On the recordDecember 4, 2018
I rise today to recognize former President George H.W. Bush, and I want to thank my colleague Senator Portman from Ohio for those personal memories. I now will always remember that baseball story. It is an example of what he stood for, and that is that he actually cared that there were people of both parties who would sign that baseball. I want to thank Senator Portman for carrying on that torch of working across the aisle. President Bush dedicated his entire life to the United States. His first service was as a decorated Navy pilot, as we know, who risked his life during World War II and in 1944 was shot down in the Pacific. That selfless sacrifice was not enough. He went on to spend 40 years in public service as a Congressman from Texas, as an Ambassador to the United Nations, as U.S. Envoy to China, as Director of the CIA, and then, of course, as Vice President and then as President. He wore so many hats during his time in service, but through it all he was a true statesman who treated both his friends and his rivals with grace and dignity. He also viewed the world through the lens of history, which was often the guiding force in his approach to diplomacy in dealing with the rest of the world.…
