Dog

Loyal, affable, and happiest when folks feel at ease.

When he spontaneously hugged Michelle Obama at the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the moment captured something essential about the 43rd president — an instinctive warmth that cuts across division and discomfort. George W. Bush's famous nicknames for staff, his easy-going Crawford ranch persona, and his genuine tears during veterans' ceremonies all reflect the dog's defining impulse: making everyone in the room feel seen and at home. Dogs are pack animals who thrive on loyalty and social harmony, and Bush's post-presidency focus on painting portraits of wounded warriors — quietly honoring those who served him — is precisely the kind of devoted, unglamorous faithfulness the dog embodies. He may have been the most powerful person on earth, but he always seemed happiest just being one of the guys.