Former U.S. President H.W. Bush spends Christmas in hospital

USPA News - Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush remained at a Houston hospital on Christmas Day after experiencing shortness of breath two days earlier, though his spokesman said the former leader is "doing well" and his prognosis remains positive. Family spokesman Jim McGrath said Bush, 90, remained at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas as a precaution but offered no other details when reached by email on Thursday afternoon.

"He is still in the hospital and still doing well. We will send an update when we have more information," McGrath said. It was not clear if Bush received any visitors to celebrate Christmas. In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, McGrath said the former leader had "a good day" and added that his prognosis "remains positive." Bush was taken by ambulance to Houston Methodist Hospital on Tuesday evening after experiencing shortness of breath, but specific details about his health problems have not been released. Bush, the oldest living former American president, was in office from January 1989 until January 1993. He also served two terms as vice president in Ronald Reagan`s administration from 1981 until 1989, and he is further the father of former President George W. Bush, who was in office from 2001 until 2009. Bush has been dealing with a number of health problems in recent years, including a form of Parkinson`s disease that has forced him to use a wheelchair. He made news in June when he marked his 90th birthday with a tandem parachute jump near his summer home in coastal Maine.