MADE HER CRY.
OTHER THAN THAT, BARBARA BUSH
WAS NOT ONE FOR WEAVING IN
PUBLIC.
SHE WAS A LIFELONG ADVOCATE OF
GOOD TASTE AND SELF-RESTRAINT.
BRIT HUME KNEW HER WELL FOR MANY
YEARS.
38 YEARS, AND HE JOINS US
TONIGHT.
WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF BARBARA
BUSH?
>> SHE WAS A WOMAN OF ENORMOUS
CHARACTER.
SHE ADORED HER HUSBAND AND I
ALWAYS HAD THIS SENSE IN SEEING
THEM TOGETHER THAT SHE NEVER
COULD QUITE GET ENOUGH OF HIM,
THAT HE WAS SUCH A GREGARIOUS
MAN, HE HAD SO MANY FRIENDS AND
PEOPLE LIKE HIM AND HE LIKED
PEOPLE AND THERE WAS NEVER QUITE
ENOUGH OF HIM TO GO AROUND AS
FAR AS SHE WAS CONCERNED.
OF COURSE, AS WAS MENTIONED AND
BILL CLINTON'S STATEMENT WE JUST
SAW ON THE AIR A FEW MINUTES
AGO, SHE WAS A FIERCE PERSON.
THIS WAS NOT A MELLOW
FIRST LADY, THIS WAS A WOMAN OF
STRONG VIEWS AND YET, SHE
MANAGED FOR ALL THAT TO NOT
REALLY EVER BE A CONTROVERSIAL
FIRST LADY.
SHE JUST WASN'T.
I THINK IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE SAW
AND SHE WAS INDEED ADMIRABLE.
>> Tucker: LOOKING AT THE TIP
OF HER ON THE SCREEN, YOU REALLY
KNOW WHAT HOW MUCH AMERICA HAS
CHANGED AND HOW SHE WAS
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COUNTRY
AND VALUES THAT AREN'T AS COMMON
AS THEY ONCE WERE.
SHE WAS, AS YOU SAY, FAMOUS
WITHOUT BEING CONTROVERSIAL.
HOW DID SHE PULL THAT OFF?
>> IT WAS OBVIOUS TO PEOPLE WHO
SAW HER AND HEARD HER SPEAK AND
WATCH THE WAY SHE BEHAVED, SHE
BEHAVED WITH A CERTAIN DIGNITY
AND GRACE BEFITTING THE WIFE OF
A PUBLIC FIGURE AND THE WIFE OF
A PRESIDENT COME OUT LATER THE
MOTHER OF A PRESIDENT, SO SHE
HAD THAT QUALITY WHICH I THINK
PEOPLE RESPECTED AND SHE ALSO
HAD AN OBVIOUS GOODWILL.
I THINK THAT SHONE THROUGH IN A
WAY THAT WAS UNMISTAKABLE.
PEOPLE SAW THOSE THINGS IN HER
AND SHE NEVER STRUCK A FALSE
NOTE.
THERE WAS A MOMENT DURING THE
1988 CAMPAIGN WHEN GERALDINE
FERRARO, EXCUSE ME, I GUESS IT
WAS DURING THE 1984 CAMPAIGN
WHEN HER HUSBAND HAD DEBATED
GERALDINE FOR
ALDO AGAINST WALTER MONDALE AND
SHE SAID THAT GERALDINE FERRARO
CAME ACROSS AS SOMEBODY WHO
COULD BE RUNNING WITH RICH.
THAT WAS IMMEDIATELY TAKEN TO
MEAN "BITCH" ," BUT SHE MEANT
WHICH.
PEOPLE QUICKLY FORGAVE HER FOR
THAT, AND SHE WENT ON TO BECOME
WELL-LIKED AND POPULAR.
YOU NEVER HAD THE FEELING ABOUT
HER THAT IF YOU HAD YOUR SHIRT
ON TALKED OR YOU WERE A LITTLE
OUT OF ORDER THAT SHE WOULDN'T
NOTICE.
I REMEMBER BEING AT A STATE
DINNER, THE CUSTOM AS ALWAYS IF
YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE
WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS, THERE'S
A CERTAIN NUMBER OF TICKETS AND
I GOT TO GO TO ONE AT ONE TIME
IN MY DINNER PARTNER WAS A
RETIRED TENNIS PRO WHO IS A
FRONT OF THE BUSH FAMILY AND SHE
HAD ON THIS VERY SHORT GOLD
EVENING DRESS AND WORD REACH ME
PRETTY QUICKLY THAT MRS. BUSH
WAS NOT AMUSED BY THE DRESS.
I THOUGHT IT WAS WONDERFUL.
>> Tucker: HER SON WOULD GO
ONE AT SOME LENGTH ABOUT WHAT A
FEROCIOUS FIGURE SHE WAS AND YOU
KNEW HER IN WASHINGTON COVERING
THE FAMILY IN FLORIDA AND ALSO
IN MAINE, YOU SPENT A LOT OF
TIME AROUND DIFFERENT PARTS OF
THE BUSH FAMILY.
SHE WAS AT THE CENTER OF IT,
KIND OF A REMARKABLE FAMILY.
WHAT WAS HER ROLE IN THE FAMILY?
>> OBVIOUSLY, SHE'S THE
MATRIARCH BECAUSE SHE IS THE
MOTHER, THE GRANDMOTHER, THE
WIFE OF THE PRESIDENT.
SHE WAS STRONG, NOT MELLOW IN
THE WAY HER HUSBAND WAS.
THOSE BOYS -- SHE WAS STARCHY,
DIGNIFIED, ARISTOCRATIC, ALMOST
THINGS.
PEOPLE LOVED HER.
YOU COULD SAY IN THIS POLITICAL
ATMOSPHERE THAT THEY LOVED HER
IN SPITE OF THAT.
>> Tucker: YOU WONDER IF
THERE'S A SPACE FOR SOMEONE LIKE
THAT IN MODERN AMERICAN LIFE.
>> I THINK SO.
IF YOU BEHAVE WITH GRACE AND
DIGNITY AND DECORUM AND OBVIOUS
GOODWILL, PEOPLE WILL RESPECT
THAT.
SHE ALSO HAD THAT COUNTENANCE
WITH THE WHITE HAIR WHICH SHE
HAD FROM QUITE A YOUNG AGE, I
GUESS IT WAS HER HUSBAND WHO
DUBBED HER THE SILVER FOX.
SHE WAS KNOWN TO MANY PEOPLE BY
THAT.
SHE LIVES THAT PART.
SHE WAS QUITE A FIGURE.
SHE'S A REAL LOSS TO THE COUNTRY
AND I CAN ONLY THINK ABOUT HOW
HER HUSBAND MUST BE FEELING
TONIGHT BECAUSE THEY WERE SO
CLOSE, TUCKER.
I DIDN'T SEE A LOT OF THEM IN
RECENT YEARS, BUT WHEN THEY WERE
TOGETHER, THEY WERE ALWAYS
HOLDING HANDS.
SHE HAD PORTABLE OXYGEN THE LAST
SEVERAL TIMES I SAW HER, SHE WAS
GETTING AROUND AS BEST SHE COULD
AND OF COURSE, HE'S QUITE ILL
AND IS BELIEVED BY THE FAMILY TO
BE IN THE LATTER STAGES OF HIS
LIFE.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT WASN'T HIS
BIT ABOUT MANY PEOPLE OUTSIDE
THE FAMILY THAT SHE WOULD
PREDECEASE HIM AS HAS NOW
HAPPENED, BUT I CAN ONLY IMAGINE
THE LOSS HE'S FEELING TONIGHT.
ALL OF OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO HIM
AND THE WEST REST OF THE BS
AND THE WEST REST OF THE BH
AND THE WEST REST OF THE BF
AND THE WEST REST OF THE BM
AND THE WEST REST OF THE BL
AND THE WEST REST OF THE B.
>> Tucker: WERE LOOKING AT
PICTURES INSIDE OF THE BUSH
FAMILY HOME OUTSIDE IN TEXAS.
WE JUST SAW BARBARA BUSH WITH
HER FAMOUS SPRINGER SPANIEL.
SHE WAS A GREAT LOVER OF
SPRINGER SPANIEL SPARED ONE OF
THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT HER OR
ANYONE, BUT I HAVE TO SAY SHE
WAS WITH HER HUSBAND ALL THE
TIME, SHE TRAVELED WITH HIM.
WHAT WAS HER POLITICAL
SENSIBILITY?
SHE MUST OF HAD A SENSE OF IT
BEING AROUND HER WHOLE LIFE.
>> SHE HAD A PET ISSUE,
LITERACY, SHE HAD A NUMBER OF
CAUSES SHE SUPPORTED, LITERACY
WAS THE ONE THAT WAS MOST
CONSPICUOUS AND I WENT TO BE THE
EMCEE AT THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF
PEARL HARBOR A YEAR AGO LAST
DECEMBER AND THAT WAS AT THE
BUSH LIBRARY, BUSH 41 LIBRARY IN
TEXAS AND THE FIRST NIGHT WE