Thoughts on President George H. W. Bush

A few exceptional things stand out about President George H. W. Bush. First and foremost, the Soviet Union, which was on its last legs after 8 years of Reagan-Bush, finally collapsed under his watch. The Evil Empire falling with Dukakis as its main foe seems improbable at best.

He was an example to society and to the next generation. He was also the first to battle someone who ended up eroding societal values and that too is a great credit to him.

He recognized the danger of Iraq. Saddam Hussein had the fourth most powerful army in the world and was a menace to his neighbors and a murderer of millions.

From a spiritual aspect, the Messianic Era, when "nations... will beat swords into plow shears," happens in stages (there can be a 40 year initerval, or less based on merit, between the initial miracles and the manifestation of the eternal redemption). In 1991, when the US under Pres. Bush's leadership, diverted funds to feed the starving Kurds in the aftermath of the Gulf War, the Lubavitcher Rebbe pointed out how this was the first time ever that nations would feed another nation's hungry with absolutely no benefit to themselves at all. This, he said, was the beginning of this prophecy. This happened under a president who made kindness his mission, President George H. W. Bush.

Saddam's containment was also of profound spiritual benefit. During the last weekend of the war, the Rebbe commented on the rumor that Saddam had fled his palace. He specifically said that it's a rumor (untrue at the time), but one with significance. When the speech was being published the Rebbe edited the draft, writing next to those words, "od chazon lmoed," it will come to pass in the appropriate time, something that seemed improbable, as the war was winding down.

Saddam was no puny enemy, as people made him to be for the purposes of dishonest politics. Aside from the 2 million he killed in the region, he was also cutting 10k and 25k checks to suicide bombers in Israel. His attempted assassination of by then former President GHW Bush showed that he was capable of trying to transfer or spread such havoc to America and GHWB's son, 43, was right for calling the danger what it was.

The Rebbe also explained at the time that the famous quote of our Sages, that Tzur, the principal city of Babylon, was built from the destruction (gold, silver, marble, etc.) of Jerusalem, is applicable to our times in reverse. When evil in the place of Babylon is eradicated, Jerusalem is built up materially and spiritually. Indeed, Saddam was finally captured on Yud Tes Kislev (the holiday of the 19th of Kislev, which focuses on spreading Chassidus, a remarkable part of Torah, which concentrates on developing ultimate fear and love of G-d and understanding that which we can understand of His interactions in the world) in Iraq during the 9th hour of the night (G-d runs the world differently with each hour). Fourteen years later, on Yud Tes Kislev in the 9th hour of the night in Jerusalem, Israel was declared by the leading nation of the world, Pres. Bush and Pres. Trump's America, as the eternal capital of the world. The word "eternal" is itself a clear recognition of G-d Almighty by the world, another part of the prophecy of the complete and eternal redemption. This process started under President Bush 41's watch.

When leadership was removed from the WW2 generation, the world lost competent leadership and elders who youth naturally respected. The world would have been much better off keeping that generation in charge for as long as possible.