By Giwa SHILE
U.S. President Donald Trump and wife, Melania have mourned the death of former president George H.W. Bush, who died on Friday night at the age of 94.
Former President Barack Obama and wife, Michelle, as well as former president Bill Clinton and wife Hillary, also mourned the 41st president of the U.S.
Trump and Melania, in a joint statement, praised Bush for his “sound judgment, common sense and unflappable leadership’’, adding he inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service.
The Trumps said: “With sound judgement, common sense and unflappable leadership, President Bush guided our nation and the world to a peaceful and victorious conclusion of the Cold War.
“As president, he set the stage for the decades of prosperity that have followed.
“And through all that he accomplished, he remained humble, following the quiet call to service that gave him a clear sense of direction’’.
The Obamas, in a statement, said Bush’s life was “a testament to the notion that public service is a noble, joyous calling.
“And he did tremendous good along the journey’’.
They also credited the former president, who was the U.S. 41st president and served from 1989 to 1993, with “expanding America’s promise to new immigrants and people with disabilities’’.
“Reducing the scourge of nuclear weapons and building a broad international coalition to expel a dictator from Kuwait.
“And when democratic revolutions bloomed across Eastern Europe, it was his steady, diplomatic hand that made possible an achievement once thought anything but – ending the Cold War without firing a shot.
“It’s a legacy of service that may never be matched, even though he’d want all of us to try,’’ the Obamas said.
The Clintons, in a statement issued on Saturday, said Bush’s extensive record of public service was rare, with his years in the military, in Congress, the United Nations, China, the Central Intelligence Agency, and as vice president and president.
The statement read: “Hillary and I mourn the passing of President George H. W. Bush and give thanks for his great long life of service, love and friendship.
“I am grateful for every minute I spent with him and will always hold our friendship as one of my life’s greatest gifts’’.
Clinton, who defeated Bush in the 1992 presidential election, said he was always struck by Bush’s “innate and genuine decency’’ and by his devotion to his wife Barbara and his family.
Clinton added that Bush never stopped serving even after leaving office, working on tsunami relief in Asia and within the U.S. after Hurricane Katrina.
His son, George W. Bush also became the 43rd president eight years later, becoming the only other U.S. president, who had a son who also became president, after John Adams.
Bush’s wife and former first lady Barbara, died at the age of 92 on April 17, and he was survived by his five children, including former president George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
