President George H. W. Bush
High School
Admitted to prestigious Phillips Academy based on solid academic and athletic credentials
Captain of basketball and soccer teams
Elected president of senior class
Joined Navy on graduation day
Military Service
Youngest pilot in Navy
Flew 58 combat missions in World War II
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action
College
Admitted to Yale based on outstanding academic, athletic, and leadership credentials
Captain of baseball team
Economics major, graduated in three years, elected to Phi Beta Kappa (America's most prestigious honor society)
Business
Left family connections in New England to strike out on own in Texas
Became a respected and remarkably successful businessman
Public Service
Two terms as US Representative from Texas
Ambassador to the United Nations
Ambassador to China
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Two terms as Vice-President
Presidency - Election
Defeated Michael Dukakis in popular vote by 6,930,000 votes
Defeated Michael Dukakis in electoral vote 426 to 111
Presidency - Economy
At great political cost and loss of face ("read my lips..."), raised taxes and restored US fiscal stability
Presided over one of shortest (and worst-timed for reelection) recessions in US history
Rather than artificially inflate the economy before the election, maintained fiscally responsible policies that helped lay the foundation for the subsequent elimination of budget deficits and the longest economic expansion in US history
Presidency - At War
Worked tirelessly to unite the world against Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait
Led Coalition with full UN backing and 160,000 troops from other nations into professional, quick, successful war against Iraq
Persuaded allies to pay 90% of $71 billion cost
Cut Saddam's army to a third of its former size
Intimidated Saddam into never again attacking another nation
Forced Saddam to accept intrusive arms control inspections that ended his nuclear ambitions
Strategically chose to allow Iraq remain as a brutal but secular, stable government between fundamentalist Iran and Saudi Arabia, the region's main terror exporters
Prophetically warned in 1998 book, "To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us, and make a broken tyrant into a latter-day Arab hero..."
Strengthened international precedent that bigger countries would not be allowed to take over smaller countries (to Taiwan's great relief)
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President George W. Bush
High School
Attended Phillips Academy as legacy student after rejection elsewhere
Head cheerleader
C student
College
Admitted to Yale as legacy student
C student - no academic, athletic, or leadership accomplishments
Military Non-Service
Used family connections to avoid Vietnam by serving in National Guard
Grounded from flying in National Guard for failure to take physical after introduction of drug tests
AWOL last 14 months of National Guard duty
Graduate School
Admitted to Harvard MBA program after rejection by University of Texas law school
No academic, athletic, or leadership accomplishments
Business
While father was vice-President, used money from family connections to start oil company
Drove company into near bankruptcy, rescued by family friends
While father was President, given large share of Texas Rangers baseball team at deep discount, sold shares and became rich
Public Service
Elected in 1994 as Governor of Texas after father lost Presidency in 1992
Served 6 years in the largely ceremonial, part-time position - the budget in Texas is controlled by the Lt. Governor
Presidency - Election
Won key debate with prophetic statement, "If we’re an arrogant nation, they’ll resent us. If we’re a humble nation but strong, they’ll welcome us."
Lost national popular vote to Al Gore by 540,000 votes despite Ralph Nader taking over 2,000,000 votes from Gore
Amid controversy over 179,855 uncounted ballots in Florida where brother Jeb was Governor, vote count was stopped by Supreme Court with Bush in lead by several hundred votes
Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling included votes from Justices appointed by his father
Newspaper consortium later counted all ballots - found full count gave Gore the victory, partial count gave Bush the victory
Presidency - Economy
Rejected mainstream policies of his father
With large tax cut for richest Americans, drove US back into deficit - record $400 billion deficit likely for 2003
Presided over longest (though perhaps well-timed for reelection) recession since the 1930s
Presidency - At War
Worked 16-hour weeks in first eight months of Presidency, took entire August off before 9/11 while CIA chief warned of Bin Laden threat
Overthrew government of Afghanistan (Russia did so three times - keeping a friendly government is the hard part) and let it fall back into anarchy
Following advice of chickenhawks with no war experience, strangely reinterpreted father's victory in Iraq as a failure
Persuaded 51% of Americans, and perhaps himself, that Saddam was personally involved in 9/11 tragedy
Persuaded 50% of Americans, and perhaps himself, that most or some of the 9/11 hijackers were Iraqi - none were
Persuaded 79% of Americans, and perhaps himself, that they should worry about Iraq's (non-existent) nuclear weapons
Persuaded 57% of Americans, and perhaps himself, that UN inspectors had found banned weapons when they had not
Despite substantial financial inducements, could not persuade a majority of Security Council to support invasion of Iraq, leading to nation's worst diplomatic defeat in 80 years
Took near universal support for US after 9/11 and united world against US for first time in American history
Led US and UK troops into war with approval from Macedonia, Slovakia, the Solomon Islands and other minor countries promised billions of taxpayer money
Gratuitously insulted our allies, left US with almost entire war bill
Repeatedly claimed his coalition was larger than his father's
Defeated remnants of Iraq's army decimated in previous war
Left Iraq open to takeover by fundamentalists backed by Iran and Saudi Arabia
Established international precedent that bigger countries can attack smaller countries at will (to Taiwan's great concern)
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