ADVISOR TO
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, AND
JUAN WILLIAMS JOINING US NOW.
JUAN, I WANT TO START WITH YOU.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE BIPARTISAN
APPEAL OF BUSH 41, AND HE WORKED
ACROSS THE AISLE, AND HE WAS
WILLING TO COMPROMISE TO GET
THINGS DONE.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON HIM TONIGHT?
>> Juan: THE EMOTION FLOWS OUT
OF ME BECAUSE I WAS THE
WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT DURING
THE REAGAN YEARS, AND ONE OF MY
JOBS WAS TO TRAVEL AROUND THE
COUNTRY WITH GEORGE W. BUSH,
ESPECIALLY IN THE '84 CYCLE WHEN
PRESIDENT REAGAN WAS UP FOR
REELECTION.
AS YOU HAVE HEARD, THEY WEREN'T
PARTICULARLY CLOSE, BUT
GEORGE H.W. BUSH WAS A GREAT,
GREAT EMISSARY FOR THE REAGAN
ADMINISTRATION, BECAUSE HE HAD
BEEN HEAD OF THE REPUBLICAN
NATIONAL COMMITTEE.
SO HE KNEW PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE
COUNTRY IN EVERY STATE, HE COULD
TELL ME NAMES OF PEOPLE IN AN
UNBELIEVABLE FASHION.
JUST INCREDIBLE.
AND WE WOULD SIT TOGETHER, AND I
REMEMBER ONE THING HE TOLD ME,
SHANNON, WAS THAT I SHOULD WRITE
NOTES TO PEOPLE.
HE WOULD WRITE NOTES, FIVE AND
TEN NOTES A DAY OUT OF HABIT,
JUST TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH
PEOPLE.
CERTAINLY WITH ALL THE PROMINENT
REPUBLICANS AROUND THE COUNTRY,
BUT HE WOULD WRITE TO FRIENDS
AND PEOPLE, AND EVERYBODY WOULD
RESPOND TO HIM, NOT AS THE
VICE PRESIDENT AT THE TIME, BUT
AS GEORGE H.W. BUSH, SOMEBODY
THAT THEY KNEW AND FELT A VERY
PERSONAL CONNECTION TO.
WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE TO TRAVEL
WITH HIM, TO TALK WITH HIM, I
WAS SO -- TO THIS DAY, SO
IMPRESSED WITH HIM, AMONG ALL
THE POLITICIANS I HAVE EVER MET,
BECAUSE HE WAS NOT ONLY A WAR
HERO, BUT REMEMBER, HE HAD BEEN
OUR FIRST ENVOY SENT BY
RICHARD NIXON TO CHINA.
WHEN I WENT TO THE OLYMPICS, I
GUESS IT WAS 2008 IN CHINA, I
REMEMBER TALKING TO HIM ABOUT
CHINA, AND REMEMBER, HIS SON,
GEORGE W. BUSH, SPENT A LOT OF
TIME IN CHINA BECAUSE HIS DAD
HAD BEEN THERE AS THE ENVOY.
AND THEN OF COURSE HE GOES ON
AND HEADS THE CIA, THE
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE,
VICE PRESIDENT, HAVING
PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS A
CONGRESSMAN, AND THEN PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES.
I DON'T THINK WE SEE, IF YOU
LOOK AT IT IN HISTORICAL TERMS,
ANYBODY WITH THAT LEVEL OF
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMITMENT,
EXPERIENCE, AND, AS I SAID TO
YOU, THE GREATEST MEASURE WOULD
BE HIS PERSONAL CONNECTION TO
PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY REPUBLICANS
COME ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
PEOPLE IN THE PARTY,
HARDWORKING, TO BUILD PARTY
STRUCTURE THROUGHOUT.
HE REALLY HAD THAT KIND OF
PERSONAL CONNECTION, THAT KIND
OF POLITICAL CONNECTION THAT I
THINK IS EXTRAORDINARY IN THESE
TIMES.
PEOPLE JUST LOVED HIM.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN
FOR ME TONIGHT AS I HEARD ABOUT
PRESIDENT BUSH'S DEATH AS I JUST
WENT TO THE WALL, AND I DON'T
KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE THIS, BUT I
BROUGHT WITH ME A PICTURE OF A
YOUNG VERSION OF ME, AND A
FAIRLY YOUNG VERSION OF
PRESIDENT BUSH.
AND HERE WE ARE ON WHAT WAS THEN
AIR FORCE TWO, TRAVELING AROUND
THE COUNTRY, AS I SAID, GOING TO
ALL KINDS OF PICNICS AND
FESTIVALS IN ORDER TO HELP
RONALD REAGAN WIN REELECTION IN
1984.
AND THEN RECENTLY, FIVE YEARS
AGO, I SENT HIM A NOTE AND I SAY
HE WAS SUCH A GREAT NOTE WRITER,
AND HE SENT ME BACK A NOTE.
THIS ONE CAME FROM MAINE, FROM
KENNEBUNKPORT, AND HE WROTE
ABOUT REMEMBERING THE GOOD OLD
DAYS, TRAVELING ON AIR FORCE
TWO, AS HE SAID, AND JUST WROTE
TO SOME KIND WORDS TO ME.
THIS WAS REALLY VERY SPECIAL.
THIS HANGS ON THE WALL AND MY
HOME HERE IN WASHINGTON.
THE OTHER THING THAT STRIKES ME
AT THIS MOMENT, SO EMOTIONAL
ABOUT HIM, HE WAS ONE TREMENDOUS
BASEBALL PLAYER.
HE WAS CAPTAIN OF THE YALE TEAM.
AS YOU KNOW, HIS SON WENT ON TO
OWN THE RANGERS BUT HE IS A BIG
HOUSTON ASTROS FAN TO THE END.
WE WOULD TALK BASEBALL -- NOW HE
IS A LEFT-HANDER, SHANNON.
YOU KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT
BASEBALL, I KNOW YOU WERE A
BASEBALL FAN, AND
GEORGE H.W. BUSH WAS AN
ASTUTE -- I DON'T SAY THIS
LIGHTLY, I AM NOT TRYING TO, YOU
KNOW, CELEBRATE HIM IN SOME WAY
THAT IS UNEARNED -- BUT
GEORGE H.W. BUSH COULD TELL YOU
ABOUT MAJOR-LEAGUE PLAYERS ON A
LEVEL THAT I DON'T THINK ANY
OTHER POLITICIAN I HAVE EVER MET
COULD DO.
I DON'T THINK GENERAL MANAGER
MANAGER IS GOOD TALK ABOUT
BASEBALL AND BASEBALL PLAYERS
WITH THE DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDINGO
WITH THE DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDINGF
THE GAME THAT
GEORGE H.W. BUSH HAD.
SO FOR ME, IT WAS, LIKE, PEOPLE
WOULD SAY, I WOULD COME BACK
FROM A TRIP WITH
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, AND MY WIFE
WOULD SAY, WHAT IS GOING ON, HOW
ARE YOU DOING?
I WOULD SAY, HERE'S THE LATEST
ON WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM THE
ORIOLES AND THE ASTROS AND THE
YANKEES, FROM THE VERY TOP OF
AMERICAN POLITICAL LIFE.
THIS GUY WAS SO EXTRAORDINARY,
SUCH A STATESMAN, AND SUCH A
FRIEND.
AS YOU SAID, ABLE TO WORK ACROSS
THE AISLE.
WE HAVE HEARD FROM BRET AND
CHRIS ABOUT HIS WORK WITH
BILL CLINTON, BUT YOU SHOULD
KNOW THAT EVEN RECENTLY, YOU HAD
BARACK OBAMA GOING DOWN TO
HOUSTON AND STOPPING IN TO
VISIT.