Watch Jenna Bush Hager And George W. Bush Talk Family With George H.W. Bush | TODAY

0:00 >>> WE'RE BACK ON A SATURDAY MORNING

0:00 WITH A PERSONAL LOOK AT FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W.

0:00 BUSH FROM SOMEONE WHO KNEW HIM BEST— HIS GRANDDAUGHTER.

0:00 JENNA BUSH HAGER.

0:00 >> JENNA IS OF COURSE OUR COLLEAGUE HERE AT NBC NEWS.

0:00 A FEW YEARS AGO, SHE SAT DOWN WITH HER FATHER AND FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W.

0:00 BUSH AND HER GRANDFATHER, TO LOOK AT— A LOOK AT THE MEN THAT'S RARELY BEEN SEEN.

0:00 >> FIRST AND FOREMOST HE WAS A GREAT FATHER.

0:00 >> IT IS THE PART OF A PRESIDENTIAL'S STORY BEST TOLD BY HIS SON.

0:00 >> HE HAD ENORMOUS SUCCESS IN LIFE.

0:00 BUT THOSE SUCCESSES WERE MEAGER COMPARED TO THE SUCCESS OF B BEING— YOU KNOW,

0:00 A FABULOUS HUSBAND AND GREAT FATHER.

0:00 >> Reporter: WITH THE GLIMPSE INTO THE LIFE OF MY GRANDFATHER,

0:00 BEYOND THE WORLD STAGE AND WHAT THE PUBLIC KNOWS OF HIM.

0:00 BEFORE HE ENTERED POLITICS, HE AND MY GRANDMOTHER WERE BUSY RAISING THEIR KIDS.

0:00 DAD, GROWING UP, WHAT TYPE OF FATHER WAS GRAMPY?

0:00 >> WELL, HE SET THE BOUNDARIES.

0:00 BUT HE WAS NEVER ONE THAT TRIED TO IMPOSE HIS WILL ON US.

0:00 BECAUSE OF THE WAY HE RAISED ALL OF US, WE ADMIRED HIM GREATLY.

0:00 >> SO WHEN YOU WERE RAISING YOUR KIDS,

0:00 WHAT TYPE OF THINGS DID YOU WANT FOR THEM?

0:00 >> I WANTED ALL OF THIS.

0:00 I WANTED THEM TO FEEL THERE WERE NO HORIZONS, THEY COULD REACH FOR THE STARS.

0:00 ACCOMPLISH STUFF AND SURE ENOUGH, THEY HAVE.

0:00 >> Reporter: AND HISTORY WILL TELL THAT STORY.

0:00 MY FATHER HAD A FRONT ROW SEAT WORKING THROUGHOUT MY GRANDFATHER'S CAMPAIGNS.

0:00 >> SO HELP ME GOD.

0:00 >> Reporter: HE SAYS NOW THE HARDEST PART OF POLITICIANS

0:00 IS WATCHING THE SPOTLIGHT SHINE HARSHLY ON THOSE YOU LOVE.

0:00 DAD, WHEN YOU WATCHED AS HE WAS A PRESIDENT AND YOU WOULD

0:00 TURN ON THE TELEVISION TO HEAR CRITICS TALK ABOUT HIM— >> YEAH.

0:00 IT MADE ME ANGRY.

0:00 AND I WASN'T DISCIPLINED ENOUGH NOT TO WATCH TELEVISION.

0:00 WHEN I BECAME PRESIDENT, I WAS DISCIPLINED ENOUGH TO IGNORE ALL THE NOISE.

0:00 BUT WHEN HE WAS PRESIDENT AND PEOPLE CRITICIZED HIM, I DIDN'T LIKE IT.

0:00 BUT ACTUALLY IT HELPED THICKEN MY HIDE FOR WHEN

0:00 I BECAME PRESIDENT BECAUSE CRITICISM OF MY DAD

0:00 WAS A HECK OF A LOT MORE DIFFICULT FOR ME TO HANDLE THAN CRITICISM OF ME.

0:00 >> WHAT ABOUT THOUGH, WHEN YOU HEARD PEOPLE?

0:00 >> SAME THING, I DID NOT LIKE IT.

0:00 I KNEW BY THEN THAT IT GOES WITH THE TERRITORY,

0:00 BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S YOUR OWN SON.

0:00 IT'S HARD TO TAKE.

0:00 >> DAD, WHEN IN 1992, WHEN HE LOST— >> IT WAS AN UNHAPPY MOMENT.

0:00 IT TOOK A SERIES OF EVENTS TO DEFEAT HIM THOUGH,

0:00 BUT WE OF COURSE FED OFF OF HIS GRACIOUSNESS IN THE DEFEAT.

0:00 >> Reporter: IT IS A LESSON IN GRACE AND FORTITUDE.

0:00 >> IT DIDN'T QUITE WORK OUT THE WAY WE WANTED.

0:00 >> Reporter: MY GRANDFATHER HAS NEVER

0:00 BEEN BITTER OR RESENTFUL AND YEARS LATER,

0:00 AN UNLIKELY RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPED.

0:00 >> BILL CLINTON VIEWS HIM AS A FATHER.

0:00 ONE OF THE GREAT IRONIES OF LIFE.

0:00 >> HE DOESN'T HOLD GRUDGES AS YOU SAID.

0:00 BILL CLINTON'S BECOME A GOOD— >> A FRIEND, YEAH.

0:00 THAT'S RIGHT.

0:00 >> SOME PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE SURPRISED BY THAT.

0:00 >> I THINK THEY ARE.

0:00 BUT BUBBA, HE'S A GOOD MAN.

0:00 I LIKE HIM.

0:00 >> Reporter: THROUGHOUT IT ALL,

0:00 MY GRANDFATHER HAS ALWAYS PUT FAMILY FIRST.

0:00 HE'S BEEN THERE FOR US THROUGHOUT THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS.

0:00 AND THE FRIVOLOUS ONES TOO.

0:00 >> YOU REMEMBER THE TIME WHEN YOU WERE PREPARING FOR THE 1988

0:00 DEBATES WITH MICHAEL DUKAKIS AND THE DAY BEFORE THE DEBATE,

0:00 BARBARA COULDN'T FIND SPIKY THE DOG?

0:00 >> YEAH.

0:00 >> SO GAMPY RATHER THAN BE QUIET, LITTLE GIRL,

0:00 GO TO YOUR ROOM, LEADS THE SEARCH FOR SPIKY THE STUFFED DOG.

0:00 >> IT WAS REMARKABLE YOU WERE BABY-SITTING

0:00 US THE NIGHT BEFORE THE DEBATE ANYWHERE.

0:00 WHERE WERE YOU?

0:00 >> I WAS PREPARING FOR THE DEBATE.

0:00 I DON'T KNOW WHERE I WAS.

0:00 THE GOOD NEWS, THEY FOUND SPIKY.

0:00 >> Reporter: EVEN DURING HIS BUSIEST DAYS

0:00 IN THE WHITE HOUSE OR ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL,

0:00 HE WAS ALWAYS SIMPLY GAMPY TO US.

0:00 >> I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER IN 1984 WHEN YOU CAME TO MID LAND, TEXAS,

0:00 AND JENNA CAME ON THE STAGE AND KEPT

0:00 WHIPPING UP HER SKIRT IN FRONT OF THE CROWD.

0:00 >> I WAS TRYING TO GET YOU ELECTED.

0:00 I WAS 4.

0:00 >> HE WAS VERY TOLERANT.

0:00 >> YOU WERE A GREAT GRANDFATHER.

0:00 YOU ARE A GREAT GRANDFATHER.

0:00 >> SO SWEET.

0:00 >> Reporter: MY GRANDFATHER CONSIDERS

0:00 SERVING HIS COUNTRY HIS GREATEST PRIVILEGE.

0:00 HIS FAMILY THE ULTIMATE GIFT.

0:00 AND NOW MY DAD OFFERS A LOVING TRIBUTE TO HIS FATHER.

0:00 >> A KIND OF QUESTION PEOPLE ASK ALL

0:00 THE TEAM WHO IS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PRESIDENT?

0:00 YOU KNOW, LIKE— IT'S NO CONTEST.

0:00 GEORGE H.W.

0:00 BUSH.

0:00 >> WOULD YOU SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT HIM?

0:00 >> UNCONDITIONALLY.

0:00 >> WOW.

0:00 >> I HAVE BEEN GOOD ALL MORNING AND I GET TEARY WHEN I HEAR JENNA'S VOICE.

0:00 I HAVE TO TELL YOU JUST YESTERDAY THIS TIME YESTERDAY,

0:00 JENNA AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT OUR GRANDPARENTS AND SHE WAS TELLING ME HOW

0:00 THIS IS GOING TO BE A TOUGH HOLIDAY

0:00 BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST HOLIDAY WITHOUT HER GRANDMOTHER.

0:00 AND NOW THIS.

0:00 AND LOOK, SHE— HER SISTER, HER TWIN, JUST GOT MARRIED.

0:00 THEY WANTED HIM TO BE THERE.

0:00 HE WAS ABLE TO BE THERE.

0:00 AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH, YOU KNOW,

0:00 YOU'RE PREPARED FOR IT, YOU'RE NEVER REALLY PREPAR