UNIVERSITY PARK — Former President Bill Clinton said Thursday that he’s worried that partisanship “is killing us,” and that “all this fighting about nothing” will damage the country.

“One of the things that is wrong with America today, that bothers me more than anything else about our future, is we have separated ourselves into like-minded communities,” Clinton said. “The truth is ... diverse groups make better decisions than homogeneous ones. Everyone knows that, but they almost can’t help themselves.

“They vote for the gridlock they hate.”

Clinton and his Oval Office successor, former President George W. Bush, led by example Thursday at the latter’s presidential center. The two presidents, who are the same age, have become friendly over the years. The Presidential Leadership Scholars program’s graduation was the latest cause to bring them together Thursday.

The third class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program, which launched in 2015, consists of 60 military, business and civic leaders from across the U.S. who attended seminars at the presidential libraries of Bush; his father, George H.W. Bush; Bill Clinton; and Lyndon Johnson to learn from administration officials and from Bush and Clinton themselves.

Last year’s graduation was at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark.

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Clinton and Bush had some skin in the game of the 2016 presidential race with Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton in the running. But, save for Clinton’s remarks, they avoided talking about current affairs and Donald Trump’s presidency.

The two spent much of their time instead discussing their own roads to the presidency, their time living in the White House and how they later were able to create a friendship after a tense presidential race in 1992 in which Bill Clinton defeated Bush’s father, George H.W. Bush.

“[It’s] one of the most unique relationships and important relationships in U.S. political history. I think it starts with Bill Clinton being a person who refused to lord his victory over Dad; he was humble in victory,” Bush said. “Both men in my judgment displayed strong character, so a friendship was able to be formed.

“Now, why do I have a friendship with him? He’s a brother with a different mother. He hangs out more in Maine than I do,” Bush said with a laugh.

1 / 4Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton wave during the Presidential Leadership Scholars Graduation at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. (Ryan Michalesko / Staff Photographer) 2 / 4Former President Bill Clinton reaches for a handshake during the Presidential Leadership Scholars Graduation at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, Thursday, July 13, 2017. (Ryan Michalesko / Staff Photographer) 3 / 4Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton wave during the Presidential Leadership Scholars Graduation at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, Thursday, July 13, 2017. (Ryan Michalesko / Staff Photographer) 4 / 4Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton joke back and forth during the Presidential Leadership Scholars Graduation at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, Thursday, July 13, 2017.(Ryan Michalesko / Staff Photographer)

Clinton said that his wife was “good” working on a book and spending time with their two grandchildren after the bruising campaign.

Financier and philanthropist David Rubenstein, who moderated the conversation, asked both men if they would recommend the job to younger people today.

“In a heartbeat,” Clinton said. Bush said he would as well, noting that there was “a good chance we are looking at a future president here tonight.”

One of those graduates, SreyRam Kuy, a Houston-based surgeon, spoke about her experience in the program and her experience growing up in Cambodia during the Cambodian genocide. She said she was “overwhelmed” to have had the opportunity to learn and gain insights about leadership from former presidents, Cabinet members and advisers.

“Only in America is this a possibility,” she said. “I'm the daughter of a janitor, I’m a refugee, I’m a child survivor of war and genocide. That’s why I am so grateful and so proud to live in this country where we are all equal and everyone truly deserves a chance, and given that chance, we can take the risk and see what life will yield.”

Of her classmates, she praised their differing backgrounds and their ability to come together through a “deep, deep commitment to social and civic engagement.”

“Americans [are] willing to listen and to discuss challenges and to learn from each other despite, and because, of our differences. We may come from different fields and different backgrounds, but we come together for a common purpose: to serve our country through public service,” Kuy said.

Bush said the group is full of “people of good heart, good skill, and who are willing to serve others.”

The initiative is one of several Bush and Clinton have worked on together in the past decade. Clinton said he admired Bush’s post-presidential work and was surprised by his talent as a painter.

“I think [Bush] would tell you, the best thing to happen to you in politics is to be consistently underestimated,” Clinton said.

“I was pretty good at that,” Bush said as the crowd erupted in laughter.