george h.w. bush. >>> good morning, everyone. it is 7:00 here in the east. 4:00 a.m. out west. america's 41st president, george herbert walker bush has died. over this next hour, his defining moments in the oval office, chaperoning the fall of the berlin wall and soviet union. swift victory in the gulf war and one big promise that he could not keep. to his post presidency a further life of public service through his foundation plus the heroism in his early years. the pub luck servant, the statesman, the family man, this morning president george h.w. bush remembered. >> prudence, humility and a lifetime devoted to public service, the country is mourning george h.w. bush. he passed away last night at age 94. his values and ideals now being honored across the political spectrum. the 41st president helped end four decades of cold war. his popularity soured after a coalition victory in iraq and a weak economy but he entered the white house with one of the most impressive resumes of any u.s. president.

that relationship, barbara bush and george h.w. bush, talk a little bit about that if you would. >> they met three weeks after pearl harbor at a dance at the greenwich country club. she wore a red and green dress and he endeavored to get introduced. their first date was a day or two later. george h.w. bush, known as papi in those days and still to the family in private moments, he was worried that perhaps there might not be enough to talk about. so he borrowed the family car that had a radio in it. he found quickly that barbara pierce did not suffer silence very easily. and as she used to say, they never had to have a car with a radio again, because she would fill whatever space there was. they were married in january of 1945, fully thinking that lieutenant junior grade george h.w. bush, as he was at that point, would go back to be part of the invasion and attack on the home islands of japan. vj day was an incredibly joyous moment for them as millions of other americans. they were married for 73 years. it was one of the great marri

george h.w. bush was a criminal. going to be joined by presidential historian douglas brinkley on the phone right now to talk about george h.w. bush. good morning. guest: good morning. host: how will president george h.w. bush be remembered? how should he be remembered? guest: he will be remembered as a man of great dignity and character, somebody who represented the best of the great world war ii generation, and as president, we are always going to remember what an amazing job he did in u.s. foreign policy. he got sworn in, in 1989, and that his inaugural we call it the new breeze inaugural. philosophy --f one did not believe a democracy was going to spread that quickly as inferred in his speech, but sure enough, by 1989, a series of events happened, mainly the berlin wall coming down. that had been the symbol of soviet to tell a tear in his him and divide -- totalitarianism, and dividing. young people in blue jeans listening to rock 'n roll music, nobody responded, nothing happened. bush suddenly got to be the pres

bush, jeb bush's son, one of the grandchildren of george h.w. bush. we have nicole wallace back on the phone with us. nicole, the end of george h.w. bush's presidency, excuse me, in 1993, it marked major generational turning point in this country's history. he was the final world war two veteran to serve and replaced by bill clinton, a man 22 years younger than him, the first baby boomer president. that moment, the values embodied by the bush generation and transfer to the baby boom generation, that was a major moment in modern american history. >> also, as big of a moment in the history. it was through that campaign that george w. bush i think sort of got that front row seat to just how excruciating politics are at that level. how brought the lights are that shine on you when you're a candidate for the highest office in the land and i think that people that saw george w. bush operate in and around that campaign, you in hindsight said that is where he gained the experience that ultimately aided him and his two runs for the white house but i don't know

george h.w. bush was one of those men, one of those voices. remember the thousand points of lights speech, which was one of the greatest in modern history. as a matter of fact, the former president barack obama reference ared it in his statement of the passing of george h.w. bush. he said after 73 years of marriage, george and barbara bush are together again now, two points of light that never dimmed, two points of light that ignited countless others with their example, the example of a man who even after commanding the world's mightiest military -- and he goes on to talk about that he got more out of being one of the founders of the ymca than he did out of being the president of the united states. but writing for him, tell me what that was like. >> well, he had a great very unique voice. and a lot of it was based on his self-deprecating humor and his humility, which is surprising for a man who david mccullough once said to me was the most qualified man to be the president of the united states outside of the founding fathers, and yet he was de

with george h.w. bush. so impressed that he was so devoted and so on top of things he was watching everything. and it's a sad moment in american history right now. this great american president has left us. but we will remember him not just for the next nfor days. for a long time. for everything he accomplished. not just as president. for ambassador. and what he did after leaving office. during the bill clinton administration and the administration of his son. during the obama two terms. what he did then on behalf of the american people was so incredible raising funds for such critically important causes. he really was an out standing person. >> wolf, jamie, standby. george h.w. bush was president when the soviet union collapsed. we have the story of the end of the cold war. >> reporter: the biggest thing that happened in the world in my life. in our life. is this. by the grace of god, america won the cold war. >> many americas associate ronald reagan with the fall of communism. >> tear down this wall. >> r

donald trump and george h.w. bush do not share those views about the world. >> yeah, george h.w. bush was such a strong internationalist and it wasn't just -- >> sorry, karen, i'll just stop you because he's now talking about president george h.w. bush. >> we were just talking about it. he's a wonderful man. and you may just explain your little meeting with him. i found it very interesting. >> i was in -- [ inaudible ] george bush and he was the fathers of the unification and we'll never forget that. >> i found that very interesting. so we extended our best wishes and -- he was a very fine man. i met him on numerous occasions. he was just a high quality man who truly loved his family. one thing that came through loud and clear, very proud of his family. and very much loved his family. so he was a terrific guy and he'll be missed and he led a full life and a very exemplary life, i will say. and we've decided as you know we'll have a big press conference which i look forward to because we've made tremendous progress at the g-20 with many nations. >> we'll continue where we left off

george h.w. bush had partner with mikhail gorbachev, how do you think george h.w. bush would deal with putin, deal with resurged aggressive russia today? >> well, i think one of the things about george h.w. bush he looked at things as they were, he never tried to sugar coat them. he tried to always look at the nature an adversary were and whether they were changeable. i think basic premise was if someone was going to engage in behaviors that basically violated international norms that there had to be price to be paid. you could create that kind of a price, not only would it affect others but in all likelihood would affect in the case like putin it would affect hymn as well. putin is transactional as long as he gets away and acting a certain way and doesn't pay price he will continue to do that. george h.w. bush would have focused on how do we raise the price in a way that matters to putin. the price you to impose is not abstraction. it's not just something that you create so you can say you did something, you tried to do something that would matter to him. now, in

that relationship, barbara bush and george h.w. bush, talk a little bit about that if you would. >> they met three weeks after pearl harbor at a dance at the greenwich country club. she wore a red and green dress and he endeavored to get introduced. their first date was a day or two later. george h.w. bush, known as papi in those days and still to the family in private moments, he was worried that perhaps there might not be enough to talk about. so he borrowed the family car that had a radio in it. he found quickly that barbara pierce did not suffer silence very easily. and as she used to say, they never had to have a car with a radio again, because she would fill whatever space there was. they were married in january of 1945, fully thinking that lieutenant junior grade george h.w. bush, as he was at that point, would go back to be part of the invasion and attack on the home islands of japan. vj day was an incredibly joyous moment for them as millions of other americans. they were married for 73 years. it was one of the great marri

george h.w. bush did it. you see it in the second row behind the presidents, men who wanted to be president and one who wants to be president in the case of mike pence. they should read the history of george h.w. bush because it's not an easy thing to pull off. >> and the history itself. it reflects how the people in the administration actually remember their time. they thought of it as a very successful administration. there is really no modern presidential administration at all that -- >> let's just listen in. >> there is no modern presidential administration that has been so open with its history and eager to tell its story. not nixon obviously, not ford, not reagan. nobody has been so good, if you will, about saying we want to tell our tale because we are very proud of what we did. it really reflects how they provided access to people who want to learn -- >> isn't it just pretty to watch the pageantry of the events. he was president at a time when the public could drive along pennsylvania avenue until the

george h.w. bush was a criminal. going to be joined by presidential historian douglas brinkley on the phone right now to talk about george h.w. bush. good morning. guest: good morning. host: how will president george h.w. bush be remembered? how should he be remembered? guest: he will be remembered as a man of great dignity and character, somebody who represented the best of the great world war ii generation, and as president, we are always going to remember what an amazing job he did in u.s. foreign policy. he got sworn in, in 1989, and that his inaugural we call it the new breeze inaugural. philosophy --f one did not believe a democracy was going to spread that quickly as inferred in his speech, but sure enough, by 1989, a series of events happened, mainly the berlin wall coming down. that had been the symbol of soviet to tell a tear in his him and divide -- totalitarianism, and dividing. young people in blue jeans listening to rock 'n roll music, nobody responded, nothing happened. bush suddenly got to be the pres

george h.w. bush someone who yes he was 94. but he was the youngest 94 year-old person perhaps in america. he would jump out of planes ef year dpr his birthday. i recall him campaigning for george w. bush in 1999 and 2000 in the iowa caucuses and the same ground his father was passing on in 1980. this is someone who loved family loved life. he was the chairman of the republican national committee during water gate. and led the cia. and went onto other points of service. so this is someone who it really is a american legacy that we don't see anymore. not just the family name. of bush. but for so much more of the service. >> if you think about that resume he brought when he was elected president of the united states. he served two terms as vice president. with reagan. in 1988 he was elected took office january 20, 1989. he brought all that service all that record from congress from the cia to u.s. ambassador to china. incredible resume. >> you cannot think of a resume like that. never mind he was vice president and ran against ro

but george h.w. bush moves to texas, moves to the right. in his first campaign for the senate, 1964, even came out against the civil rights act. changed from that later on. but the bushes sort of mirror the movement of the republican party towards the south and the west, becomes more religious, becomeser more conservative and we're living in a very different country today. >> that first senate race against ralph yarborough, if i'm not mistaken. the way that he evolved as a politician, let's use simple rights as the jumping off point for that conversation. how he did evolve as times changed and his thinking changed. >> he did strike a more conservative position on civil rights. but as president, he tried to reach across racial lines in ways republicans haven't done. they took advantage of situations and that's how republicans -- it's one of the ways republicans made inroads in texas and across the south with those southern -- those white southern democrats to convince them to vote for ronald reagan and for the republicans who voted for reaga

put george h.w. bush into context. >> george h.w. bush belonged to a different generation, it didn't boast or hold itself forward. his mom told him you can't do that. and he came out of this tradition and that shaped everything he did so that he was not who wanted to have a fight. you talk about restoring civility, he is the perfect example of the kind of model we ought to have about that. but increasingly he belonged to an older generation. and impart am part of an older generation, we don't click as well as 25 years ago with younger generations, don't understand the references, musical references and all of that. i admire that in george h.w. bush. i think he was true to himself. he was authentic through his life. >> david gergen, appreciate your thoughts. you'll be with us through the day. from political rivals to long time friends, president george h.w. bush and clinton had an unlikely friendship. more on that just ahead. ♪ let's do the thing that you do. let's clear a path. let's put down roots. let's build something. let's do

george h.w. bush's vice president. sorry, sir. >> so to return to the story of the famous "newsweek" cover that showed him as the wimp in 1988. 20 years later, i found myself working at texas a&m and invited the person who wrote that story to give a lecture. and president bush typically came to our lectures. and i asked, you know, would the president like to come to this lecture? and i was very politely told by him, you know, i don't really want to go to that one. but i'm really glad you brought him in. because the students need to hear from a variety of voices. and mine should not be the only one they hear. just because my name is on the school doesn't mean they shouldn't get other opinions. and he endorsed a real interesting sense of not only bipartisanship discussion, but also of acceptability of public servants taking critique. >> that's interesting. it reminds me of -- there's -- people have been showing the video of the christmas party, white house christmas party after george h.w. bush has lost to bill clinton,

george h.w. bush would say. and what's interesting to me, though, is as we were as we watched them listen, it was, as john said, a recognition of their father and their grandfather's presidency and his importance to this country. there were certain words that vice president pence said that i couldn't help but notice, civility, kindness, modesty. these are words that, you know, we can't help but notice in this time. this was another era, and george bush 41 represented a very different time and a very different kind of person and president. >> yeah. this is -- and there you see john roberts, the supreme court chief justice, and the other associate justices of the supreme court, who have gathered. you know what? let's listen for a moment. ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> those were the justices of the supreme court paying their respects to the 41st president of the united states. what was also so powerful throughout the memorial service, john, was the role of the military. let's not forget, it was president george h.w. bush who on

president george h.w. bush back in 2009 there. he had just made a parachute jump to celebrated his 85th birthday and that would not be the last time he did so. >> just because you're an old guy you don't have to sit around drooling in the corner. get out and do something. get out and enjoy life. >> for his 85th birthday, president bush had one specific request. he wanted to be sky diving as usual, but he wanted hln's robin meade to go with him. >> just because you're old, that doesn't mean you can't do fun stuff. and you don't want to sit around drooling in the corner, and so it's a ruffle release. the scariest moment you look out. get ready to jump. you get out the door and you look down and no feeling of support. that is what the heck am i doing? >> robin meade, host of >> the first few seconds of the freefall are awful. i'm not feign of coasters. i don't know if you are. your stomach doesn't catch up with you for a few seconds and then i remembered the cameras were on me and went oh, yeah. but what an opportunity to get to do t

bush -- 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 president of the united states, but

not so with president george h.w. bush. we had an event in the east room of the white house, the physical periphysical -- first president to invite the tuskegee airmen, the first black fliers, invited them to the white house. brought hem and honored them at the ceremony. that was classic george bush. he was first to do it. >> andy card, talking about him as commander in chief. talk about him as an executive. you saw it firsthand. graduated from yale and took advice to go to texas, oil business, had a career in business before getting into politics. got to the cia. was u.n. ambassador and then ambassador to china as well. how did he run the place? what was his approach to the presidency from an executive point of view? >> first of all, he was a student of government. he had the best resume of anyone that had ever been president. as a result, when he was president, he understood having watched ronald reagan, as ronald reagan's vice president very closely, and he watched general ford and richard nixon. so he had a great histor

the 43rd president, george w. bush, said in a statement, "george h.w. bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for." president trump praised bush's character while attending the g20 summit in argentina. >> one thing that came through loud and clear, he was very proud of his family, and very much loved his family. so he was a terrific guy, and he'll be missed, and he led a full life. and very exemplary life, too, i will say. >> george h.w. bush! >> reporter: no place knew that better than his adopted home town of houston. but for residents like mike peterson, he was simply the president next door. >> he brought people together. if you were a democrat or a republican, it didn't matter. and he brought leadership to both sides of the field. >> reporter: after the president's body leaves washington, d.c., he'll come here to st. martin's episkical church for a memorial service. it's the same church where his wife had a memorial service when she passed away earlier this year. then he'll be laid to rest at his preside

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

bush or wanted to be the son of george h.w. bush. i think that there -- the senior president bush embodied a kind of world war ii, cold war establishment order that was very reassuring. it was one of the things of being around him in recent years because he went in a wheelchair about 2012, is it was actually the closest people could kind of come to knowing what was it like when fdr was in a room. what is it like when the most powerful person, the central figure in a room is in a wheelchair? and he had a kind of powerful charisma in that way. my favorite story about the bush/clinton relationship which really began when george w. bush asked his father and president clinton to raise money for the victims of the tsunami in late 2004 is when president clinton and president bush 41 were going to pay their respects at the -- i think it was the indonesian consulate in washington and george w. bush is a few minutes behind them. 41 and clinton walk into the embassy, there's a painting on the wall and clinton says who painted that? and the amba

and lord knows, george h.w. bus george h.w. bush, 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

chief among those will be president george w. 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

former president bush or george h.w. bush hated the term "dynasty," hated it, but that's a dynasty. >> he also hated the term "legacy." he didn't like it used around him, pause it conotes some sense of entitlement. george h.w. bush and barbara bush, the longest presidential marriage in history. they met when they were teenagers in a dance in greenwich, connecticut. and he said she was the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on and the only man she had ever kissed and her children about threw up when she said that. the residence staff adored the bushes. he would grill hamburgers on the south lawn for them. they were a loving, wonderful family to work for and they treated everyone the same, from statesmen to maids. >> i heard that from a member of the obama white house just yesterday, about how every president is liked, every president is loved by the white house staff, but the bushes, i mean, they would -- this white house staff would line up to see them again. >> exactly. and it's so fitting that secret servic

breaking overnight, former president 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 this year. a lovin

that relationship, barbara bush and george h.w. bush, talk a little bit about that if you would. >> they met three weeks after pearl harbor at a dance at the greenwich country club. she wore a red and green dress and he endeavored to get introduced. their first date was a day or two later. george h.w. bush, known as poppy in those days and still to the family in private moments, he was worried that perhaps there might not be enough to talk about. so he borrowed the family car that had a radio in it. he found quickly that barbara pierce did not suffer silence very easily. and as she used to say, they never had to have a car with a radio again, because she would fill whatever space there was. they were married in january of 1945, fully thinking that lieutenant junior grade george h.w. bush, as he was at that point, would go back to be part of the invasion and attack on the home islands of japan. vj day was an incredibly joyous moment for them as millions of other americans. they were married for 73 years. it was one of the great marr

wasn 1975 george h.w. bush senior u.s. representative to beijing when president ford asked him to leave the cia. a loyal pup -- two lead the cia. he was a highly regarded public servant, but a politician with political ambitions. this appointment pose problems. his friends and political counselors advised him against it. >> i thought he should not take it. i thought he was being consigned to political oblivion. but he said this is an important job. it's a job i want to do. it's a job the president wants me to do. i'm going to take it. breathingng a lot of -- briefing, reading hearings and previous directors, it's rather soft compared to what i suspect i will be running into. some say this is a dead-end, getting rid of you politically. others are saying they think it is great. dammed if i know which is which. >> certain senators were reluctant to confirm a politician in a nonpolitical position. they were playing politics. they wanted him to agree not to run as vice president on the ford ticket. >> piece that i'm not going t

george h.w. bush leaves behind 17 grandchildren. we're hearing from george prescott bush, one of the grandsons tweeting, my grandfather was the greatest man i ever knew. his life spanned the american century. he fought in world war ii, took part in the texas oil boom, served out a distinguished career in public service including serving as president during the final days of the cold war. perspective there from some of the people who knew him best. and in the coming days, we anticipate the bush family gathering here in houston where george and barbara called home since 1993. as houston's mayor said, they could have called anywhere home following their departure from the white house, but they came back to this beloved city where his political career actually began. now, the family has not announced official plans in the coming days, though we anticipate a few events. you could only imagine that there will be a day or two in washington for this former president to be remembered. as we have seen former presidents before him lie in state

it shows what george h.w. bush instilled in the family. liz: president george h.w. bush cared so much about serving the country that he enlisted in the navy on his 18th birthday. this was a year after the japanese attacked pearl harbor. >> he heard that call to action and came in. i saw interviews with the president about him being shot down. he said through his entire life what affected him the most of not being shot down by the japanese, and not being rescued. but the two airators killed through that that he could not save. it's why he carries a special place in his heart for especially the men and women of the military. liz: profoundly powerful moment of the first lady and george w. bush with their children visiting and paying respect and honor to president george h.w. bush. your reaction to this? >> as we remember president bush and his service to the country, we need to also remember what a pro foundingly decent -- a profoundly descent father, and -- -- descent -- decent dedt father and he set a -- an example. we are all tempted to think of this in terms of pol

plus more on the life and legacy of george h.w. bush. and his close friend, secretary of state, james baker. >> he was the very best one term president this country has ever had and perhaps one of the best presidents of all time. but he didn't blow his own horn. every veteran, every service member out there, if you're thinking about buying a home you should come to newday usa first. there's no money down, it's the best vehicle that a person who served in the military or is serving today has today to have a new home. if we can possibly get that veteran in a home we're going to do it at newday usa. why would you rent today when you can buy your own home and participate in the american dream? call 1-855-630-9103. if you're the spouse of a veteran who served our country, you served too. and no matter where in the world it was, you made each house a home. now it's time to own a home of your own. call newday usa. your spouse's va home loan benefit lets your family buy a home with no down payment. now you don't have to save up to move up. why r

george h.w. bush. >> jon: reaction continues to pour in from here and around the worlds. people sharing their fondest memories of our 41st president. we'll talk to one of the men who knew him best. former white house chief of staff john sununu next. >> today as president i ask for your support in the decision i've made to stand up for what's right and condemn what's wrong all in the cause of peace. for a nasty cold, take new dayquil severe with vicks vapocool. whoa! and vaporize it with an intense rush of vicks vapors. ahhhhhhh! new dayquil severe with vicks vapocool. the daytime coughing, stuffy head, vaporize your cold, medicine. here at snowfest... for your worst sore throat pain try new vicks vapocool drops. it's not candy, it's powerful relief. ahhhhhh! vaporize sore throat pain with new vicks vapocool drops. >> sandra: fox news alert. the dow starting the week off with a bang opening 54 seconds ago and look at this. triple digit surge on the open on easing tensions between the u.s. and china. pre

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

and lord knows, george h.w. bus george h.w. bush, 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

bush, he says, "the legacy of george h.w. bush will be forever etched in the history of america and the world. it is a lifelong record of selfless patriotic service to our nation. he was the youngest navy pilot in world war ii, a texas congressman, u.n. ambassador, america's first envoy to china, cia director, vice president, and president. in each and every one of these positions, he led with strength, integrity, compassion, and humility, characteristics that define a truly great man and effectively deal with a singularly unique consistency. he always demonstrated these traits, whether on the global stage are interacting with people in his everyday life. has passion was a deep love of family and our country. it was my pleasure and great joy to have had him as my special friend for more than 60 years. susan enjoys being engraving the passing of our dear friend and sending the entire bush family our love and condolences." karl rove stays on the line with us, bret baier is back with us. bret, i want to bring you back in. as we

dana: george h.w. bush. we're spending a second hour here just looking at the life and sometimes of george h.w. bush, the 41st president of the united states. much beloved, but that wasn't always the case as you just heard from anita mcbride. in 1992, when he lost the election to bill clinton, it hurt deeply. they go into the post-presidency, and they have to find a way to move forward, and they were able to do that. and part of that was because they had wonderful people that had worked for them like the woman joining me now on the phone who's sheila tate. she was press secretary for former first lady nancy reagan. she's also the author of "lady in red," which is a wonderful book i highly recommend for all of you historians out there. sheila, i think this is the first time we've been able to hear from you. we'd love to get your thoughts. >> well, excuse me. when i heard this morning, i just -- i mean, i guess we all expected it, but i just, i just didn't expect it. [laughter] so i was really shocked. tawp de

the state funeral for george h.w. bush will be held today. it is a pause for investors after a shocking and tumultuous sellout dropped 729 points better than 3% closed right at 25,000. and even bigger percentage loss for the tech heavy nasdaq it was a dramatic selloff. so what happened? fears of recession, when interest rates dropped sharply but no sign of eminent recession fears of a china trades war after presidential tweet where donald trump declared himself a man and he was negotiating and this morning the president is tweet about china again. we will show you that in just a moment. here's in my opinion the the real problem. algorithms, the computers read the words recession, and tariff man, and with a wave of selling that kept going. personally, about editorially, i think humans on wall street should get a grip. all right. the oil market is open today. crude little change, we're at 53 dollars per barrel. the questions here for this market are: will opec will able to cut production as it says it will and russians and saudis agree to cut o

and then back home to texas, i think it's fitting with the way george h.w. bush understood himself. he was a yankee through and through. a new englander. but it was his adopted home state of texas that came to define him. >> reporter: george h.w. bush was born june 12th, 1924, in milton, massachusetts. he was the son of a banker who later became a politician. he was 17 when he met the love of his life, barbara pierce, at a christmas dance. they would become a love story 73 years strong, the longest marriage in presidential history. >> is he still the handsomest man you've ever seen? >> yes. uh-huh, uh-huh. my eyesight's getting bad. >> god. golly. >> reporter: on his 18th birthday, the young george bush enlisted in world war ii, becoming the youngest pilot in the u.s. navy. two years in, he was shot down over the pacific. >> i knew if i wasn't rescued, i would be captured. and it was -- it was a harrowing experience. >> reporter: he was rescued and made it home to barbara. he went on to yale where he was captain and first baseman of the baseball team. he and barbara had six children

president bush, george h.w. bush, saw the letter and called the white house and for three yes i had an opportunity to work with the bush administration on rebuilding after katrina. mrs. bush, barbara bush, along with the president, spent countless years helping us to not only rebuild the beloved gulf coast that i hail from, but also they provided resources for historical black colleges and universities. he cared about the people of the gulf coast and i'm just grateful that i had an opportunity to say thank you to the president for his great work. >> your hometown as well. >> my hometown and it was really quite remarkable what he did. and laura bush also in louisiana. i interviewed president bush in 2004, a long interview about the constitution. at that point he said to me, bill clinton and i will never be friends the way jimmy carter and jerry ford are friends. then in 2005 they became friends. it was george w. bush who put them together in the same w-- understanding that these men should know each other and sha

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, president, director of central intelligence and u.s. liaison to china. then there was the life of service after he left office. raising funds for synonymy relief, hurricane t --sunami relief, hurricane relief. he said there can be no successful life without service to others, and that is one of the things president bush said many times. athink his legacy will be life well lived in a life of service. host: we talked a lot today about his time in the white house, but as you just said, his service did not end once he left white house. talk a little bit more about what he did and how he lived after he left washington, d.c. guest: he very much stayed engaged. friendshipously, his with president clinton, and even while he was in office, his ability to work across the aisle . they lost a daughter to leuk

breaking overnight, former president george h.w. bush has died. the 41st president of the united states passing away in his hometown of houston overnight the age of 9 condolences pouring in from across the world as the man who was known as 41 is rbered fondly by his family, friends andro politicians fm both sides of the aisle. the former president remembered as a man devoted to service who spent his entir 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 wa >> as president, i can report to the nation aggression is defeated. the war is over.>> also at the helm for the end of tll cold war. th of the berlin wall. a dedicated public servant who spent his life after t presidency helping to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for charitable causes. a devotedusband to the love of his life barbara. who passed earlier this year. a loving father a grandfather,

and he was george h.w. bush's best friend. so that was also an unusual thing, to take someone who had supported an opponent of ronald reagan, to be the chief of staff. and jim baker did a fabulous job. he and george h.w. bush, the friendship of a lifetime. they -- jim baker was with george bush when he was having his final breaths. and that love relationship there was something that we witnessed working at the white house. and i consider the two most significant personalities that i met in all of my service in government were george h.w. bush and james a. baker iii. >> i want to bring in senator rob portman, served as legislative liaison for president bush, associate white house counsel before that. let's go back in time, you're in cincinnati. you're drawn to this man considering a run for the presidency. what was about it him that attracted him to you? -- >> he was there at the beginning too. we liked the guy. he was personable. he's known for writing those handwritten notes. it's about understanding people and liking people

with the news that president george h.w. bush has passed away. we received word last night, and he was a man who loved his family, who loved our country, and he served america with distinction, all of his life. >> we are also learning of the president's final words before his passing. cnn's jamie gangel is joining us now, and what have you learned? what do we know? >> reporter: i've just confirmed, wolf, with a source who is familiar with the final hours, that actually former president bush's final words came in a phone conversation with his son, former president george w. bush, who we called 4i 4i, t -- 43, the two men were on speaker phone and i'm told that president george w. bush, the son, said to his dad, you have been quote a wonderful father, and that the father said back, to his son, and replied, i love you too. and that those were his final words before passing. wolf? >> powerful words, indeed. jamie, thank you very much. cnn is recovering the country's 41st president, george h.w. bush. we will have much more just ahead. your brain chang

they will receive the casket of george h.w. bush. we also have several invited guests, former secret service agents. you'll remember george h.w. bush had 12 years of secret service agents and continuing on to he went out of office as vice president. so many of them here. but we're also told there is going to be of course "hail to the chief" one final time but the song "going home," a favorite of president bush's and the lyrics are quite poignant. this indeed will be the final trip home of hundreds, if not thousands of trips aboard air force i, aboard air force ii that he has taken in his long life of service. one nmore ceremony on the groun here before he is sent off. >> we're told the motorcade has now arrived at joint base andrews and this formal departure ceremony is about to begin. there will be full honors rendered. as you point out "ruffles and flourishes, " "hail to the chief." you see the top military brass. they have gathered there to pay their respects to george h.w. bush himself, a world war ii hero, who volunteered for th

former president george h.w. bush was the last world war ii veteran to serve as president. the last combat veteran also to serve as president. his life and legacy honored hibernation and what's remarkable is how bipartisan report is have him. you'd expect the normal kindness and memories but it seems to go beyond that to real reverence by those even on the other side of the aisle. eboni: the kinder and gentler nation he called for. joining us to share reflections on the president, michigan congresswoman deborah dingell. thank you for joining us. >> good to be both of you. eboni: you and your husband former congressman john dingell had a particularly close relationship with george h.w. bush and his family. can you share what bonded your family and the bush family? >> john had non-both of them on before i came into life. it's been a long time now. president bush were in the congress together in the 60s and they were regular players. depending which when you talk to it's not quite clear who won more games. john's book is coming out next week in the president very graciously wi

and that's how george h.w. bush talks about trump. you know, politics aside, it's the respect for the institution of the presidency. that guided him his entire life. all of us who worked for him learned that, too. i see how lucky, myself, my husband and thousands of friends have been writing about how lucky we were to learn these lessons under his command. >> yeah, i ran into people that were good friends of the bushes, and what they lawmented was many things, and w. 43 presided over a difficult time in politics, and with america at war with iraq and afghanistan, and he always wore the office well and the presidency, they believe, is bigger than themselves. i think the invitation to the funeral is this is a sign this is a rare club they are all part of. >> it's wonderful we have former presidents that are like this, and this is an important moment for the country, and bush 41 knew that. >> mrs. obama is interrupting her book tour to come to the funeral and i think that's a big statement. >> i want you to tell us, the president's inter

"george h.w. bush did it all. he was a war hero, a congressman, an ambassador, vice president, and president during one of the most momentous periods in our country's history. an early boss and mentor, president bush was one of the most decent and honorable men i've ever known." senator portman joins me now. senator, thanks for joining us. my condolences on losing your friend and mentor wrush you served as director of affairs as white house budget director for his son. you last saw the former president just a few months ago. tell us about it. >> it was another visit. he was typical george bush. generous with his time and comments. humorous. you know, when you are in your 90s, sometimes it's tough to have a good attitude and be humorous and he was all of those things. his last comments to me were, you know, you're a good man, and so you saw the george bush that all of us came to know and love right through to the end. he was just an amazing people person. you know, he loved people. i remember being at kennebunkport

at that memorial service president george h.w. bush will deliver the eulogy. also expected to speak former senator alan simpson, the canadian prime minister and jon meacham, someone who wrote what is considered what is the definitive biography of his life. you also mentioned that president trump will meet privately with the bush family at blair house. you mentioned the relationship between the bushes and the trumps, that senator i spoke to earlier today said plainly this is not about him, this is about president george h.w. bush and that has been kind of the feeling and the emotion that has driven the course of this week, something that's expected to continue over the next couple days. keep an eye on the rotunda throughout the day today. the individual or entity that has garnered so much national attention, the service dog sully told there is a possibility he will show up to pay his respects as well. >> fill, thank you very much. >>> we have a lot to discuss this morning between these services for the former president and the mueller investigation. joining us

that want george h.w. bush. that's what i'll remember most about him. >> i think that's why there are so many accolades pouring in all over the world for this great man. you're colorado state treasure. you're doing the life of service as well. can you point to your cousin or 41st president as being a great influence >> 100%. >> there's a great picture of you in the oval office with him ands that pr ands th and that's pretty inspiring. >> i'm one of the lucky thousands of people around this earth that are the beneficiary of george bush's prolific letter writing. and he had a great way to relate to me as a kid. he was always somebody that i looked up to. he was my hero from my earliest memories. and the reason was is because the way he conducted himself and the decency with which he carried himself and the character and integrity with which he lived his life. that is the lesson that i think will be so valuable for america to reflect upon over this next week of mourning himself service and his 70 years of service t