George W. Bush, Bill Clinton remember John Lewis' message of 'love and hope' in moving eulogies
Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton paid tribute to the late Rep. John Lewis at his funeral service on Thursday with two back-to-back moving eulogies.
Bush was the first of three former presidents to speak at the funeral for the civil rights icon in Atlanta, remembering him as someone who insisted "that hate and fear had to be answered with love and hope" and who was "willing to give up everything" in the fight for "a world of peace and justice."
The 43rd president noted that he and Lewis sometimes disagreed, but he observed that "in the America John Lewis fought for, and the America I believe in, differences of opinion are inevitable elements and evidence of democracy in action." Bush concluded that because of Lewis, "we live in a better and nobler country today," and he will "live forever in the hearts of Americans."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Clinton followed Bush in honoring Lewis, praising the late congressmember for fighting to "open the doors of America to all its people" and for his "uncanny ability to heal troubled waters."
"When he could have been angry and determined to cancel his adversaries, he tried to get converts instead," Clinton said. "He thought the opened hand was better than the clenched fist."
Clinton said he "just loved" Lewis and "always will," and described Lewis' posthumous essay published in The New York Times ahead of the funeral as his final "marching orders" for America, suggesting "we salute, suit up, and march on." Brendan Morrow
-
The Mint’s 250th anniversary coins face a whitewashing controversyThe Explainer The designs omitted several notable moments for civil rights and women’s rights
-
‘If regulators nix the rail merger, supply chain inefficiency will persist’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump HHS slashes advised child vaccinationsSpeed Read In a widely condemned move, the CDC will now recommend that children get vaccinated against 11 communicable diseases, not 17
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
