It doesn't have to be this way

The passing of George HW Bush got me thinking ...

Presidents Bush and Clinton had an unlikely but authentic friendship. Barbara Bush said she thought her husband was Bill's "surrogate father." Similarly, George W. Bush once introduced Bill as his "brother from another mother."

The warmth between the Obamas and the George W. Bushes has always been on display -- whether it's Michelle embracing W. or the Bush daughters reaching out to Sasha and Malia.

The Kennedy and Bush families have been cordial for nearly 100 years now, dating back to the 1920s when Joseph P. Kennedy and Prescott Bush were amassing fortunes that would survive the Depression (and creating two of America's most influential dynasties). Here's JFK's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, with George H. W. Bush.

So clearly the Bushes, Obamas and Clintons are all willing to leave political battles in the political arena.

Donald Trump is the source of today's friction.

•. He insists that the Clintons are guilty of treason and should be prosecuted.
•  He maintains  that President Obama has gotten away with .... something. His blathering is a little hard to follow on this one.
•. He recently mocked George H. W. Bush's "thousand points of light" ("what the hell is that?") and then had the chutzpah to laud it when eulogizing Bush.

Politely put, our President is a jerk. It will be interesting to watch the grace with which he is treated by the Obamas, Clintons and Bushes next week when he finds himself seated among them in a pew at the National Cathedral.

It will also be interesting to see 40% of the country refuse to give the Clintons and Obamas any credit whatsoever for decency and civility. For some reason, 40% of the country embraces Trump's inappropriate personal attacks. Much of the time his supporters insist Christ is their guide in this and all things, yet I am sure Jesus will be more favorably impressed by the Clintons and Obamas this week.

We live in strange times.