Week Three: President George H.W. Bush at West Point
“But I guess the moral of all of this is that losing is never easy. Trust me, I know something about that. But if you have to lose, that’s the way to do it: Fight with all you have. Give it your best shot. And win or lose, learn from it, and get on with life.”
On January 5, 1993, President George H.W. Bush addressed the cadets at West Point. Although he never described it as a farewell address, historians generally consider this 1993 speech to be a gracious and reflective farewell from a President who had been defeated for re-election.
Less than three weeks from leaving office, the first President Bush told the cadets that,“Any President has several functions, he speaks for and to the nation, he must faithfully execute the laws, and he must leave...” President Bush also used the West Point speech as an opportunity to warn Americans of, “the folly of isolationism,” and remind them “of the importance morally, economically, and strategically of the United States remaining involved in world affairs.” Given the “America First” stance of his party today, President Bush’s 1993 speech may seem centuries, rather than just 27-years, distant. Still, some of the themes from the West Point speech might be exactly what many Americans hope and need to hear on January 20th. This recording from the Miller Center at the University of Virginia runs a little under 28 minutes.
The War Memorial is a non-partisan organization.