President George H.W. Bush lies in state in U.S. Capitol Rotunda The Washington Post
Joggers in running gear, suit clad federal workers, families and CIA chiefs past and present were among those paying tribute George H.W. Bush on Tuesday, slowly filling the Capitol Rotunda and streaming one by one past the late presidents flag draped coffin.
With clasped hands, somber expressions and some tears, they came to bid farewell to a fallen leader — average Americans honoring the patrician man who dedicated decades to public service.
Bush died last week in Texas and will lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda until Wednesday morning. Bushs body was brought to the Capitol on Monday to begin days of tributes in Washington and Texas, which will include a national day of mourning and a state funeral Wednesday.
Mourners began heading inside well before the sun rose on Tuesday morning, climbing two flights of stairs to gather around a coffin cloaked with an American flag and ringed by three floral wreaths and an honor guard. Some had known the 41st president during his time in office, serving under him as he sent troops into combat. Others knew him only as a figure from their textbooks or as the father of the 43rd president.
Sully, the steadfast service dog who accompanied Bush in the final months of his life, also took a spot in the Rotunda.
[President Bushs final farewell to Washington]
Those saying goodbye included Colin L. Powell, who Bush named as his chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and generals who served during the 1991 Persian Gulf War under Bush. Before them came Gina Haspel, the current CIA director, along with John Brennan and others who had served in the same role, which Bush held before ascending to the vice presidency and the Oval Office.
These figures from official Washington were joined by many from unofficial Washington and beyond who made the trek inside. Daniel Bean, a runner who changed his route to include the Capitol early Tuesday so he could attend the viewing, said he missed the way Bush handled himself in public office.
I was quite impressed with his demeanor. You just dont see that anymore, said Bean, 63, of Upper Marlboro, who joined the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1990, two years after Bush was elected to office. I miss his way of doing things.
Bean signed a condolence book before he left, one of several available for people to sign. Visitors were also given a card that features a photograph of Bush, a message of appreciation from his family and a glimpse of his resume, which included two terms as vice president, four years in Congress and a stint leading the CIA before he was elected president in 1989.
Nolean Deskins, a federal budget analyst who has worked under every president since Richard Nixon, called Bush the best president to serve under — especially when it came to raises for federal workers.
[Sully, Bushs service dog, lies by his casket]
When a former president dies, the public mourning process offered by having them lie in state gives the public a chance to say farewell. Bush is the 12th president to lie in state at the Capitol, a tradition that dates back to Abraham Lincoln in April 1865, although not every president has been honored that way. After Nixon died in 1994, his family chose not to have him lie in state; former aide David Gergen speculated at the time that Nixon might have opted against it because he often thought Congress had tormented him.
The first person memorialized this way was Henry Clay, a former senator and speaker of the House, in 1852, according to the House of Representatives. In recent years, the honor has also been given to senators Daniel Inouye and John McCain.
The tradition offers a brief period of stillness in an unsettled time, a ritual that crystallizes the moment when the country formally mourns and says goodbye. There have not been many presidents in the nations relatively young history, and Bushs death leaves just four living former presidents as well as the Oval Offices current inhabitant.
Before Bush, the last presidents to lie in state were Ronald Reagan — for whom Bush served as vice president — in 2004 and, a little more than two years later, Gerald Ford, who like Bush was a World War II veteran, congressman and vice president before serving as president. Statues of both men adorn the Rotunda now holding Bushs body.
Bushs time in office saw a period of astonishing change around the world, but voters ousted him after one term in favor of then Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. Eight years later, George W. Bush would follow Clinton and his fathers footsteps into office. Jeb Bush, another of his sons, served as Florida governor and sought the Republican nomination in 2016 but was defeated by President Trump, who came to pay his respects Monday night.
Trump tweeted that he would be visiting with the Bush family at the Blair House and that first lady Melania Trump would give Laura Bush, her predecessor in the role, a tour of holiday decorations.
The former First Lady will be coming over to the White House this morning to be given a tour of the Christmas decorations by Melania, Trump wrote. The elegance and precision of the last two days have been remarkable!
A steady stream of visitors continued throughout the morning, though there were no lines causing delays or lengthy waits for people outside. A tour guide said she expected the line to balloon at the end of the business day, saying that was what happened when crowds came to honor McCain and Ford.
I was prepared to wait for hours, said Claire McGuire, a consultant from the District. She had attended Bushs inauguration and felt compelled to be here, as a kind of bookend.
She recalled viewing former Ford lying state and said the experience was profound and moving.
I feel really lucky that I can be here, and I also felt like I really had to come, she said.
[George H.W. Bush makes his last journey to Washington]
Some came from farther away to say farewell. Richard Juliana, a funeral director, and his 18 year old son, Christian, hit the road at about 4 a.m. in Westchester, Pa., to come to the viewing. Hours before sunrise, they both fastened American flag ties around their necks to dress for the occasion.
He was the last World War II veteran to serve as president — the last of his kind, really, the elder Juliana said. I never met him. I wish I had.
Julianas father, James Juliana, had served as an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration, passing along firsthand stories of Bush. It was this family connection that made Rich Juliana feel compelled to be here and to bring his own son to pay their respects in person, he said.
They got to Capitol just after 8 a.m. and were headed back to Pennsylvania right afterward.
I obviously wasnt alive when he was elected, Christian said. That generation and time period feels long gone.
For more infomation >> MTN Statewide Top Stories, Tuesday 12-4-18 - Duration: 4:28. 
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