41: President George W. gave a touching and funny eulogy yesterday at the National Cathedral for his father, President George HW.

The younger Bush talked about his father’s humor, humility, loyalty, and great parenting. He also said, “To us he was close to perfect. but not totally. His short game was lousy. He wasn’t exactly Fred Astaire on the dance floor. The man couldn’t stomach vegetables, especially broccoli. And by the way, he passed these genetic defects along to us.

But delivering his last few lines, the 43d president broke down when he described his father as “The best father a son or daughter can have, and in our grief we can smile knowing dad is hugging Robin and holding mom’s hand again.”

George W. gave his father’s flag-draped coffin a little pat on the way up to the podium, and another on the way down.

It was not the only mention of Bush’s lifelong love for his wife Barbara, who died before him, and the heartbreak of losing their three-year-old daughter Robin to leukemia.

Bush’s biographer, John Meacham, said, “He stood in the breach in the Cold War against totalitarianism. He stood in the breach in Washington against unthinking partisanship. He stood in the breach against tyranny and discrimination. And on his watch, a wall fell in Berlin, a dictator’s aggression did not stand, and doors across America opened to those with disabilities.”

All of the speakers dwelled on Bush’s character and integrity, but former Sen. Alan Simpson got a laugh when he said,“Those who travel the high road of humility in Washington, D.C. are not bothered by heavy traffic.”

Kremlinology: President Trump got a chilly welcome when he arrived at the Bush funeral to sit with a lineup of ex-presidents and first ladies. The Obamas shook his hand and Michele merely said, “Good morning.” The Clintons never turned their heads. Neither did Jimmy and Roslyn Carter.

George W. Bush was the last of the presidents to arrive, and cheerfully worked his way down the line, greeting all.

Trump sat with arms crossed and lips pursed through the proceedings. He never put his hand over his heart as others did when the casket was moved. “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert said, “Donald Trump is the only person in the world who can bring down a funeral.”

Like everything these days, even the funeral of George HW Bush was also about Donald Trump. Jon Meacham said, of the late President, “His life code was: ‘Tell the truth. Don’t blame people. Be strong. Do your best. Try hard. Forgive. Stay the course. And that was, and is, the most American of creeds.”

Grubby Hands: Wisconsin’s outgoing Republican majority has voted to impose rules to hamstring the incoming Democrats, including the next governor. Republicans have controlled the state for 10 years, but lost the governor and attorney general’s offices in elections last month

Republicans said it wasn’t a power grab, but a necessary balancing of power between the legislature and the governor’s office. Funny though, they didn’t think it necessary while Republican Scott Walker was governor for the past eight years.

“That’s what this is about: power-hungry politicians using their grubby hands in their last-ditch effort to desperately cling to power,” said Democratic State Representative Katrina Shankland before the vote yesterday. “All we’ve seen demonstrated today and over the past few days is a contempt for the public.”

Exhale: Global carbon emissions, the basic cause of climate change, climbed to their highest level ever this year, scientists say.

Emissions were flat for a couple of years, but rose 1.6 percent last year and 2.7 percent in 2018, according to reports. Thirty-seven billion tons of carbon dioxide spewed into the air around the world last year.

The spike is being driven by a nearly 5 percent emissions growth in China and more than 6 percent in India, researchers estimated.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said at the opening of the 24th annual UN climate conference that, “Even as we witness devastating climate impacts causing havoc across the world, we are still not doing enough, nor moving fast enough, to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate disruption.”

At Sea: Five US Marines are missing off the coast of Japan after a night time collision between a fighter jet and a refueling tanker. Two crew members were recovered alive.

Stick the Landing: Smothered with lawsuits stemming from its sexual abuse scandal, USA Gymnastics, the organization that develops and trains young gymnasts for international competition, has filed for bankruptcy.

It’s not about money though. It’s organizational politics. USA Gymnastics is insured for the claims. They seem to believe that protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy will shield them from being dismantled by the US Olympic Committee.

Fifty Percent: President Trump tweeted a graphic last night proudly advertising that he has a 50 percent approval rating in the Rasmussen poll. Imagine if you came home and announced to your mother, “I got fifty percent on the test!”

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