The funeral is today in Washington, D.C. for the 41st president of the United States. East-central Missouri Republican Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer says history will remember President George H.W. Bush fondly.
“As time goes by, it gets a little kinder to everybody because suddenly the emotions of the moment passed and you’re able to look at things without that jaded eye and you realize the great things that he (Bush) did and how he did them and the way that he did them. I think history is going to judge him very fairly,” Luetkemeyer tells Missourinet affiliate KWIX in Moberly.
Bush served as a Texas congressman, ambassador and CIA director, before becoming vice president and president. Luetkemeyer says one of Bush’s strengths was in foreign relations.
“China was just beginning to sort of flex its muscles a little bit. President Nixon kind of opened the door to them,” Luetkemeyer says. “Bush kind of was the one who pushed the door open and was able to then bring them onto the world stage as a country we could negotiate with. Obviously, at that point in time, Russia was still the kingpin of international bad guys, as far as we’re concerned. Bush was somebody who understood international relationships.”
He says Mr. Bush had the ability to develop strong relationships with international leaders.
“He was an ambassador of the United Nations. He understood a lot of the idiosyncrasies of some of the different individuals who are running these countries,” Luetkemeyer says. “Sometimes it’s not necessarily the country. You’ve got to know the person who’s running it.”
Bush served as president from 1989 to 1993.
Meanwhile, Missourians will not receive mail today and the U.S. financial markets will be closed. Today has been declared as a national day of mourning to recognize the death of Bush.
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