Sen. John McCain’s memorial service on Friday at Washington National Cathedral was a touching event, honoring the many sacrifices the late politician and former POW made for his country.
McCain, who died of brain cancer Aug. 25 at age 81, intentionally brought together politicians from both parties at his service, asking both former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to speak. “What better way to get a last laugh than to make George and I say nice things about him to a national audience?” Obama joked in his speech.
Bush and his wife, Laura, and Obama and his wife, Michelle, were seated next to each other, and during Sen. Joe Liberman’s eulogy for McCain, CNN cameras caught a sweet moment that quickly went viral.
Bush was seen taking a piece of what looks like candy (or a mint or lozenge) from his wife, and surreptitiously passing it to Michelle Obama, who mouths a “thank you,” while all four members of the former first couples smile.
In the midst of a solemn event, that one exchange between members of opposing political parties was seen by many as a message of hope and unity.
Seeing George Bush smuggle a piece of candy from his wife Laura to Michelle Obama while trying to be discreet gives me faith in the future of our Republic. pic.twitter.com/NskEaNFqMq
— Ray [REDACTED] ⚡️ (@RayRedacted) September 1, 2018
The Obamas & Bushes are good friends. ❤️George really adores Michelle.
— ♿️🇺🇸 LoveNStuff (@LoveNStuff10) September 1, 2018
Seeing the three Presidents together was one of the best images of the last 18 months. 💜
— Pyxis 🎓🌊 (@Pyxis_725) September 2, 2018
You can’t tell me MO wasn’t rushed out by BO before she could put some peppermints in her bag.
Or it was a new bag or one she previously emptied out.
It’s written in our DNA that we must have mints in all handbags. 😂😂— BrwnLady🌹 (@StrawGirl52) September 1, 2018
My grandmother always had “lozenges” (as she called them) in her bag when we went to church, just in case she started coughing. (Baptist church in West Texas) And here I was, thinking it was a Texas thing!
— jennitica (@texasjenny) September 2, 2018
Oh, I thought he was passing a note. “Do you like me? Check yes or no.”
— Richard Freeman (@Durden112) September 1, 2018
They are like mischievous little kids and I love it! ❤️
— Paula Grainger (@Graing18) September 1, 2018
That look on President Obama’s face says “ where’s mine “ 😀😀
— K A (@KA000777) September 2, 2018
Bush and Michelle Obama have shared other close moments, including a chat at President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and a hug at the 2016 opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“She kind of likes my sense of humor,” CNN quoted Bush as saying at the time. “Anybody who likes my sense of humor, I immediately like.”