UA hosts former president
Bailey McBride
Issue date: 4/8/09 Section: News
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"There can be no definition of a successful life that does not include service," Bush said. "The lives you are able to touch are their own reward."
Bush, who has had a career built on public service, drew on many personal examples as he spoke to the nearly 4,000 members of the UA campus and surrounding area.
He recalled a time when he was the captain of his college soccer team and had called home to tell his mother about the three goals he scored in a single game.
"I remember my mother said to me, 'That's great, George, but how did the team do?' and those words have stuck with me ever since," Bush said. His mother's advice was mentioned multiple times, as Bush related the values he had grown up with to lessons he assumed most students in the audience had learned from their parents - to "help others, be fair and honest, and to sometimes give the other guy credit."
The former president referred to the battle for young minds as one of the key struggles the nation is facing, as he discussed the need for students to "get involved in the process, get off the sidelines and take a personal stake in making someone's life better."
Bush's own history of public service is extensive. He spent time serving as a Texas state representative, as vice president under President Ronald Reagan, and as president, which he referred to as his "high honor," serving a single term from 1989 to 1993.
Bush, a Yale graduate, also was also a decorated soldier in the Navy who flew combat missions during World War II, director of the CIA and an adjunct professor at Rice University.
Bush took time in his presentation to praise UA institutions and programs that help foster service in the community and around the nation, mentioning specifically the Volunteer Action Center, Alternative Spring Break, Make a Difference Day and the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement. He used this as a segue to talk about how he and former President Bill Clinton had joined together to work on relief after Hurricane Ike - service is not a partisan issue, he said.
Through the question and answer session during which the former president fielded questions from the student body, Bush was able to share his views on many pertinent issues currently facing the country.
On the topic of health care reform, Bush suggested that he didn't want to see a decline in the quality of health care being provided.
And Bush's remark on the future of the Republican Party was simple and direct - "What goes around comes around."
Speakers for the Distinguished Lecture Series are chosen by the Distinguished Lectures Committee, which is composed of student representatives, faculty and staff. The distinguished lecturers are brought to campus through student activity fees and funding provided by the Associated Student Government and the university.
Past lecturers have included Benazir Bhutto, Ehud Barak, Robert Redford, Anderson Cooper and Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
After wishing President Barack Obama the best of luck, Bush said that "names and faces have changed, but the challenges remain the same. The call to greatness is going out to you - how will you answer it?"
Q&A
Former President George H. W. Bush answered questions from several UA students Monday in a private session in the Law Courtroom. Though the former president's presentation that night in Barnhill offered advice for students and an insight into his background, the private question and answer segment hit on more detailed and public issues dealing with politics.
Q: Do you feel you made the right decision invading Iraq in the Gulf War?
A: It was the right decision at the time ... we wanted to get rid of Hussein because of his invasion of Kuwait. We wanted to kick him out. When my son was president, he faced different circumstances and had more aggressive action. But even those who think that was wrong don't want to see Saddam Hussein sitting in power.
Q: What is your opinion on your son's No Child Left Behind policy?
A: I am for it. That educational program is the best thing they did, and it even started out with support from the other side of the aisle... There is accountability with the program and it develops quality education.
Q: What is your opinion on President Obama's economic stimulus budget?
A: It blows my mind. It's so big, like we're spending a trillion on this and a trillion on that... It troubles me that the government is running businesses. I hope the program succeeds, but I don't know where the money comes from. I am not dealing day in and day out, so I can't be a very good critic. I am worried about the government intervening in day-to-day operations.
Q: Which former president do you admire the most?
A: Lincoln. Teddy Roosevelt was a doer and an activist, and Eisenhower because he served in World War II, but I have to say Lincoln because of the way he preserved the Union.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
chris
posted 4/08/09 @ 8:59 AM CST
Hey Bailey,
"Bush, a Yale graduate, also was also a decorated soldier in the Navy who flew combat missions during World War II, director of the CIA and an adjunct professor at Rice University. (Continued…)
Dominic
posted 4/10/09 @ 11:38 AM CST
If you're going to post the "questions" that were asked please post the correct question... I did not ask if he felt it was right for him to invade Iraq. (Continued…)
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