PBS – Intro, Combat Pilot, West Texas http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperie nce/films/bush/player/

Bush administration (1989-1993) George H.W. Bush - Early Life/Political Career George Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to Senator Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush and soon moved to Greenwich, Connecticut Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941, at the age of 18, Bush postponed going to college and became the youngest aviator in the US Navy at the time He served until the end of the war, then attended Yale University Graduating in 1948, he moved his family to Texas and entered the oil business, becoming a millionaire by the age of 40 Before becoming Vice-President in 1980, Bush had served as a Congressman, Ambassador to the U.N., and the Director of the CIA

Bush administration (1989-1993) Election of 1988  Republicans George Bush (Vice-President) Dan Quayle (Senator – Indiana) Democrats Michael Dukakis (Governor – Massachusetts) Lloyd Bentsen (Senator – Texas) Popular Vote Bush/Quayle (53.4%) Dukakis/Bentsen (45.7%)  

Bush administration (1989-1993) States Carried Bush/Quayle - 40 Dukakis/Bentsen – 11 Plus DC

Bush administration (1989-1993) Bush came into the White House as a foreign policy expert and much of his term was devoted to that area Successful military operations were conducted in Panama and the Persian Gulf during his tenure The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 while Bush was in office, although Reagan is given much of the credit for both

Bush administration (1989-1993) Bush Administration Continued… Domestically, Bush promised no new taxes by famously saying during his campaign, “Read my lips, no new taxes.” Bush was forced to raise taxes during his presidency and resided over an economy that was suffering a recession Most historians believe that the recession, Bush’s broken tax promise, and the perception that he could not relate to middle class America as the main reasons for his failed re-election bid in 1992

PBS – 1988 Campaign http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperie nce/films/bush/player/

Bush administration (1989-1993) Gulf War (January 17, 1991 – February 28, 1991) On August 2, 1990, Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invaded its oil-rich neighbor Kuwait Iraq justified its invasion of Kuwait because it claimed it had territorial rights to Kuwait, and that Kuwait was supplying to much oil to the world market, which was hurting the value of Iraqi oil Within 6 days, Iraq had seized control of Kuwait Saudi Arabia, a neighbor of both Iraq and Kuwait, feared Saddam may target them next and called for U.S. assistance (Saudi-born Bin Laden had offered assistance, but was quickly dismissed) A UN-authorized Coalition Force from 34 nations led by the United States demanded that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait

PBS – Desert Storm http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperie nce/films/bush/player/

Bush administration (1989-1993) Gulf War Continued… After failing to do so, the Coalition Forces headed by General Norman Schwarzkopf began military operations on January 17, 1991 codenamed Operation Desert Storm The Coalition advance was much swifter than U.S. generals had expected and by February 26, 1991, Iraqi troops began retreating from Kuwait Coalition Forces continued to pursue retreating Iraqi forces over the border and back into Iraq, eventually moving to within 150 miles of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad before being called back to the boarder by President Bush who declared that Kuwait had been liberated

Bush administration (1989-1993) Gulf War Continued… Critics of Bush believed he should have continued the attack, pushing Hussein's army back to Baghdad, then removing him from power Bush 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." Instead of a greater involvement of its own military, the United States hoped that Saddam Hussein would be overthrown in an internal coup d'état The CIA used its assets in Iraq to organize a revolt, but the Iraqi government defeated the effort

Bush administration (1989-1993) Bush Post Presidency/Legacy In 1993, Bush visited Kuwait to commemorate the coalition's victory over Iraq where he was targeted in an assassination plot Kuwaiti authorities arrested 17 people allegedly involved in using a car bomb to kill Bush The FBI determined that the plot had been directed by the Iraqi Intelligence Service Two months later, in retaliation, President Clinton ordered the firing of 23 cruise missiles at Iraqi Intelligence Service headquarters in Baghdad After the missiles were fired, Vice President Al Gore said the attack "was intended to be a proportionate response at the place where this plot" to assassinate Bush "was hatched and implemented"

Bush administration (1989-1993) Bush Post Presidency/Legacy Continued… The economic recession in the U.S. in the early 1990’s shifted the image of Bush from "conquering hero" to "politician befuddled by economic matters" And though Bush saw a 34% approval rating leading up to the 1992 election, the mood did not last, and a year later 60% of Americans gave Bush's presidency a positive rating He is currently the oldest surviving President at age 88, 4 months older than Jimmy Carter