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Election of 1988
Incumbent President Ronald Reagan was ineligible to run for re-election, having served two terms; instead, he supported his incumbent Vice President, George H. W. Bush, who easily snagged the Republican nomination. Bush chose Don Quayle as his running-mate and swept the electoral college, beating out Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen, Dukakis' V.P. pick. -
Malta Summit
Several weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Bush met with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to discuss the lifting of the Iron Curtain. Gorbachev and Bush jointly declared that this encounter marked the end of the Cold War. That's up for debate, but in any case it lessened Cold War tensions. -
Invasion of Panama
Bush authorized "Operation Just Cause"---an invasion of Panama to overthrow Panamanian Dictator Manuel Noriega---and sent 9,000 U.S. troops to the Central American Nation. The "Just Cause" referred to was Noriega's indictment in the U.S. for drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering. Within four days, Panamanian Defense Forces had been defeated. Noriega was subsequently deposed and arrested by American forces, and Guillermo Endara made President. -
Americans With Disabilities
Bush passed the Americans with Disabilities Act during his presidency, which barred discrimination in jobs, schools, public transportation, and all other places open to the public against Americans with disabilities. Bush thought that the ADA would make the disabled less dependent on the government. -
Clean Air Act
Bush stressed the need to address environmental problems. He revised and signed the Clean Air Act, which was designed to lessen major threats of the environment such as: acid rain, urban air pollution, toxic air emissions, and ozone depletion. He strengthened enforcements to better ensure compliance with the act. Critics thought it was too expensive, but Bush thought that by working with businesses to find innovative ways to better the environment, both the economy and people would benefit. -
Appointment to U.S. Supreme Court
On the Supreme Court, Justice Thurgood Marshall went into retirement. Bush replaced him with Clarence Thomas, a black conservative. Many speculated that it was not a coincidence that Bush chose a minority. Since Bush was aiming to be reelected, he needed to elect a -
Deployment of Troops Saudi Arabia
Codenamed Operation Desert Shield, the conflict was initiated when Iraq began its occupation of Kuwait. Bush condemned the invasion and deployed American troops to Saudi Arabia in response. There they joined with the Saudi Arabian military and encouraged other nations to join a coalition against Iraq. In total, 35 nations comprised the coalition. -
Appointment to Supreme Court
Bush appointed David Souter to fill the Supreme Court position vacated by William J. Brennan, Jr. Appreciated by Bush for his uncontroversial reputation, Souter was nevertheless opposed by 9 senators and protested by NOW and the NAACP. Souter was expected to be extremely conservative, so his liberal decisions on cases like Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Bush v. Gore surprised Bush and his Republican base. -
Desert Storm
Bush did not want to go to war, but Iraq refused to withdraw from Kuwait. Bush convinced Congress to authorize military use in Iraq, which led to Operation Desert Storm. UN troops began massive air strikes against Iraq and later launched war on ground. They reached Kuwait and a ceasefire was declared. This led to an end to the Persian Gulf War. Many Americans approved of Bush's management, raising his approval. -
Raise Income Tax
Bush initially promised to reduce taxes, however he later found he could not control the deficit. Reducing Medicare, Social Security, and closing local military bases was not an option. So Bush had no choice but to raise the top income tax and increase tax on gas, liquor, luxury cars, and other expensive items. Because of this, Bush's credibility was severely damaged and angered conservative Republicans.
