George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States (1989–1993). Previously, he had served as U.S. congressman from Texas (1967–1971), ambassador to the United Nations (1971–1973), Republican National Committee chairman (1973–1974), Director of Central Intelligence (1976–1977), and the 43rd Vice President of the United States under President Ronald Reagan (1981–1989). He is the father of the 43rd and current president, George Walker Bush.

Presidency

Foreign policy drove the Bush presidency from its first days. In his January 20, 1989 Inaugural Address upon taking the Presidency, Bush said:

Related Topics:
January 20 - 1989

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:"I come before you and assume the Presidency at a moment rich with promise. We live in a peaceful, prosperous time, but we can make it better. For a new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn; for in man's heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The totalitarian era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient, lifeless tree. A new breeze is blowing, and a nation refreshed by freedom stands ready to push on. There is new ground to be broken, and new action to be taken."

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Tiananmen Square

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Gulf War

As President, Bush is perhaps best known for leading the United Nations coalition in the 1990–1991 Gulf War despite his strong support for Saddam Hussein's regime against Congress over the latter's response to the Halabja affair, when he was Vice President and in his early days as President. In 1990, led by Saddam Hussein, Iraq invaded its oil-rich neighbor to the south, Kuwait. The broad coalition sought to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait and ensure that Iraq did not invade Saudi Arabia. Bush's position was summed up succinctly when he said, "This aggression will not stand," and "this is not a war for oil. This is war against aggression."

Related Topics:
United Nations - Gulf War - 1990 - Saddam Hussein - Iraq - Kuwait - Saudi Arabia

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In a foreign policy move that would later be questioned, President Bush achieved his stated objectives of liberating Kuwait and forcing Iraqi withdrawal, then ordered a cessation of combat operations —allowing Saddam Hussein to stay in power. His Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney noted that invading the country would get the United States "bogged down in the quagmire inside Iraq." http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/pubs/soref/cheney.htm Bush later explained that he did not give the order to overthrow the Iraqi government because it would have "incurred incalculable human and political costs... We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq". http://www.thememoryhole.org/mil/bushsr-iraq.htmhttp://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/gulfwar.asp In explaining to Gulf War veterans why he chose not to pursue the war further, he said, "whose life would be on my hands as the commander-in-chief because I, unilaterally, went beyond the international law, went beyond the stated mission, and said we're going to show our macho? We're going into Baghdad. We're going to be an occupying power — America in an Arab land — with no allies at our side. It would have been disastrous." although this is what the current president did, George Bush's son, George Bush. fas.org

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President Bush's popularity rating in America soared during and immediately after the apparent success of the military operations, but later fell due to an economic recession.

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Fall of the Soviet Union, "New World Order"

As the Soviet Union was unraveling, Gorbachev and U.S. President George H.W. Bush declared a U.S.-Soviet strategic partnership at the summit of July 1991, decisively marking the end of the Cold War. President Bush declared that U.S.-Soviet cooperation during the Persian Gulf War in 1990-1991 had laid the groundwork for a partnership in resolving bilateral and world problems. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation claimed to be the legal successor to the USSR on the international stage.

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• Malta Summit http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/24/documents/malta/
• Arms control: START I, Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction

NAFTA

Bush's government, along with the conservative Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, spearheaded the negotiatons of the NAFTA agreement, which Clinton would later sign in 1993.

Related Topics:
Conservative - Canadian - Prime Minister - Brian Mulroney - NAFTA - 1993

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Failed re-election

The tail end of the late 1980s recession, that had dogged most of Bush's term in office, was a contributing factor to his defeat in the 1992 Presidential election. Several other factors were key in his defeat, including siding with Congressional Democrats in 1990 to raise taxes despite his famous "" pledge not to institute any new taxes. In doing so, Bush alienated many members of his conservative base, losing their support for his re-election. Another major factor, which may have helped Bill Clinton defeat Bush in the 1992 election was the candidacy of Ross Perot. Perot won 19% of the popular vote, and Clinton, still a largely unknown quantity in American politics, won the election.

Related Topics:
Late 1980s recession - 1992 Presidential election - Democrats - 1990 - Bill Clinton - Ross Perot

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Bush's last controversial act in office was his pardon of six former government employees implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal on December 24, 1992, most prominently former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. Weinberger had been scheduled to stand trial on January 5, 1993 for lying to Congress regarding his knowledge of arms sales to Iran and concealing 1700 pages of his personal diary detailing discussions with other officials about the arms sales. As Weinberger's private notes contained references to Bush's endorsement of the secret shipments to Iran, some believe that Bush's pardon was an effort to prevent an order for Bush to appear before a grand jury or possibly to avoid an indictment. Weinberger's indictment stated that Weinberger's notes contradicted Bush's assertions that he had only peripheral knowledge of the arms for hostages deal. Lawrence Walsh, the Independent Counsel assigned to the case, charged that "the Iran-contra cover-up, which has continued for more than six years, has now been completed." Walsh likened the pardons to President Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre. Bush responded that the Walsh probe constituted an attempt to criminalize a policy dispute between the legislative and executive branches. In addition to Weinberger, Bush pardoned Duane R. Clarridge, Clair E. George, Robert C. McFarlane, Elliott Abrams, and Alan G. Fiers Jr., all of whom had been indicted and/or convicted of charges by the Independent Counsel.

Related Topics:
Iran-Contra - December 24 - 1992 - Caspar Weinberger - January 5 - 1993 - Iran - Grand jury - Independent Counsel - Saturday Night Massacre - Duane R. Clarridge - Clair E. George - Robert C. McFarlane - Elliott Abrams - Alan G. Fiers Jr.

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Despite his defeat, George H.W. Bush left office in 1993 with a 56 percent job approval rating. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll%5Fclintonlegacy010117.html

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Cabinet

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Supreme Court appointments

Bush appointed the following Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States:

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• David Souter – 1990
• Clarence Thomas – 1991, making Bush the first Republican president to appoint an African American supreme court justice.