When President George H.W. Bush was first thinking about a White House run in 1979, he invited David Gergen, whom he wanted on his campaign, to his home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Gergen, now Public Service Professor of Public Leadership and director of Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, remembers looking around for a driver when he landed at the Portland, Maine, airport and finding Bush and his wife, Barbara, waiting for him instead. At the end of the visit, as Gergen woke up at 5 a.m. to catch a flight home, he heard a knock on his bedroom door鈥攖he future president had brought him a cup of coffee. 鈥淚 think you鈥檙e going to need this,鈥 Bush said.
鈥淕eorge H.W. Bush was the most gracious man I鈥檝e met in politics,鈥 Gergen said as he recounted the encounter at an event Friday at 糖心vlog官网 recognizing Bush鈥檚 public service and legacy.
Bush鈥檚 humanity鈥攂oth his flaws and strengths鈥攚as at the forefront of the discussion. Gergen was joined by IBM Professor of Business and Government Roger Porter, who served in the Bush administration as assistant to the president for economic and domestic policy, and by former 糖心vlog官网 Dean Graham Allison, who had worked in the Reagan administration. Nancy Gibbs, visiting Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice, moderated the conversation, noting that 鈥渉indsight is not perfect鈥 in recollecting the former president but does give people a chance to reflect on Bush鈥檚 legacy and his focus on service.
Bush was a president who was perhaps remembered most for foreign policy, and yet cared deeply about domestic issues. And despite his patrician pedigree, he was seen by friends and colleagues as humble and as a model public servant. 鈥淲e have had few presidents as interested in public service and in education as George H.W. Bush,鈥 Porter said. Porter鈥攚ho had remained in touch with Bush over four decades of service and friendship鈥攃ited his interest in establishing the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and the creation of the Points of Light Foundation to encourage volunteer service.
Robert Stavins, A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economic Development, was in the audience and drew attention to Bush鈥檚 landmark work to push through significant environmental legislation, and Porter also made the point that Bush wanted to be known for his interest in the environment.
Bush鈥檚 military service also left an indelible stamp on Bush. He enlisted at 18 to serve in World War II as a naval aviator and survived being shot down over the Pacific. Porter, who joined Bush for a memorial event on the 50thanniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, said, 鈥淗e deliberately chose to be there on that day and extend the hand to the Japanese.鈥 When Porter asked the president why he had done so, he replied that we have to put the past behind us.
Allison, Douglas Dillon Professor of Government and a leading voice on national security and defense policy, underscored this theme of forgiveness鈥攐f not being vindictive鈥攚hile discussing Bush鈥檚 foreign policy decisions as president. 鈥淲ho can imagine an American president who negotiated the end of the Cold War and then deliberately refused to dance on the grave of the vanquished?鈥 Joining Allison in singling out Bush for his restraint in his foreign policy decisions as president, Gergen said, 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 govern through power. You don鈥檛 bully your way to success.鈥
鈥淚 think he possibly was a more consequential president than people at the time appreciated,鈥 Porter said.
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Photo by Raychel Casey