George HW Bush, an American patriot with a deep sense of duty

Memories of a president who may have been born to rule but was a decent man living in a more civil time

It was one of those sparkling, blue-skied days typical of the American autumn. The campaign train was parked in a siding. Down at the level crossing, George HW Bush was trying to whip up enthusiasm for his 1992 presidential re-election bid among a group of sceptical South Carolinians. His was an uphill struggle, part of what the travelling press had already dubbed a “long goodbye”.

Bored by the prospect of listening to a stump speech I had heard numerous times already, I wandered down the tracks. Walking towards me, wearing a heavy coat despite the sunshine, came a face I knew. It was Brent Scowcroft, Bush’s national security adviser, also taking a quiet break from the fray. Scowcroft was a formidable figure, a cold war veteran and senior official under Nixon and Ford.

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from US news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2DVWrqb