Most people are multifaceted and capable of astounding grace, class and dignity, even if they’ve also done terrible things politically or socially. I’m not a fan of George W. Bush and I could go on and on about how his presidency destroyed the country before Trump, but this week, I’m not going to start. He’s just a man grieving for his father, and Dubya is doing the best he can.
I’m also going to say this, knowing that many disagree: I do think it’s charming that W. Bush and Michelle Obama are so friendly. He flat-out adores her, and she always has nice things to say about him too. At John McCain’s memorial service in Washington in September, a small moment between Michelle and Dubya went viral: he furtively passed her a piece of candy, like they were both naughty schoolkids who were going to get in trouble if anyone caught them. At his father’s funeral service in Washington yesterday, W. Bush did it again. After he greeted the Trumps and Barack Obama with handshakes, he once again passed a piece of candy to Michelle:
Former U.S. President George W. Bush slipped Michelle Obama another treat at his father’s funeral, just as he did months ago at John McCain’s funeral pic.twitter.com/qg9J8DHZ6x
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) December 5, 2018
It says to me that Bush was aware of how that moment from McCain’s memorial went viral, and he also knows that his connection to the Obamas helps his legacy too. But mostly, I just think he’s sweet on Michelle. Here’s Dubya’s eulogy for his father:
Beyond the candy moment, George HW Bush’s funeral was a hotbed of political gossip. Barack Obama is still so well-received by everyone, even hardcore Republicans (even Dick Cheney seems to like him). Donald Trump made the effort to shake hands with both Obamas (Michelle looked disgusted), and Hillary Clinton flat-out ignored the fat fascist.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
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