老布什坐輪椅白宮頒獎 腳穿紅白條紋襪

They are of different generations and from different Americas, their political lives separated by philosophy and circumstance. But Monday at the White House, President Obama and former president George H.W. Bush and their families united under the banner of volunteerism.

At an afternoon ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Obama and Bush honored a retired couple from an Iowa farming town who have helped deliver free meals to hungry children around the world.

The couple received the 5,000th Points of Light award. The awards were established by Bush in 1989 to celebrate the power of individuals to spark change and improve the world. In his remarks, Obama paid a special and personal tribute to Bush — his oldest living predecessor — and said he and other presidents have striven to follow Bush’s lead in encouraging national service.

“Mr. President, I’m one of millions of people who’ve been inspired by your passion and commitment,” Obama said. He added, “You’re such a gentleman, such a good and kind person, and we are surely a kinder and gentler nation because of you.”

Bush, who at 89 has been battling health problems, appeared frail but in good spirits as he was pushed onstage in a wheelchair by a Marine. Returning to the White House, he said, was “like coming home for Barbara and me.”

Obama spoke warmly about Bush’s longevity, noting that he jumped out of an airplane on his 85th birthday. “After he left the White House, he kept going and going and going,” the 44th president said of the 41st. “In between skydiving and other activities, he kept going. . . . This is somebody who’s not going to slow down anytime soon.”

Bush and Obama honored Floyd Hammer and Kathy Hamilton of Union, Iowa, who a decade ago were set to retire until they took a trip to Tanzania and saw children dying of malnutrition. They founded a nonprofit group, Outreach, that delivers food to the world’s hungry.

The award’s name, like the Points of Light charitable foundation begun during Bush’s presidency, is a reference to Bush’s 1989 inaugural address, in which he likened the nation’s community groups to “a thousand points of light.”

Neil Bush, chairman of the Points of Light foundation, choked up as he spoke about his father’s legacy of volunteerism.

“He may not be parachuting anymore, but he’s taken on a new hobby — he’s trying to be a style setter. ‘GQ man,’ we’re calling him, instead of ‘41,’ ” Bush said of his father, who sported red-and-white striped socks.

Obama has been a proponent of volunteerism as well, launching a National Day of Service connected to both of his inaugurations. On Monday, he announced a federal task force to identify ways that the government and the private sector can work together on national service projects.

First ladies Michelle Obama and Barbara Bush were present for the ceremony. Beforehand, the two families shared a private lunch in the Red Room, a grand parlor on the first floor of the White House.

Monday’s events mark a continued thawing of relations between Obama and the Bushes.

In 2011, Obama warmly welcomed the Bush family to the White House as he awarded the Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — to the elder Bush, patriarch of a political dynasty. Obama and George W. Bush also met last month in Tanzania, where Obama praised his predecessor’s AIDS relief program.

Then last week, the younger Bush delivered a rare public address on policy matters and called on fellow Republicans to support comprehensive immigration reform, which is the centerpiece of Obama’s second-term domestic agenda.他們屬於不同的時代，他們來自美國不同的族羣，人生觀和社會環境的差異導致他們的政治生涯不盡相同。然而當地時間7月15日，美國現任總統奧巴馬、前總統老布什以及他們的家人卻因共同的志願服務精神在白宮聚首。

據美國媒體報道，15日下午，奧巴馬和老布什在白宮東廳頒發第五千座“每日光點獎”，表彰一對來自艾奧瓦州的退休夫婦在公共服務領域和志願者工作中取得的傑出成績。獲獎者弗洛伊德•哈默爾和凱西•漢密爾頓來自艾奧瓦州猶尼昂鎮。十年前，一次前往坦桑尼亞的旅行改變了這對夫婦的生活。在那裏，他們親眼看到了兒童因營養不良而死去。於是，這對原本打算退休後享受生活的夫婦成立了一個名爲“延伸”的非營利性組織，向世界各地的飢餓兒童提供免費的食物。

據悉，“每日光點獎”由老布什於1989年設立，以表彰改變、推動世界發展的傑出個人。該獎項與老布什擔任美國總統期間成立的“每日一點燈光”慈善基金會一樣，均取名於老布什1989年發表的就職演說。當時，老布什在演說中把美國的社區組織比喻成“千萬點光芒”。

頒獎典禮上，奧巴馬發表了簡短的講話，他藉此機會向老布什致敬。“總統先生，您的熱情和承諾鼓舞了數百萬人民，我就是其中一員。您是一位真正的紳士、一個心地善良的好人，因爲有你，美國成爲了一個更加友善、更加溫和的國家。”奧巴馬稱，他和其他幾位美國總統都努力追隨老布什的腳步、鼓勵國家服務事業的發展。

89歲高齡的老布什近年來一直與病魔抗爭。15日出席頒獎儀式時，老布什坐在輪椅上，由一名海軍陸戰隊士兵將其推上舞臺。老布什看上去身體有些虛弱但精神抖擻，他還說重返白宮“感覺就像回到了我和芭芭拉（老布什妻子）的家”。

奧巴馬對老布什的長壽感到高興，他還提到老布什以高空跳傘來慶祝85歲生日的壯舉。“老布什離開白宮後，他一直在努力前進。藉由跳傘和其他活動，他在前行……這是一個永遠不會放慢腳步的人。”作爲美國第44任總統，奧巴馬對他的前輩美國第41任總統老布什予以高度評價。

尼爾•布什現爲“每日光點獎”慈善基金會的主席，當他談到父親老布什留下的寶貴遺產“志願服務精神”時，情緒有些激動。隨後，尼爾調侃起老布什腳上的紅白條紋運動長襪，“他可能不會再嘗試高空跳傘了，不過他培養了一個新愛好——當一名型男。現在，我們不再稱呼他爲第41任總統了，而是‘GQ型男’。”

與老布什類似，奧巴馬也在積極推動美國志願服務事業的發展，兩次就職典禮期間，他都帶頭參加了“全國服務日”的義工活動。15日，奧巴馬宣佈設立聯邦專責小組，負責探索政府與私人機構如何在國家服務項目中展開通力協作的方法。

頒獎儀式當天，奧巴馬的妻子米歇爾和老布什的太太芭芭拉也出席了。此前，兩家人在白宮共進私人午餐。

分析人士認爲，15日的活動標誌奧巴馬與布什家族的關係持續緩和。2011年，奧巴馬在白宮向包括老布什在內的15人頒發2010年度的總統自由勳章，當時他盛情邀請老布什一家親臨白宮。上月，奧巴馬與小布什在坦桑尼亞會面，他高度評價了小布什開展的防治艾滋病項目。而在上週，小布什罕見地就公共事務發表公開講話，呼籲共和黨人支持奧巴馬推進的移民改革方案。