A divided Washington led by the nation’s five living presidents put on a
facade of unity Wednesday at the poignant state funeral of George H.W.
Bush, as America bade farewell to its 41st president.
Donald and Melania Trump shared a front row pew at Washington
National Cathedral with past presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton,
Jimmy Carter and their wives as an honour guard brought Bush’s
flag-draped casket into the packed prayer hall.
But the show of unity was only a facade as Trump snubbed the Clintons as he shook hands when he arrived.
Since Bush’s death, Trump has traded his usual provocative posture
for one of respect and solemnity, tweeting before heading to the
cathedral about “a day of celebration for a great man.”
Trump arrived and promptly shook hands with Obama and former first
lady Michelle Obama. But his greetings stopped there, as he failed to
acknowledge Hillary Clinton, his defeated Democratic rival in 2016.
Clinton sat stone faced, looking straight ahead, and the pair did not make eye contact.
“He was born with just two settings — full throttle, then sleep,” Bush said.
“To us, his was the brightest of a thousand points of light,” he
added in reference to his father’s signature call to volunteerism.
“When the history books are written, they will say that George H.W. Bush was a great president of the United States.”
Bush’s eulogy followed an uplifting performance by Irish tenor Ronan
Tynan — a friend of Bush who sang to the president in his dying hours.
Wednesday’s state funeral caps a day-long homage that saw Bush lie in state for two days in the US Capitol rotunda.
Other dignitaries in the cathedral included Britain’s Prince Charles,
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Polish president Lech Walesa,
former vice presidents Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney, Al Gore and Joe Biden,
and former secretaries of state James Baker, Colin Powell and
Condoleezza Rice.
Wednesday was a day of precision, patriotic ritual, and ceremony.
George W. Bush and wife Laura stood stoically outside the US Capitol as
an honor guard carried his father’s flag-draped casket to the hearse.
In a show of respect, Pennsylvania Avenue was lined with well-wishers
as the cortege proceeded toward the Neo-Gothic cathedral in the first
presidential funeral since Gerald Ford died in late 2006.
Earlier, tens of thousands of Americans had quietly filed in to the
Capitol to pay their respects to a man who steered the nation through
turbulent times including the end of the Cold War — and in a style
dramatically different to the combative current president.
Trump’s ascendancy to the head of the Republican Party saw him
exchange vitriolic attacks with the Bushes, notably slamming the
presidential son’s 2003 invasion of Iraq as “one of the worst decisions
in the history of our country.”
But he has taken pains to demonstrate unity since Bush’s death, and
made a low-key visit to the Capitol late Monday with First Lady Melania
Trump to salute Bush’s casket.
Trump declared Wednesday a national day of mourning. Many federal offices are closed along with Wall Street stock markets.
Congress also suspended votes — even in the midst of a looming
potential shutdown that requires congressional action before midnight
Friday.
Bush was a decorated World War II aviator who nearly lost his life when he was shot down on a bombing mission.
He served as a congressman, envoy to China and ambassador to the
United Nations, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and vice
president to Ronald Reagan before winning the White House.
At a time of extraordinary and deep political fissures, Bush was
looked to this week as a gracious servant of country who aimed to bridge
the political divide.
Bush “was America’s last great soldier statesman,” presidential historian Jon Meacham told the guests.
“His life code, as he said, was tell the truth, don’t blame people,
be strong, do your best, try hard, forgive, stay the course.”
After the Washington service, Bush’s casket was flown back to
Houston. The former head of state will lie in repose at St Martin’s
Episcopal Church, where the Bushes worshipped for decades, until
Thursday’s funeral.
He will be interred at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library
Centre in College Station, Texas, next to his wife, who died in April,
and their daughter Robin who died of leukemia at age three.
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