George H.W. Bush is an 88-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease who has been battling bronchitis-related complications in an intensive care unit since Sunday, so it is natural to wonder whether he will make it out. However, a Thursday e-mail sent to friends and family of the 41st expressed confidence that his condition would improve eventually, though he will likely remain in Houston’s Methodist Hospital for a while. “Is he sick? Yes. Does he plan on going anywhere soon? No. He has every intention of staying put,” wrote Bush aide Jean Becker. “He would ask me to tell you to please put the harps back in the closet.” Or at least keep them away from Barbara, who has absolutely no patience for unnecessary displays of sentimentality.
