Bob Dole rose out of his wheelchair, with some assistance, to stand and salute his old World War II veteran friend and 1988 presidential rival,…
Bob Dole rose out of his wheelchair, with some assistance, to stand and salute his old World War II veteran friend and 1988 presidential rival, the late President George H. W. Bush.
The former GOP Kansas senator was one of thousands who paid their respects to the 41st president on Tuesday in the Capitol Rotunda.
Sports legends Peyton Manning, Phil Mickelson, Chris Evert, Mike Krzyzewski and Albert Pujols paid tribute as well. And Sully H. W. Bush, the former president’s service dog who’s become a social media star, laid down in front of the flag-draped casket.
Bush’s life and legacy consumed the nation’s capital for a second day, as leading political figures, foreign dignitaries, lawmakers and family members honored the former naval aviator who rose through the ranks of political power to become commander in chief.
There also were thousands of everyday Americans who braved hours-long lines in frigid weather to honor Bush under the soaring dome of the Capitol. People like the Frechette family of Trumbull, Conn., who hopped in their car at 3 a.m. on Tuesday and drove five hours straight to Washington.
Mike Frechette and Meimei Zou pulled their 7-year-old daughter Zoe out of school, telling her second-grade teacher she was heading to the Capitol for a history lesson. Her 3-year-old brother, William, sitting in a stroller, made the trip as well.
“I think history is going to be pretty kind to George Bush,” said Frechette, who met and received an autographed book from the former president years ago while working in Beijing. “You’d be hard-pressed to find a more qualified president, and it’s refreshing, almost nostalgic, to where we are today.”
“I signed his condolence book: ‘I hope his spirit is still with us to guide us in the future.’ I think we need a little bit of that,” Frechette said.
Margaret Stout, who lives in Columbia, Mo., said she voted for Bush in 1988 and regretted that he wasn’t elected to a second term. She paid tribute alongside family members who live in the D.
