BY B. JAY COOPER
Reprinted from BJayCooper.com

So, the other day when George W. Bush (43) opened his presidential library, all the living presidents were brought together. It’s one of those great events in our country when that happens, former combatants joining together to honor one of their own. The Most Exclusive Club in the World.

One of the most fun things about the event though was President George H.W. Bush’s (41) socks. In fact, I posted a picture of the presidents (39, 41, 42, 43, and 44) on my Facebook page and I received more than 80 “likes” (yes, that’s how we measure ourselves these days) and 20 comments. And, the picture was shared from my page twice.

Now, I’m no expert on the InterWeb or SocialMedia, but I think those are big numbers. If you look at the analytics on my page (ok, i don’t know what that means, but it sounded impressive), it was the most likes, comments, and shares I have ever had on a posting. Let me remind you, the topic was socks (and not the cat that 42 and his family had in the White House – though Socks was cute too).

I have to confess, in the past  few months I, too, have taken to wearing more colorful (loud) socks. They make me feel good. Few people notice them (I guess in a way that’s a good thing that they’re not focused on my feet). So, while I didn’t adopt the fashion trend from 41, I do share that love of color on the ankles with him.

I think more important than the frivolity I show here, and more serious, I am happy that 41 is so well loved now. He was a good president, in fact I think he was a terrific president (the comments section is open). I know he didn’t end his term perceived that way but, with time, we see the decisions our presidents make in a different context and without the raw emotions that may have existed during their terms. And, if you think about it, 39, 41, 42,  43 and 44 have all had their low points. As did presidents 1-38 and 40.

So, cheers to President Bush —  for his presidency and his choice of socks!

Editor’s Note: B. Jay Cooper is a former White House deputy press secretary and former head of communications at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He also was a reporter at the Waterbury (Conn.) Republican-American. He is deputy managing director of the Washington, D.C., office of APCO Worldwide.