As the U.S. gears up for its quarter-millennium birthday bash — 250 years of independence, if you're counting — former President George W. Bush sat down with his daughter, Jenna Bush Hager, to chew on a topic that's currently giving everyone indigestion: national unity.
Turns out, despite the current political climate feeling like a permanent family dinner argument, the 43rd president isn't exactly losing sleep. His take? America's seen worse. Much worse, actually. And it always finds a way to stitch itself back together.
The View From the Driver's Seat
Jenna, naturally, expressed the kind of worry many of us feel scrolling through our news feeds. But her dad, who's had a front-row seat to some truly wild chapters in American history, offered a surprisingly calm perspective. He sees this 250th anniversary not as a deadline for doom, but as a prime opportunity to remember what actually holds the country together.
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Start Your News DetoxBush, now 79, has lived through — and led during — periods of intense anger and rivalry. He's watched the nation fray and then, somehow, re-weave itself. His confidence in democracy's self-correcting nature is, if nothing else, a refreshing dose of optimism from someone who's actually been in the room where it happens.
His advice for anyone feeling the national blues? Get off the couch. "If you don’t like what’s going on, vote," he told Jenna. Because, apparently, that's how America heals itself. A simple enough prescription, delivered with the kind of dry certainty that only comes from having seen a few cycles of this particular rodeo.
