Former Rep. John Dingell was the longest-serving member of Congress and a fiercely-loyal Democrat, but the person who opens his new memoir is one of his dearest friends, former President George H.W. Bush, who died at the age of 94 on Friday.
Bush and Dingell often found themselves on opposite sides of the issues.
"I didn’t always agree with him. We had lots and lots and lots of fights and they were fights that were bitter but they weren’t fights that prevented us from being personal friends," Dingell tells 7 Action News. "That was very very important ."
after political debates ended, there was always another battle to be won.
"He would come down to the gym and play paddle ball, and I have to admit he was a better paddle ball player than I was," Dingell added.
The comraderie across party lines is one Dingell writes about in his book, "The Dean." Their friendship led Bush to write a nostalgic forward to the book, both reminiscing about a time when two people could disagree and somehow become the best of friends.
An honorable man and a dear friend. Rest well, 41. pic.twitter.com/WTnoZxfIH7
— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) December 1, 2018
