Bush Letter to Clinton Has People Longing for Civil Politics

A 1993 letter from George HW Bush to Bill Clinton is suddenly back in the news, being hailed as a great example of grace in defeat and a reminder of what a peaceful transition of power looks like. The letter, which is mentioned in autobiographies by both former presidents, was written after Clinton defeated Bush in the 1992 presidential election, according to US News & World Report. It went viral after Wednesday's presidential debate, in which Donald Trump declined to commit to accepting the election results, Time reports. "I wish you great happiness here," Bush writes, welcoming Clinton to the Oval Office. "Don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course."

But perhaps the most important part of the letter is the ending, which reads: "You will be our president when you read this note. ... Your success now is our country's success. I am rooting hard for you. Good luck." The letter, currently housed in Bush's presidential library, left social media users longing for the days of political civility, the Los Angeles Times reports. "Disagreements between candidates don't have to go the way this election has," writes one Twitter user who shared a photo of the letter. "A long, long time ago, in a land far far away, politics had grace," US News & World Report quotes another Twitter user as saying. (Also going viral: Trump "book reports.")