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>> WE CONTINUE TO REMEMBER THE
41ST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES, WELCOME TO "AMERICA'S
NEWS HEADQUARTERS" FROM
WASHINGTON THIS SATURDAY.
I AM LELAND VITTERT.
>> A NATION MORNING THE 41ST
PRESIDENT.
GEORGE H. W. BUSH THAT DIED
LAST NIGHT AT 94 YEARS OLD.
>> BRETT BAIER IS JOINING US, I
CAN JUST IMAGINE THE GROUP OF
FOLKS OUT THERE WHO ALL KNEW
GEORGE H. W. BUSH FROM SO MANY
DIFFERENT PARTS OF HIS
PRESIDENCY, HIS TIME AT THE
CIA, TIME IS VICE PRESIDENT,
ALL REFLECTING ON THE SAME MAN.
REPORTER: GOOD AFTERNOON.
IT IS SOMEWHAT GRATUITOUS TO BE
HERE IN THIS BACKDROP WITH THE
REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND
THE NATIONAL DEFENSE FORUM THIS
WEEKEND BECAUSE ALL OF THESE
PEOPLE AND IN SOME WAY SHAPE OR
FORM, HAD SOME CONNECTION TO
THE 41ST PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES AND AS YOU HEARD
FROM NUMEROUS PEOPLE OUT HERE,
AND ALL THE STATEMENT THAT HAVE
COME OUT THE PAST FEW HOURS
SINCE HIS PASSING, THERE IS
JUST THIS ADMIRATION, RESPECT,
HONOR TO LOOK BACK AT HIS LIFE
AND LEGACY.
OBVIOUSLY, HE WAS VICE
PRESIDENT TO PRESIDENT REAGAN.
AND SOME PEOPLE LOOKED AT THAT
AS HE WAS IN THE SHADOW OF THIS
KIND OF LARGER-THAN-LIFE
FIGURE.PRESIDENT RONALD
REAGAN.
BUT CAME INTO HIS OWN AS
PRESIDENT AND WAS HIS OWN MAN
ON A NUMBER OF FRONTS, WHEN IT
CAME TO FOREIGN POLICY,
DOMESTIC POLICY AND WAS THE
MOST EXPERIENCED PRESIDENT AS
FAR AS IN DIFFERENT JOBS THAT
WE HAVE EVER SEEN IN HISTORY OF
THIS COUNTRY.
>> CERTAINLY, THE LEGACY OF
BUSH 41 IS THAT PARTICULARLY
WHEN IT COMES TO NATIONAL
SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY.
WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE SENTIMENT
THERE IN CALIFORNIA AS YOU ARE
AROUND SO MANY LEADERS ON THAT
PARTICULAR WORLD STAGE?
>> THAT HE HAD THE ABILITY TO
LEAD WITH DIGNITY, A QUIET KIND
OF REVERENCE OF THE MILITARY.
BUT ONE IN WHICH HE WAS LEADING
WITH DIPLOMACY.
HE, PRESIDENT BUSH, WAS SOMEONE
HE REACHED UP BY PHONE, BY
LETTER TO WORLD LEADERS ALL THE
TIME.
ONE OF THE INTERESTING
EXCHANGES IS THAT WHEN THE WALL
WAS FALLING, THE BERLIN WALL,
OBVIOUSLY THE RESULTS OF A LOT
OF YEARS OF FIGHTING COMMUNISM,
PRESIDENT REAGAN AND WORLD
LEADERS AND VICE PRESIDENT
BUSH, THE WALL WAS COMING DOWN
AND MARLIN FITZWATER, AND
OTHERS PREPARE THIS BIG
VICTORIOUS SPEECH ABOUT HOW
DEMOCRACY PREVAILED OVER
COMMUNISM.
AND PRESIDENT BUSH DOES NOT
WANT TO DO THAT.
HE SAID IS THE LAST THING I
WANT TO DO.
I WANT TO RESPOND QUIETLY
BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT TO DANCE
ON THE TOP OF THE BERLIN WALL.
HE HAD A CONCERN FOR GORBACHEV
AND HOW HE WAS GOING TO REACT
AND HOW THE SOVIET UNION WAS
GOING TO REACT TO THIS MOMENT.
I THINK THAT MATURITY IN THAT
MOMENT, SHOWS YOU BASICALLY,
HIS FOREIGN POLICY, HIS FOREIGN
POLICY THOUGHTS.
LELAND: YOU TALK ABOUT THE
ADMIRATION AND RESPECT, AND
UNDERSTANDABLY SO FOR THOSE
THAT WORKED WITH HIM AND WERE
FRIENDS WITH HIM AND SERVED
WITH HIM.
IS THERE A COMMON THEME ABOUT
WHAT EARNED THE ADMIRATION AND
RESPECT IN THE REVERENCE THAT
WE ARE NOW HEARING AND SO MANY
OF THE STATEMENTS?
REPORTER: I THINK IT IS HOW HE
TREATED PEOPLE.
HE ASKED PEOPLE QUESTIONS, HE
LISTENED TO THEM.
HE WAS A VERY GOOD LISTENER.
HE TALKED TO FOLKS AND HE WROTE
PERSONAL NOTES A LOT.
HE WAS A MASTERFUL HANDWRITTEN
NOTE SENDER.
AND I THINK THAT WHAT TELLS THE
MOST ABOUT PRESIDENT GEORGE H.
W. BUSH AND ACTUALLY THIS GOES
ACROSS ALL OF THE BUSHES.
IF YOU TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE
WHITE HOUSE OR SECRET SERVICE
AGENTS IN THE DETAIL, THEY HAD
NOTHING BUT HIGH WORDS OF
PRAISE BECAUSE PRESIDENT GEORGE
H. W. BUSH ENGAGED THEM EVERY
DAY.
AND WHEN BARBARA BUSH DIED, THE
FIRST LADY, MELANIA TRUMP,
BROUGHT WITH HER TWO MEMBERS OF
THE WHITE HOUSE STAFF THAT
SERVED UNDER THE BUSH FAMILY,
GEORGE H. W. BUSH AND BARBARA
BUSH.
AND WENT TO THE FUNERAL.
IN THAT MOMENT SHOWS YOU HOW
MUCH REVERENCE AND RESPECT THE
PEOPLE WHO WORKED FOR PRESIDENT
GEORGE H. W. BUSH HAD FOR HIM.
EBONY: IN A JUST A BIT YOU HAVE
A PANEL.
YOU'RE IN CALIFORNIA OF COURSE
FOR THE REAGAN DEFENSE FORM.
YOU WILL BE WITH SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE, JAMES MATTIS.
CAN YOU GIVE US INSIGHT ON THAT
CONVERSATION?
REPORTER: IT'S A ONE-ON-ONE
CONVERSATION WITH THE DEFENSE
SECRETARY.
I WAS OUT HERE AND SPOKE TO THE
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR, HR
McMASTER.
SIMILAR Q&A.
OBVIOUSLY IT WILL GET HIS
REFLECTIONS ON THE PASSING OF
THE 41ST PRESIDENT.
BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF ISSUES
WITH THE SECRETARY, OPPOSITE,
CAN MAKE A LOT OF NEWS AND
WEIGH IN ON BIG ISSUES OF THE
DAY AS YOU LOOK AROUND THE
WORLD AND WHAT THE FUTURE OF
THE U.S. MILITARY AND FUNDING
QUESTION GOING FORWARD.
HE DOES NOT GIVE THAT MANY
INTERVIEWS SO WE HONOR TO BE
ABLE TO DO THIS.
WE WILL BRING IT TO LIVE ON
FOX.
LELAND: WILL BE STANDING BY.
IN THE NEXT HOUR BRETT BAIER
