Bush Still in Hospital, Making "Progress"
HOUSTON - Former President George H.W. Bush spent a fourth night in a Houston hospital where he's being treated after experiencing shortness of breath earlier this week.
Family spokesman Jim McGrath said Friday evening the 90 year-old Bush
remains in high spirits and continues to make progress."
Bush was taken by ambulance to Houston Methodist Hospital on Tuesday night as a precaution and has been under observation since then.
Bush spent nearly two months in the same hospital and was discharged in January 2013 after treatment for a bronchitis-related cough and other issues.
Bush is the oldest living former American president. He suffers from a form of Parkinson's disease that has forced him to rely on a motorized scooter or wheelchair.
Earlier this week, the White House said President Barack Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii, has been notified about Bush's hospital admission.
"President Obama and the first lady send their good wishes to the former president and the entire Bush family during this holiday season," said White House spokesman Eric Schultz.
Bush made two public appearances last month. He attended at an event at Texas A&M University with his son, former President George W. Bush.
The elder Bush also served as the coin toss captain for the Houston Texans during a Nov. 23 game that honored the U.S. Armed Forces.
Bush, the 41st president, had served two terms as Ronald Reagan's vice president when he was elected in 1988. Four years later, after a term highlighted by the success of the 1991 Gulf War in Kuwait, he lost to Democrat Bill Clinton amid voters' concerns about the economy.
He was a naval aviator in World War II - at one point the youngest in the Navy - and was shot down over the Pacific.
The elder Bush has skydived on at least three of his birthdays since leaving the White House. In June, he celebrated his 90th birthday by making a tandem parachute jump near his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. During the winter, Bush and his wife, Barbara, live in Houston.
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