Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff

Barbara Bush – the embodiment of grace, dignity and power – died this week at 92. She was the wife of one president and mother to another. She was the driving force behind the throne. Tributes are pouring in from around the world for this extraordinary woman who never had a real job except to raise six children as her husband – George H. W. Bush – rose through the ranks to become the nation’s 43rd president.

In a touching interview Fox News anchor Dana Perino, former press secretary for President George W. Bush, said Mrs. Bush was her husband’s protector and constant “enforcer” that watched over her family and everyone that came and went at the White House during her years as First Lady — came under her scrutiny. She met her husband at 16 years old and married him four years later as World War II came to an end.

“Politics is what we do. It’s not who we are.” Perino said as she quoted Mrs. Bush, who Perino got to know well during her years at the White House and afterwards.

The Republican Bush political dynasty has often been compared to the Democratic Kennedy political dynasty that began with the election of President John F. Kennedy in 1960 followed by brother’s New York Sen. Robert Kennedy and Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy – who both ran for president. Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 like his brother was in 1963. Ted Kennedy remained in the U.S. Senate for decades until he died of brain cancer.

The Bush family represented in every way the embodiment of establishment Republicans who controlled Washington for 12 years. Mrs. Bush as there when her husband won the presidency after serving eight years as vice president under President Ronald Reagan. She was there when he lost the presidency after four years to former Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. She was also there when her son won the presidency and held the office for two terms. She was there when her other son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, dropped out of the presidential campaign early due to the voter revolt that resulted in New York real estate billionaire Donald Trump winning the presidency in 2016.

“We don’t need any more Bush’s in The White House,” Mrs. Bush was quoted as saying during Jeb Bush’s ill-fated-run for president. Her statement is one reason why Jeb Bush’s campaign failed. Another is Jeb Bush represented the establishment while Trump did not.

The lesson learned from Mrs. Bush and her life of service to her husband and the country is dignity and grace matter – both are hard to find in Washington these days as the most controversial president to sit in the Oval Office continues his fight to fix long-standing problems facing the United States of America that never seem to go away. The Washington establishment is consumed with finding a way to remove President Trump from office. The Bush family never did endorse Trump or support his presidency.

Current day Washington is far from the grace and dignity of Barbara Bush.

It’s difficult to keep track of all the investigations going on simultaneously in Washington and now there’s more.

On Wednesday, 11 members of the U.S. Congress officially requested that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, FBI Director Christopher Wray and special investigator U.S. attorney John Huber conduct new investigations into multiple members of the Obama administration specifically — former FBI Director James Comey, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, anti-Trump FBI officials Peter Stzrok and Lisa Page.

“In doing so, we are especially mindful of the dissimilar degrees of zealousness that has marked the investigations into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter released by Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). “Those in positions of high authority should be treated the same as every other American.”

The level of political viciousness in Washington seems to be at the breaking point. Subpoenas are being issued left and right, deadlines for documents are ignored. Stonewalling investigations are now the normal.

Barbara Bush was laid to rest on Saturday. First Lady Melania Trump attended the former First Lady’s funeral at the Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. The nation will say goodbye to a woman who became known as America’s grandmother. Her calming formidable presence in Washington will be sadly missed.

About the Author Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.