Former President George W. Bush is paying tribute to George Washington this Presidents Day.
In an essay released Monday, Bush commemorated Washington’s birthday by admiring his “humility,” writing that the first U.S. president could have “remained all-powerful, but twice he chose not to.”
“In so doing, he set a standard for all presidents to live up to,” Bush wrote on Substack, referring to Washington’s decision to step down from the presidency after two terms.
In doing so, Bush — in an essay for “In Pursuit,” a new nonpartisan history project — said that Washington set a standard for all presidents to follow going forward.
“His life, with all its flaws and achievements, should be studied by all who aspire to leadership,” Bush said. “George Washington’s humility in giving up power willingly remains among the most consequential decisions and important examples in American politics.”
Bush wrote that Washington, becoming the first to assume office, knew that he would establish a precedent as “‘the first of everything in our situation.’” So following two terms in office, and “with a distrust of long-seated rulers still fresh on America’s soul,” Washington “chose not to run again for president,” according to Bush.
“And by once again relinquishing power rather than holding on to it, he ensured America wouldn’t become a monarchy, or worse,” Bush wrote.
Bush — pointing to Washington’s role as commander of the Continental Army and the lead up to his presidency during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia — went on to argue that he has shown “what it means to put the good of the nation over self-interest and selfish ambition.”
“He embodied integrity and modeled why it’s worth aspiring to,” Bush said. “And he carried himself with dignity and self-restraint, honoring the office without allowing it to become invested with near-mythical powers.”
Bush’s essay was the first installment of “In Pursuit,” a history project created in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary this July.
It will include weekly essays and contributions from public figures and scholars, according to an organizer who spoke to The New York Times. While former President Barack Obama is set to write about Abraham Lincoln, former President Bill Clinton will remember Theodore Roosevelt. Chief Justice John Roberts will also discuss the presidency of William Howard Taft, and Fox News host Bret Baier will look into Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, however, will not participate.
“We are taking the long view of things,” Colleen Shogan, the leader of In Pursuit, told the Times. “The lesson of presidential humility transcends time.”