H.W.

“George Bush Sr., has died, and our national media have begun the familiar rituals of presidential passings: round-the-clock pieties on cable news, fond tributes from associates, the inevitable softening of the rough edges. This isn’t surprising. There’s ancient wisdom in the Latin aphorism de mortuis nil nisi bonum (speak nothing but good of the dead). The urge to prettify a politician’s legacy upon his demise is understandable and in some ways reflects our finer selves.”

 
“Respect for the dead must coexist with respect for the historical record. In the case of George Bush, this balancing act means acknowledging not only his positive qualities and achievements — as so many news outlets have already copiously done — but also what may have been his defining political hallmark: his cynicism.” 

—David Greenberg, Rutgers political historian, “Is History Being Too Kind to George H.W. Bush?” Politico, Dec. 1, 2018.

• Editorial Note: We would like to remember it as a kinder and gentler America.




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