[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 190 (Monday, December 3, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7257-S7258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING GEORGE H. W. BUSH

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, in a short time we will gather before 
proceeding to the rotunda to honor the life of George Herbert Walker 
Bush, the 41st President of the United States.
  George H. W. Bush will be greatly missed in many ways. He was 
undeniably dedicated to his country, from his time as a young Navy 
pilot through his long career in public service, in both elective and 
appointed offices, as our Ambassador to the United Nations, our Envoy 
to China, and Director of the CIA. In a life that spanned 10 decades, 7 
decades of George H. W. Bush's life was spent in faithful and humble 
service to his country.
  Though our careers intersected only briefly, I knew him to be a fine 
man, a decent man. Even when he opposed your views, you knew he was 
doing what he thought was best for the United States of America.
  He embodied the characteristics we admire in a President: integrity, 
civility, dignity, humility, and a sincere interest in bipartisanship. 
He valued public service and had respect for government as a noble 
force--a force for good.
  When he wanted to say something to someone, he would sit down to 
write them a handwritten and usually heartfelt note. He used the word 
``friend'' often, and when he said it, he meant it. His yearning for a 
kinder, gentler Nation seems more needed now than when he first called 
for it.
  Not all of his efforts will be celebrated, and, of course, that is 
true of every politician who has reached high

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office. But as we look back at his life and career, it is clear that 
George H. W. Bush cared deeply about more than just his country and its 
ideals. He cared deeply about its citizens, no matter what their 
situation. His early involvement in the YMCA, his advocacy for the 
Americans with Disabilities Act, and his support for volunteerism and 
service throughout his career are a testament to that fact.
  He called on Americans to be ``a thousand points of light,'' and he 
was too modest to say that he and his wife Barbara were two of the 
brightest.
  Our hearts are with the Bush family today.

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