July 12, 2011

President George W. Bush escorting Nancy Reagan at the funeral for Betty Ford.

Photographs ##1 and 14 in this slideshow.

AND: Bush has an intense 7-minute conversation with Hillary before the funeral begins. Meanwhile, Nancy sits silently on his other side, and Michelle sits silently on Hillary's other side. Bush, hanging with the First Ladies... and giving all his attention to Hillary.

37 comments:

rhhardin said...

No fair using good character against Obama.

Mel said...

I miss dubya'...tear, tear.

m stone said...

Typical gracious, ingratiating George Bush.

Some people have it. Too many do not.

coketown said...

I wonder what subliminal effect the advertisements between slides--"Obama 2012: Are you in?"--has on most people. I know the campaign has nothing to do with it, but my immediate reaction was, "Wow, how tacky." Must be one of those auto-generated algorithm things. Keywords: Reagan; Bush; Michelle Obama; Hilary Clinton. Up pops a DNC ad.

David said...

My favorite part was the pop up ad to reelect Obama every 15 seconds. Classy.

Roman said...

While there are many things I did not like that W did, I really do miss him. I never doubted that what he did was because he thought it was the right thing to do.

Ann Althouse said...

I clicked through too quickly to see the ads.

The Crack Emcee said...

Every time Georgie Boy shows his face, we're reminded there's a real world out there.

The problem, at times like this, is I can't decide if we've left it behind, or it's waiting for us,...

coketown said...

The problem, at times like this, is I can't decide if we've left it behind, or it's waiting for us,...

Yeah, hmm, thank you Emcee Chopra.

edutcher said...

I think that's all there was to the ads.

As to Dubya, class always shines through. A real gentleman. And a gentle man, very solicitous of Mrs Reagan, it appeared.

Interesting position of Mrs O and Hillary with Dubya in the background in that one shot. They look like they can't get out of there fast enough.

Presumably, Michelle is looking forward to another burger. Abstinence is for the little people.

Zero probably had the same look awarding the Ranger the Medal of Honor.

Irene said...

I like it when people wear white to a funeral.

madAsHell said...

George Bush. An Officer and a Gentleman!!

Where the hell were Nancy's kids? Too busy promoting their tell all books?

Known Unknown said...

I dare people who hate Bush to watch this and not think a little differently about the man.

His syntax is often derided, and rightly so, but when he gets on the subject of freedom and liberation and democracy, his teleprompter-free remarks are incredibly lucid and genuine.

Michael K said...

She was at the Rumsfeld book signing at the Reagan LIbrary I attended. She is a hardy little trooper. I'm trying to remember her escort at the event.

Michael K said...

I was not a big fan of Bush when he was president but the difference in class is simply amazing. I doubt Obama even realizes this.

coketown said...

Everybody looked great. Nancy really stole the show in her white ensemble (apologies to Betty). Whoever did Michelle's makeup deserves a Nobel prize: finally some finesse without looking like Scary Spice. But why were the ladies all without husbands? Maria I understand, but Hilary and Michelle are still hitched.

Overall good show. Can't wait for the next one.

The Crack Emcee said...

Coketown,

Yeah, hmm, thank you Emcee Chopra.

Ooooh, Coketown, you really know how to hurt a guy,..

Carol_Herman said...

You know, this is the first time I've seen Nancy Reagan in a white suit.

She looks stunning!

But before, she always stuck to red. Didn't have to.

Carol_Herman said...

Talking of class, I still remember Officer Crowley. Invited to Obama's beer "conference." And, he's the only one who turns to help the old Professor Gates down the steps.

You don't have to be president to have class.

But the stupid party's lucky. Imagine if obama had talent? And, imagine if he had class?

Carol_Herman said...

Coketown, Bill would have been there. But his plane had engine trouble.

Meanwhile, Maria Shriver's black outfit looked out of place.

Mutaman said...

I've had my differences with W but I admit, I miss him too. I miss the way he turned the budget surplus into a masive deficit, the way he led the economy to the brink of colapse, the way destroyed New Orleans, captured Bin Laden, ignored a clear warning of the 9/11 attack, misplaced those WMDs, and led us into two disastrous military quagmires.

Memories
May be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget

sakredkow said...

I think it's a tough moment. When the President wants to speak that even trumps God.

Ralph L said...

Still blaming W for a hurricane, faulty levees, and an incompetent mayor and governor?

Ralph L said...

Plus people too stupid to move when they live below sea level.

Penny said...

Living Ex-Presidents have the luxury of being gentlemen to First Ladies who knew they were never first.

I suspect it makes them all feel better about themselves, and I whole-heartedly approve.

edutcher said...

Mutaman said...

I've had my differences with W but I admit, I miss him too. I miss the way he turned the budget surplus into a masive deficit, the way he led the economy to the brink of colapse, the way destroyed New Orleans, captured Bin Laden, ignored a clear warning of the 9/11 attack, misplaced those WMDs, and led us into two disastrous military quagmires.

No surplus, Willie was never out of deficit.

Collapse was Willie's, too; subprime mortgages are all his.

Thank Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco for NOLA.

Willie could have had bin Laden on a silver platter, but he was too busy misdirecting attention away from Monica. And the warning was clear as mud.

WMDs were there - Wikileaks.

Ah, yes, the quagmires, unlike Libya. Iraq was such a disaster, people say we've won there and Little Zero has micromanaged A-stan, you know, what the Demos called the "real" War on Terror, into its current state.

Mutaman needs to get his head out of his Kos and look at the facts, but that would only confuse him.

Cincinnatus said...

Mutamen, classless how you wrote a comment in which every clause was a falsehood.

Unknown said...

Michelle walked in smiling and waving like she was walking into a TV studio. Not too classy.

Anonymous said...

Hey Mutaman: do you think that three years in the Carter presidency, people were still bitching about Ford and Nixon? I bet they were. Hell, I bet you were.

Cedarford said...

I imagine that Bush and Hillary would not be talking shop, but of memories they had of encounters with Betty and Gerald Ford.
Bush generally liked Hillary and Bill. His Mom famously did not like Hillary so much...while HW Bush and Bill Clinton seriously like one another and Bill has stayed in Maine with HW on vacation or a stopover in his travels on several occasions.

Maybe though, outside funerals, both have talked a little shop and without saying it ...might have a mutual understanding that both agree Hillary would have been a better President than Obama or McCain. Something maybe said by HW Bush over a Clinton-Bush dinner at Kennybunkport just to get a reaction from Bill and Barbara Bush....
==================
AS for why all the former Presidents and leaders of Congress etc were "missing from where they should have been"...there are no protocols for spouses of high elected officials to be attended to by dignitaries.
And quite plausible that President Obama had other duties (better he be in DC working or trying to work on the budget rather than funeral-going) and Barbara and HW Bush may be a little travel-restricted these days.

Jose_K said...

the way he led the economy to the brink of colapse,? Fannie mae and Fredia mac problems began with Clinton
the way destroyed New Orleans, the mayor and Blanco are to blame for that,
captured Bin Laden,it began in 2006 at Guantanamo

ignored a clear warning of the 9/11 attack, Clinton was president when the signal began
misplaced those WMDs,they are in Syria, where taken out before the invasion. The french, italian , and british provided information about Saddam buying yellow cake and led us into two disastrous military quagmires.? Do you refer to mission accomplish? Afganhistan? 98 countries were involved

Banshee said...

Re: funeral outfits - If a lot of women who knew the woman weren't wearing black, she probably had told people while alive that she wanted people not to wear black at her funeral. Mrs. Ford seems like that kind of person; and I doubt Mrs. Reagan would have worn white without some kind of previous fashion ukase from the lady.

Banshee said...

It looks like a conversation about the deceased. Hillary really seems to be grieving pretty hard, and Bush is cheering her up by remembering funny stuff Mrs. Ford did. I've seen those expressions before at too many funerals to mistake them.

She has few unguarded moments like this, but she seems very likable during those moments. Good for Bush for drawing her out.

Banshee said...

Yup, a sprinkling of ladies wearing white. Obviously it was commanded, but obviously not everybody did it.

I'm really surprised Maria Shriver doesn't have a "standard funeral black outfit" to wear. She's from a big family; she must go to political funerals all the time, too. Maybe she spilled something on her usual suit.

Trooper York said...

W and Hillary are part of the permanent ruling class. W much more than Hill but her family (as opposed to Bills) was part of it too.

The Obama's are just too arrogant to want to do the right thing for anyone. For Betty Ford. For the Queen of England. For America.

Diane said...

Say what you will about his policies and politics, Bush is a true gentleman.

Mutaman said...

He's a not very bright, rich man's son.