Patti Davis, the oldest daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, penned a touching tribute to George H.W. Bush while also calling out President Trump and what she called the ‘loss of the presidency’s dignity.
The 66-year-old author and former First Daughter remembered how on June 11, 2004, George H.W. Bush delivered a impassioned eulogy for her father.
‘Presidents are laid to rest with great ceremony and tradition, but they are still human beings who left imprints on other people’s lives,’ she shared in a piece with the Washington Post. ‘That day, Bush told us about the imprints my father had left on his.’
The author and former First Daughter remembered how on June 11, 2004, George H.W. Bush delivered a impassioned eulogy for her father
Patti Davis remembered that while at the Washington National Cathedral for the service, Bush spoke candidly about the man who touched his life
The first Bush had served as the Vice President for Ronald Reagan for all eight years of his terms in office. Davis remembered that while at the Washington National Cathedral for the service, Bush spoke candidly about the man who touched his life.
She added: ‘He spoke about my father’s gentleness and humor, about his strength and his deep, abiding love for America. At one point, his voice broke as he fought back tears.
‘He said, “As his vice president for eight years, I learned more from Ronald Reagan than from anyone I encountered in all my years of public life. I learned kindness — we all did. I learned courage — the nation did.”’
The first Bush had served as the Vice President for Ronald Reagan for all eight years of his terms in office
She shared: ‘The tears he fought against brought my family and me to tears. It was one of those moments when you know that the person who is speaking is stripping his soul bare and letting you in’
‘The tears he fought against brought my family and me to tears. It was one of those moments when you know that the person who is speaking is stripping his soul bare and letting you in.’
Davis shared that the former president’s powerful words realled moved the family.
‘We talked about it on the long flight back across the country to California, where my father would be buried and our time of private mourning would begin,’ Davis shared. ‘It came up often — that moment when Bush’s voice cracked, when tears intruded upon his words, when he was raw and honest in how much his heart was hurting.’
George H.W. Bush pictured with Barbara in 2017
Davis asserted that not all of the eulogy was solemn, recalling how Bush made everyone laugh when he shared a joke Raegan made stating that his meeting with South African Bishop Desmond Tutu went had gone ‘So-so.’
The ‘The Earth Breaks in Colors’ said that as we ‘pause, and mourn, and reflect’ a man who ‘served his country’ that we might also ‘mourn the loss of dignity that we have long associated with the office of the president and that is no longer there.’
She continued: ‘No matter what you thought of George H.W. Bush’s time in office, he never attacked or abused people or institutions. He was never crude or dismissive of people who were hurting.
‘And he had reverence for the Constitution and the pillars of democracy that built this nation — the pillars that are now being chipped away, crudely and casually.
‘He understood that peace is a fragile thing, and that to maintain it, nations have to work together, employ diplomacy and treat one another with respect. That tone is set by leaders.
And while she refrained from calling him out for a majority of the piece, Davis then took mention of a tense moment where Trump had mocked the now deceased Bush.
The ‘The Earth Breaks in Colors’ said that as we ‘pause, and mourn, and reflect’ a man who ‘served his country’ that we might also ‘mourn the loss of dignity that we have long associated with the office of the president and that is no longer there.’ Trump and Melania at the Capitol Rotunda to see George H.W. Bush
‘He spoke of “a better America . . . an endless enduring dream and a thousand points of light,”’ she said. ‘President Trump once mocked that vision, but his mockery cannot diminish the importance of Bush’s words.’
Davis continued: ‘What a beautiful image, encouraging people to aim for the heavens instead of groveling in the shadows, inspiring people to leave a mark that lights up the darkness.
‘My wish for the Bush family is that they look into the night sky and see a thousand and one points of light.