Politics / George HW Bush George HW Bush Hospitalized Has bronchitis, chronic cough By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted Nov 29, 2012 10:55 AM CST Copied Former President George HW Bush, and his wife Barbara, arrive for the premiere of HBO's new documentary on his life in Kennebunkport, Maine, Tuesday, June 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) George HW Bush is in the hospital, but there's no need to panic, his chief of staff tells the Houston Chronicle. The former president has had a serious cough for the past few weeks, and was admitted to a Houston hospital last Friday with bronchitis. The 88-year-old had previously been in and out of the hospital for treatment, a source tells NBC News, and was admitted once again due to his age and out of "an abundance of caution." The situation is not life-threatening, and his chief of staff expects him to be discharged this weekend. "We have kept this quiet out of respect for him," she noted. (More George HW Bush stories.) Report an error