There is a swelling-up of love for former U.S. President George H.W. Bush. Americans are celebrating the good news that he has been released from the hospital after difficulty with breathing.
A primary driver of the affection is nostalgia for the old-line WASPY ethos he represented. In those days, leaders like Bush comported themselves and conducted their careers according to a strong set of values. There were lines they wouldn't cross. In their communications they were statesmanlike - and wonderful to ghostwrite their articles and put together their scripts. There was no drama. And they treated us in executive communications with respect.
Had Bush gone the legal route he would be among the kinds of partners who were total professionals. They approached legal services as a mission. Not as a business. Their love of the law was palpable.
That was then. Today, one wonders if a Bush kind of player could survive? We might admire that type. But they also might scare us. Will their values get in the way of business? And law is all business now. So is executive communications, my field. And so is journalism.
One can anticipate the deep regret that will be expressed in eulogies for Bush. Those celebrating his life will weep at the ending of that era of gentility.
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