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George H.W. Bush Serves As Witness At Same-Sex Wedding

Doug Mataconis
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GHWB Witness

Over the weekend, former President George H.W. Bush served as a witness at a same-sex marriage ceremony in Maine:

Former President George H.W. Bush was an official witness at the same-sex wedding of two longtime friends, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, attended the ceremony joining Bonnie Clement and Helen Thorgalsen as private citizens and friends on Saturday, spokesman Jim McGrath said.

Thorgalsen posted a photo on her Facebook page showing Bush signing the marriage license as a witness. She captioned the photo: “Getting our marriage license witnessed!”

In the photo, Bush is seated in a wheelchair, a stack of papers on his lap and his left hand poised with a pen. One bright red sock and one bright blue one peek out below the cuffs of his blue slacks.

The 41st president has deep ties to the area and owns a compound in Kennebunkport, a small coastal town. Thorgalsen and Clement own a general store in neighboring Kennebunk. They were honeymooning overseas and didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday.

Gay marriage became legal in Maine in December.

That’s definitely a Presidential first.

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22 responses to “George H.W. Bush Serves As Witness At Same-Sex Wedding”

  1. Ron Beasley Avatar
    Ron Beasley

    Although I am a left leaning independent I always had a soft spot for HW. I actually gave gave him some money in his primary run against Reagan. Yes, he did a lot of things I find deplorable but what politician hasn’t.

  2. C. Clavin Avatar
    C. Clavin

    See…not all old rich white guys are bigots.
    Of course Republicans hate him…cause he was a good President.

  3. bill Avatar
    bill

    it didn’t make the news anywhere for some reason? we all know that reason though…don’t deny it.

  4. Jenos Idanian #13 Avatar
    Jenos Idanian #13

    Once again the only time liberals say anything nice about Republicans is either when they’re attacking other Republicans, or they’re no longer any kind of a political threat. I remember how liberals viewed Bush the Elder when he was in office, and the things said about him during his campaigns against Dukakis and Clinton.

    That being said, I’ve long said that Republicans make the best ex-presidents, and both Bushes have shown tremendous class after leaving office. The same can not be said about Carter and Clinton…

  5. jd Avatar
    jd

    Caption Contest! Me first!

    “Hold my glash a shecond shur… ahhhh… lemme see… so you two wanna enter into a partnership of shum kind. Hmmm. I would’a recommended a corporation… would’a been prudent… but, whatever…”

  6. James Pearce Avatar
    James Pearce

    @Jenos Idanian #13:

    I remember how liberals viewed Bush the Elder when he was in office, and the things said about him during his campaigns against Dukakis and Clinton.

    Why do YOU have to take that stuff personally?

    I’ll tell you one thing….I’m not gonna be sitting around twenty years from now saying, “I remember all the awful things right-wingers said about Obama.” I mean, I’m sure I’ll remember (I’ll only be in my 50s). But I’m not so attached to the man that I’ll remember like it happened to me.

    Full agreement on this, though:

    I’ve long said that Republicans make the best ex-presidents, and both Bushes have shown tremendous class after leaving office.

    Especially W.

  7. anjin-san Avatar
    anjin-san

    Go GHW. He’s led kind of a sheltered life in some ways do to wealth and status, but basically a good guy.

  8. anjin-san Avatar
    anjin-san

    @ Jenos

    Bush ’43 has spent his retirement creating bizarre paintings. Carter has spent decades building homes for poor people.

    Well, I guess in your book, this shows more class than this.

    And it’s worth noting that these two fellows have raised millions of dollars for charity. What have you contributed to the world lately besides hot air?

  9. anjin-san Avatar
    anjin-san

    @ James Pearce

    I’ll tell you one thing….I’m not gonna be sitting around twenty years from now saying, “I remember all the awful things right-wingers said about Obama.”

    Yes, well you have a life. Not all can say that 🙂

  10. OzarkHillbilly Avatar
    OzarkHillbilly

    @bill:

    it didn’t make the news anywhere for some reason?

    If you follow the link you find that this story comes to you by way of ABC. Yeah, that’s as in “ABC News.”

    Idiot.

  11. Jenos Idanian #13 Avatar
    Jenos Idanian #13

    @anjin-san: I was comparing the Bushes to Carter and Clinton, not myself. I don’t put myself on the same level as those four guys. It’s flattering that you compare me to them, but I decline that honor.

    If all Carter did was build homes for the poor, then good for him. But he’s been running around the world, meddling in all sorts of things. He’s used his prominence to push his anti-Semitic views. Clinton, on the other hand, has done mostly good works, but he’s also found himself unable to resist returning to the spotlight and forgetting that he’s not the president any more. Or did you forget about the time Obama basically handed off the tittle at a White House press conference?

  12. OzarkHillbilly Avatar
    OzarkHillbilly

    @Jenos Idanian #13:

    But he’s been running around the world, meddling in all sorts of things.

    Ohhhh! Heaven Forbid! Meddling…. Somebody! Bring me my smelling salts! I may faint!!!

  13. C. Clavin Avatar
    C. Clavin

    Poor Jenos…reduced to playing the Republican victimization card…again…

    “…Once again the only time liberals say anything nice about Republicans is either when they’re attacking other Republicans, or they’re no longer any kind of a political threat…”

    Maybe it’s because while in office so-called Small Government Republicans still insist on meddling in the lives of others. If y9our words and deeds matched…even once…maybe the rest of the world would be nice to you.

  14. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    HW always seemed comfortable in his own skin. Probably one of the most emotionally balanced Presidents in recent years. I love his socks.

  15. Franklin Avatar
    Franklin

    Still a cool guy.

  16. Gustopher Avatar
    Gustopher

    He was the last Republican that I voted for. Class act, generally. Even his failures — Somalia for instance — tended to show our best intentions, rather than our worst.

    He understood that the people on the other side of the aisle weren’t trying to destroy America, he could work with them and he wasn’t afraid to compromise to get what he wanted.

    If we had Republicans like him today, I’d probably vote for them.

  17. merl Avatar
    merl

    @Ron Beasley: i always liked him, too.

  18. merl Avatar
    merl

    @bill: It made the news in Seattle

  19. merl Avatar
    merl

    @Jenos Idanian #13: Yeah, damn that Carter for building homes for poor people. Republican Jesus hates poor people.

  20. Jenos Idanian #13 Avatar
    Jenos Idanian #13

    @merl: What part of If all Carter did was build homes for the poor, then good for him was too hard for your little brain to understand?

  21. Rob in CT Avatar
    Rob in CT

    Whine, whine, whine, whine.

    Anyway, I was pretty young when Bush the Elder was in office. I generally look back on him as a solid Pres. Also, props for “voodoo economics” which was correct.

  22. KM Avatar
    KM

    Carter can go as a private citizen where current public officials cannot. He has the weight of his former office and yet is not bound to the administration. All former President have this gravitas and have used it to some extent. Also, he is a very spiritual man, one of the very few politicians I’ve never felt used their faith as a tool or a ploy. What good he does, he does from the sincere belief that he is trying to right a wrong in this world. Man lives his faith.

    Out of curiosity, what do you mean by anti-Semitic views? What in particular has he done that ranks that charge?

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