Beto O’Rourke Says President Bush Will Be Remembered For ‘Leadership, His Decency & His Essential Kindness’

Former President George H.W. Bush died last night, and many leaders have spoken out about the man and his legacy. Texas Democratic Representative, Beto O’Rourke honored Bush as a leader who managed to put country before party, which is something that many leaders in the United States fail to do these days.

According to a report from the Hill, the recent Texas candidate for U.S. senate said that Bush “will be missed and long remembered for his leadership, his decency, and his essential kindness.”

O’Rourke went on to say the former president “served his country in so many ways. Made public service about country, and America’s responsibility in the world, less about party.”

Former president George W. Bush announced the death of his father late Friday night. In his announcement, the 43rd president lauded his father as “a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for.” After he announced the sad news, the tributes and praise like O’Rourke’s for the 41st president of the United States poured in.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump released a statement, which Twitter felt somebody else wrote, according to Inquisitr. Trump’s announcement read, “Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service — to be, in his words, ‘a thousand points of light’ illuminating the greatness, hope, and opportunity of America to the world.”

George H.W. Bush will be missed and long remembered for his leadership, his decency & his essential kindness. Served his country in so many ways. Made public service about country, and America’s responsibility in the world, less about party. Our thoughts are with the Bush family.

— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) December 1, 2018

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama also released a statement, which he posted to Twitter, that said, “America has lost a patriot and humble servant… While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude. Not merely for the years he spent as our forty-first President, but for the more than 70 years he spent in devoted service to the country he loved.”

O’Rourke is poised for a possible 2020 presidential run after losing narrowly in Texas to Ted Cruz in November. According to the Star Tribune, The New Hampshire Young Democrats invited O’Rourke to the site of the nation’s first primary, and Iowa Democrats have extended an offer, as well. For now, the representative has not made a decision about a presidential run, and has said he will decide after his term in the U.S. House ends in January. He, like many across the political landscape, shared in the country’s grief at losing a former president.