The service, which lasted roughly two hours, was packed with heartfelt and vivid remembrances that recalled both a powerful president and politician as well as a thoughtful and giving man of faith.
The lessons of history about second-term presidents and second-term Republicans in particular are not just the stuff of textbooks. They can offer guidance and perhaps even temper expectations.
The program launched by President George W. Bush is credited with saving 25 million lives. Some in Congress want this year's reauthorization tied to language that PEPFAR will not "promote abortion."
Two decades ago, then-President George W. Bush announced the start of combat operations in Iraq. The bloody occupation that followed lasted longer and cost more in lives and money than anyone guessed.
PEPFAR is the "most amazing thing in the history of HIV," says Dr. Sharon Lewin, president of the International AIDS Society. Bush himself came to Washington this month to urge reauthorization..
"To those who are disappointed in the results of the election: Our country is more important than the politics of the moment," George W. Bush said in his rebuke of President Trump.
