The media just can't help themselves.
While the coverage of President George H.W. Bush's passing has been notable in its respectful tone, many in the media are exploiting the solemn occasion to trash the current commander in chief.
“Donald Trump is 180 from who George H.W. Bush is,” CNN’s Jamie Gangel said in a comment that typified this coverage.
MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski used Bush’s passing to go on an anti-Trump rampage, calling him “deviant” and suggesting the country should fear for our own survival.
“What becomes undeniably obvious with every bio run about Bush 41 is that stark contrast between these two men. Bush served in the military, treated people with respect and dignity, and put country ahead of party and self time and time again over his half century in public service — half century,” Brezinski said. “Over the last two years, deviancy has continued being defined down by this current president, his cronies, his supporters, who love telling reporters that they don’t care how deviant his behavior becomes.”
“As is always the case, the presidency does not shape character, it reveals it in a raw fashion,” she carried on. “And that is why we celebrate George H.W. Bush’s legacy and fear the next two years of Mr. Trump’s wild White House ride. As we continue to watch that, Andrea, it’s conduct in office that we look at today with President Trump and we look at over the past few days, even, which leaves our jaws dropping.”
After contrasting Trump’s antipathy toward the mainstream media with Bush’s positive relationship with journalists, The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson said: "it just gives you a sense of the big character of the man and the contrast with the small character we see today.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper, appearing on Seth Meyer’s late night show, said the current president is improving Americans’ perspective of George H.W. Bush: "There are a lot of things about George H. W. Bush that maybe people now appreciate that they didn’t appreciate at the time."
Another former CNN correspondent, Frank Sesno, “George Bush believed in the institutions of government, which I think, too, is another reason why this moment to remember and to compare and contrast is so important, because our institutions are so under siege by the government itself.
CNN’s former anchor, Bernard Shaw, said: "The world looked at George Bush because he was a leader respected. He had proven himself. This president has yet to do that."