OnPolitics Today: RIP, Mr. President

FROM WASHINGTON AND BEYOND

Monday, December 3

President George H.W. Bush on March 13, 1990.

What's happening this week in politics?

In this week's edition: Remembering George H.W. Bush

We kick off this week by remembering George H.W. Bush, who died Friday night.

Here's how our bureau chief, Susan Page, remembers the 41st president:

"George Herbert Walker Bush wasn't the most triumphant president of recent decades. Unlike the president he served as vice president (Ronald Reagan) and the one who succeeded him in the White House (Bill Clinton), he failed in his bid for a second term. His effort to address the budget deficit, agreeing to tax hikes as well as spending cuts, was seen as an object lesson for Republicans on what not to do, one being followed to this day in endless fiscal-cliff debates.

"But as a man steeped in diplomacy and national security affairs - he served as United Nations ambassador, U.S. liaison to China and CIA director before becoming vice president - he was uniquely able to navigate uncharted waters when the Soviet Union disintegrated on his watch in the White House."

Bush's legacy - the mixed bag that it is - is out on display this week as the country mourns.

Here's what you need to know heading into this week.

The schedule

Monday: Bush's body leaves Texas and will arrive in Washington in the afternoon. An arrival ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, where Bush will lie in state, is planned for 5 p.m. ET. The public can start paying its respects at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Tuesday: Bush's body continues to lie in state at the Capitol, and people can continue to visit and pay their respects.

Wednesday: President Trump has declared this a national day of mourning, meaning the federal government will be closed, as well as the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.

People have until 8:45 a.m. ET on this day to visit Bush in the Rotunda. A state funeral will them be held at the Washington National Cathedral at 11 a.m. ET.

Bush's body then heads back to Houston.

Thursday: A second funeral service will be held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church at 11 a.m. ET. He will then be buried in a family plot behind the Bush library complex, alongside his wife and former first lady, Barbara, and daughter Robin, that evening.

What else are we keeping an eye on

•	Is the government going to shut down? Lawmakers have until Friday to either pass a spending bill or push another funding extension through, and as of Monday, it's looking like they're leaning toward the latter - and that the new deadline before government funding would be just days before Christmas.
•	James Comey heads back to the Hill. The former FBI director will testify behind closed doors before lawmakers on Friday.