Wouldn't Be Prudent

In his eulogy of President Ford today, President Bush cited the 38th president's commitment to civil rights, discussing Ford's offer to sit out a Michigan-Georgia Tech football game because Georgia Tech was refusing to play if an African-American Michigan player took the field. President Bush went on to praise Ford's vote in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made illegal discrimination on the basis of race in employment and access to public accommodations, such as hotels and restaurants.

There was no such legislative profile in courage in Bush's own family, however. While running for Congress in 1964, George H.W. Bush, the future 41st president, opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But let's not talk about it. They certainly don't.