German magazine mistakenly publishes Bush obituary

In this Sept. 21, 2006 file photo, former President George H.W. Bush delivers the keynote speech before receiving an honorary Doctor of Public Administration degree at Suffolk University in Boston. A spokesman says Bush’s condition continues to improve and that he was moved Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, out of intensive care and into a regular hospital room. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, Pool, File)

BERLIN— Germany’s respected news weekly Der Spiegel has mistakenly published an obituary for former U.S. President George H.W. Bush.

The unfinished obituary appeared on Der Spiegel’s website for only a few minutes Sunday before it was spotted by Internet users and removed.

In it, the magazine’s New York correspondent Marc Pitzke describes Bush as “a colorless politician” whose image only improved when it was compared to the later presidency of his son, George W. Bush.

Bush was hospitalized in Houston Nov. 23 for treatment of a bronchitis-related cough. He was moved to intensive care on Dec. 23 after he developed a fever.

A family spokesman says the 88-year-old former president was moved out of intensive care into a regular hospital room again Saturday after his condition improved.