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Nixon nominates Bush as U.N ambassador
Senate confirmed him but was opposed by critics due to his lack of foreign policy experience. -
Appointed to director of the CIA
After Bush and Nixon returned from China, he was appointed as the new director of the CIA to boost moral and reform the agency. After Nixon left office and Ford was elected, he offered to stay in the CIA but Ford denied his offer, so Bush returned to Houston. -
Bush's election in 1988
He began to run for office on May 1, 1979. During the election, he was surprised as he had won the Iowa caucus, as they supported his views on Reagan's plans as being "voodoo economics". He had lost the 1980 election, but was offered to be Reagan's vice-president, and he accepted. In 1988, he won the Republican nomination for president. He then, with his running mate Dan Quayle, defeated the Democratic senator from Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis in the general election. -
Sent Troops to Panama
Sent troops to Panama to overthrow General Manuel Noriega, who had refused to yield power when his figurehead presidential candidate lost a national election. -
Attempts to Stop Crime
President Bush named a "drug czar" to coordinate various bureaucracies , increased federal funding of local police, and spent $2.5 billion to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the nation. -
Signed Agreements Regarding Chemical Weapons
At a summit meeting in Washington, Bush and Gorbachev signed agreements reducing American and Russian stockpiles of long range nuclear missiles by 30 percent and eliminating chemical weapons. -
The Gulf War
In 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ordered his army to invade Kuwait after the Iran-Iraq war. Several Arab nations called on the U.S to get involved in the war after Saddam defied the U.N requests. After several heavy allied airstrikes and the last major tank battle of the 20th century, the Battle of Easting, Operation Desert Storm was over within 42 days with Saddam's army decimated, along with a great allied victory. -
Increased American Troops
Bush had increased the American Troops in the are of Iraq and Saudi Arabia from 180,000 to more than 500,000 troops. This was part of a larger UN operation. -
Ran for Second Term in 1992
In 1992, Bush ran for a second term. Along with Bush, the 2 other major candidates were Democratic Governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton, and independent Texas Businessman Rush Perot. Bush lost because he broke his campaign pledge to not raise taxes. Putting the economy in recession. Bush's greatest strength, foreign policy, was viewed as unimportant following because of the peaceful climate in the Middle East after the fall of Iraq in the Gulf war. Bush lost to Bill Clinton by 202 electoral votes. -
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Established and Dedicated to President Bush
The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum was dedicated to Bush in 1997. The Library is located on the West campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The library is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. The library's archives hold more than 40 million pages of records and personal papers, documenting the life of President Bush. The museum also contains over 10,000 videotapes and over 2 million photos documenting the life and career of Bush
