George W. Bush Jokes, Defends Religious Liberty At SMU Commencement

Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

UNIVERSITY CITY (CBSDFW.COM) — Former President George W. Bush on Saturday delivered his first commencement address since leaving the White House.

During his speech to students at Southern Methodist University, George W. Bush covered a myriad of topics, including the defense of religious liberty. Amid debate over gay marriage legislation in states such as Texas, Indiana and Arkansas, Mr. Bush advised, "It is essential for the nation's future that we remember that the freedom to worship who we want, and how we want - or not to worship at all - is a core belief of our founding."

Mr. Bush also cracked jokes, and even threw out some support for C students, "To those of you who are graduating this afternoon with high honors, awards, and distinctions, I say, 'well done.'  And as I like to tell the C students:  You, too, can be President."

Saturday's ceremony marked the university's 100th commencement.

This was Mr. Bush's second time serving as speaker at S.M.U. His first was in 1999 when he led the state as governor.

S.M.U. is home to the 43rd president's library and museum.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.