George HW Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush settled in the White House on January 20, 1989, 2 months before the bi-centennial of the Constitution first taking effect in 1789. Bush's presidency filled the gap left by the expiration of Ronald Reagan's administration, which had endured from 2 terms spanning 1981 to 1989. Bush's status as Reagan's successor was not the only fact linking the two men. Both were Republicans; both were wealthy participants in the private sector prior to politics (Reagan as an actor and Bush as an oil mogul), and Bush was even Reagan's vice president for both terms. Bush's political resemblance to the extraordinarily-popular Reagan helped him in the 1988 election, securing him a massive victory over Democrat Michael Dukakis. As Bush took the oath of office, Americans were optimistic: Despite its now-evident consequences, the Reagan presidency brought with it better economic conditions, reduced Cold War tensions, and renewed optimism from the American people. Would Bush continue this prosperity? Or would things get worse? In many ways, America continued to improve under Bush due to his positive reforms. But Bush also confronted a few crises, during which he demonstrated remarkable leadership.

Throughout his one term in office, Bush signed numerous important bills that improved the lives of Americans. For instance, he launched a campaign to reduce pollution. More specifically, it sought to address acid rain, a pursuit in which it was extremely successful. In 1990, Bush also signed the Americans With Disabilities Act. This remarkable piece of legislation has been dubbed the civil rights act of disabled Americans. Bush's law required all institutions and businesses operating within the United States to avoid discrimination against disabled people. Ramps, handicapped parking slots, and other instruments of accommodation used to make public life more accessible and comfortable for the disabled all became far more common in the wake of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Despite these remarkable achievements, Bush's domestic policy did have a few significant flaws. Amongst these faults was how Bush handled the immediate aftermath of the Iran-Contra Scandal.

Conducted and exposed during the Reagan Administration, the Iran-Contra Scandal centered around a series of shady and illegal deals brokered by Reagan officials in Latin America and the Middle East. Reagan had been supporting an anti-communist terrorist group in Nicaragua called the Contras. When the Boland Amendment was passed in response to the fact that the Contras were involved in the sale of illegal drugs, it banned all White House support of the Contras. Reagan reacted to this legislation by engaging in secret agreements with the Contras and Iran. Reagan would sell weapons to Iran - a far-right, totalitarian theocracy that had just kept dozens of American captive in its US embassy - in exchange for Iranian efforts to have Hezbollah (a Muslim terrorist group Tehran had ties to) release some Americans they were keeping hostage. While Hezbollah did release a few Americans, they never released all the hostages - at least not due to Iranian pressure - and continued to kidnap people. The money made from these sales would then be sent to the Contras.

In 1986, the Iran-Contra Scandal was first reported on by a small newspaper in Lebanon, causing knowledge of it to spread across the globe. Many of those involved - with the exception of Reagan himself - were arrested and imprisoned. Toward the end of his presidency, Bush pardoned everyone who participated in the Iran-Contra Scandal. Obviously, since the Iran-Contra deals were exposed and defunct by the date of Bush's inauguration, Bush played no role in the Iran-Contra Scandal himself, at least not as president anyway. However, the fact that he let people get away with the horrid atrocities should certainly damage his score.

Mentioning Nicaragua and Iran lead into a discussion of Bush's foreign policy: Diplomacy contained both highs and lows for Bush. Ultimately, though, I think the good outweighed the bad. His Latin American policy was where the negatives were concentrated. In 1989, Bush used the death of an American naval soldier stationed in Panama as an excuse to topple Panama's leader Manuel Noreiga. Noreiga was a horrible person who sold cocaine and other drugs to his people and who brutally suppressed criticism. He deserved to be removed from office and imprisoned if not just outright killed by his people in their righteous rage and vital pursuit of liberty. However, toppling Noreiga was no more the responsibility of the US in 1989 than toppling Saddam Hussein was the responsibility of the US under George W. Bush in 2003 and 2004. Regarding Middle East policy, Bush mainly focused on Iraq. But, unlike his son, his treatment of Iraq ultimately aided the world, rather than harming it.

During the presidency of Jimmy Carter, in 1980, Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded its neighboring Iran. This was for a few reasons: In 1975, Iraqi and Iranian officials signed the Algiers Agreement, where Iran withdrew support for a rebellion of oppressed Iraqi Kurds in exchange for control over waterways bordering it and Iraq. Saddam wanted to use the peace treaty following the invasion to reverse that transfer. Saddam also feared that the Iranian government - which had transformed from a modern secular state into a Muslim theocracy - would attack him and Iraq for secularizing their government. Lastly, most Iranians follow Shia Islam while most Iraqis followed Sunni Islam, and Saddam hoped that by attacking Iran, he would boost his approval ratings amongst the many Sunnis living within his borders. On September 22, 1980, Saddam invaded Iran, beginning the Iran-Iraq War.

As the Iran-Iraq War dragged on, Saddam financed his warmongering with loans from the US, France, the Soviet Union, and Kuwait. When the war ended in 1988, Saddam had to focus on paying off these debts, a project in which he had very little interest. Eventually, he just straight-up begged Kuwait to forgive Iraq's debts. Kuwait refused, creating tensions between it and Iraq. Kuwait was also producing huge amounts of oil, causing the price of an average barrel to plummet and making it hard for oil-based Middle Eastern economies - such as Iraq - to earn money. This fact amplified the tensions between Iraq and Kuwait. Outraged, Saddam began looking for an excuse to invade Kuwait. In July of 1990, he falsely claimed that Kuwait had secretly dug a tunnel in Iraq that literally descended down into Kuwait, causing Iraqi oil to slowly drip into Kuwait.

For compensation, Saddam demanded $10,000,000,000. Kuwait couldn't do this and offered $500,000,000. Irate, Saddam invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990. The UN retaliated with a series of sanctions, but when these didn't work, issued an ultimatum on November 29, 1990: Withdraw all Iraqi forces from Kuwait by January 15, 1991, or face war with an international coalition. This is where Bush factors in: Bush realized that Saddam's invasion hurt not only Kuwaiti citizens but the US as well. The US was - and continues to be - a strong ally of Saudi Arabia. If Iraq was allowed to invade Kuwait, then they may be willing to invade Saudi Arabia as well. Assuming Iraq loses its war against Saudi Arabia (which it almost certainly would), relations between the US and Saudi Arabia would shatter.

Bush then requested permission from the UN to lead the international coalition that would fight Saddam, a role which he was happily given. On January 17, 1991, with Iraqi troops still occupying Kuwait, American warplanes launched an airstrike, beginning the Gulf War. Throughout late January and early February 1991, UN forces led by the United States decimated Iraqi forces fighting in Kuwait. By mid-February, the Iraqi presence was nearly non-existent. On February 24, 1991, UN troops were deployed to surround all remaining troops in Kuwait. By February 28, 1991, this goal was accomplished, and the final rogue Iraqi soldier surrendered. The Gulf War ended. Bush also wisely stayed out of Iraq itself, choosing only to protect Kuwaiti sovereignty.

Economics carried many of Bush's remaining faults. In 1992, a minor recession broke out, which Bush failed to adequately respond to. However, like with Herbert Hoover during the Great Depression, a generally-poor response to economic issues does not mean that every single step he took was unnecessary or flawed. Bush raised taxes, a decision that eventually provided some financial relief to the American people. Many people hold this fact against Bush, as on the campaign trail in 1988, he famously declared, "Read my lips: No new taxes!" I actually think this shows Bush's strengths. He saw how 1991 and 1992 were different from 1988 and how policies that were sustainable back then were less sustainable at the current moment. So, knowing it would be unpopular and booed, Bush raised taxes because he knew it was necessary.

The decision to raise taxes contributed to Bush's loss against Bill Clinton in the 1992 election. The recession as a whole hurt his odds, as did an embarrassing incident on January 8, 1992, where he, Bush, accidentally vomited on the lap of the Japanese prime minister. On January 20, 1993, Clinton replaced Bush as president. Although he was rejected in his time, I consider Bush to be a good president. He showed remarkable strength and courage, making decisions he knew to be necessary even if he also knew they were unpopular. He preserved Kuwaiti independence, stood up for disabled Americans, and reduced pollution as well.