STAND AND SALUTE 94-YEAR-OLD PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH.
>> IT’S HARD FOR US TO
UNDERSTAND AS WE GO BACK AND
TALK ABOUT THE GREATEST
GENERATION AND THE BAND OF
BROTHERS.
BROTHERS. WE WERE JUST SHOWING SOME
PICTURES OF GEORGE H.W. BUSH
FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
WE FORGET HOW YOUNG.
THEY WERE NOT MEN.
THEY WERE BOYS.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH DID NOT GO FROM
YALE TO WAR.
>> NO.
>> NO. 18.
18. >> HE WENT FROM ANDOVER HIGH
SCHOOL AND FROM PHILIPS ACADEMY.
THAT’S WHO THE GUY WAS WHEN HE
WENT OFF TO STRAP HIMSELF INTO A
PLANE AND FIGHT THE WAR.
LET’S BRING IN RIGHT NOW THE
HOST OF MSNBC’S "HARDBALL" CHRIS
MATTHEWS.
MATTHEWS. CHRIS, I’VE BEEN SOMEWHAT AMUDS
SOMEWHAT DISAPPOINTED BY SOME
CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATORS, SOME
GOOD CONSERVATIVE FRIENDS OF
MINE WHO SAY OH, ALL THESE
PEOPLE SAYING NICE THINGS ABOUT
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, THEY HATED HIM
WHEN HE WAS PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. IT SEEMS NOT ONLY TO MISS THE
PART BUT IN PART MAKE THE POINT
ABOUT THE CRECHEGRACIOUSNESS OF
H.W. BUSH.
H.W. BUSH. HE SHOWED THE EXTRAORDINARY
GRACE OF SAYING TO MAUREEN IN
THAT LOVELY NOTE, BASICALLY YOU
DRIVE ME CRAZY, I’M GOING TO
SWEAR, I’M GOING TO BE PROFANE,
I’M GOING TO BE ANGRY, BUT IF
YOU EVER NEED ME KNOW I’M GOING
TO BE HERE AND I WILL NOT LET
YOU DOWN.
YOU DOWN. IT REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF WHAT
YOU WROTE AT THE BEGINNING OF
YOUR O’NEIL RONALD REAGAN BOOK
WHERE HE SAID THE ONLY THING HE
HATED MORE WAS NOT GETTING MORE
DONE FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THAT’S THIS GENERATION AND WHAT
THEY UNDERSTOOD.
THEY UNDERSTOOD. >> WELL, THOSE OF US WHO KNEW
GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH KNEW
HE KNEW US BEFORE WE WERE TOUGH
ON HIM.
ON HIM. HE SAID TO ME, GEORGE SENIOR, HE
SAID BE NICE TO MY SON.
THERE’S TENSION IN POLITICS AT
ITS BEST.
ITS BEST. THERE’S TENSION BETWEEN ONE SIDE
AND THE OTHER.
THAT’S HOW IT WORKS.
YOU ARGUE, YOU FIGHT OVER
ISSUES.
ISSUES. AND THAT’S HOW IT WORKS.
AND THAT’S BETTER THAN A
DICTATORSHIP ISN’T IT?
AND I THINK THAT GEORGE HERBERT
WALKER BUSH, WE CALL HIM BECAUSE
YOU HAVE TO DISTINGUISH HIM ALL
THE TIME FROM W., BUT I WAS
THINKING ABOUT THAT MOMENT YOU
JUST SAID A MOMENT AGO, MY DAD’S
BEST FRIEND, EUGENE SHIELDS,
THEY PLAYED GOLF EVERY SATURDAY.
WE KNEW HIM OUR WHOLE LIVES AND
HE NEVER EVER TOLD US WHAT HE
DID IN WORLD WAR II.
HE BROUGHT THOSE HIGGINS BOATS
INTO NORMANDY PERSONALLY.
HE WAS ONE OF THE GUYS THAT
DROVE THEM IN AS ONE OF THE GUYS
OF THE BOATS.
AND HE WAS THERE ON THE LANDING,
AND HE NEVER, EVER TOLD US.
AND WE FOUND OUT A COUPLE OF
YEARS BEFORE HE DIED.
AND THAT IS SO MUCH LIKE THOSE
GUYS.
GUYS. THEY DON’T BRAG.
AND I THINK THAT’S BOB DOLE.
AND WHEN I SAW HIM STAND UP THE
OTHER DAY I SAID, BOB, YOU’VE
BEEN THROUGH IT ALL THOSE YEARS
PUTTING UP WITH YOUR HANDICAP
AND PUTTING UP WITH THE ATTACKS
FROM GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH,
THAT YOU WERE A STRADDLER, THAT
YOU DIDN’T HAVE THE GUTS TO
STAND UP ON ISSUES.
AND HERE HE WAS IN THE CAPITOL
OF THE UNITED STATES STANDING ON
HIS FEET SALUTING THIS GUY EVEN
THOUGH THEY WERE AT WAR
POLITICALLY.
POLITICALLY. AND IT’S A REAL THING, AND I
LOVE THE REAL THING.
>> THAT’S WHO WE HAVE BEEN AS A
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. ADAMS AND JEFFERSON FOUGHT
PERHAPS THE UGLIEST POLITICAL
CAMPAIGN IN AMERICAN HISTORY IN
1800, AND THEY BECAME DEAR
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. BOTH OF THEM DIED ON THE MORNING
OF THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE
SIGNING OF THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE.
INDEPENDENCE. AND JOHN ADAMS’ LAST WORDS WERE
AT LEAST JEFFERSON LIVES.
>> YEAH, AND I THINK THAT’S
PROBABLY HOW BOB DOLE FELT
YESTERDAY AS HE STOOD IN FRONT
OF THAT CASKET.
I MEAN, THE THINGS THE TWO OF
THEM HAVE SEEN AND LIVED THROUGH
ARE THINGS THAT I THINK MANY
PEOPLE TODAY, PARTICULARLY YOUNG
PEOPLE DON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND.
THEIR LINES IN THE HISTORY BOOK
ARE SOMETHING THEY READ IN A
WIKIPEDIA PAGE, BUT THE LIVES
THEY LIVED.
THEY LIVED. >> AND THAT’S WHY I THINK,
CHRIS, I SUSPECT YOU’LL AGREE
WITH ME.
WITH ME. IT’S NOT A TEXT MESSAGE.
IT’S SOMETHING TO CLING TO AND
WATCH, BECAUSE THIS IS PASSING
MOMENT THAT I DON’T KNOW OCCURS
AGAIN IN OUR FUTURE.
>> I AGREE.
AND I THINK WHEN MOVIE STARS DIE
THEY BRING OUT THE OLD PICTURES.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR DIES IN LATER
LIFE AND THEY BRING OUT THE
PICTURES WHEN SHE WAS 19 AND
PLACED IN THE SUN.
WE BRING OUR POLITICS BACK TO US
IN THE PAST, BUT EVERY MOMENT
LIKE THIS IS IN THE PRESENT.
WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON RIGHT NOW
IS A NATIONAL REACTION TO TRUMP.
NO MATTER WHAT WE SAY OR DON’T
SAY IT’S A REACTION TO WHAT WE
HAVE.
HAVE. AND WE MISS THE BETTER, WE MISS
THAT PART OF DECENCY AND HONOR
THAT’S MISSING RIGHT NOW IN OUR
DIALOGUE, IN THE WAY WE TALK
ABILITY EACH OTHER, IN THE
MEDIA.
MEDIA. AND I THINK WE WANT TO GO BACK
TO SOME OF THAT.
I KNOW WE DO.
WE WANT SOME OF THAT GRANDEUR
BACK AGAIN.
BACK AGAIN. >> AND GEORGE H.W. BUSH, JUST
QUICKLY IN OUR FINAL SECONDS, A
LOT OF PEOPLE TALK ABOUT HOW
THESE MEN NEVER BRAGGED ABILITY
THEIR SERVICE AND SACRIFICE.
IT’S ALSO COUPLED WITH EMPATHY,
THAT COMES WITH LOSING A BROTHER
IN WAR, THAT COMES WITH THE LOSS
OF THEIR DAUGHTER.
AND THAT EMPATHY, YOU CAN SEE
EVERY RELATIONSHIP HE HAS
POLITICALLY AND PERSONALLY.
>> YOU’RE RIGHT.
AND I THINK PEOPLE CAN TELL THE
REAL THING, YOU SAID GENUINE
ARTICLE FOR POLITICIANS AND THE
REAL THING.
REAL THING. AND THERE ARE LIBERALS THAT ARE
THE REAL THING.
THERE ARE PHONY CONSERVATIVES,
AND I’VE KNOWN SOME PHONY
LIBERALS WHERE INTELLECTUALLY
THEY LIKE MAN KIND BUT NO ONE IN
PARTICULAR.
PARTICULAR. AND THERE ARE PEOPLE I’VE WORKED
WITH WHO ACTUALLY DO CARE ABOUT
OTHER PEOPLE, INDIVIDUALLY WHEN
THEY MEET THEM.
REGULAR PEOPLE, THEY CARE ABOUT
THEM AND THAT’S WHY THEY’RE
THERE.
THERE. THEY’RE CALLED LEADERS.
AND I THINK GEORGE HERBERT
WALKER BUSH, I EXPERIENCED HIM
FIRST-HAND.
FIRST-HAND. HE HAD AN AMAZING ABILITY TO
FOCUS ON PEOPLE OF MUCH LESSER
STATION THAN HE WAS OF LIFE, AND
THAT WAS A GIFT FOR ALL OF US.
>> CHRIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE’LL SEE YOU ON "HARDBALL"
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE HAVE MUCH MORE AHEAD ON
MORNING JOE.
MORNING JOE. WE’RE BACK IN JUST ONE MINUTE.