mother passed and lucky enough to be with his mother the day he became president of the united states. she passed away the last days of the presidency. i remember talking about family and someone you love passes on in life. he said we will always love them. always remember them. honor them and remember the good times. president bush said the last words were "i love you, too." those were his last words to me. i talked to him a couple of weeks ago. talking to him about the politics and he said, "do your best." i told him i love you and he

jon meacham, let me start with you. i was watchinge of the coverage on the msnbc side as the casket left theer f home and kerry sanders was talking to people who just stood out there and said, this s our neighbor. talk about the strong texas connection of this president a s family. >> george herbert walker bush, we wouldn't be sitting here if on had followed the conven path. he went to war, came back, graduated from yale in 19. that summer, instead of going to wall street, he had a couple of offers, my favorite detail is that procter and gamble didn't give him a job. you wonder what they were looking for, at that point. he could have gonen and become investment banker, lived in new york, a very conventional life. but hwanted to go into the oil business. as he once put it quite honestly, we wanted to make a lot of money quick. so they went to odessa, texas. mrs. bush's mother thought it was so far from civilization that she would sent boxes of soap and detergent to her daughter they moved t midland, which was the big cit

we've seen and john meacham is right it's the whole thing.s all about keeping nonwhite people from crossing the border, the fears are all race based. >> rick tyler, thank you so much for being with us this morning. we do appreciate it. hope you have a great christmas. up next senator bob corker revives his classic hash tag. alert the daycare staff. we'll talk more about jim mattis' exit from the administration as the president refuses to let his defense secretary dictate his exit after his stinging rebuke of donald trump. >>> don't bother quitting because you're fired. ♪ only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol® my mom washes the dishes... ...before she puts them in the dishwasher. so what does the dishwasher do? cascade platinum does the work for you, prewashing and removing stuck-on foods, the first time. wow, that's clean! cascade platinum. ♪ >>> welcome back to "morning joe". it's monday, december 24th. hope you bought all of your christmas presents. and if you ha

meacham's excellent biography.ashington, the toxic atmosphere of partisanship and tribalism that we bemoan now is not simply a creation of the current president, it's a creation of all of us in an era that has gone by. to look back on that bush moment is -- jon used the word in his book quaint. i hope we manage to summon that quaintness and get back to it in some way. and i want to say that fundamentif you want to know more about president clinton's relationship with president bush, he wrote an op-ed with us that starts with that beautiful, beautiful letter. the thing that's so amazing about that letter is the relationship between those two presidents, one leaving and one entering, was not exactly warm and fuzzy at the time. it had been a very bitter campaign. he summoned the grace to understand that the new president was our president, the country's president and then that beautiful relationship developed afterwards. >> michael, this weekend frank fleming wrote, george h.w. bush had the most boring presidency duri

and meacham said he didn't pause.used to call the great i am and applied that we put the country first. president trump shaking the hands of the obamas, the clintons did not acknowledge president trump. did not even look over. >> um-hum. >> that is a very interesting moment to see the trumps and the obamas sitting there together. but president trump has been a very harsh critic of barack obama personally and of the obama administration. that was very interesting to see that handshake. and inic mobamandsident t. >> and yet when they first met right after the election, in the oval office, those of us who were there remember seeing a different donald trump. and maybe just for that very moment, the one day in the oval office the first time as president elect, feeling and looking a bit off balance. this was now real. and the conversation he had with president obama covered a lot of ground. and those who i talked to close to president trump regarded that in many ways as wise counsel, helpful counsel, respectful counsel. the

george bush 41 loved meacham.dship and in the same way that maureen dowd wrote about covering him and becoming his friend. i don't know that reporter would have pulled their punches. i don't think any of them but they also knew him as a human being, as meacham certainly did. >> andy card is standing by to talk to us after the service. obviously, former chief of staff to george w. bush 43. andy, what did you make of what we just witnessed? >> well, first of all, this was a wonderful thing for the world to witness. it showed the decency of a true citizen of the united states who's a citizen of the world and this is a demonstration on how to live a life and how to invite people to be part of the solutions in america. and solutions to problems around the world. so this is a remarkable experience. this is a celebration. it's not a mourning. it is not a sad thing. this is really a compliment to a life well lived, an example given for us all and i just think it's been a remarkable day. you know, this was a remarkable man

jon meacham, i'd like to start with you since you spent so much time with the former president.hat was he like as a person, as a leader, and to that question that we raised at the end, are we going to see somebody like that again? >> there was an innate grace to george h.w. bush. he was nicknamed papi as a child. he and his father had the same name. more interestingly, he was called half half bush because when he had a candy bar he'd cut it in half and give it to the other kid. >> better than i was. >> better than most of us. he knew that to whom much is given, much is expected. and he came out of that ethos of the roosevelts. he very much believed that he had been given an enormous amount in life and, therefore, owed everything he could to the country. it started when he was 18 years old. on his 18th birthday, he turned 18, graduated from high school and joined the united states navy. on that saturday. >> and he enlisted in the navy instead of going to college right away? >> exactly. and tried to go to canada for a different reason than later generations. the royal canadian air

what jon meacham was remembering today. and yet, in the end, he did a lotsresident.s he was only there-- not only-- he was there for four years. but there was-- he was managing a foreign policy at a time when durope was it's world was changing at the f the soviet union. i mean, he managed to pull off o >> he was a very consequential president. and i think secretary j baker said it-- said it best, and he's certainly best one-term president the country has everd. and-- and-- and i agree with him. he's one of the most outstanding presidents we've ever had. he had-- his record on foreign policy is well known to many, ending the cold war without a shot being fired, which is unique in history. reunificat was-- which was opposed by most leaders of western europe. we know-- we know about the first gulf expwar how successful the diplomacy was i but on the domestic side, clean air t amendments, which essentially endded aci rain, which was-- which was a very itical problem before that. americans with disabilities actu which reall disabled people into the mainstream of society.

i was taken by the buy something water john meacham. laura bush sets an enduring example of elegance and stability. he called -- george h.w. called barbara the silver fox. when the situation warranted, the enforcer. they are honest about their roles in the family. tie run into quite a few couples married 50 or 60 years. very few over 70 years. in their case 73 years. he called her bar or the silver fox or enforcer. listen to bush 43 talk about her in the same capacity or jeb and they will tell you the same thing. liz: there were a lot of touching moments at the funeral. >> i thought meacham was beautiful. and senator simpson was hilarious, and george h. bush made everybody get goosebumps when he made everybody laugh the way he did. liz: you can see george w. bush hold back his emotions. he cried at the rounded soldiers and cried at the opening of his library. first lady laura bush, she was visibly moved. you could see that on camera. >> george h.w. bush was president, but he was also a fantastic father. bush 43 had a tough time when he

. >> jon meacham: i think we have to really think about this, because george herbert walker bush wasent of the world war ii generation. from roosevelt to truman to eisenhower to kennedy to nixon to ford to carter to reagan, they had all been shaped by the depression and the war. >> o'donnell: historian jon meacham spent about a decade interviewing president bush for his biography of the 41st president. >> meacham: to me, his story begins on his 18th birthday. three things happened. he turned 18, he graduated from andover, and he drove to boston and took an oath as a naval enlistee. went to flight school, became what we believe to be the youngest flying officer in the navy. >> george w. bush: u.s. gets attacked and he makes up his mind that he wants to serve his country-- even though his dad, who he loved dearly-- suggested he got to college first. >> o'donnell: where did he get that sense of duty, honor, country? >> george w. bush: i think his father-- his dad was in world war i. pretty confident that's where he got it. >> o'donnell: i read the only time he saw his own father cry was

john meacham is so right. confidence in institutions in the united states have been collapsing for some time. with one exception. the united states military. united states military continues to be one of the most respected institutions anywhere and those numbers keep going up and you look at a poll that was released this week from the united states military about what they thought about general mattis. 84% approval rating, only 4% disapproval rating, twice the approval rating that donald trump had and so i'm just wondering, david, what are you hearing from your sources inside the military? what are you hearing from your sources inside the community about the public humiliation, not that anybody knows james mattis, he's just fine, but donald trump's attempt to publicly you hpublic publicly you had m humiliate a . >> that's part of trump's base. trump likes to say he's for a strong military and that he has military families backing him. there is no symbol of the military that's more powerful these days than gene

jon meacham revealed that he actually read his eulogy to 41 before he passed.racteristically, bush said, "that's a lot about me, jon." humble to the very end. phillip in. >> such a beautiful service and remembrance of a great man. thank you, peter. >>> all right. let's take a turn now and check in with nbc meteorologist bill karins to see who's going to get what today. >> we've got this major storm coming. not today. it's going to start friday and head into the weekend. rain threat friday into saturday, flash flooding threat san antonio into houston. we're going to possibly see river flooding and flash flooding. then the back side we get some snow out of this. first ice then snow. enough maybe to plow between amarillo and lubbock. oklahoma city looks like ice over to a little bit of snow. and then for the possible historic portion of this storm, that's western north carolina. got my eyes on you in charlotte, the queen city, upstate south carolina and asheville to boone to greensboro. we could get hit with a foot of snow in some cases. that's a lot of snow for w

earlier today, at the national cathedral, historian and biographer john meacham offered his eulogy to the former president. >> the story was almost over even before it had fully begun. on saturday, dawn september 2, 1944, lieutenant george herbert walker bush, joined by crewmates, took off ere to attack a radio tower. as they approached the target, theair was heavy, plane was head. smoke filled the cockpit, flames raced across the wings. thought,ieutenant bush this thing is going to go down. a 35 degreeplane in dive, dropped his bonds, and roared off out to sea, telling his crewmates to hit the silk. protocol, lieutenant bush turned the plane so they can bailout. only then did bush parachute from the cockpit. the wind propelled him backward. he gashed his head on the tail of the plane. he plunged deep into the ocean, came to the surface, and flopped onto a tiny raft. his head bleeding, his eyes burning, his mouth and throat raw from saltwater. the future 41st president of the united states was alone. sensing his men had not made it, he was overcome. he felt the weight of responsibilit

are you saying jon meacham, that in order to be successful in electoral politics in this country, you've got to be able to master whatever the current means of communication is? in a way it's stating the obvious, but it's staying on top of whatever it is. whether it's combination of public speaking and having great relationships with the newspapers and now mastering whatever the social media is? >> absolutely. i'd be stating the obvious is how i make my living. i'm all for it. i don't see -- i don't see how it -- i don't see how that part goes back, right. and remember the story your colleague leslie stall, 1984, do you remember the story about cbs evening news did a particularly long report about the '84 campaign and how ronald reagan was the master of style but not substance. and they showed, it was a five or six minute report, which in those days was the ice age. and rolled it on, showed all these pictures of president reagan in front of flags and with children and everything you can think of, and all of leslie's track on it was how empty this was. these were empty calories, this was

first, we'll hear from historian john meacham. >> the story was almost over even before it almost began. shortly after dawn saturday, september 2, 1944 lieutenant george herbert walker bush joined by two crewmates took off from the uss to attack a radio tower. as they approached the target the air was heavy with flat. smoke filled the cockpit, flames raced across the wings. my god, lieutenant bush thought, this will go down. he kept the plane and its dive, dropped his bombs and roared out to sea. telling his crewmates. lieutenant bush turned the plane -- telling his crewmates to hit the silk. lieutenant bush turned the plane so they could bailout. only then did he parachute from the cockpit. the wind propelled him backward anti-gashed his head on the tail -- and he gashed his head on the tail of the plane. as he flew through the sky. the ocean,deep into bob's to the surface and flopped onto a tiny raft. his head bleeding, his eyes burning, his mouth and throat raw from saltwater. the future 41st president of the united states was alone. sensing his men had not made it he was overcome. h

whether it was john meacham or former prime minister or alan simpson the former senator from wyomingat was hilarious and also so on point or george w. bush former president who moved so many of us to tears. and the preacher and the minister who moved jim baker to tears with his words. >> all your old pals. >> everybody was there. i'm the only, i was the only white house staffer who worked for dan quayle when he was a senator. so, i knew dan quayle before he was vice president and then traveled with him a lot. so, i saw dan quayle and we hugged and he called me by my old nickname, a nickname he had for me. >> which is? >> gorgeous joe. >> i love that. >> i don't know why. >> president bush bringing people together, again. one last time. you mentioned somebody who is a friend of this network here john meacham who we have some interest behind the scenes reporting on part of his eulogy that i want to play for you now, watch. >> president bush would frequently ask nearly daily, he'd ask himself why me. why was i spared? and in a sense, the rest of his life was a perennial effort to prove

bush and in the middle john meacham. you sort of smiled at that moment.sometimes to come with the words on how you'll remember somebody who had the kind of life that george h.w. bush had. he did a lot. world war ii veteran and hero, congressman, cia, he wore a lot of hats. meant a lot of different things to different people. >> he touched so many people. he had empathy for so many people. his was not a selfish life. his was a sharing life. and as a result of that there are people who are emotionally connected to him that you don't normally find in politics. he was really very giving, and he never took. >> let me talk a little bit about him as a political person, an internationalist. it was 29 years ago to the day, today general that president bush held that press conference with mikhail gorbachev. we have some images of that. it was heralded as the end of the cold war. this is something that president obama talked about in his "60 minutes" piece that aired. i want to play you a little bit of that. >> what people don't appreciate fully, even within his own

meacham. thank you so much for being here this sunday. appalling revelations about how les moonves tried to cover up his sexual misconduct at cbs. the next u.n. ambassador used to work here at fox. today is the day you're going to get motivated... get stronger... get closer. start listening today to the world's largest selection of audiobooks on audible. and now, get more. for just $14.95 a month, you'll get a credit a month good for any audiobook, plus two audible originals exclusive titles you can't find anywhere else. if you don't like a book, you can exchange it any time, no questions asked. automatically roll your credits over to the next month if you don't use them. with the free audible app, you can listen anytime, and anywhere. plus for the first time ever, you'll get access to exclusive fitness programs a $95 value free with membership. start a 30-day trial today and your first audiobook is free. cancel anytime and your books are yours to keep forever. audible. the most inspiring minds. the most compelling stories. text "listen16

>> joining us now is pulitzer prize-winning historian jon meach meacham. let me start by asking you about the column you wrote for "the new york times" yesterday. you describe the great tensions that george h.w. bush faced, between competitor and conciliator, between being a gentlemen and politician. i look at president trump and i see a lack or a lack of interest in exploring that kind of tension. >> well, george h.w. bush's life was driven by these competing impulses. he desperately wanted to serve. he also wanted to succeed in the arena. he was one of the most competitive men who ever drew breath. would be the first to tell you that. i remember asking him once what had driven him, because if life were all about service, he could have just opened a soup kitchen. and he raised that big left hand. he always talked with his left hand, big fist. and he said, it's be number one. it's be the captain of the team. it's whatever you're in, you know, do well. and that's perfectly fine. it's perfectly natural. the great thing about him is that once he had power, on

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meacham: he is a very handsome man. [laughter] was 0-2.am: so i funny was a fair and point, as were so many of the points that barbara pierce bush made in her long and consequential life. , asn as barbara and bar mom, as mother, as ganny, as the silver fox, and as the enforcer, she was candid and comforting, steadfast and straightforward, honest and loving. barbara bush was the first lady of the greatest generation. as the fiancÉ and wife of a world war ii naval aviator, she waited and prayed in the watches of the night. during the war, she worked at a nuts and bolts factory in port chester, new york, and she joined george h.w. bush in the great adventure of postwar texas , moving to distant odesza in 1948, 70 summers ago. from rye, mrs. bush's mother would send boxes of soap and detergent to her daughter, on the grounds they probably did not have that kind of thing in west texas. [laughter] waved -- raised a thely, and your -- endured loss of a daughter to leukemia, and kept everything and everyone together. as the wif

in addition to that, president bush will be eulogized by brian mulroney and jon meacham.onald trump will not speak. president p s are asked to give eulogy, but plans were in place before trump was elected. >> all of the living presidents are expected to attend the funeral on wednesday which should make for interesting political theater. putting aside predecessors he harshly criticized. george h.w. bush will wear socks honoring his naval service. >>> special counsel robert mueller is expected to file a sentencing memo for michael flynn today. the document could provide details about what mueller knows and where his investigation is headed. flynn was forced to resign as national security director in february of 2017. the white house says he was let go for misleading vice president pence about conversations with a russian diplomat. flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi and he agreed to cooperate. >>> the special counsel also expected to file a memo for paul manafort by friday. at least some of the memo will be made public. mueller promised to layout specifics of the manaf

and some of the rather appointed statements that were made in the eulogy in the first one by john meacham a presidential historian he talked about george bush leading people to believe in hope and not fear something that a lot of commentators have said the current president trump deals and a lot a lot of commentary about uniting people uniting the parties uniting the country under bush is somewhat of a pointed statement towards the broad partisan divides that we see in the congress a lot today of what stands out to me a lot is the emotions that we saw especially from his son george w. bush the forty third president not a man known to be very emotional but really paid a heartfelt tribute to the humor the service and the life of his father and you know speaking of former presidents we saw all. living u.s. presidents for him former sitting next to each other the trumps the obama's the clintons. what picture did that pay to. put definitely painted a picture of the reverence for the office of the president the fact that you have these five people and their wives many of whom are could not be m

[laughter] reporter: a historian and biographer john meacham talked about his term in office. >> lincolns to choose the right over the convenient. hope rather than to fear and to heed not our worst impulses. but our best instincts.♪ ♪ [music] reporter: john meacham actually read the eulogy to the former president bush before he passed away. and with his trademark committee, mr. bush said, that is a lot about me, john. >> thank you very much. mike emanuel. joining a site with some perspective on the days events and the 41st president of the nine states, presidential historian, formal special assistant to george h. w. bush. doug, good to have you with us. an impressive sendoff. your thoughts about all that was said today. the man's biographer e -- biography and achievements. >> i think history will rank him is great because he ended the cold war. some of the confusion today, there are people saying, you cannot live donald trump and george h. w. bush. but i live donald trump and what he is doing to turn america. i also logged george h. w. bush for ending the cold war and dismantling that so

jon meacham. president's biographer will be around the speakers.ter who was a friend. their times in office overlapped will be among those speaking as well. >> we'll see some bush family members giving some readings from the scriptures. i know jenny hgenerajenna has o. barbara read one at her grandmother's service. another one of the granddaughters is planning to have a reading. >> one of the former president's friends and noted singer is going to be a member of the irish tenors will be singing here as well as michael smith. >> wasn't he with the president? >> yes. he was a good friend and came by on the last day and sang "silent night" on president bush's last day and james baker said believe it or not, president bush was mouthing those words. he loved to sing. there's a lot of stories in these last few months about him singing. >> i was thinking about the grandkids. they didn't get to know their grandfather when he was president. this must be so heartwarming to learn about their grandfather in ways they didn't know him. >> here's president and mr

, the chancellor of germany, joining nearly 3,000 others at the washington national cathedral.jon meachamential historian and author"when george bush was president of the united states, every single head of government in the world knew that they were dealing with a gentleman." president trump coming face-to-face for the first time since his inauguration with his four living predecessors, his first official act as the newest member of the president's club. the awkward protocol of the exclusive club in the world on full display, shaking hands with barack obama - and michelle - but not the clintons.bill clinton glancing over, but neither he nor trump extending a hand.hillary clinton - staring straight ahead.george w. bush showing how to rise above it all, shaking hands with all first families, as trump sat silently, listening to accolades for a different brand of politics in a kinder and gentler time.jon meacham/ presidential historian and author"he was our shield in danger's hour."after being excluded from barbara bush's funeral in april, george h.w. bush - 41 -- wanted trump to know that h

meacham historian, senator al-simpson and one other i'm forgetting because i'm doing this from memory. sorry, brian mall rooney, the former prime minister of canada. how could i forget that he was prime minister when i was living in canada. those are the four people that will deliver the eulogies. i have got to say it's unusual for a sitting president to not deliver some sort of remarks at the funeral of a former president but it's no secret that relations between president trump and the bush family have not exactly been on the best footing. he did not go to barbara bush's funeral. the vice president went and he spoke. but i will b he will be there ai think bill clinton will be there as well. i don't know if jimmy carter is well enough to make the trip or not. there will not be other than bush 43 who is the son and you would imagine deliver the eulogy a sitting or former president who will speak at that funeral on wednesday. >> shepard: sitting presidents have eulogized the past three presidents who have died, george w. bush gave eulogies for both gerald ford who died in 2006 and rona

in addition to that, president bush will be eulogized by brian mulroney and jon meacham. former senator alan simpson. president trump will attend the funeral on wednesday at the national cathedral, but not speak. presidents are usually asked for eulogies, but the service was already in place before he was president and there is another president in the family to speak at an the certify -- at the service. >> all of the living presidents are expected to attend the funeral on wednesday which should make for interesting political theater. at least an astonishing photo op. putting aside predecessors he harshly criticized. george h.w. bush will wear socks honoring his naval service. he started as an 18-year-old naval aviator. the last world war ii veteran president of the united states. postal service will suspend service honoring the former president george h.w. bush. >>> special counsel robert mueller is expected to file a sentencing memo for michael flynn today. the document could provide details about what mueller knows and where his investigation is headed next. flynn was

-a funeral fit for political royaltycelebrating the life of the 41st president--as a leader...jon meacham, presidential historian and author: "he was our shield in danger's hour."friend...alan simpson, former wyoming senator: "the most decent and honrable person i ever met was my friend, george bush."and father..george w. bush, former u.s. president: "the best father a son or daughter could have. and in our grief, let us smile, knowing that dad is hugging robin and holding mom's hand again"..president george h w bush died friday at the age of 94-- known for his modesty --he served the united states as a naval pilot - congressman - cia director - special envoy - vice president - and commander in chief--bush will be buried at his presidential library in college station, texas after a small private ceremony in houston. (robin) coming up coming up on the kron 4 morning news... another evacuation order has been lifted in butte county.we'll hear from people sifting through the rubble. (robin) but first... a warning from health officials about the increase in the amount of measles cases across t

john meacham spoke, really captured some of the humor of president 41 experienced when he was on the campaign trail, shaking hands with that mannequin, saying every vote counts. can't give up on anybody. charles: pot to try. those comments were absolutely wonderful. the times wag wonderful. brian mulroney, former prime minister of canada, also spoke. that was a nod to the fact that president h.w. bush was known for his foreign policy experience. many people in fact felt he was perhaps had the best resume' of any incoming president in history. >> absolutely. i mean having served in congress, having been ambassador of the united nations, then director of central intelligence, ronald reagan's vice president for eight years, he had impeccable foreign policy credentials. he had a great team on foreign policy, jim baker, dick cheney, real stalwarts, guided the united states and the world through delicate time through the cold war. he did it very deft i. the first iraq war, did that very successfully. president bush came to the office understanding foreign policy, genuinely involved in the

at the national cathedral, bush biographer and friend jon meacham delivered the first eulogy. >> he neverwed down. on the primary campaign trail in new hampshire, he grabbed the hand of a department store mannequin asking for votes. when he realized his mistake, he said, you never know, got to ask. [ laughter ] >> you can hear the voice, can't you? as dana carvey said the key to a bush 41 impersonation is mr. rogers trying to be john wayne. his life code, as he said, was tell the truth, don't blame people, be strong, do your best, try hard, forgive, stay the course. and that was and is the most american of creeds. abraham lincoln's better angels of our nature and george h.w. bush's thousand points of light are companion verses in america's national hymn. for lincoln and bush both called on us to choose the right over the convenient, to hope rather than to fear, and to heed not our worst impulses, but our best instincts. >> later willie geist actually tweeted with the memorial service finished, jon meacham has given me permission to report that he had the chance to read that beautiful eulo