Ex-Congressman John Dingell
Ex-Congressman John Dingell
Retired Congressman John Dingell reflects affectionately on his relationship with former President George H.W. Bush, who passed away on Friday.
In The Detrroit News, the Democract writes about the Republican president:
As history will have it, George was the last president to serve in WWII and I was the last WWII veteran in Congress. Both of us understood how fragile this American democracy was and the atrocities that were occurring in the world. Both of us signed up immediately when war was declared and knew our moral responsibility to defend America and fight for the freedom of mankind.
Our friendship was forged over countless games of paddle ball, wild game dinners and intense, yet respectful, policy debates. We were from a political generation that understood delivering for the American people was more important than political wins. The success of government and good public policy is the success of hard-working men and women. Remember the note he left President Clinton on inauguration day: “You will be our president when you read this note. Your success now is our country’s success. I will be rooting hard for you.”
We were Members of Congress at a time when people got to know each other. President Bush was never too important to not spend time with his friends. We knew each other’s wives and children — some of our children dated — and we knew we all had responsibilities to each other and the constituents of their districts as well as ours.
