re: Nation in Mourning: State Funeral for Former President George H.W. Bush

I got caught up at work and missed W's eulogy so I went back and watched it. Wow!

As a father, I can only hope and pray that I grow to be able to have more patience, more dignity, and more humble enough so that my son could one day say even half the things W said about his dad, about me. Being a dad has turned me into a big softy and I definitely cried at the end when W broke down as he said HW was the best dad he could ever have. That hit me in the feels.

Many prayers to W and his entire family.

W has always been more emotional than his Dad, W is a lot like him Mom. Esp. the sense of humor. The elder really taught the sense of duty to W and his kids.
Whole family has this kindness and treating everyone with genuine respect

All of em have this developed sense of humor, very goofy, sometime acerbic but never mean spirited.

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Carter's throwing some side stinkeye over there.

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just cataracts baw, don't mean no ill will

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Have other presidents been glorified like this in their passing? I feel like it’s a bit more this time.

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The last former president died 12 years ago. Reagan died two years earlier, but then before Reagan the last time a president died was in 94 and before that... It was in 1973. In my life time, George HW Bush is the 4th former president to pass away.

But yeah, when a former US president passes away, it's a big deal. Former presidents represent American history, we define times based on when presidents have served.

If there has been a "bit more" this time, you have to look at everything about George HW Bush. His son is a former president. He became really close friends with the man who beat him running as an incumbent, etc, etc, etc.. He is a popular person.

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Have other presidents been glorified like this in their passing? I feel like it’s a bit more this time.

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I have heard before and it was mentioned this morning...almost as soon as a president is sworn in the staff begins hounding them to plan their funeral. It is a state event and always a lot of pomp and circumstance.

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I wonder how many of those old frickers in that church forgot to turn off their cell phones?

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I'm sure nobody had any cell service in that church due to the jammers.

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W has always been more emotional than his Dad, W is a lot like him Mom

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He WAS a war veteran AND Director of Central Intelligence.

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I thought it was after they left office that the planning started?

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Just under 20% of them have died in office. It would make sense if their staff started the "you know you're gonna die" thing sooner rather than later. That number is skewed a bit, though, by a couple of the earlier presidents that went all Oregon Trail and died of some simple illness or poor marksmanship.

Harrison died of a bad cold that blowed up on him and developed into pneumonia. Taylor died of gastroenteritis. Both of those would almost certainly have survived were modern medicine available to treat them.

Harding died of a massive heart attack and Roosevelt died of a massive stroke. Both of those were sudden: basically 'I don't feel so good and now I'm dead'. If they didn't end up dead with today's medicine, then they'd both likely be incapacitated and unable to serve. We'll call that "dead" for the purposes of our discussion.

Lincoln and Kennedy. Nah. Even modern medicine can't fix "parts of brain missing".

That leaves Garfield and McKinley. Both died of complications from being shot, not actually being shot. Garfield died of gangrene 8 days after being shot, so if he'd had antibiotics and modern surgical teams, he'd have likely survived. McKinley died ELEVEN WEEKS after being shot. He made a good run at surviving his assassination attempt without modern medicine. Both of those likely would have survived with modern medicine.

So, when you look at it that way, you have half of the presidents who died in office that probably would have survived their ailments or disgruntled countrymen if they had the advantage of today's medicine.

I'd expect that in the modern times, about a 10% chance of dying in office would be expected. Interestingly enough, Reagan damn near died WITH modern medicine and being in a hospital four minutes after being shot. He'd have been a goner in earlier times. Ford couldn't even get shot properly.

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Whole family has this kindness and treating everyone with genuine respect

All of em have this developed sense of humor, very goofy, sometime acerbic but never mean spirited.

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Oliver stone, for all of his faults, conveyed that well in W.

When Bush was telling a wounded Latino soldier he should look his parents up back in Texas whenever he gets home, it was meant. There was nothing calculated. He was being friendly and genuine.

The one thing I've always been impressed by concerning W is his restraint. He comes across as a good ol boy, over his head. But there is an interesting moment in the Kerry debate. The education and breeding comes bubbling to the surface. In an instant, he intellectually bitch slaps Kerry and then slips right back into his twang. He was elected 8 years too early. He was the opponent Obama deserved. Not a feeble old man or a non charismatic billionaire.