Transcript the presidency of george h. bush

GEORGE H. W.
BUSH
st
41
The
President of
the United States of
America
1989-1993
BACKGROUND:
 Born
in Milton, Massachusetts,
on June 12, 1924
 he became a student leader at
Phillips Academy in Andover.
 On
his 18th birthday he
enlisted in the armed forces.
The youngest pilot in the Navy
when he received his wings,
he flew 58 combat missions
during World War II.
 On
one mission over the Pacific
as a torpedo bomber pilot he
was shot down by Japanese
antiaircraft fire and was rescued
from the water by a U. S.
submarine. He was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross for
bravery in action.
 In
January 1945 he married
Barbara Pierce. They had six
children– George (W- former
President)- Robin (who died
as a child), John (known as
Jeb), Neil, Marvin, and
Dorothy.
 At
Yale University
he was captain of
the baseball team
and a member of
Phi Beta Kappa.
 After
graduation Bush
embarked on a career in the
oil industry of West Texas
 There he founded his oil
company and by 1980
reported an estimated wealth
of $1.4 million.
 His
father, Prescott, was a
Senator from Connecticut.
 In the 1960s, Bush won two
contests for a Texas
Republican seat in the House
of Representatives, but lost
two bids for a Senate seat.
 was
appointed to a series of
high-level positions:
 Ambassador to the United
Nations
 Chairman of the Republican
National Committee
 Headed the U.S. liaison office
in Beijing before becoming
Director of Central Intelligence
 In
1980 Bush campaigned for
the Republican nomination for
President.
 He lost, but was chosen as a
running mate by Ronald
Reagan.
 As
Vice President, Bush had
responsibility in several
domestic areas, including
Federal deregulation and antidrug programs, and visited
scores of foreign countries.
 In
1988 Bush won the
Republican nomination for
President and, with Senator
Dan Quayle of Indiana as his
running mate, he defeated
Massachusetts Governor
Michael Dukakis in the general
election.
George
Herbert Walker
Bush became president on
Jan. 20, 1989, with his
theme harmony and
conciliation after the oftenturbulent Reagan years.
 Bush
faced a dramatically
changing world, as the Cold
War ended after 40 bitter
years, the Communist empire
broke up, and the Berlin Wall
fell.
 The
Soviet Union ceased to
exist; and reformist President
Mikhail Gorbachev, whom Bush
had supported, resigned. While
Bush hailed the march of
democracy, he insisted on
restraint in U. S. policy toward
the group of new nations.
 Bush's
early Cabinet choices
reflected a pragmatic desire for
an efficient, nonideological
government. And with his usual
cautious instinct, in 1990 he
nominated to the Supreme
Court the scholarly David H.
Souter, with broadly
conservative views.
IN HIS FIRST YEAR:
Lebanese Hostage Crisis
The Exxon Valdez oil spill
in Alaska
Ongoing War against Drug
Trafficking
Invasion of Panama
 His
public approval soared
following the invasion of
Panama in late 1989
 In a few speeches he stated
why he went:
Safeguarding the lives of U.S.
citizens in Panama.
- 35,000 Americans living there.
numerous clashes between U.S.
and Panamanian forces; one
American had been killed a few
days earlier and several
incidents of harassment
Defending Democracy and
Human Rights in Panama
 Earlier
that year Noriega
(Their leader) had nullified
presidential elections that had
been won by candidates from
opposition parties
Combating Drug Trafficking
 Panama
had become a center for
drug money laundering and a
transit point for drug trafficking to
the United States and Europe.
Noriega had been singled out for
direct involvement in these drug
trafficking operations.
Protecting the integrity of the
Torrijos-Carter Treaties
 U.S.
political establishment
claimed that Noriega
threatened the neutrality of the
Panama Canal
 United States had the right
under the treaties to intervene
militarily to protect the canal.
A Mass Grave of Panamian Casualties.
SECOND YEAR
A staggering budget
deficit and the savings
and loan crisis (1980’s
continuation) caused
the president's
popularity to dip
sharply
This
plunge followed Bush's
recantation of his campaign
“no new taxes” pledge as he
sat down with congressional
leaders to tame the budget
deficit and deal with a
faltering economy.
Third Year
 Emerged
as the leader of an
international coalition of
Western democracies, Japan,
and even some Arab states
that came together to free
Kuwait following an invasion of
the country by Iraq in Aug1990
 The
coalition forces defeated Iraq
in only a little more than a month
after Operation Desert Storm
was launched on Jan. 16–17,
1991, and a nation grateful at
feeling the end of the “Vietnam
syndrome” gave the president an
89% approval rating
 High
rating fell as the year
went on, as doubts persisted
about the war's outcome—
Iraqi president Saddam
Hussein remained in power
and persistently avoided
complying with the terms of
the peace treaty
 In
the aftermath of the Persian
Gulf War, comprehensive
Arab-Israeli peace talks began
in late 1991.
 Pressure for this came from
his Secretary of State James
A. Baker
1991 Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty (START): signed in
July with Soviet president
Mikhail S. Gorbachev at their
fourth summit conference,
marking the end of the long
weapons buildup
 Lost
1992 bid for reelection to
William J. Clinton in a race
between Clinton, Bush, and
Perot