It’s been said there are no second acts in American life, but that’s not always true, especially in politics. Witness George H.W. Bush. He was drummed out of office after one term and ended with low approval ratings, but there he was in Washington last week receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. It’s the nation’s highest civilian honor. Not only is the award well-deserved, but it should also be part of broader appreciation for the life of this public servant.
Bush won the award for his humanitarian work in the United States and for “contributing to world peace.” More specifically, he was recognized for humanitarian efforts after Hurricane Katrina and the South Asian tsunami (which he joined with another former president, Bill Clinton). Bush was one of 14 honorees at the White House ceremony, including civil-rights hero and Congressman John Lewis, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, author Maya Angelou, billionaire investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett, and sports legends Bill Russell and Stan Musial.
Since he left the White House, Bush has offered an impressive display of dignity and humor without overly involving himself in politics. Not that he doesn’t have the resume for it. Bush also was vice president, a Texas congressman, an ambassador to China and head of the Central Intelligence Agency. Before that, he was a war hero in World War II. His remarkable life of service and charity is worthy of honor and reassessment.
It’s our history, warts and all. A mountain’s name is a testament to history and ought to be regarded as such. That’s one of the reasons we were pleased to read that the effort to rename Kit Carson Mountain in the San Luis Valley failed. Some newcomers to the area wanted to change the name to Mount Crestone, given Carson’s harsh treatment of the Navajo Indians in the 1860s. But the U.S. Board on Geographic Names voted 10-0 this week to deny the name change, saying it would cause confusion. Because contemporary views of historic figures evolve, it strikes us as a difficult precedent to rename places because their namesakes might grow out of favor. History, like a high mountain peak, must be grappled with on its own terms.
Short Takes is compiled by Denver Post editorial writers and expresses the view of the newspaper’s editorial board.
