Many government and private offices are closed today to memorialize Bush 41. I have read many salutes and some pretty nasty comments about him this week. I always liked him, as a man but thought his Yale education and privileged background resulted in views on society, philosophy and politics that I did not share.

I was a corporate hack in the old school tradition and he was very much like the people in our company that I dealt with every day. Our top management was drawn mostly from old, sometimes famous Pittsburgh families that went to Ivy League schools, belonged to private clubs and were consciously civil. Bush personified manners and civility. He was fair and respectful of others and wanted to make them comfortable in his presence. He was a gentleman. He liked golf but thought the game too slow if you fretted about it so he played at a feverish pace. He liked boats and dogs. No matter how much his views were different from mine, I still liked him. My current list of people like this is very short because most are dead and it is no longer a part of our culture to behave in a civil manner.


I know that we want more in a President but that doesn't mean that we should totally trash those that don't measure up because most of them haven't. I always fear that the American public and media creates an environment that anyone worthy would reject the idea of making their good life miserable by leading the rabble out of their cesspool.