Ex-President George H.W. Bush still hospitalized for persistent cough Former President George H. W. Bush, shown at a White House ceremony May 31, 2012. HOUSTON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Ex-President George H.W. Bush was in high spirits in a Houston hospital but will stay there until a persistent cough is "under grips," a hospital official said. Jim McGrath of The Methodist Hospital said Bush, 88, has been treated since Nov. 23 because of the cough, the Houston Chronicle reported Sunday. "Spirits are high and he got a good night's sleep," McGrath said. But he's still got a little bit of a cough and until we get that under grips we're not looking at any discharge date. The former president's doctors have said Bush was hospitalized as a precautionary measure and that his condition was never considered life-threatening.