George Bush
George Bush brought to the White House a dedication to traditional
American
values and a determination to direct them toward making the United
States
"a kinder and gentler nation." In his Inaugural Address he pledged
in
"a moment rich with promise" to use American strength as "a force
for
good." Coming from a family with a tradition of public service,
George
Herbert Walker Bush felt the responsibility to make his
contribution both in
time of war and in peace. 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. Bush next turned his energies
toward completing his education and
raising a family. In January 1945 he married
Barbara Pierce. They had six
children--George, Robin (who died as a child), John
(known as Jeb), Neil,
Marvin, and Dorothy. At Yale University he excelled both
in sports and in his
studies; 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.
Like his father, Prescott Bush, who was elected a
Senator from
Connecticut in 1952, George became interested in public service and
politics.
He served two terms as a Representative to Congress from Texas. Twice
he ran
unsuccessfully for the Senate. Then he was appointed to a series
of
high-level positions: Ambassador to the United Nations, Chairman of
the
Republican National Committee, Chief of the U. S. Liaison Office in
the People's
Republic of China, and Director of the Central Intelligence
Agency. 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 anti-drug
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. 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 Gor
bachev, 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. In other areas of
foreign policy, President Bush sent American troops
into Panama to overthrow
the corrupt regime of General Manuel Noriega, who was
threatening the
security of the canal and the Americans living there. Noriega
was brought to
the United States for trial as a drug trafficker. Bush's greatest
test came
when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, then threatened to
move
into Saudi Arabia. Vowing to free Kuwait, Bush rallied the United
Nations,
the U. S. people, and Congress and sent 425,000 American troops.
They were
joined by 118,000 troops from allied nations. After weeks of air
and missile
bombardment, the 100-hour land battle dubbed Desert Storm routed
Iraq's
million-man army. Despite unprecedented popularity from this military
and
diplomatic triumph, Bush was unable to withstand discontent at home from
a
faltering economy, rising violence in inner cities, and continued high
deficit
spending. In 1992 he lost his bid for reelection to Democrat William
Clinton.