George H.W. Bush by Jon Meacham
George Herbert Walker Bush Destiny and Power by Jon Meacham
A Book Report by Bobby Everett Smith
Spoiler Alert
July 3, 2018
Setting
Washington, D.C. and around the world, 1920 to Present
Characters
George H. W. Bush served as the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Prior to assuming the presidency, Bush served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981 to 1989.
Barbara Bush, First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993 as the wife of George H. W. Bush, who served as the 41st President of the United States. Previously was Second Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Among her six children are George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, and Jeb Bush, the 43rd Governor of Florida.
Ronald Regan, Governor of California, and President of the United States, 1981 to 1989
Nancy Davis Reagan, President’s wife and first lady
Gerald Ford, President of the United States after succeeding power from Richard Nixon
Prescott Bush, father of George H.W. Bush, U.S. Senator from Connecticut
Dorothy Bush, mother of George H.W. Bush
Robin Bush, second child and daughter of George and Barbara Bush. Robin died of leukemia at age 3.
George W. Bush, oldest son of George and Barbara Bush, 43rd President of the United States
Jeb Bush, son of George and Barbara Bush, Governor of Florida and Republican candidate for President of the United States in 2016 where he was defeated by Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.
Neil Bush, son of George and Barbara Bush
Dorothy Bush, mother of George H.W. Bush and wife of Prescott Bush.
Michael Dukakis lost the 1988 Presidential election to his Republican opponent George H. W. Bush
Mikhail Gorbachev, Former General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Newt Gingrich, representing Georgia in Congress, and ultimately serving as 50th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999
James Baker, III, served as White House Chief of Staff and United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Ronald Reagan, and as U.S. Secretary of State and White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush.
Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of Great Britain
Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States. Impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate
Hillary Clinton, First Lady to Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, Senator from New York, Secretary of State and Democratic nominee for President in 2016, defeated in the electoral college by Donald Trump
Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States.
Executive Summary
Barbara Bush came from a famous family; her ancestor was Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States. George Herbert Walker Bush’s father was Prescott Bush, United States Senator from Connecticut from 1954 to 1963. George H.W. Bush had a distinguished career as a Navy pilot during World War II, a successful oilman in Texas, a Congressman from Texas, Ambassador to China, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Director of the CIA, Vice President of the United States for two terms under Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, and father to Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, and George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States. Jeb Bush ran for the Republican nomination for President in 2016 but he was defeated for the nomination by Donald Trump.
George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts. His parents, Prescott and Dorothy Walker Bush relocated to Greenwich, Connecticut in 1925 where Prescott soon became an investment banker with W.A. Harriman in New York. Theirs was an affluent and powerful family in the East but they raised their children to have a sense of duty and service to their country. George H.W. was a good example of that duty as shown by his Naval service and political achievements.
In 1937, Bush entered Andover Academy in Massachusetts to complete his prep school work before heading for Yale. In 1941, when Bush was just short of 18 years old, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor starting World War II. Bush was determined to do his part and he signed up for the Navy requesting assignment to Flight School. He was accepted into the Navy and ordered to start Flight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on July 22, 1942.
George met Barbara Pierce at a dance at the Greenwich Country Club over Christmas in 1941.
Bush completed flight school and was assigned to a torpedo-bomber squadron flying off a carrier in the Pacific. On September 2, 1944, Bush was assigned to fly a bombing raid on a communications facility on the Bonin Island of ChichiJima, 150 miles from the Island of Iwo Jima. His plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. He and two crew members bailed out. George was rescued by a submarine, but the crewmembers were never found.
When Bush returned home, he married Barbara Pierce in 1945.
Along with 5,000 other men, Bush enrolled in Yale University in the fall of 1945. Bush did well at Yale, making Phi Beta Kappa on graduation. He was also selected for the Skull and Bones, a secret society whose members frequently formed life-long bonds for business and social inroads.
In July 1946, Barbara gave birth to her first child, a boy, whom they named George W.
Looking for work after graduation, Bush got a job selling oil field equipment. After discussing it with Barbara, they headed for Odessa, Texas, where George H.W. would work for Ideco as an oil field equipment salesman.
Bush worked for several companies in Texas and in 1959, he formed Zapata Off Shore with headquarters in Houston. George H W Bush and family moved to Houston where George became the Chairman. The ZOS had four off-shore rigs, 195 employees, and 2,200 stockholders. Barbara gave birth to another girl, Dorothy, or Doro.
In 1966, Bush was elected to the United States House of Representatives from the 7th District of Texas; he won 57 percent of the ballots cast in a race against Democrat Frank Briscoe, who was the district attorney of Harris County. Bush was the first Republican from Houston in the U.S. House.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon appointed Bush as Ambassador to the United Nations.
Nixon invited George H.W. Bush to take over leadership of the Republican National Committee. Bush was not happy with the invitation; he had been working in New York as Ambassador to the United Nations, but he accepted the position as another example of his life-long service to country.
President Ford assigned Bush to go to China as Ambassador. Going to China was an adventure and a challenge for Bush and he and Barbara accepted the assignment with anticipation.
In November 1975, President Ford appointed Bush to be the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency headquartered in Langley, just outside Washington, D.C. The CIA, at that time, had a bad reputation—investigations, law-breaking, incompetence, and lack of respect by Congress.
Bush liked the job; he liked the people, and he liked the power but when Jimmy Carter defeated Ford in the presidential election of 1976, Bush submitted his resignation and he returned to Houston with Barbara where they went again into the business world.
In the 1980 presidential election, the Republican, Ronald Reagan concluded that Bush was the best choice he had to be his vice president. Bush was moderate, he supported the major causes of Reagan, and he was prepared to take over as president in the event of a disaster.
The Reagan/Bush ticket was successful, twice, and they served for two full terms from 1981 to 1989. Bush was loyal to the president, worked hard, spoke up when appropriate, and basically turned out to be a perfect fit as Ronald Reagan’s number 2 man. Bush looked on himself as a senior confidential adviser and administration loyalist.
Bush ran for president on his own ticket in 1988. On January 20, 1989, Bush was sworn in as 41st president of the United States. With Dan Quayle as his vice president, Bush approached the job with great experience having been the vice president for the last eight years.
Bush’s primary objective on the home front was getting the federal deficit under control. Bush had promised “read my lips, no new taxes,” but he was already considering on his first days in office whether or if he would be able to raise taxes to help get the deficit under control. The federal debt had tripled during the Reagan administration and bush thought that the growing debt represented a potential threat to the health of the nation.
Mikhail Gorbachev was the prime minister of the Soviet Union when Bush took office as president. He was a different kind of Soviet leader, setting his goals on revitalizing the Soviets in military and economic power. Bush was not clear whether Gorbachev wanted to restore the Soviet’s original power in the world or whether they were truly looking for a more democratic future for the Soviets.
In November 1989, East Berliners began to tear down the Berlin Wall and the Soviets did not stop them. Dan Quayle was Bush’s Vice President during him four years in office. Quayle, from Indiana, was one of the most conservative members of Bush’s team and while Bush was in Europe talking about the possible demise of the Soviet Union, Quayle took it on himself to try to enhance his position in the government. Bush had avoided that during his term as Vice President to Reagan and he was bitterly disappointed that Quayle took the opportunity to improve his position in the government.
On November 5, 1990, Bush signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. This raised multiple taxes– the maximum individual income tax rate from 28 percent to 31 percent and raised the individual alternative minimum tax rate from 21 percent to 24 percent. This tax raise turned out to be a major political blow to Bush.
Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. Bush could not let that stand and he took his cause to the United Nations which approved retaliation.
The United Nations executed a massive ground offensive, Operation Desert Sabre, on February 24, 1991 Over the next four days, coalition forces encircled and defeated the Iraqis and liberated Kuwait. The Iraqi Republican Guard mounted a defense but was defeated by February 27.
The Gulf War was recognized as a decisive victory for the coalition. Kuwait and Iraq suffered enormous damage, but Saddam Hussein was not forced from power. This decision led to future problems for the United States.
In August 1991, Gorbachev was deposed as the leader of the Soviet Union and he was eventually replaced by Boris Yeltsin. The Cold War ended.
George W. Bush, the president’s oldest son took on a major project which involved the evaluation of Sununu, Chief of Staff, and the organization of the rest of the White House staff. It was a good lesson for George W. who became the 43rd president of the United States after an eight-year term by Bill Clinton.
Clinton beat Bush in the 1992 election by a decent margin, winning the electoral college by 370 to 168. The Bush’s returned to Houston and Clinton moved into the White House.
Barbara died in her Houston home at the age of 92 on April 17, 2018.
George H.W. Bush is alive and well as of July 2018.
The Story
An Affluent and Powerful Family
George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts. His parents, Prescott and Dorothy Walker Bush relocated to Greenwich, Connecticut in 1925 where Prescott soon became an investment banker with W.A. Harriman in New York.
Prescott and Dorothy were active in local politics and had a strong sense of responsibility and service, character traits which they conveyed to their children. Prescott was wealthy but he and Dorthey raised their children to be modest, stressing the importance of public service and giving back to society.
Dorothy and Prescott had five children, George H. W. Bush, Nancy Walker Bush Ellis, William H. T. Bush, Jonathan Bush, Prescott Bush, Jr. Dorothy raised them to be fearless, as she was fearless. They embraced characteristics of daring and endurance as well as honor and ambition.
George H.W. Bush or Poppy as he was known growing up spent time in Greenwich, Connecticut, Kennebunkport, Maine, and on his grandfather’s plantation in South Carolina. Dinners at the plantation were black tie. The children were chauffeured to school by the family driver.
In 1937, Bush entered Andover Academy in Massachusetts to complete his prep school work before heading for Yale. In 1941, when Bush was just short of 18 years old, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor starting World War II. Bush was determined to do his part and he signed up for the Navy requesting assignment to Flight School. He was accepted into the Navy and ordered to start Flight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on July 22, 1942.
George met Barbara Pierce at a dance at the Greenwich Country Club over Christmas in 1941. Not quite love at first sight, the couple started dating and as it came time for George to leave for flight school, they were “going steady.” Bush was 18 and Barbara a year younger.
Bush, the Navy Dive-Bomber
Bush did well in Basic Flight Training and was transferred to Corpus Christi, Texas for advanced training in the TBF Avenger, an operational carrier-based torpedo plane. On June 9, 1943, Bush was designated a Naval Aviator and an Ensign in the United States Naval Reserves–headed for combat duty aboard an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific. The war was in full bloom in the Pacific at that time. Bush was ordered to VT 51 in Norfolk, Virginia and assigned to the carrier USS San Jacinto which was commissioned on December 15, 1943.
The USS San Jacinto sailed through the Panama Canal enroute to Hawaii and then the Marshall Islands. On May 21, the San Jacinto was on its assigned post and Bush was ready for his first combat mission.
The Avenger that Bush flew had a single propeller and engine, and a crew of three, the pilot, a gunner, and a radio operator. Their first target was Wake Island, a small airport in the Pacific occupied by the Japanese on the same day as Pearl Harbor was bombed. Bush was known as the youngest pilot in the Navy, but he was well-respected by his crew and other squadron mates.
On September 2, 1944, Bush was assigned to fly a bombing raid on a communications facility on the Bonin Island of ChichiJima, 150 miles from the Island of Iwo Jima. The comm post was well-defended by the Japanese. Artillery fire on the post was brutal and this was the second wave of attack by VT 51 planes on the base. When Bush found the target, he rolled into a 35-degree dive heading straight for the radio tower which was his ultimate target. Flak was heavy, and Bush’s plane was hit, catching fire. Smoke filled the cockpit and flames raced along the wings. Bush realized that they were not going to recover from the hit and ordered his two crew members to “hit the silk.”
The two aircrewmen bailed out but Bush never saw them again. At 2,000 feet, he bailed out. His parachute malfunctioned but he had enough of it left to slow his descent into the ocean and save his life. When he landed, he descended into the ocean but inflated his life vest, pulling him back to the surface. His squadron mates dropped him a raft; Japanese boats sped to pick him up before the Navy could rescue him.
The USS Finback, a U.S. submarine, was on rescue duty in the area, about 10 miles from Bush’s location. The sub headed for the downed aviator, but it was a two-hour trip. Bush waited anxiously in his raft looking at the Japanese boats approaching from ChichiJima. Squadron planes flew protective cover overhead. The sub won the race and Bush was rescued after spending four hours in the raft after the crash.
For the next month, he remained on Finback and participated in the rescue of other pilots. Several of those shot down during the attacks on ChichiJima were executed, and their livers were eaten by their captors.” After the war, some Japanese officers on ChichiJima were tried as war criminals and executed.
Bush’s crew members were never sighted, and Bush developed a life-time of guilt wondering if there were more he could have done to save their lives.
In late November 1944, Bush got orders back to the States. He headed home for his wedding to Barbara, fully expecting to be sent back to the combat zone after the wedding.
Barbara and George were married in the Presbyterian Church in Rye, New York in January 1945. Bush was scheduled to return to the Pacific in September 1945 to take part in the U.S. invasion of Japan. President Truman ordered the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atom bombs and the Japanese surrendered. Bush’s orders to the Pacific were cancelled, and he was discharged from active duty on September 18, 1945. He had flown 58 combat missions, had 126 carrier landings and recorded 1,228 hours of flight time.
George Bush from Yale to Texas
Along with 5000 other men, Bush enrolled in Yale University in the fall of 1945. The GI bill was in effect and many returning service members were anxious to get their college degrees before starting to raise a family. Bush did well at Yale, making Phi Beta Kappa on graduation. He was also selected for the Skull and Bones, a secret society whose members frequently formed life-long bonds for business and social inroads.
In July 1946, Barbara gave birth to her first child, a boy, whom they named George W.
Looking for work after graduation, Bush heard from his Uncle in Texas that he could get a job out there selling oil field equipment. After discussing it with Barbara, they headed for Odessa, Texas, where George H.W. would work for Ideco as an oil field equipment salesman.
Odessa is in West Texas and could be referred to accurately as the boon-docks. The weather was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Odessa was home of the blue-collar workers of the West Texas oil fields and Midland, 30 miles to the east was the home of the white-collar crowd making money in oil.
In 1949, Bush moved his family to Midland, still working with Ideco but with his thoughts running towards making a fortune in the oil business which meant risking some money and forming an independent oil company. He talked the idea over with a friend, John Overbey, and they eventually decided to form a new oil leasing company named Bush-Overbey Oil Development Company. Bush’s function was to raise money for investing in oil leases and Bush returned east to take advantage of family connections in New York and Connecticut.
By 1950 Barbara had given birth to a new child, Robin and they moved into a larger house in Midland. When Robin was three years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia and only lived a short time after the diagnosis. The parents were devastated.
Bush’s next step in the oil business was to merge with Zapata Drilling Company, owned by friends of George. Zapata did well drilling 127 straight wells with zero dry holes. Back east, Bush’s father had been elected to the U.S. Senate.
In addition to his legislative duties, Prescott, an excellent golfer, frequently played golf with his best friend, President Dwight Eisenhower.
In 1959, Zapata split into two companies, the second being Zapata Off Shore with headquarters in Houston. George H W Bush and family moved to Houston where George became the CEO. The ZOS had four off-shore rigs, 195 employees, and 2,200 stockholders. Barbara gave birth to another girl, Dorothy, or Doro.
First Cut at Politics
In 1966, Bush was elected to the United States House of Representatives from the 7th District of Texas; he won 57 percent of the ballots cast in a race against Democrat Frank Briscoe, who was the district attorney of Harris County. Bush was the first Republican from Houston in the U.S. House.
His voting record in the House was generally conservative: Bush voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1968, although it was generally unpopular in his district. He supported the Nixon administration’s Vietnam policies, but broke with Republicans on the issue of birth control, which he supported. Despite being a first-term congressman, Bush was appointed to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, where he voted to abolish the military draft. He was elected to a second term in 1968
The United Nations
In 1971, President Richard Nixon appointed Bush as Ambassador to the United Nations
Republican National Committee
Nixon invited George H.W. Bush to Camp David where he asked him to take over leadership of the Republican National Committee. Bush was not happy with the invitation; he had been working in New York as Ambassador to the United Nations. He had his sights on becoming an assistant Secretary of State and eventually, president of the United States. Bush somewhat reluctantly accepted the position despite cautious remarks from Barbara, his closest adviser.
Nixon soon became involved in Watergate, a scandal that eventually brought the presidency down. Bush took on the RNC job recruiting new republican candidates for office nationwide and raising money for the Republican party.
On August 7, 1974, writing from the Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, Bush crafted a hand-written letter to Richard Nixon urging him to resign. The following day, Nixon did resign, and Gerald Ford was sworn in as President. Nelson Rockefeller was picked over Bush to become the next vice president. Bush was appointed to become the Ambassador to China.
Ambassador to China
In 1974, Ford chose Nelson Rockefeller to be his Vice President, over George H.W. Bush. Nixon offered Bush his choice of Ambassador to China or possibly Chief of Staff to the President.
President Ford assigned Bush to go to China. Bush learned lessons in diplomacy which, in China, required patience and persistence which Bush knew he could use improvements with. Going to China was an adventure and a challenge for Bush and he and Barbara accepted the assignment with anticipation.
Bush’s goal in the China assignment was to contribute to stability in Asia. America needed to be visible but not pushy, muscular but not domineering. Bush was an ideal person to help contribute to those goals.
Bush initiated a process of personal diplomacy. He attended as many foreign diplomacy meetings as he could. He and Barbara took their bicycles as means of personal transportation as opposed to driving in his assigned limousine. They developed a reputation with the Chinese as being warm and friendly.
Bush was at his post in China when he heard about the fall of Vietnam in 1975, the first war that America had lost in its history. “We must remain engaged,” Bush wired Washington. We cannot give up the region to the Communists. Thailand and the Philippines were of critical importance.
CIA
In November 1975, Ford appointed Bush to be the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency headquartered in Langley, just outside Washington, D.C. Bush agreed to the assignment and the move. The CIA, at that time, had a bad reputation—investigations, law-breaking, incompetence, and lack of respect by Congress.
The CIA was not viewed as a springboard for a positive political future. But Bush took the job anyway because he believed it was his duty to do as the president asked. In his mind, Bush thought he was sacrificing his political career to satisfy the president. Bush won confirmation in the senate 64 to 27 and he was sworn in to his new position on January 30, 1976.
Bush liked the job; he liked the people, and he liked the power but when Jimmy Carter defeated Ford in the presidential election of 1976, Bush submitted his resignation and he returned to Houston with Barbara where they went again into the business world. George took an office in the First International Bank and accepted speeches and attended meetings throughout the world, traveling to London for the bank three times a year. He turned down a good job offer from Ross Perot and as a moderate Republican he began to prepare himself to run for president of the United States. Bush believed in lower taxes, fewer regulations, and a muscular foreign policy.
Vice President of the United States
Bush announced his candidacy for president on May 1, 1979 running against Ronal Reagan.
Bush was defeated in the Republican primary by Ronald Reagan. Reagan chose Bush as his running mate, and Bush became vice president after the Reagan–Bush ticket won the 1980 election. During his eight-year tenure as vice president, Bush headed administration task forces on deregulation and fighting the War on Drugs.
Reagan considered Gerald Ford to be his running mate, but Ford insisted on certain conditions that were unacceptable to Reagan. Ford, in effect, wanted to be a co-president with duties that Reagan assigned him that would give him considerable power in the execution of the presidency. Nancy advised the president not to accept those conditions. She did not like the idea of a former-president coming in as a vice-president under Reagan.
After considerable discussion, Reagan concluded that Bush was the best choice he had to be his vice president. Bush was moderate, he supported the major causes of Reagan, and he was prepared to take over as president in the event of a disaster. Bush and Reagan went to Houston together, had lunch at the Bush home, and started their campaign for the presidency.
The Reagan/Bush ticket was successful, twice, and they served for two full terms from 1981 to 1989. Bush was loyal to the president, worked hard, spoke up when appropriate, and basically turned out to be a perfect fit as Ronald Reagan’s number 2 man. Bush looked on himself as a senior confidential adviser and administration loyalist.
Nancy and Barbara Bush were never close. The Bush’s were rarely invited to meals at the private quarters of the president in the White House. Nancy made it clear that she and Ronald were the stars and the Bush’s merely supporting actors.
In 1981, Reagan was pushing the Soviets for a compromise on the nuclear arms race. On the one hand, Reagan wanted disarmament and on the other he was pushing for deployment of the Pershing missile systems in Western Europe. Reagan’s strategy was to talk tough while pushing for disarmament.
Bush was ordered to take a trip through Europe trying to diffuse Reagan’s image as a “nuclear cowboy.” The President wants peace, Bush insisted. Bush read a letter to an audience in West Berlin where the president of the United States invited the prime minister of the Soviet Union to a summit wherever the Soviets wanted to meet. The purpose was to sign an agreement banning U.S. and Soviet land-based nuclear weapons. It was the first time that Reagan had made such a suggestion, but even while asking for the denuclearization agreement, Reagan was pushing for deployment of the Pershing II missile system.
George’s trip was a huge success. Europeans were convinced that America wanted peace but that a strong nuclear capability might be the best way to attain that peace. The Washington Post congratulated Bush extravagantly as did President Bush.
Reagan, with Bush as his running mate, won the 1984 presidential election carrying 49 states.
President of the United States 1989
On January 20, 1989 Bush was sworn in as 41st president of the United States. With Dan Quayle as his vice president, Bush approached the job with great experience having been the vice president for the last eight years as well as Ambassador to the Un, China, Director of the CIA and the Republican National Convention not to mention his success in the Texas oil business.
Bush’s primary objective on the home front was getting the federal deficit under control. Bush had promised “read my lips, no new taxes,” but he was already considering on his first days in office whether or if he would be able to raise taxes to help get the deficit under control. The federal debt had tripled during the Reagan administration and bush thought that the growing debt represented a potential threat to the health of the nation.
Mikhail Gorbachev was the prime minister of the Soviet Union. He was a different kind of Soviet leader, setting his goals on revitalizing the Soviets in military and economic power. Bush was not clear whether Gorbachev wanted to restore the Soviet’s original power in the world or whether they were truly looking for a more democratic future for the Soviets. Bush proposed to cut 25% of European forces if Gorbachev would do the same. Military leaders in the U.S. objected to that large a cut and Bush compromised with a reduction of 20%.
In November 1989, East Berliners began to tear down the Berlin Wall and the Soviets did not stop them. Dan Quayle was Bush’s Vice President during him four years in office. Quayle, from Indiana, was one of the most conservative members of Bush’s team and while Bush was in Europe talking about the possible demise of the Soviet Union, Quayle took it on himself to try to enhance his position in the government. Bush had avoided that during his term as Vice President to Reagan and he was bitterly disappointed that Quayle took the opportunity to improve his position in the government.
In December 1989, a U.S. Marine was killed in Panama and shortly thereafter, a young Lieutenant and his wife were detained and harassed at a Panamanian check point. Manuel Noriega, the dictator of Panama at the time, was ultimately responsible for these acts and Bush was determined to act to put him out of power.
Bush initiated a military operation, called Operation Just Cause, against Noriega. Twenty-six thousand American troops poured into Panama. Soon, the Americans were in control, Noriega was arrested and taken to jail in Miami where he would be charged with drug smuggling. Twenty-three Americans were killed in this operation and Bush enhanced his reputation, conservative and cautious, but willing to act in good speed where required.
Bush banned the importation of automatic and semi-automatic weapons and he signed he signed the Fair Labor Standards Amendment of 1989 which raised the minimum wage. He also signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Bush equated the fall of the Berlin Wall with the ADA in terms of overall importance.
“Read my Lips No New Taxes” was Bush’s main campaign slogan, but Bush soon confirmed that tax increases were on the table. Some Republicans, including House Whip Newt Gingrich, the Senate leadership, and Vice President Dan Quayle. This perceived betrayal quickly led to a bitter feud within the Republican Party.
Bush’s popularity fell from the high of 79% to 56% by mid-October 1990.
On November 5, 1990, Bush signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. This raised multiple taxes– the maximum individual income tax rate from 28 percent to 31 percent and raised the individual alternative minimum tax rate from 21 percent to 24 percent. It also increased other taxes, including payroll and excise taxes, and limited itemized deductions for high-income individuals. However, it increased access to the earned income tax credit for low-income families and limited the capital gains rate to 28 percent.
This was a blow to Republicans generally, who lost ground in both the House and Senate in the 1990 midterm elections. However, the events of the Gulf War pushed the issue out of the news, and Bush’s popularity up. By February 1991 his approval rating rose to its highest level—89% (Wikipedia)[
Invasion of Kuwait
On August 1, 1990 Saddam Hussein, the dictator and prime minister of Iraq, ordered his troops into neighboring Kuwait, whom he sought mainly for the oil that was being produced there. Saddam’s forces seized Kuwait City and George H.W. Bush went on the alert anticipating a retaliatory raid against Saddam to prevent his capture of the country.
On November 29, 1990, the U.N. Security Council authorized the use of force against Iraq if it did not withdraw from Kuwait by the following January 15. On January 17, 1991, a U.S.-bombers hit communications networks, weapons plants, and oil refineries. Called “Desert Storm,” the Operation used the latest U.S. technology such as smart bombs and laser guided missiles. The Iraqi air force was virtually destroyed.
A massive allied ground offensive, Operation Desert Sabre, was launched on February 24, with troops heading from northeastern Saudi Arabia into Kuwait and southern Iraq. Over the next four days, coalition forces encircled and defeated the Iraqis and liberated Kuwait. U.S. forces invaded Iraq some 120 miles west of Kuwait, attacking Iraq’s armored reserves from the rear. The Iraqi Republican Guard mounted a defense, but most was defeated by February 27.
On February 28, Bush declared a cease-fire and ended the Persian Gulf War. According to the peace terms that Hussein accepted, Iraq would recognize Kuwait’s sovereignty and get rid of all its weapons of mass destruction (including nuclear, biological and chemical weapons). In all, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Iraqi forces were killed, in comparison with only 300 coalition troops.
The Gulf War was recognized as a decisive victory for the coalition. Kuwait and Iraq suffered enormous damage, but Saddam Hussein was not forced from power. In the immediate aftermath of the war, Hussein’s forces suppressed uprisings by Kurds in the north of Iraq and Shi’ites in the south. The United States-led coalition failed to support the uprisings, afraid that the Iraqi state would be dissolved if they succeeded.
The 1992 Presidential Election
The Bush government raised taxes on November 5, 1990. The marginal tax rate for individuals went from 28 to 31%. The tax increase was politically toxic for Bush but for the country it was the largest deficit savings tax ever passed.
Thurgood Marshall resigned from the Supreme Court in 1991 and Bush appointed Clarence Thomas to replace him. Thomas is still on the court in 2018, 27 years later. He is known as the most conservative member of the court. He keeps quiet in court sessions and rarely writes opinions of the Court decisions.
In August 1991, Gorbachev was deposed as the leader of the Soviet Union and he was eventually replaced by Boris Yeltsin. The coup failed but Gorbachev resigned from being head of the Communist Party and recommended that the party should be dissolved. The Cold War ended.
George W. Bush, the president’s oldest son took on a major project which involved the evaluation of Sununu, Chief of Staff, and the organization of the rest of the White House staff. It was a good lesson for George W. who became the 43rd president of the United States after an eight-year term by Bill Clinton.
Clinton beat Bush in the 1992 election by a decent margin, winning the electoral college by 370 to 168. The Bush’s returned to Houston and Clinton moved into the White House.
Barbara Passes at Age 92
Barbara died in her Houston home at the age of 92 on April 17, 2018.
Rating
Four stars out of five.
Four stars out of five. George Herbert Walker Bush sometimes gets low marks for his term as President of the United States, but a closer look reveals a President with the best overall set of experiences for the job of any recent president. This biography about our 41st President is an excellent description of his many experiences and his philosophies about service to his country. Bush was a Navy dive-bomber pilot in World War II, shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire and rescued by a U.S. submarine. This was just the start of an illustrious career which culminated with his election as President of the United States. I totally recommend reading this book.
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