Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush

President Reagan enjoyed unusually high popularity ratings at the end of his second term, but because of the 22nd Amendment, could not run again in 1988. His political heir -- George H.W. Bush -- benefited from the Reagan's popularity.

 

Bush 41|Mantle of Power|Legacy of 41

 

 

 

Impact of the Reagan Revolution

Downside: The Recession of 1982: GNP fell by 2.5% in '82; Unemployment rose to above 10%; Nearly 1/3 of America's industrial plants lay idle.

 

Downside:The situation of the poor and lower middle class deteriorated, in spite huge increases in wealth for the upper class.

 

Upside: Inflation came under control for the first time in several years. By 1983-84 (heading into election year), some sectors of the economy were rebounding.   Reagan re-elected in a landslide in 1984.

 

Upside US began a period of strong economic growth (through 1987). Much of the growth, however, was based on increased deficit spending; The national debt tripled while Reagan was at the helm.

 

Huge defense expenditures and the dramatic "crash" of the Stock Market in 1987 signaled lowered confidence in the economy.

 

Analysis: Vice President George H.W. Bush profited from the Reagan economic trends in the short run (as in, getting elected), but was truly hurt by some of the long-term implications of the growing deficits (both the national debt and the trade deficit).

 

 

 

 

 

The Election of 1988: Ronald Reagan’s Third Term?

 

1. Vice President George H W Bush campaigned promising a continuation of the prosperity that Reagan had brought.

 

2. Massachusetts Gov. Dukakis argued that the less fortunate in society were hurting badly and that the government had to curb defense spending and reduce the debt

 

 

 

3. Bush made his famous "Read My Lips, No New Taxes" pledge in the campaign and it became the "mantra" for his Presidency

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Results: George Bush becomes the first incumbent Vice President since Martin Van Buren in 1837 to assume the Presidency.

 

 

 

 

Bush Loses the Right Wing: The 1990 Budget Debate

 

1. During his first year in office, Bush followed a conservative fiscal program and remained faithful to the Reagan approach.

 

2. With a growing deficit and a deficit-reduction law in place (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings), Bush became somewhat trapped in a situation where no new spending programs could be passed AND spending cuts would have to be made.

 

3. He pursued policies that "strayed" from the Reagan plan somewhat -- i.e. he signed a sweeping environmental bill that imposed new federal standards on urban smog, auto exhaust, toxic air pollution and acid rain, but most of the costs were assigned to the polluter themselves.

 

 He also signed a far reaching law related to physical access for the disabled, but most costs, again, were transferred to businesses. He greatly encouraged a campaign of volunteerism ("thousand points of light") for social beneficence. (Farmingdale NY)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Crusade: Operation Desert Storm 1990-1991

Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of neighboring Kuwait in early August 1990. Alarmed by these actions, fellow Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt called on the United States and other Western nations to intervene.

 

 

 

 

The Gulf War  In August 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait capturing its vast oil wealth and increasing the size of Iraq.  The United Nations placed an economic blockade on Iraq and gave him a deadline to remove his troops from Kuwait.  President Bush created a coalition of countries united against Iraq.  When Hussein refused to remove his troops, President Bush with U.N. coalition forces launched an air war against Iraq.  The U.S. launched a very successful land invasion into Kuwait and Iraq. 

 

 

The First Gulf War (“First Iraqi War” or “Persian Gulf War”) A. August 2, 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny oil-rich country of Kuwait, claiming it had historically belonged to Iraq

 

In that time, the Iraqi forces committed at least sixteen crimes against the Laws of Armed Conflict as outlined in the Geneva and Hague Conventions. Those crimes include running of at least two dozen torture sites in Kuwait City alone, torturing civilians to the point of death and disfigurement.

 

Kuwaiti women were taken hostage and raped repeatedly. Iraqi occupation forces killed at least 1,082 Kuwaiti civilian noncombatants, including women, children, and the mentally handicapped. Then they rigged the oil wells to explode if they were attacked.

 

Other Arab states feared Saudi Arabia would be invaded next. President George H. W. Bush immediately ordered troops into the region.

 

 

 

 

Desert Shield: the U.S. eventually sent about 500,000 troops to protect the Saudi Arabian border from Iraqi forces.

 

UN Security Council Resolution 661 condemned the invasion of Kuwait and ordered economic sanctions against Iraq.   

 

Though the U.S. was the primary supplier,28 countries contributed men and/or materiel to the Coalition in some
significant way. Yeah, that’s Afghanistan in blue down there.

 

 

 

Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf commanded a force larger and more complex than the D-Day invasion in WWII and didn’t want a ground war.

 

“Stormin’ Norman,” as he came to be known, was a highly-decorated and respected Vietnam War veteran. He commanded a Coalition of 670,000 personnel from 28 countries, along with combined Naval and Air Forces, with 425,000 troops from the United States. According to his memoirs, he implemented his operational plan to defend Saudi Arabia and expel Iraq from Kuwait using Gen. Colin Powell’s (then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) doctrine of overwhelming force.

 

 

 In February 1991, Hussein agreed to remove all Iraqi troops from Kuwait as well as pay war reparations.  The war was a success for the U.S. military and technology, and heightened U.S. prestige throughout the world.

 

 

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/19/middleeast/operation-desert-storm-25-years-later/

 

 

 

 

 

Vietnam and the War in the Gulf - Ten Observations 

Notes presented by Dr. Frank Burdick - SUNY Cortland 

History 330-001 - The Vietnam War  12/2/1991

 

1. The combat environment: The Gulf War provided a more favorable environment for US technology , weapons, and maneuver tactics.

 

2. End of the Cold War: Absent from the Gulf War was the factor of big power politics; Soviets and Chinese supported coalition action. Soviets passed on important intelligence on Iraqi air defense systems.

 

3. Coalition Warfare: In Vietnam the US was unable to win more than token support of SEATO allies, or worse, was forced to purchase Korean mercenaries.

 

4. Clear constitutional support of Congress: The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of August 1964 meant a commitment few congressmen could appreciate. This was not so in the Congressional debate of December 1990.

 

5. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was deliberate and offensive to most nations. In Vietnam the "enemy" was Vietnamese fighting Vietnamese in a Civil War

 

6. Motivation: It is clear that the Iraqi forces - even the so called elite "Republican Guard" lacked the motivation to fight. In Vietnam the Revolutionary forces were highly motivated, a fact noted by most American Vietnam veterans.  

 

7. In the Gulf War the US applied power massively and forcefully. In Vietnam power was applied gradually and haltingly, for reasons inherent in Vietnam's close proximity to China.

 

8. Progress and "victory" in the gulf War was measured by territory taken, unlike Vietnam where an attrition strategy was applied success was measured in the infamous body count.

 

9. Because of the gradualist nature of the build up in Vietnam it was impossible  for the military to impose censorship of the media. In the Guld War censorship of the media was imposed from the start.

 

10. Finally, Vietnam was a war the US couldn't win; The Gulf War was a war the US could lose.