I could tell by his pace and my distance that I would not get a chance to interview the President unless I ran.
It had to be him. I was a football field away, so I couldn’t be sure. But he was flanked by four men, and even his stride looked presidential. I started a brisk jog. Get there, but don’t look too eager, I told myself.
Who am I kidding? I HAD NO DIGNITY. I RAN.
It turns out the Secret Service doesn’t like anyone moving too quickly toward the President. An agent intercepted me and, out of breath, I blurted. “I’m a travel writer here to write about the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.”
Exhibit A — “41” himself — was within earshot.
I showed my press badge and hoped I would get five minutes with former President George H.W. Bush. I didn’t even have to ask. He was already walking toward me. “Good morning, Mr. President. I’m here to write about your place,” I said, pointing to his namesake library. “Do you have a minute to answer a few questions?”
He could have given a thumbs-up and waved. He could have pulled his black wool coat tight and kept going. Instead he grinned wide and projected an enthusiasm as visible as his breath in the December morning’s chill.
“Love to. I’m just on my way up to the apartment,” he said, motioning to a poinsettia-lined balcony extending from the residence he and the late First Lady shared on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station.
The former president was in his 70s then. I was, well, younger too. But I still remember the deep sense of satisfaction he conveyed at having served his country. At having served us.
I asked him about the library’s replica Oval Office. Did he miss the office? Did he miss the Office?
President Bush reflected upon how he never thought the White House or the presidency were “his” and how he never thought the American people owed him a second term. He answered a few other questions about the library. He asked me to make sure to spend time in the First Lady’s exhibit. He posed for a photo and asked, “Is there anything else I can answer for you?” Still, he’s serving, I thought, thanking him for his time.
Disagree with his politics all you want — although maybe not today. Today is a day to express deep gratitude for a man who served our country with longevity and decency. The attack on Pearl Harbor motivated him at age 18 to join the Navy. He was a congressman, an Ambassador to the United Nations, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in China, a two-term Vice President and a one-term President.
And he was husband to the late First Lady Barbara Bush for 73 years.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I’m so glad I ran.
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