| The Bush family has a long history of public service. This comprehensive text and pictoral history covers five generations of the Bush Dynasty.
*************************************************
The Bush family can trace its roots all the way back to English royalty, as well as some of the first settlers of America, including Governor William Bradford, first Governor of Plymouth Colony.
The Bush Family
The Bush Dynasty began with Prescott Sheldon Bush, who was born May 15, 1895, in Columbus, Ohio, son of Samuel Prescott Bush and Flora Sheldon.
 Samuel Prescott Bush (Oct. 4, 1863-Feb. 8, 1948), father of Prescott Sheldon Bush. He graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1884 and married Flora Sheldon in 1894. They had four children:
(1) Prescott Sheldon Bush (1895-1972). Married Dorothy Walker (1901-1992). Their children: (a) Prescott, Jr, (b)George Walker, (c) Nancy Ellis, (d) Jonathan James, and (e) William Henry Trotter "Bucky" Bush.
(2) James Smith "Jim" Bush. Married Caroline Patterson. They later divorced.
(3) Mary Eleanor Bush. Married Francis "Frank" House, Jr.
(4) Margaret "Marge" Bush. Married Stuart H. Clement.
Flora Sheldon Bush was struck by a car and killed in 1920. Samuel P. later married Martha Belle Carter of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For many years, Samuel Bush was a leading member of the National Association of Manufacturers, and for a time was president of the Ohio Manufacturer's Association. He began the Bush family's abiding interest in golf, baseball, tennis, and football.
 The graves of Samuel P. Bush and his wife, Flora Sheldon, Greenlawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio.
Prescott spent five years attending St. George's Episcopal Preporatory School in Newport, Rhode Island. In 1913, Bush graduated high school and entered Yale University.
During his freshman year at college in 1913, Bush met E. Roland ("Bunny") Harriman, whose older brother William Averill Harriman had just graduated from Yale. Averill Harriman later went on to fame as Governor of New York, and then as Ambassador to the Soviet Union during World War II. It was the Harrimans who helped boost the Bush family into politics and onto the world stage.
In the spring of 1916, 21-year-old Prescott Bush and his friend Bunny Harriman were chosen for membership in the elite Yale senior year secret society, The Skull and Bones. This group often helped young men find their way into big business. Prescott Bush and Bunny Harriman graduated from Yale in 1917. That same year, Prescott's father, Samuel P. Bush, became chief of the Ordinance, Small Arms and Ammunitions Section of the War Industries Board. In 1918, young Prescott Bush joined the army and went off to Europe to fight World War I. At the same time, his father took over the responsibility for relations of the U.S. government with the private arms producers. In August of that year, a story appeared in a Columbus, Ohio newspaper that Prescott had won military honors in Europe, notably the Cross of the Legion of Honor, the Victoria Cross, and the Distinguished Service Cross. However, this story proved to be false, and caused the family a great bit of embarrassment at the time.
In mid-1919, Prescott Bush was discharged from the army, and returned for a time to his hometown of Columbus. But, his humiliation over the newspaper story was so great, that life there was difficult for him. Bush attended a reunion of his Yale class in New Haven, Connecticut that year. There, a man named Wallace Simmons offered Bush a job in his St. Louis railroad equipment company.
Prescott Bush moved to St. Louis with the hopes of rebuilding his life and his reputation. Later that year, Averill Harriman made a trip to St. Louis hoping to bring his inherited money and contacts into action in world affairs. Harriman befriended a St. Louis stockbroker named George Herbert Walker, who shared many of Harriman's convictions. At Harriman's urging, Walker moved to New York and established the W.A. Harriman & Co. private bank in November 1919. Walker became the bank's first president and chief executive.
 George Herbert Walker (1875-1953), father of Dorothy Walker Bush. Through common descent from Samuel McClellan (1730-1807) and Rachel Abbe McClellan (1739-1807), George Herbert Walker was a third cousin of my great-great-grandmother, Anne Elizabeth Roberts. Rachel Abbe was a descendant of Governor William Bradford, the first governor of Plymouth Colony who came over on the Mayflower in 1620. Through common descent from Thomas Mercer (1665-1724) and Elizabeth Bentley (1672-1738), George Herbert Walker and my great-great-grandmother, Anne Elizabeth Roberts, were also fifth cousins, so there was a double kinship there between my family and the Walker-Bush family.
 Lucretia Wear (Loulie) Walker (1874-1961), wife of George Herbert Walker and mother of Dorothy Walker Bush.
In the fall of 1919, 24-year-old Prescott Bush met Walker's 18-year-old daughter, Dorothy Walker. The two began seeing each other and soon fell in love. They became engaged the following year, while Prescott worked as a minor executive in the Simmons railroad and equipment suppliers. Prescott and Dorothy were married in August, 1921. At that time, her father was busy building one of the largest businesses in the world.
In 1922, Prescott and Dorothy moved back to Columbus, Ohio, where he got a job working in a rubber products company owned by his father. They were living there when their first child, Prescott Bush, Jr., was born on August 10, 1922. Within a short time, they moved again, this time to Milton, Massachusetts. By then, outsiders had bought the little family business and moved it near Milton. Prescott's career seemed to be going nowhere fast.
 The Bush family home in Milton, Mass., where George Bush was born.
On June 12, 1924, Dorothy gave birth to the couple's second child, George Herbert Walker Bush, named after Dorothy's father. A daughter, Nancy Ellis Bush, was born on Feb. 3, 1926, followed by Jonathon James Bush on May 6, 1931, and finally, William Henry Trotter Bush, nicknamed "Bucky", born July 14, 1938.
Meanwhile, as his family grew Prescott Bush became president of sales for the Stedman Products Company of South Braintree, Mass. In 1925, Prescott joined the United States Rubber Company of New York as manager of the forein division and moved his family to Greenwich, Connecticut.
 George Herbert Walker Bush at one year old, Kennebunkport, Maine, 1925.
 George and his sister, Nancy, 1928.
George Herbert Walker Bush, the second son of Prescott and Dorothy, began his formal education at Greenwich Country Day School in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1930. Bush was an athletic boy who took an avid interest in sports.
 George Bush at the age of twelve. 1936.
 George Herbert Walker Bush, age 12. 1936.
In the fall of 1936, twelve-year-old George Bush entered Phillips Academy, in Andover, Massachusetts, where he demonstrated a leadership ability early in life. Bush became captain of the baseball team, and was a member of the exclusive fraternity A.U.V. His roommate at the boarding school was a boy named Edward G. Hooker, who became a close friend of young George.
 Young George Bush on horseback.
 George Bush at the age of 13. 1937. Already, the youth was demonstrating leadership abilities this early in life.
 1937, age 13.
 Sitting at his desk at Phillips Academy, 1937.
 Prescott Bush playing golf, late 1930s. Bush served as secretary of the U.S. Golf Association.
 George Bush holding his newborn baby brother, William Trotter "Bucky" Bush, 1938.
 Taking a break from studying at Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.
 George at summer camp in 1939, age 15.
 1939, age 15.
 George Bush at age 16, Phillips Academy, 1940.
It was while at Phillips Academy on December 7, 1941, that 17-year-old George Bush heard about the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Young Bush knew right away what this meant for America: war!  George plays baseball at Phillips Academy during his senior year, 1942.
George Bush graduated from Phillips Academy early in June, 1942. On June 12, his 18th birthday, Bush joined the United States Navy to become an aviator. He attended flight school at Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  George Bush (in back) with his fellow students at Flight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1942.
 Prescott Bush in 1943.
Bush completed a 10 month training course at Chapel Hill, then on June 9, 1943, only three days before his 19th birthday, he was commissioned an ensign in the United States Naval Reserve, making him the youngest naval aviator in history up to that point.  Bush went on to complete flight training school in Minnesota, after which, he was assigned to Torpedo Squadron (VT-51) in September, 1943 as a photographic officer. As part of Air Group 51, Bush's squadron was placed on the U.S.S. San Jacinto in the spring of 1944. San Jacinto was part of Task Force 58 that participated in operations against Marcus and Wake Islands in May, 1944 and then in the Marianas during June. On June 19 the task force triumphed in one of the largest air battles of the war. On his return from the mission Bush's aircraft made a forced water landing. A submarine rescued the young pilot, although the plane was lost as well as the life of his navigator. On July 25, 1944, George Bush and another pilot received credit for sinking a small cargo ship off Palau.  George Bush in the cockpit of his Avenger plane, 1944.
On August 1, 1944, 20-year-old George Bush was  commissioned a lieutenant, Junior Grade, in the U.S. Navy. Afterward, San Jacinto commenced operations against the Japanese in the Bonin Islands. On September 2, 1944, Bush piloted one of four aircraft from VT-51 that attacked the Japanese installations on Chichi Jima. For this mission his crew included Radioman Second Class John Delaney and Lieutenant Junior Grade William White, who substituted for Bush's regular gunner. During their attack four TBM Avengers from VT-51 encountered intense antiaircraft fire. While starting the attack, Bush's aircraft was hit and his engine caught on fire. He completed his attack and released the bombs over his target, scoring several damaging hits. With his engine on fire, Bush flew several miles from the island, where he and one other crew member on the TBM Avenger bailed out of the aircraft. However, the other man's parachute did not open, and he fell to his death. It was never determined which man bailed out with Bush. Both Delaney and White were killed in action. While Bush waited four hours in his inflated raft, several fighters circled protectively overhead until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine U.S.S. Finback. For this action Bush received the Distinguished Flying Cross. During the month he remained on Finback, Bush participated in the rescue of other pilots.
Bush subsequently returned to San Jacinto in November 1944 and participated in operations in the Philippines. When San Jacinto returned to Guam, the squadron, which had suffered 50 percent casualties of its pilots, was replaced and sent to the United States. Through 1944 he had flown 58 combat missions for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, and the Presidential Unit Citation awarded aboard the San Jacinto.
In the midst of his growing military career, Bush came home, and on January 6, 1945, he married 19-year-old Barbara Pierce, the third child of Marvin Pierce (1893-1969) and Pauline Robinson Pierce (1896-1949). Barbara was born on June 8, 1925, in Rye, New York. Her father, Marvin Pierce, later became publisher of McCall Corporation, the publisher of the popular McCall's and Redbook magazines.
 Barbara Pierce, age 7, 1932.
 Barbara Pierce in her late teens.
 The Marvin Pierce family of Rye, New York, in the mid-1940s. Left to right: Scott Pierce (1930- ), Marvin Pierce (1893-1969), Jim Pierce (1922-1993), Martha Pierce Rafferty (1920-1999) with her daughter Sharon Rafferty, and Barbara Pierce (1925- ).
Barbara was a descendant of Thomas Pierce, an early New England settler who was also the ancestor of Franklin Pierce, 14th president of the United States.  Barbara Pierce with her parents, Marvin Pierce and Pauline Robinson Pierce, on her wedding day to George Bush, January 6, 1945.  The wedding day of George Bush and Barbara Pierce, January 6, 1945. Left to right: Jonathan Bush, Nancy Bush, George, Barbara, Prescott Bush, Sr., Dorothy Walker Bush, Prescott Bush, Jr., his wife Beth Bush, and George's youngest brother, William H. (Bucky) Bush.  Barbara dances with her father at her wedding reception.
 Newlyweds George and Barbara Bush on their honeymoon, January, 1945.
Because of his valuable combat experience, Bush was reassigned to Norfolk Navy Base and put in a training wing for new torpedo pilots. He was later assigned as a naval aviator in a new torpedo squadron, VT-153.
With the surrender of Japan in August of 1945, Bush was honorably discharged in September and then entered Yale University.  George Bush with two Yale classmates, 1945.
While at Yale, he joined the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and was elected President. He also captained the Yale baseball team.  A left-handed first baseman, Bush played in the first College World Series. As a Senior he was, like his father Prescott S. Bush (in 1917), inducted into the Skull and Bones secret society in 1948, helping him to build friendships and political support. Joining the Skull and Bones a year after him at Bush's request was William Sloane Coffin, a fellow classmate from the Phillips Academy. Throughout their lives, they have remained friends despite political disagreement, as Coffin became a notable anti-war activist of the political left.
 Prescott Bush at home, winter, 1946.
In the meantime, George and Barbara Bush had settled into their married lives in New Haven, Connecticut. On July 6, 1946, Barbara gave birth to their first child, George Walker Bush.  Barbara's mother, Pauline Robinson Pierce, holds her grandson, George W. Bush, 1946.
 Barbara Bush with her newborn son, George W., early 1947.
 George Bush with his son, George W., either late 1946 or early 1947.
 George W. Bush at 8 months old, April, 1947.
 George Bush and George W., April, 1947.
 George Bush and his wife and little son George W, April, 1947.
 Father and son, New Haven, Connecticut, April 10, 1947.
 The Bush family gathers to celebrate the 26th wedding anniversary of Prescott and Dorothy Bush. 1947. Seated, left to right: Elizabeth Kauffman Bush (Prescott Jr.'s wife) holding baby daughter Kelsey Bush, Prescott Bush, Jr. holding son Prescott Bush III, Jonathan James Bush, matriarch Dorothy Walker Bush, Barbara Pierce Bush holding George W., and Nancy Bush Ellis. Standing, left to right: William "Bucky" Bush, Prescott Bush, Sr., George Bush, and Alexander "Sandy" Ellis, Nancy's husband.
 George W. with the family dog at Walker's Point, Kennebunkport, Maine, 1948.
 George Bush with baseball legend Babe Ruth at Yale just before a game, 1948.
 George W. Bush, 1948.
 Barbara and George Bush with Barbara's family in New Haven, Conn., Christmas, 1948. Standing, left to right: Barbara's brothers Jim and Scott Pierce. Seated, left to right: George Bush, Barbara holding 2-year-old George W., Pauline Robinson Pierce (Barbara's mother), Marvin Pierce (Barbara's father), Barbara's older sister Martha Pierce Rafferty holding her daughter Sharon, and Martha's husband, Walt Rafferty.
 George W. on horseback, 1949.
 Barbara Bush teaching her little son George W. to ride a bike. 1949.
 The Bush family on March 7, 1949, left to right: Barbara, George W., George, Dorothy, and Prescott.
 March 7, 1949: George Bush and his firstborn son, George W.
In 1949, George Bush graduated from Yale University. However, tragedy would strike the family in 1949. Barbara Bush's mother, Pauline Robinson Pierce, was killed in an automobile accident. She and Barbara's father, Marvin Pierce, were out driving one day when Marvin reached over to stop a hot cup of coffee from sliding across the seat and spilling into his wife's lap. As he did, Marvin lost control of the car and they crashed into a stone wall. Pauline Pierce was killed instantly. She was 53-years-old.
 Pauline Robinson Pierce (1896-1949)
 Barbara Bush with her eldest son in Odessa, Texas, 1949. She was pregnant with her second child at this time.
On December 20, 1949, Barbara gave birth to her and George's second child, a daughter, Pauline Robinson Bush (nicknamed Robin). In the meantime, the Bush family had moved to Compton, California, where Robin was born. The family lived at 624 South Santa Fe Avenue, in an apartment complex. The Bushes only lived in Compton for six months.  George W. Bush with his newborn little sister, Robin, in Compton, California, early 1950.
Later, George pached his little family up again and headed for Texas to try his luck in the oil industry. He did so with considerable success. He secured a position with Dresser Industries. His employer at Dresser, Neil Mallon, became a close family friend. The Bush family settled in Midland, Texas.
The Bush Family's Entry Into Politics: 1950s
Meanwhile, George's father was advancing his own career in public service. From 1944 to 1956, Prescott Bush was a member of the Yale Corporation, the principal governing body of Yale University. From 1947 to 1950 he served as Connecticut Republican finance chairman, and was the Republican candidate for the United States Senate in 1950, losing to Senator William Benton by only 1,000 votes.  Prescott Bush campaigning for Congress, 1950.
 Prescott and Dorothy Walker Bush, 1950.
 Barbara Bush's father, Marvin Pierce.
  George Bush's brother, Jonathan (left), and Barbara's brother, Scott Pierce (right), both graduated from Yale University in 1953.
Prescott Bush was one of the earliest supporters of the United Negro College Fund, and, in 1951, he was elected chairman of the organization's Connecticut branch.
 This is a postcard that Prescott Bush sent out to voters in 1952 when he was running for United States Senator.
In 1952 Prescott Bush was elected to the United States Senate, defeating Abraham Ribicoff for the vacant seat which was caused by the death of James O'Brien McMahon. A staunch supporter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower (another golf fanatic), Prescott Bush served until January, 1963. In a speech about Nathan Hale given on June 6, 1955, in New London, Connecticut, Prescott Bush shared his reflections on the Cold War. "We must maintain strong defenses, military and spiritual," he said. "It is our conduct, our patriotism and belief in our American way of life, our courage that will win the final battle." Vice-President Richard M. Nixon considered Bush his political mentor, and sought his aide in drafting his famous 1952 "Checkers speech."
 Senator Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush.
Prescott Bush and his wife Dorothy maintained homes in Long Island, New York and Greenwich, Connecticut; the family compound at Kennebunkport, Maine; a 10,000 acre plantation in South Carolina; and an island retreat in Florida.
 George W. Bush and his sister, Robin. Early 1950s.
 Robin Bush, 1953.
On February 11, 1953, the third child of George and Barbara Bush was born. He was named John Ellis Bush, nicknamed "Jeb."  Dorothy Walker Bush with her son George and two of his children, George W. and Robin. April, 1953.
 Midland, Texas, June, 1953. Young George W. Bush with a baseball bat. At this time, George's little sister, Robin, was gravely sick, but George and Barbara tried to make life as normal as possible for their 7-year-old son.
In 1953, a devastating tragedy struck the Bush family, shortly after the birth of George and Barbara's third child, Jeb. In February, 1953, young Robin began showing signs of becoming sick. She was tired all the time, had no energy for playing, and started bruising easily. George and Barbara took their little girl to Dr. Dorothy Wyvell, a renowned pediatrician in Midland. Tests were run, and the diagnosis was both grim and shocking: Robin had leukemia! Dr. Wyvell told the Bushes that their daughter's white cell count was the highest she had ever seen, and the cancer was already too advanced to be treated. This doctor advised the Bushes to take the little girl home and make her final days as comfortable as possible. But the couple refused to accept the awful news.
George had an uncle in New York who was president of the famous Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The doctors there told the Bushes they would do all they could to save the child. Barbara Bush was constantly at Robin's side during the hospital stay. George shuttled between New York and Midland. Each morning of Robin's New York stay, her father dropped by the family's Midland church at 6:30 a.m. to hold his own private prayer vigil. Only the custodian was there, and he let him in. One morning, Pastor Matthew Lynn joined him. They never talked; they just prayed.
Robin never had a chance. Eventually, the medicine that labored to try to control the evil in her frail and small body caused its own set of problems, and George was summoned from Texas immediately. He flew all night to get there, but by the time he arrived Robin had slipped into a coma and she died peacefully in the early morning hours of October 11, 1953. "One minute she was there, and the next she was gone," remembered her mother. "I truly felt her soul go out of that beautiful little body. For one last time I combed her hair, and we held our precious little girl. I never felt the presence of God more strongly than at that moment."
It all happened so fast. Robin died just two months before her fourth birthday. The tragedy devastated the Bushes; it is likely the reason Barbara Bush turned prematurely gray. She had been the strong one who held Robin's hand when she received blood transfusions at the cancer center. Robin's father had to leave the room.
"We awakened night after night in great physical pain — it hurt that much," Barbara Bush recalled years later. Her husband said that he "learned the true meaning of grief when Robin died." Even though he believed that Robin was now "in God's loving arms," the distress never disappeared.
After Robin's death, the Bush family struggled to put their lives back together. One Friday night, they decided to attend a high-school football game with friends. Everyone avoided the painful subject of Robin's death, which was on everyone's mind. The silence was broken by young George W., who stood on his tiptoes in the bleachers, craning his neck to see the field over the tall heads. Suddenly, he announced to everyone's dismay, "Dad, I wish I was Robin." A terrible silence followed. His father visibly blanched. "Gee," his dad tenderly responded, "why would you say that, George?" Because Robin is in heaven, George explained: "She can probably see the game better from up there than we can from down here."
Robin's death hit George W. especially hard. He would often wake up in the middle of the night screaming from nightmares. But his sister's death also made the youngster start thinking seriously about God and Heaven.
 George W. Bush with his dog outside the family home in Midland, Texas, February, 1954.
 Barbara Bush with George W. and Jeb, spring, 1954.
 George and George W., Midland, Texas, late 1954.
On January 22, 1955, Barbara gave birth to a fourth child, Neil Mallon Bush. He was named after after a good friend of the family, Henry Neil Mallon, chairman of Dresser Industries, his father's employer (Mallon had himself been hired by George Herbert Walker, George Bush's grandfather).
 February, 1955, George W. and Jeb play in the snow.
 George and Barbara Bush with George W., summer, 1955.
 George W. Bush, age 9, with his younger brother John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, age 2. 1955.
 9-year-old George W. visits the West Texas oil fields with his father. 1955.
 September, 1955: George W. and Jeb in the backyard with their new baby brother, Neil.
 George Bush standing in front of his home in Midland, Texas. Mid-1950s.
 George Bush and his eldest son, George W., March, 1956.
 The family of Senator Prescott and Dorothy Walker Bush in about 1956. Seated on the ground, left to right: Prescott Bush III, Kelsey Bush (daughter and son of Prescott, Jr.), and Nancy Ellis (daughter of Nancy Bush Ellis). Next row, left to right, seated: Barbara Pierce Bush holding son Neil, Jeb Bush (standing next to his mother), Elizabeth Kauffman Bush, Senator Prescott Bush holding grandson James L. Bush, Dorothy Walker Bush holding grandson John Prescott Ellis, Alexander "Sandy" Ellis, Jr. (husband of Nancy Bush), and Alexander Ellis III (standing on the end next to his father). Third row, standing: George W. Bush, his father George Bush, Prescott Bush, Jr., William "Bucky" Bush, Nancy Bush Ellis, and Jonathan James Bush.
 George Bush with his youngest brother William "Bucky" Bush, and sons Neil (being held by George), Jeb (standing in front) and George W.
 George Bush examines equipment on an oil rig. Mid-1950s.
 September, 1956, Barbara Bush on the back porch of the Bush home in Midland with George W. and Jeb.
 Showing off the newest member of the family, fall, 1956. George is holding Neil, George W. and Jeb are standing at their mother's side, and Barbara is seated holding newborn baby Marvin.
 Senator Prescott Bush with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956.
 Senator Bush with Vice-President Richard M. Nixon, who considered Bush to be his political mentor.
 The Bush children, November, 1956. George W. is holding newborn baby brother Marvin, while Jeb and Neil stand behind him.
 Christmas morning, 1956, Jeb, George W., and Neil Bush prepare to open to open their presents as Mom Barbara looks on.
 George Bush sitting on the back porch of his home in Midland, Texas with his eldest son George W., and the family dog. About 1957.
Two more children would be born to George and Barbara Bush during the decade of the 1950s. Marvin Pierce Bush was born on October 22, 1956, and the youngest child, another girl, Dorothy Walker Bush, nicknamed Doro, was born August 18, 1959. By the time Dorothy was born, George Bush had made a small fortune in the oil industry.
 George Bush with Hugh Liedtke in George's office in his Zapata Oil Company in Midland, Texas, 1959.
 The Bush family, late 1959. Seated, left to right: Neil, George holding the newborn baby Dorothy, Marvin, and Barbara. George W. and Jeb are standing in back. The Bushes moved from Midland to Houston in late 1959.
 Fall, 1959: George W., Jeb, and Neil Bush play football with a friend in the backyard of the Bush home.
 Marvin Pierce with three of his grandsons, left to right, Marvin, Jeb, and Neil, at Walker's Point, Kennebunkport, Maine. 1959.
 George Bush in the oil fields of Midland, Texas.
 April, 1960, George W. Bush helps his little sister Dorothy learn to walk.
 George W. Bush and his little brother Neil in the waters off Walker's Point, Kennebunkport, Maine. Summer, 1960.
 The Bush children raise the flag in the front yard of the Bush family's Midland, Texas home. October, 1960.
 Jeb and George W. in the Bushes back yard, November, 1960.
 The Bush children at Thanksgiving, 1960. Left to right: Marvin, Dorothy, Neil, and Jeb, with George W. behind them.
 The Bush family with Barbara's father, Marvin Pierce----Thanksgiving, 1960. Front row, left to right: Jeb, Marvin, and Neil. Back row: Marvin Pierce, Barbara holding Dorothy, George W., and George.
 Early 1960s photo of the Bush family with Barbara's father and his second wife, Willa. Left to right: Willa Pierce, Jeb Bush, Barbara Bush, Dorothy Bush, George Bush, George W. Bush, and Marvin Pierce. Neil and Marvin are standing on the wall behind them.
 Senator Prescott Bush, early 1960s.
 The Bush family in about 1963. Left to right: Dorothy, George W., Neil, Barbara, Marvin, George, and Jeb.
 George W. Bush attending his father's old school, Phillips Academy.
George W.'s yearbook photo from Phillips Academy.
 George W. (far right) walking to class with friends.
 Not a very flattering photo of George W. in class at Phillips Academy.
George Bush enters politics: 1964
In 1963, Senator Prescott Bush's term in the U.S. senate came to a close, and he chose to retire rather than seek another term. Around that time, George Bush began seriously considering a career in politics himself. In 1964, George decided to run for the U.S. senate against Texas's Senator Ralph Yarborough, making an issue of Yarborough's support of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. At the time many Southern politicians (including the Republican Sen. John Tower of Texas) opposed the legislation. Bush called Yarborough an "extremist" and a "left wing demagogue" while Yarborough said Bush was a "carpetbagger" trying to buy a Senate seat "just as they would buy a seat on the New York Stock Exchange". Bush lost in the 1964 Democratic landslide.
 Primary election night, 1964, when George Bush became the Republican candidate for the senate to oppose Democratic Senator Ralph Yarborough.
 Campaign photo of the Bush family in 1964, when George Bush was running for the U.S. senate.
 George and Barbara Bush campaign for the senate, 1964.
 George Bush and his 5-year-old daughter, Dorothy, 1964.
 George W. Bush (standing, second from left) on the basketball team at Phillips Academy. 1964.  The Bushes in their home in Houston, Texas, 1964. Seated: George, Dorothy, Barbara, Neil, and George W. Standing: Marvin and Jeb.
 The Bushes leaving church in Houston, 1964.
Despite his loss in 1964, George Bush refused to give up on his political ambitions. Two years later, in 1966, he ran for a seat in Congress and was elected the Representative from the 7th district of Texas.  George Bush with former President Dwight D. Eisenhower during the 1966 senate campaign.
 George and Barbara Bush celebrate their victory on election night, 1966, the night George was elected to the U.S. House Of Representatives.
 Former Senator Prescott Bush congratulates his son on his victory. 1966.
 George Walker Bush at his father and grandfather's old alma mater, Yale University, where he attended from 1964-1968.
 Newly elected Representative George Bush with his handsome family outside the capitol building in Washington, D.C., 1966. Left to right: Dorothy, Marvin, Neil, Jeb, George W., Barbara, and George.
 Another picture of the Bushes outside the capitol, 1966. Left to right: Jeb, age 14, Marvin, 10, George, 42, Dorothy, 7, Barbara, 41, Neil, 11, and George W., 20. In December, 1966, oldest son George W. was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct resulting from a college prank of stealing a Christmas wreath from a downtown store. The charges were later dismissed.
 George W. Bush's Yale portrait. 1966.
 While at Yale in 1966, George W. Bush had become engaged to Cathryn Wolfman, a longtime friend from Houston. The two eventually drifted apart and the engagement was called off in 1968. George W. graduated from Yale on June 9, 1968.
 George Bush serving in the United States Congress, 1969.
In 1968, Bush ran and was elected to a second term in Congress. However, he lost his second try at winning a seat on the U.S. senate in 1970, when he ran against Democrat Lloyd Bentsen, who had defeated Ralph Yarborough in the primaries.  The Bush family during the senate campaign of 1970. Left to right: Dorothy, age 11; George, 46; Jeb, 17; Marvin, 14; George W., 24; Neil, 15; and Barbara, 45.
 George Bush and his four sons, 1970. Left to right: Neil, George, Jeb, George W., and Marvin.
 U.S. Congressman George Bush talks to reporters after losing his bid for the senate seat in 1970 to Lloyd Bentsen.
Ambassador George Bush: 1971-1973
But Bush's political career was far from over despite the loss. President Richard M. Nixon, an old protege of Bush's father, appointed him  United States Ambassador to the United Nations in early 1971.  Ambassador George Bush during a session at the United Nations. Bush served in the role until 1973.
 George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard, which he served from 1968-1973.
In 1972, former Senator Prescott Bush, the family's beloved patriarch, was diagnosed with lung cancer. After a tough battle with the disease, Prescott Bush died on October 8, 1972. He was 77-years-old. Prescott Bush was survived by his wife of 51 years, Dorothy; five children, and 16 grandchildren.
THE DESCENDANTS OF PRESCOTT AND DOROTHY BUSH:
(1) Prescott Sheldon Bush, Jr. (Aug. 10, 1922- ). Married Elizabeth Louise Kauffman. Children:
(A) Prescott Sheldon Bush III.
(B) Kelsey Bush (1947- ). Married Phillip Nadeau. Kids:
(a) Elizabeth Nadeau
(b) Katherine Nadeau
(c) William Nadeau
(d) Prescott Nadeau
(C) James L. Bush. Married Susan (?). 2 kids:
(a) Sarah Bush
(b) Samuel Bush
(2) George Herbert Walker Bush (June 12, 1924- ). Married Barbara Pierce (1925- ). Children:
(A) George Walker Bush. Married Laura Welch.
(a) Barbara Bush (1981- )
(b) Jenna Bush (1981- )
(B) Pauline Robinson "Robin" Bush (1949-1953)
(C) John Ellis "Jeb" Bush. Married Columba Gallo
(a) George Prescott Bush (1976- ) M Amanda Williams
(b) Noelle Bush (1978- )
(c) John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, Jr. (1983- )
(D) Neil Mallon Bush (1955- ) M (1st) Sharon Smith (div.) M (2nd) Maria Andrews
(a) Lauren Pierce Bush (1984- )
(b) Pierce Mallon Bush (1985- )
(c) Ashley Walker Bush (1989- )
(E) Marvin Pierce Bush (1956- ) M Margaret Molster
(a) Marshall Lloyd Bush (1986- )
(b) Charles Walker Bush (1989- )
(F) Dorothy Walker "Doro" Bush (1959- ) M (1st) William LeBlond. M (2nd) Robert P. Koch
(a) Samuel Bush LeBlond (1984- )
(b) Nancy Ellis Bush (1986- )
(c) Robert Daniel Koch (1993- )
(d) Georgia Grace Koch (1996- )
(3) Nancy Bush (Feb. 3, 1926- ). Married Alexander "Sandy" Ellis, Jr. (1920-1989). Children:
(A) Nancy "Nandy" Bush Ellis. M. Tom Black.
(a) Sophie Ellis Black.
(B) Alexander Ellis III. Married Robin Harris.
(a) Alexander Ellis IV
(b) Christopher Ellis
(c) Walker Bush Ellis.
(C) John Prescott Ellis. Married Joan (?)
(D) Josiah Wear Ellis. Married Ann Woodworth.
(4) Jonathan James Bush (May 6, 1931- ). Married Josephine "Jody" Bradley. Children:
(A) Johnny Bush.
(B) William Hall "Billy" Bush (1971- ). M. Sidney
(a) Josephine Bush
(b) Mary Bradley Bush
(c) Lillie Bush
(5) William Henry Trotter "Bucky" Bush (Jul. 14, 1938- ). Married Patricia Lee "Patty" Redfern. Children:
(A) William Prescott Bush. M. Lindsey Whitaker
(B) Louisa Bush
In November, 1972, when Richard Nixon was re-elected, he asked Ambassador George Bush to become Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Bush happily agreed and took the job.  George Bush, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, 1972.
 Chairman Bush (standing) joins President Nixon in a meeting in the Oval Office. 1973.
Bush served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee during the terrible days of the Watergate scandal in 1972 and 1973. At first, Bush steadfastly defended Nixon, but later, when it became clearer and clearer that Nixon was heavily involved in the cover-up and possibly even the break in of the Watergate Hotel, Bush focused more on defending the Republican party while privately remaining loyal to Nixon. Bush conducted himself with great dignity during the darkest days of the Watergate crisis.
On August 9, 1974, Nixon resigned, and George Bush was considered as a possible Vice-President for Nixon's successor, Gerald R. Ford, but Ford chose instead Nelson A. Rockefeller, former governor of New York. Ford appointed Bush as Chief of the U.S. Liason Office in China, since at that time, the U.S. still maintained relations with the communist nation on Taiwan. The Liason Office did not have the status of "Embassy", but Bush acted as sort of an ambassador to China.
 George and Barbara Bush in China during his tenure as Chief Of U.S. Liason Office. 1974.
 George Bush with Secretary Of State Henry Kissenger, 1975.
CIA Director 1975-1977
In 1975, President Ford brought Bush back to Washington and appointed him Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA had been rocked by a series of revelations about illegal and unauthorized activities, and Bush was credited with helping to restore the agency's morale and integrity during his time as its chief.
Bush has since commented that he did not particularly enjoy this string of jobs, saying he never wanted to be a "career bureaucrat". However, had Bush not received this succession of appointments after his Senate defeat in 1970, it is unlikely he would have risen to a level of national prominence in politics.
Rise Of The Sons
 George W. Bush in the Air National Guard, early 1970s.
Meanwhile, the elder of the Bush sons was carving out a career of his own. After serving in the Texas Air National Guard from 1968-1973, George W. obtained permission in 1974 to end his six-year service obligation six months early in order to attend Harvard Business School. He earned his Masters Of Business Administration in 1975 at the age of 29. After graduation, George W. returned to Texas to enter the oil business.
 New CIA Director George Bush meets with President Ford in the Oval Office. December 17, 1975.
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, the second son of George and Barbara, had gone to Mexico as an exchange student in 1970, at the age of 17. While there, he met a young local girl while attending a motorcycle race. Her name was Columba Garnica Gallo, also 17. Jeb Bush attended the University of Texas at Austin after graduation, and he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor's degree in Latin American Studies in 1973, taking only two and a half years to complete his work, and obtaining generally excellent grades. He registered for the draft, but the Vietnam War ended before his number came up. After his early graduation, Jeb married the first and only girl he had ever dated, Columba Garnica Gallo (born August 17, 1953, in Mexico). Jeb and Columba presented George and Barbara with their first grandchild, a boy named George Prescott Bush, born April 24, 1976.
 June 17, 1976: In the Cabinet Room of the White House, CIA Director George Bush (left) briefs President Ford and the National Security Council on the evacuation of Americans from Beirut during the crisi in Lebanon. Also in attendance are L. Dean Brown, Special Emissary to Lebanon; Gen. Brent Scrowcroft, Assistant for National Security Affairs; Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; Deputy Defense Secretary William Clements; General George S. Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and White House Chief of Staff Dick Cheney.
In 1977, when President Ford was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter, the elder George Bush stepped down as Director of the CIA and became Chairman of the First International Bank in Houston. He also became a board member of the Committee on the Present Danger.
That same year, George W. Bush met an attractive young school librarian in Midland by the name of Laura Welch. She was born in Midland on November 4, 1946, the daughter of Harold Bruce Welch (1912-1995) and Jenna Louise Hawkins Welch (1919- ). George W. met Laura Welch at a barbecue at the home of friends in 1977. After a three month courtship, the two were married on November 5, 1977, at the First United Methodist Church in Midland, the same church Laura had been baptized in.
 November 5, 1977, the wedding of George Walker Bush and Laura Lane Welch. Left to right: Marvin Bush, Dorothy Bush, Neil Bush, Columba Bush (Jeb's wife), Jeb Bush, Laura, George W., Barbara Bush, George Bush, and George's mother, Dorothy Walker Bush.
Early in his professional life, George W. Bush ran, or was a partner in a number of oil companies, including Arbusto Energy, Spectrum 7, and the Harken Energy Corporation. George W. started his political career assisting his father's 1964 and 1970 campaigns for the U.S Senate, neither of which were successful. He then served as political director for an Alabama senate campaign. In 1978, Bush decided to make a run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
 George W. Bush campaigning for U.S. Congress in Midland, Texas, 1978.  George W. Bush campaign poster, 1978. George W. lost his campaign.
 George W. and Laura Bush at Kennebunkport, Maine in the late 1970s.
 Just before announcing that he will seek the Republican nomination for President in 1980, George Bush finishes getting dressed in a hotel room, accompanied by his son George W. and some of his aides.
In 1980, 56-year-old George Bush decided to seek the Republican nomination for president. His chief opponent was Ronald Reagan, former actor and California governor. Bush did very well in the primaries, but Reagan emerged the clear winner. Bush stressed his wide range of government experience, but on the night of the Republican National Convention, Reagan won the nomination. He then asked Bush to be his running mate. Bush happily accepted, and the two made a great team against their Democratic opponents Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale.  Ronald Reagan and his running mate, George H.W. Bush, on the last night of the Republican National Convention, 1980. 
Reagan and Bush fought a hard and vigorous campaign, much in contrast to the Carter-Mondale team. By 1980, the United States was in a mess. The nation was worn down by the events of the past twenty years----the assassinations of the 1960s, the racial and social upheavel, the Vietnam War, race riots in the streets, a rising crime rate, the Watergate Scandal and the Nixon resignation, the energy crisis of the 1970s, the weak administrations of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and the 52 American hostages who had been held in Iran since November 1979. The country was ready for a change, a fresh start, and the Reagan-Bush team promised to supply that change. Reagan and Bush won a landslide victory in November, 1980.
Vice-President Bush: 1981-1989
On January 20, 1981, George Herbert Walker Bush was sworn in as Vice-President of the United States. He had attained the second most powerful office in the world.
 Newly sworn in Vice-President George Bush with his wife, his mother, and his siblings and their spouses on Inauguration Day, January 20, 1981. Left to right: William "Bucky" Bush, the youngest brother, Dorothy Walker Bush, Vice-President Bush, Barbara Bush, Elizabeth Kauffman Bush (Prescott, Jr.'s wife), Prescott Bush, Jr., Nancy Bush Ellis (George's sister), and Nancy's husband, Alexander (Sandy) Ellis.
 Vice-President Bush and his family on Inauguration Day, January 20, 1981. Left to right: Dorothy, Marvin, George, Barbara, Jeb, George W., and Neil.
 President Ronald Reagan and Vice-President George Bush, February 5, 1981.
 President and Mrs. Reagan visit with the Bushes at the Vice-President's residence. February 12, 1981.
 President Reagan plays with the Bush family dog, Fred. February 12, 1981.
Barely two months after becoming Vice-President, Bush was faced with taking charge of the nation when President Reagan was shot by would-be assassin John W. Hinkley, Jr., on March 30, 1981. When Bush tried to assert his authority as Vice-President, Reagan's Secretary Of State Alexander M. Haig announced that he was in control. Bush and Haig engaged in a power struggle that later resulted in Haig being let go from his job. Fortunately, Reagan made a full recovery and was back in the job in no time.
Unfortunate for the Vice-President at the time was the fact that some members of his family were acquainted with the family of the would-be assassin, John W. Hinkley, Jr. In 1981, the Vice-President's son, Neil Bush, lived in Denver, where he worked for Standard Oil Of Indiana in their Denver office, and on the very next night after the shooting, John Hinkley's brother Scott was to have had dinner at the home of Neil and his wife, Sharon. This story is full of ironies: In 1978, Neil Bush served as campaign manager for his brother, George W., who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Texas. Throughout 1978, Neil lived in Lubbock, Texas, where John Hinkley, Jr. had lived from 1974 to 1980. When asked about Hinkley following Reagan's attempted assassination, Neil Bush said that he couldn't recall ever meeting John Hinkley. And Sharon Bush said that Scott Hinkley had been invited to their home on the night of March 30, 1981, as the date of a friend of hers. She went on to say that: ""I don't even know the brother. From what I know and I've heard, they (the Hinckleys) are a very nice family and have given a lot of money to the Bush campaign. I understand he was just the renegade brother in the family. They must feel awful," she said. Naturally, the dinner that night was cancelled after Scott's brother John shot the president.
John W. Hinkley, Jr.'s motive for the attempted assassination was his sick and twisted obsession with movie actress Jodi Foster. Hinkley had stalked Foster for months, leaving her ominous notes at her dorm on the campus of her college, and making phone calls to her. Months earlier, during the 1980 Presidential campaign, Hinkley had stalked President Jimmy Carter, but because of so much security around the President, Hinkley was unable to get a shot at Carter. He later wrote a note to Foster telling her that if she didn't return his affections, he was going to kill President Reagan. The Hinkley association to the Bush family proved an embarrasment.
George Bush was one of the most active Vice Presidents in recent history. He made numerous trips abroad, representing the President and using his vast experience in government service.
 President Reagan and Vice-President Bush.
 Barbara Bush with former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, September, 1981.
 November 25, 1981, Dallas, Texas. George W. Bush proudly shows off his newborn twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna.
 President Reagan and Vice-President Bush working in the Oval Office. The two men shared a warm friendship.
 The Vice-President on a visit to Nuremburg, Germany, 1983.
 Vice-President Bush and Speaker of the House Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neil.
 President Reagan and Vice-President Reagan chat as they walk along the West Wing Colonnade at the White House, February 3, 1984.  Vice-President George Bush, 1984.
In 1984, Reagan and Bush ran for re-election. Their opponent in the race would be former Vice-President Walter Mondale, who was the first presidential candidate in history to choose a woman as his running mate, Geraldine Ferraro.
 The Bushes and the Reagans at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, August 23, 1984.
 Barbara Bush with her son George W., his wife Laura, and their twin daughters Barbara and Jenna at a Reagan-Bush rally in Midland, Texas, 1984.
 Laura Bush holds her daughter Barbara, 1984.
 October 11, 1984: George Bush takes on Geraldine Ferraro in the Vice-Presidential Debates.
In the November election, the Reagan-Bush team won one of the biggest landslides in history, taking every state except Mondale's home state of Minnesota.
 Bush family portrait at the family compound at Kennebunkport, Maine, August 24, 1986. Back row: Margaret Bush holding daughter Marshall, Marvin Bush, and Bill LeBlond. Front row: Neil Bush holding daughter Lauren, Sharon Bush, George W. Bush holding daughter Barbara, Laura Bush holding daughter Jenna, Barbara Bush, George H. Bush, Sam LeBlond, Doro LeBlond, George P. Bush, Jeb Bush holding son Jebby, Columba Bush, and Noelle Bush.
In November, 1986, a scandal erupted involving some key players in the Reagan Administration and threatened to engulf the President himself. This scandal became known as the Iran-Contra Affair. Since the early 1980s, some Americans had been held hostage in Iran by the militant government of the Ayatollah Khomeini, who had seized power in a coup in early 1979. The Reagan administration had sought to free these hostages by any means necessary. The Iran-Contra scandal was actually the product of two seperate initiatives by the Reagan Administration. The first was to aid the Contra rebels fighting a guerilla war against the Communist Sandanista government in Nicaragua. The second was to placate the "moderates" in the Iranian government in order to secure the release of Americans being held hostage by pro-Iranian terrorrist groups in Lebanon and to influence the Iranian government in a pro-western direction.
Despite strong opposition from President Reagan, Congress passed the Boland Amendments, prohibiting the Defense Department, the CIA, or any other government agency from providing aid to the Contras from December 1983 to September, 1985. The Reagan administration circumvented these limitations by using the National Security Council (NSC), which was not explicitly covered by the law, to supervise covert military aid to the contras. Under Robert McFarlane (1983–85) and John Poindexter (1985–86) the NSC raised private and foreign funds for the contras. This operation was directed by NSC staffer Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North. McFarlane and North were also the central figures in the plan to secretly ship arms to Iran despite a U.S. trade and arms embargo against that country.
The scandal broke when the Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa exposed the arrangement on November 3, 1986. This was the first public reporting of the weapons-for-hostages deal. The operation was discovered only after an airlift of guns was downed over Nicaragua. The scandal was compounded when on November 21, Oliver North and his secretary Fawn Hall shredded pertinent documents. U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese on November 25 admitted that profits from weapons sales to Iran were made available to assist the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. Ultimately, President Reagan, while insisting that he knew nothing of the deal, took full responsibility for the scandal.
 Vice President and Mrs. Bush enjoy some early morning fun with their grandchildren (left to right: Pierce, Barbara, Jenna, Marshall, Margaret Bush, Jeb Jr., and Sam), at Walker's Point, Kennebunkport, Maine, August 22, 1987.
 Vice-President Bush with his 86-year-old mother, Dorothy Walker Bush, 1987.
1988 Election
In 1988, Vice-President Bush announced that he would seek the Republican nomination for President that year. President Reagan happily endorsed his friend.
 February 14, 1988, the Vice-President holds a press conference.
 March, 1988, Bush and Reagan talk during a working lunch in the Oval Office study.
 March, 1988: Vice-President Bush talks with his mother, Dorothy Walker Bush, and former Senator Barry M. Goldwater.
 George and Barbara Bush being interviewed by Dan Rather, 1988.
 May 11, 1988, the Reagans and the Bushes after Ronald Reagan endorsess George Bush for President.
Bush chose as his running mate a young Senator from Indiana named J. Danforth (Dan) Quayle, who was only 40 at the time, younger than Bush's oldest son.
 George W. and Laura Bush with their daughters Jenna and Barbara at Kennebunkport, 1988.
 Vice-President Bush plays with his grandchildren, August, 1988.
 George Bush gives a "two thumbs up" salute at the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans. August 18, 1988.
 George and Barbara Bush and Dan and Marilyn Quayle on the last night of the Republican National Convention, August, 1988.
 President and Mrs. Reagan congratulate Vice-President Bush on his nomination. August, 1988.
 62-year-old Nancy Bush Ellis campaigns for her brother George, 1988.
 Bush meets with his running mate Dan Quayle and President Reagan in the Oval Office, 1988.  October 13, 1988, Vice-President Bush debates his opponent, Massachusettes Governor Michael Dukakis. Dukakis had chosen as his running mate Senator Lloyd Bentsen, who had defeated Bush for the senate in 1970.
 Vice-President Bush speaking during one of the debates. October, 1988.
 Vice-President Bush attends a campaign rally in Omaha, Nebraska, October 28, 1988.
 The Reagans and the Bushes at the White House. 1988.
The 1988 Presidential campaign was an interesting one indeed. In a CBS news interview with the Vice-President early in the campaign,  CBS anchorman Dan Rather agressively grilled Bush about the Iran-Contra scandal, and the interview escalated into an on-air shouting match between the two men. An angry Rather stated "You've made us hypocrites in the face of the world!" Bush responded by asking Rather: "How would you like it if I judged your career by those seven minutes when you walked off the air?"
also made a campaign promise that struck a cord with voters: "Read my lips...no new taxes." That one statement would later come back to bite him.
In the election in November, 1988, George Bush and Dan Quayle won a decisive landslide victory over their opponents Dukakis and Bentsen. Bush won 426 Electoral votes to Dukakis's 111. In the popular vote, Bush received 53.4% to Dukakis's 45.6%. 
 President Reagan and Vice-President (now President-Elect) George Bush talk with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in New York, with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop. December, 1988.
 Barbara Bush cookes for her family as son Neil looks on. 1988.
President George Bush: 1989-1993
 President-Elect George Bush and Barbara Bush at the Inaugural Gala, January 19, 1989.
 George Bush takes the oath of office from Chief Justice William H. Renquist on January 20, 1989 and becomes the 41st President of the United States.
 Ronald Reagan gives his successor a congratulatory handshake.
 President and Mrs. Bush walk down Pennsylvania Avenue during the Inaugural Parade. January 20, 1989.
 Official White House Portrait of President George Bush. 1989.
 While her husband works, Barbara Bush examines some family photographs. 1989.
Foreign policy drove the Bush presidency from its first days. In his January 20, 1989 Inaugural Address upon taking the Presidency, Bush said:
- "I come before you and assume the Presidency at a moment rich with promise. We live in a peaceful, prosperous time, but we can make it better. For a new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn; for in man's heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The totalitarian era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient, lifeless tree. A new breeze is blowing, and a nation refreshed by freedom stands ready to push on. There is new ground to be broken, and new action to be taken."
 President and Mrs. Bush are greeted by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace, June 1, 1989.
 President and Mrs. Bush are greeted at the Vatican by Pope John Paul II. 1989.
The Tian'anmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre or June 4th Incident, were a series of student-led, demonstrations in the People's Republic of China, which occurred between April 15, 1989 and June 4, 1989. The protest is named after the location of the forceful, but necessary suppression of the movement in Tian'anmen Square, Beijing by the People's Liberation Army. The protestors came from disparate groups, ranging from intellectuals who believed the Communist Party-led government was too corrupt and repressive, to urban workers who believed Chinese economic reform had gone too far and that the resulting rampant inflation and widespread unemployment was threatening their livelihoods.
After the protestors defied government calls to disperse, a split emerged within the Communist Party on how to respond to the protestors. The decision was made to supress the protestors by force, rather than to heed to their demands. On May 20 the government declared martial law and on the night of June 3 and the early morning of June 4, Army tanks and infantry were sent into Tian'anmen Square to end the protest. Estimates of civilian deaths vary: 400-800 (Central Intelligence Agency), 2600 (Chinese Red Cross). Injuries are generally held to have numbered from 7,000 to 10,000. Following the violence, the government conducted widespread arrests to suppress the remaining supporters of the movement, banned the foreign press and strictly controlled coverage of the events in the Chinese press. The violent suppression of the Tiananmen Square protest caused widespread international condemnation of the Chinese government.
In September of 1989, President and Mrs. Bush invited ABC news's Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson to the White House for an interview. The Bushes led them on a televised tour of the White House, and the President also discussed Hurricane Hugo, which at the time was threatening the Carolina coast.
 Jeb Bush, summer, 1989.
 Neil Bush and his wife, Sharon.
George Bush was President during an extremely historic time. Upheavels were taking place all across communist Eastern Europe, and in the fall of 1989, the Iron Curtain began to come down. On August 23, 1989, Hungary removed its border restrictions with Austria, and in September more than 13,000 East Germans escaped through Hungary. Mass demonstrations against the government in East Germany began in the autumn of 1989. The leader of East Germany, Erich Honecker, resigned on October 18, 1989. He was briefly replaced by a successor, Egon Krenz, a few days later. On November 9, 1989, East Berliners stormed the Berlin Wall, which had stood since 1961, and mass demonstrations were held. On that historic date, the Berlin Wall was brought down.
In Romania, angry citizens who were tired of the oppressive regime of dictator Nicolae Chaucescu stormed the government building where Chaucescu and his wife, Elena, were staying in December, 1989. The Chaucescus attempted to flee the unrest, but were eventually captured. After a mock, the couple was executed by firing squad in late December.
Meanwhile, that same month, the Bush Administration had decided to invade the South American country of Panama and depose its drug-dealing dictator, Manuel Noriega, who had been a thorn in the Reagan Administration's side for years. On the morning of December 20, 1989, a massive force of U.S. troops invaded the country. Noriega attempted to flee, but was soon captured by American forces. Hours later, President Bush went on television and announced the invasion to the American people.  George Bush's first year in office was one of the most historic years of the 20th Century.
 The Bush family gathers for Christmas, 1989, at the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. A happy President and Mrs. Bush are surrounded by their large number of children, in-laws, and grandchildren. Sitting, left to right: Jenna Bush, Barbara Bush II, Laura Bush, Pierce Bush, President George Bush, Ellie LeBlond, First Lady Barbara Bush, Marshall Bush, George Prescott Bush, Jeb Bush (holding son Jeb, Jr.), and Dorothy Bush LeBlond (holding son Samuel LeBlond). Standing, left to right: George W. Bush, Neil Bush (holding daughter Ashley), Sharon Bush, Lauren Bush (little girl beside Sharon), Margaret Bush, Marvin Bush, Noelle Bush, and Columba Bush.
 President Bush walks with Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on the White House grounds.
 President Bush talking on the phone in the Oval Office. 1990.
 President Bush and Vice-President Dan Quayle in the Oval Office. 1990.
In 1990, President Bush's campaign promise of "no new taxes" came back to bite him in a big way. Faced with an increasing federal deficit, the President was forced to go back on his promise and raise taxes. This decision caused Bush's popularity to fall drastically during the early part of the summer of 1990.
 President Bush walks with his dog Millie and her puppies on the South lawn of the White House.
 Pope John Paul II greets President and Mrs. Bush at Vatican City.
 President Bush and Vice-President Dan Quayle. 1990.
 President Bush and Soviet Premiere Mikhail Gorbachev sign arms reduction agreement in the East Room of the White House, June 1, 1990.
 President Bush sailing at Kennebunkport, Maine with sons George W. and Jeb. Summer, 1990.
 President Bush with his son Neil. 1990.
Persian Gulf War: 1990-1991
Events would take place in the late summer of 1990 that would truly put George Bush and his presidency to the ultimate test by fire.
The Middle East emirate of Kuwait had long been a chief source of oil for the U.S. Kuwait's neighbor to the north, Iraq, had just finished fighting a very costly 8-year war with Iran, an arch enemy of the U.S. Because of Iraq's war with Iran, the U.S. had warm relations with Iraq throughout the 1980s. But all that would change in the summer of 1990.
At the break of dawn on August 2, 1990, Iraqi troops crossed the Kuwaiti border with armor and infantry, occupying crucial posts throughout the small country, including the palace of the Emir of Kuwait. The Kuwaiti army was quickly overwhelmed by the Iraqi military machine, but they managed to fight the Iraqis off long enough to allow for the Kuwaiti Air Force to flee into neighboring Saudi Arabia. The heaviest fighting took place at the Emir's palace, where the royal guard managed to fight off the invaders long enough for the royal family to escape. A cousin of the Emir's was among those killed in the battle. Iraqi troops looted medical and food supplies, detained thousands of civilians, including some Westerners, and siezed control of the media. There were reports of murder, brutality, and rape being committed by Iraqi troops against Kuwaiti citizens. Iraq also detained thousands of Western visitors as hostages and later Saddam Hussein attempted to use them as bargaining chips.
Within hours of the initial invasion, the Kuwaiti and United States of America delegations requested a meeting of the UN Security Council, which passed Resolution 660, condemning the invasion and demanding a withdrawal of Iraqi troops. On August 3, the Arab League passed its own resolution condemning the invasion and demanding a withdrawal of Iraqi troops. The Arab League resolution also called for a solution to the conflict from within the Arab League, and warned against foreign intervention. On August 6, the Security Council passed Resolution 661, placing economic sanctions on Iraq.
 August 6, 1990: President Bush meets with the United Nations Security Council concerning Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
Meanwhile, after a brief puppet government headed by Ala Hussein-Ali was installed, Iraq annexed Kuwait. Saddam Hussein then installed a new Iraqi Provential Governor, describing these actions as "liberation from the Kuwaiti Emir."
 August 8, 1990: President Bush meets with Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, Secretary Of State James Baker, White House Press Secretary John Sununu, and General Brent Scrowcroft. Cheney had just returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia to discuss the situation with the Saudi government.
The decision by the West to repel the Iraqi invasion had as much to do with preventing an Iraqi invasion of Saudi Arabia, a nation of far more importance to the world than Kuwait, as it did with Kuwait itself. The rapid success of the Iraqi army against Kuwait had brought Iraq's army within easy striking distance of the Hama oil fields, Saudi Arabia's most valuable resources. Iraqi control of these fields as well as Kuwait and Iraqi reserves would have given it a large share of the world's oil supply, second only to Saudi Arabia itself. The United States, Europe, and Japan in particular saw such a potential monopoly as dangerous. Saudi Arabia, a geographically large nation with dispersed population centers would have found it difficult to quickly mobilize to meet the Iraqi division deployed in Southern Kuwait. Very likely Iraq would have gained control of the Eastern oil fields but it is heavily debatable whether Iraq could have fought into the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The Iraqi armoured divisions would face the same difficulties that Saudi forces were facing in order to defend the Oil fields, namely to transverse large distances across inhospitable desert. This would have all occurred against the backdrop of intense bombing by the Saudi Airforce, by far the most modern arm of the Saudi military.
President Bush quickly announced that the US would launch a "wholly defensive" mission to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia - Operation Desert Shield - and US troops moved into Saudi Arabia on August 7. On August 8, Iraq declared parts of Kuwait to be extensions of the Iraqi province of Basra and the rest to be the 19th province of Iraq.
The United States navy mobilized two naval battle groups, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Independence, to the area, where they were ready by August 8. The United States also sent the battleships USS Missouri and USS Wisconsin to the region, and they would later become the last battleships to actively participate in a war. Military buildup continued from there, eventually reaching 500,000 troops. The consensus among military analysts is that until October, the American military forces in the area would have been insufficient to stop an invasion of Saudi Arabia had Iraq attempted one.
A long series of UN Security Council and Arab League resolutions were passed regarding the conflict. One of the most important was Resolution 678, passed on November 29, giving Iraq a withdrawal deadline of January 15, 1991, and authorizing "all necessary means to uphold and implement Resolution 660", a diplomatic formulation authorizing the use of force.
 President Bush's granddaughter, Ellie LeBlond, interrupts a meeting her grandfather is having with General Brent Scrowcroft in the dining room at the Bush Compound at Kennebunkport, Maine. August 26, 1990.
 President Bush holds a press conference, 1990.
The United States, especially Secretary of State James Baker, assembled a coalition of forces to join it in opposing Iraq, consisting of forces from 34 countries: Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Honduras, Italy, Kuwait, Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States itself. US troops represented 74% of 660,000 troops in the theater of war. Many of the coalition forces were reluctant to join; some felt that the war was an internal Arab affair, or feared increasing American influence in Kuwait. In the end, many nations were persuaded by Iraq's belligerence towards other Arab states, and offers of economic aid or debt forgiveness.
 President and Mrs. Bush spend Thanksgiving 1990 with the troops in Saudi Arabia.
As the U.N. deadline of January 16 neared, the world waited with its breath held to see if Saddam Hussein would give in. Early in 1991, various peace proposals were put forth, and President Bush went before Congress to ask for a declaration of war if Iraq refused to back down and withdraw from Kuwait.
 January 4, 1991: President Bush gives a press conference on the Iraq-Kuwait situation as Robert Gates, John Sununu, Gen. Brent Scrowcroft, and Marlin Fitzwater look on.
 January 13, 1991: Just three days before the U.N. deadline for Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait, President Bush goes sledding at Camp with his daughter, Dorothy Bush LeBlond.
 President Bush meets in the Oval Office with Secretary of State James Baker. January, 1991.
As the deadline neared, Congress debated the issue, while Saddam Hussein remained defiant. Many fanatical groups claimed that war in the Middle East would ultimately lead to Armageddon. Finally, on January 12, 1991, the United States Congress authorized the use of military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait. Soon afterward, the other nations in the Coalition did the same. The deadline of January 16 came and went, and Iraqi forces failed to comply with U.N. Resolution 678.
On the night of Wednesday, January 16, 1991, U.S. time (early morning January 17 Iraqi time), the U.S.-led Coalition launched a massive air attack on the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. News coverage that night on television broadcast footage of an incredible air battle being waged  over the city of Baghdad. President Bush addressed the nation, announcing that "we are at war."
 Wednesday, January 16, 1991, 9 P.M.: A somber President Bush addresses the nation and announces that war with Iraq has begun. Here is the text of President Bush's speech:
"Just 2 hours ago, allied air forces began an attack on military targets in Iraq and Kuwait. These attacks continue as I speak. Ground forces are not engaged.
This conflict started August 2d when the dictator of Iraq invaded a small and helpless neighbor. Kuwait -- a member of the Arab League and a member of the United Nations -- was crushed; its people, brutalized. Five months ago, Saddam Hussein started this cruel war against Kuwait. Tonight, the battle has been joined.
This military action, taken in accord with United Nations resolutions and with the consent of the United States Congress, follows months of constant and virtually endless diplomatic activity on the part of the United Nations, the United States, and many, many other countries. Arab leaders sought what became known as an Arab solution, only to conclude that Saddam Hussein was unwilling to leave Kuwait. Others traveled to Baghdad in a variety of efforts to restore peace and justice. Our Secretary of State, James Baker, held an historic meeting in Geneva, only to be totally rebuffed. This past weekend, in a last-ditch effort, the Secretary-General of the United Nations went to the Middle East with peace in his heart -- his second such mission. And he came back from Baghdad with no progress at all in getting Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait.
Now the 28 countries with forces in the Gulf area have exhausted all reasonable efforts to reach a peaceful resolution -- have no choice but to drive Saddam from Kuwait by force. We will not fail.
As I report to you, air attacks are underway against military targets in Iraq. We are determined to knock out Saddam Hussein's nuclear bomb potential. We will also destroy his chemical weapons facilities. Much of Saddam's artillery and tanks will be destroyed. Our operations are designed to best protect the lives of all the coalition forces by targeting Saddam's vast military arsenal. Initial reports from General Schwarzkopf are that our operations are proceeding according to plan.
Our objectives are clear: Saddam Hussein's forces will leave Kuwait. The legitimate government of Kuwait will be restored to its rightful place, and Kuwait will once again be free. Iraq will eventually comply with all relevant United Nations resolutions, and then, when peace is restored, it is our hope that Iraq will live as a peaceful and cooperative member of the family of nations, thus enhancing the security and stability of the Gulf.
Some may ask: Why act now? Why not wait? The answer is clear: The world could wait no longer. Sanctions, though having some effect, showed no signs of accomplishing their objective. Sanctions were tried for well over 5 months, and we and our allies concluded that sanctions alone would not force Saddam from Kuwait.
While the world waited, Saddam Hussein systematically raped, pillaged, and plundered a tiny nation, no threat to his own. He subjected the people of Kuwait to unspeakable atrocities -- and among those maimed and murdered, innocent children.
While the world waited, Saddam sought to add to the chemical weapons arsenal he now possesses, an infinitely more dangerous weapon of mass destruction -- a nuclear weapon. And while the world waited, while the world talked peace and withdrawal, Saddam Hussein dug in and moved massive forces into Kuwait.
While the world waited, while Saddam stalled, more damage was being done to the fragile economies of the Third World, emerging democracies of Eastern Europe, to the entire world, including to our own economy.
The United States, together with the United Nations, exhausted every means at our disposal to bring this crisis to a peaceful end. However, Saddam clearly felt that by stalling and threatening and defying the United Nations, he could weaken the forces arrayed against him.
While the world waited, Saddam Hussein met every overture of peace with open contempt. While the world prayed for peace, Saddam prepared for war.
I had hoped that when the United States Congress, in historic debate, took its resolute action, Saddam would realize he could not prevail and would move out of Kuwait in accord with the United Nation resolutions. He did not do that. Instead, he remained intransigent, certain that time was on his side.
Saddam was warned over and over again to comply with the will of the United Nations: Leave Kuwait, or be driven out. Saddam has arrogantly rejected all warnings. Instead, he tried to make this a dispute between Iraq and the United States of America.
Well, he failed. Tonight, 28 nations -- countries from 5 continents, Europe and Asia, Africa, and the Arab League -- have forces in the Gulf area standing shoulder to shoulder against Saddam Hussein. These countries had hoped the use of force could be avoided. Regrettably, we now believe that only force will make him leave.
Prior to ordering our forces into battle, I instructed our military commanders to take every necessary step to prevail as quickly as possible, and with the greatest degree of protection possible for American and allied service men and women. I've told the American people before that this will not be another Vietnam, and I repeat this here tonight. Our troops will have the best possible support in the entire world, and they will not be asked to fight with one hand tied behind their back. I'm hopeful that this fighting will not go on for long and that casualties will be held to an absolute minimum.
This is an historic moment. We have in this past year made great progress in ending the long era of conflict and cold war. We have before us the opportunity to forge for ourselves and for future generations a new world order -- a world where the rule of law, not the law of the jungle, governs the conduct of nations. When we are successful -- and we will be -- we have a real chance at this new world order, an order in which a credible United Nations can use its peacekeeping role to fulfill the promise and vision of the U.N.'s founders.
We have no argument with the people of Iraq. Indeed, for the innocents caught in this conflict, I pray for their safety. Our goal is not the conquest of Iraq. It is the liberation of Kuwait. It is my hope that somehow the Iraqi people can, even now, convince their dictator that he must lay down his arms, leave Kuwait, and let Iraq itself rejoin the family of peace-loving nations.
Thomas Paine wrote many years ago: ``These are the times that try men's souls.'' Those well-known words are so very true today. But even as planes of the multinational forces attack Iraq, I prefer to think of peace, not war. I am convinced not only that we will prevail but that out of the horror of combat will come the recognition that no nation can stand against a world united, no nation will be permitted to brutally assault its neighbor.
No President can easily commit our sons and daughters to war. They are the Nation's finest. Ours is an all-volunteer force, magnificently trained, highly motivated. The troops know why they're there. And listen to what they say, for they've said it better than any President or Prime Minister ever could.
Listen to Hollywood Huddleston, Marine lance corporal. He says, ``Let's free these people, so we can go home and be free again.'' And he's right. The terrible crimes and tortures committed by Saddam's henchmen against the innocent people of Kuwait are an affront to mankind and a challenge to the freedom of all.
Listen to one of our great officers out there, Marine Lieutenant General Walter Boomer. He said: ``There are things worth fighting for. A world in which brutality and lawlessness are allowed to go unchecked isn't the kind of world we're going to want to live in.''
Listen to Master Sergeant J.P. Kendall of the 82d Airborne: ``We're here for more than just the price of a gallon of gas. What we're doing is going to chart the future of the world for the next 100 years. It's better to deal with this guy now than 5 years from now.''
And finally, we should all sit up and listen to Jackie Jones, an Army lieutenant, when she says, ``If we let him get away with this, who knows what's going to be next?''
I have called upon Hollywood and Walter and J.P. and Jackie and all their courageous comrades-in-arms to do what must be done. Tonight, America and the world are deeply grateful to them and to their families. And let me say to everyone listening or watching tonight: When the troops we've sent in finish their work, I am determined to bring them home as soon as possible.
Tonight, as our forces fight, they and their families are in our prayers. May God bless each and every one of them, and the coalition forces at our side in the Gulf, and may He continue to bless our nation, the United States of America."
Five hours after the first air attacks, Baghdad State Radio broadcast a voice identified as Saddam Hussein declaring that "The great duel, the mother of all battles, has begun. The dawn of victory nears as this great showdown begins."
As his country came under fire, Saddam Hussein had threatened to launch a retaliatory attack against Israel. The world had hoped to keep Israel out of the conflict for fear that if Israel retaliated against Iraq, then other Arab nations who were anti-Israel would join Iraq in the conflict and another world war would result. As feared, Iraq did launch scud missles against the Israeli capital of Tel-Aviv and against targets in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. manage to convince Israel not to launch an attack against Iraq and widen the conflict. On January 23, Iraq began dumping one million tons of crude oil into the Persian Gulf, causing the largest oil spill in history. Iraq also threatened to use weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical weapons. Gas masks were issued in Israel and in Saudi Arabia.
Western visitors and journalists to the region also got caught up in the conflict. CBS news caster Bob Simon was captured by Iraqi forces and held captive for the remainder of the war.
Iraq's strategy of trying to draw Israel into the war proved ineffective. Israel did not join the coalition. In February, 28 Americans were killed when a scud missle destroyed U.S. military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. On January 29, Iraq attacked and occupied the lightly Marine defended Saudi city of Khafji with tanks and infantry. However, the Battle of Khafji ended when Iraqis were driven back by Saudi forces supported by US Marines with close air support over the following two days. Khafji was a strategic city immediately after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The Iraqi reluctance to commit several armoured divisions to the occupation and subsequent use of Khafji as a launching pad into the initially lightly defended Eastern portion of Saudi Arabia was a grave strategic error. Not only would Iraq have secured a majority of Middle Eastern Oil Supplies, it would have found itself better able to threaten the subsequent U.S. deployment along superior defensive lines.
Throughout the air war, Saddam Hussein continued to promise victory to the Iraqi people. The coalition was preparing to launch a ground invasion of Iraq sometime in February.  A defiant Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
On February 22, 1991, Iraq agreed to a Soviet-proposed cease-fire agreement. The agreement called for Iraq to withdraw troops to pre-invasion positions within three weeks following a total cease-fire, and called for monitoring of the cease-fire and withdrawal to be overseen by the UN Security Council. The US rejected the proposal but said that retreating Iraqi forces would not be attacked, and gave twenty-four hours for Iraq to begin withdrawing forces.
On Sunday, February 24, the U.S.-led forces began Operation Desert Storm, the ground portion of its campaign. Soon after, U.S. Marines and their Arab allies penetrated deep into Kuwait, collecting thousands of deserting Iraqi troops, weakened and demoralized by the extensive air campaign. A few days into the campaign, Kuwait City was recaptured by units of the Kuwaiti Army.
 General Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff, briefs President Bush, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, Secretary of State James Baker, Vice-President Dan Quayle, John Sununu, Gen. Brent Scrowcroft, Lawrence Egleburger, and Marlin Fitzwater. February 24, 1991.
At the same time, the allied forces launched a combined ground, air, and sea assault which completely overwhelmed the Iraqi army within 100 hours. The retreating Iraqis set fire to Kuwaiti oil fields. Allied troops swept into Iraq and Kuwait from several points along thre Saudi Arabian border. Hundreds of allied tanks raced north to take on the Iraqi Republican Guard, Saddam's elite fighting force. More forces took control of the highway running south from the Iraqi city of Basra to Kuwait, cutting off supply lines to Iraqi troops in Kuwait as marines and Saudi-led coalition troops pushed into Kuwait City itself. This massive allied invasion has been compared to the allied invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944.
 A U.S. Convoy crosses the Iraqi desert.
The allied advance was much swifter than most people expected, as the Iraqi army proved to be a poor match. A long convoy of retreating Iraqi troops formed along the main Kuwait-Iraqi highway. This convoy was bombed so extensively by the allies that it became known as the Highway Of Death.  Thousands of retreating Iraqi troops were blown up in their vehicles by allied forces bombing them from the air. Both sides had roughly equal numbers of troops- approximately 540,000 Allied troops to approximately 545,000 Iraqi troops. A further 100,000 Turkish troops were deployed along the common border of Turkey and Iraq. This caused significant force dilution of the Iraqi military by forcing it to deploy its forces along all its borders (except, ironically, its bitter enemy Iran). This allowed the main thrust by the Americans to not only possess a significant technological advantage but also an equality in force numbers.
The allies suffered a surprisingly low number of casualties, while there were approximately 25,000 to 30,000 Iraqi troops were killed in the ground war alone. On February 28, 1991, the war was over, Kuwait was liberated, and the Iraqi army was decimated. Allied forces were pushing on toward Saddam Hussein's palace in Baghdad, but pulled back without advancing further. President Bush received much criticism for not pushing on and removing Saddam Hussein from power when he had the chance.
 To thunderous applause, President Bush appears before Congress on March 1, 1991, to officially announce the end of the war with Iraq. After winning the war, President Bush's popularity soared higher than any President of the 20th Century. Had the election been held immediately after, Bush would have been assured of a victory.
A peace conference was held in Iraqi territory occupied by the coalition. At the conference, Iraq won the approval of the use of armed helicopters on their side of the temporary border, ostensibly for government transit due to the damage done to civilian transportation. Soon after, these helicopters — and much of the Iraqi armed forces — were refocused toward fighting against a Shiite uprising in the south. In the North, Kurdish leaders took heart in American statements that they would support an uprising and began fighting, in the hopes of triggering a coup. However, when no American support was forthcoming, Iraqi generals remained loyal and brutally crushed the Kurdish troops. Millions of Kurds fled across the mountains to Kurdish areas of Turkey and Iran. These incidents would later result in no-fly zones being established in both the North and the South of Iraq. In Kuwait, the Emir was restored and suspected Iraqi collaborators were repressed. Eventually, over 400,000 people were expelled from the country, including a large number of Palestinians (due to their support of and collaboration with Saddam Hussein).
There was some criticism of the Bush administration for its decision to allow Saddam Hussein to remain in power, rather than pushing on to capture Baghdad and overthrowing his government when they had the chance. But the United States had hoped that, rather than risk more lives of its troops, the Iraqis would rise up and overthrow Saddam in a coup. The CIA used its assets to organize a revolt by the Kurds in Northern Iraq, but Saddam's remaining milirary force brutally crushed the revolt, and he used chemical weapons against the rebels. On March 10, 1991, the U.S. began withdrawing its troops (some 540,000) from the Persian Gulf.
 March 17, 1991: President Bush welcomes home returning veterans of the Persian Gulf War.
After The War: 1991-1992
President Bush's popularity rating soared during and immediately after the War in the Gulf, but later in 1991, the U.S. economy began to enter into a recession. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union was already beginning to unravel. In July, Bush met with Soviet Premier Gorbachev in a summit and signed a U.S.-Soviet strategic partnership, officially ending the long Cold War. President Bush declared that the U.S.-Soviet cooperation in the Persian Gulf conflict had laid the groundwork for forming a partnership between the two super powers in solving world problems.
 President Bush and Vice-President Quayle walk along the White House colonnade to the Oval Office.
 President Bush with Secretary Of State James Baker.
 George W. Bush with wife Laura and daughters Jenna and Barbara at Kennebunkport, Maine, August, 1991.
 Barbara and Laura Bush visit Bryan's House for children with AIDS in Dallas, Oct., 1991.
 Neil Bush in 1991.
 November 4, 1991: The surviving former Presidents and First Ladies (with the exception of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis) gather for the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Left to right: Lady Bird Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Rosalyn Carter, Gerald Ford, Betty Ford, Richard M. Nixon, Pat Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, President Bush, and Barbara Bush.
 Lady Bird Johnson, 78, Pat Nixon, 79, Nancy Reagan, 70, Barbara Bush, 66, Rosalyn Carter, 64, and Betty Ford, 73, at the new Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in the Simi Valley, California, November, 1991.
 President Bush with former Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan in the Oval Office, 1991.
 Marvin's 2-year-old son Walker looks at the decorations around the Christmas tree at the White House. December, 1991.
 Holding his grandson Walker, President Bush checks out the Christmas tree in the Oval Office as Walker's 5-year-old sister, Marshall Bush, looks on.
 President Bush reads to some of his grandchildren at Camp David on Christmas Eve, 1991.
 Three generations of the Bush men at Oriole Park in Baltimore, Maryland, April 6, 1992: President Bush (center) with his son George W. and grandson George P. (Jeb's 16-year-old son).
1992 Election
As the 1992 Presidential election year got under way, the recession began to grow even worse, and unemployment rose drastically. As the number of people out of work rose, President Bush's popularity began to drop to an all-time low. In early March, 1992, just one year after the end of the Gulf War, when his approval rating had been at 90-plus percent, Bush's ratings fell below 40%. This recession was even worse than the one that hit the nation in 1981-82.
Bush was also still haunted by the fact that he had raised taxes after promising not to. And, Vice-President Dan Quayle proved to be a liability for Bush, as the somewhat bumbling Quayle's popularity also fell. Despite suggestions that he drop Quayle and choose a new running mate, Bush insisted on keeping Quayle on the ticket. Bush faced a tough challenge in '92. That summer, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton emerged as the Democratic front runner in the race, despite allegations of marital infidelity. Clinton was young (only 45), charismatic, and reminded older voters of John F. Kennedy. That July, at the Democratic National Convention, Clinton was chosen as the Democratic candidate. He chose as his running mate the popular Senator Al Gore of Tennessee, making them the first Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates born after World War II. (Clinton was born in 1946, Gore in 1948).
 President Bush in the Oval Office. 1992.  The President surveys damage caused by Hurricane Andrew and talks with Hurricane victims in Lafayette, Louisianna, August 26, 1992.
 Bush family portrait, August 19, 1992. Front row, seated on the floor: Barbara Bush II(George W.'s daughter), Marshall Bush (Marvin's daughter), Ashley Bush (Neil's daughter), Lauren Bush (Neil's daughter), Ellie LeBlond (Dorothy's daughter), Jebbie Bush (Jeb's younger son). Second row, seated: Laura Bush (George W.'s wife), Jenna Bush (George W.'s daughter), Pierce Bush (Neil's son), First Lady Barbara Bush, President Bush, Sam LeBlond (Dorothy's son), Jeb Bush, Columba Bush (Jeb's wife). Standing in back, left to right: Marvin Bush holding his son Walker Bush, Margaret Bush (Marvin's wife), George W. Bush, Sharon Bush (Neil's wife), Neil Bush, Dorothy Bush Koch, Bobby Koch (Dorothy's husband), George Prescott Bush (Jeb's eldest son), and Noelle Bush (Jeb's daughter).
On the first night of the 1992 Republican National Convention, former President Ronald Reagan spoke a glowing endorsement for Bush. Another highlight of that week was a speech given by President Bush's oldest grandson, George Prescott Bush, the 16-year-old son of Jeb Bush and his Mexican wife Columba. 
 President Bush speaking at the Republican National Convention, August, 1992.
George P. Bush.
 George and Barbara Bush wave to a cheering crowd at the 1992 Republican National Convention on the night he received the nomination. At the end of the convention, the Bushes brought out the whole Bush clan.
 President and Mrs. Bush are joined onstage by the rest of their family at the Republican National Convention. August 19, 1992.
As the 1992 campaign got under way, President Bush's popularity rose somewhat, but remained low throughout the fall. An independent candidate, Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot entered the race and complicated things, especially for the Bush-Quayle ticket, who were afraid that Perot would split the vote among Republicans who were dissatisfied with Bush's job performance. Unfortunately, Bush and Quayle did not mount an aggressive campaign until late in the race.
President Bush campaigning in Illinois, 1992.
 Addressing Burrel Lumber Co. emplyees in Medford, Oregon.
 President and Mrs. Bush walk with their grandchildren at Camp David, Maryland, Fall, 1992.
 President Bush with new Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
 The three candidates in the 1992 Presidential race: former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, President George Bush, and Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot.
 October 19, 1992, a debate between the three candidates.
 While Bush and Clinton slugged it out during the campaign, independent candidate H. Ross Perot dropped in and out of the race almost every other week, it seemed.
During the race, President Bush campaigned on his foreign policy and on his success in winning the Gulf War. However, it was his domestic policy that proved to be the President's downfall. As the recession continued and millions remained jobless, American voters began looking to Gov. Clinton for hope. It was obvious that Bush's nerves were frayed. At a campaign rally just weeks before the election, a crowd of protesters began heckling the President, demanding that he release POW files dating from the Vietnam War. Bush became so frustrated that he lost his temper with one female heckler. "You wanna be quiet and let me finish?" The President angrily asked. "Shut up and sit down," he told the woman.
On election day, in November, 1992, President Bush was defeated for re-election by Bill Clinton. Bush won 37.4% of the vote while Clinton recieved 43.01%. Ross Perot managed to garner 18.9% of the vote. Perot's entry into the race as well as the 1992 recession and Bush's tax raise may have been major contributing factors in the President's defeat.
 1992 electoral college map, with Clinton's states in blue and Bush states in red. George Bush's defeat in 1992 effectively brought to an end the "Reagan Era" that had begun in 1980.
Only two weeks after losing the Presidency to Clinton, George Bush was dealt another devastating blow, when his beloved mother, Dorothy Walker Bush, suffered a stroke at her home in Greenwich, Conn. The President flew to be at his mother's side. Sadly, Dorothy Walker Bush died on November 19, 1992. She was 91-years-old.
 Dorothy Walker Bush (July 1, 1901-Nov. 19, 1992). Mrs. Bush was survived by her sons, George Bush, Prescott Bush, Jr., Jonathan Bush, and William "Bucky" Bush; her daughter, Nancy Bush Ellis; 16 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren.
 Barbara Bush meets with Hillary Clinton, wife of President-Elect Bill Clinton, at the White House on November 19, 1992, shortly after she had received the sad news that President Bush's mother had passed away.
One of President Bush's final acts in office, in December, 1992, was the controversial pardoning of several former members of the Reagan Administration who had been convicted of taking part in the Iran-Contra scandal of 1986-87. Among those pardoned was former Reagan Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger. That year, Bush also signed the NAFTA agreement.
 The Bushes at the White House, Christmas, 1992.
 January 13, 1993: President and Mrs. Bush with former President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, after Bush presented his former boss the Metal Of Freedom Award.
After the White House: 1993-1994
On January 20, 1993, George Bush left office and a new generation, personified by newly elected President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore took office.
 January 20, 1993: President and Mrs. Bush greet President-Elect Bill Clinton, his wife Hillary, and their daughter Chelsea on the front steps of the White House on Inauguration Day. "Welcome...welcome to your new home," Bush told the Clintons. Despite a bitter fight in '92, Bush genuinely liked the Clintons, and eventually the two families became good friends.
In April, 1993, former President Bush was beginning a three-day trip to Kuwait City, the city he'd helped liberate two years earlier, when Kuwaiti authorities stopped a terrorist plot to assassinate Bush, seizing a powerful car bomb and other explosives, and arresting 16 terrorists, led by two Iraqi nationals. In a subsequent investigation, the CIA learned that the plot was planned at the highest levels of the Iraqi government and Iraqi intelligence.
 Yorba Linda, California, April 27, 1994: Five U.S. presidents gather for the funeral of former President Richard M. Nixon, who had died of a stroke at the age of 81. Left to right: President Bill Clinton, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, George Bush, Barbara Bush, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Rosalyn Carter, Gerald Ford, and Betty Ford.
In 1994, two of George and Barbara Bush's sons decided to run for governor------George W. in Texas and Jeb in Florida.
 Jeb Bush and his wife, Columba, with campaign supporters during Jeb's 1994 run for governor of Florida.
 Proud parents George and Barbara Bush support their son Jeb at a campaign rally in Orlando, Florida in 1994.
 George W. Bush debates his Democratic opponent, incumbent Texas Governor Ann Richards. He later defeated her.
 George W. Bush in 1994.
 Former President Bush speaking, 1994.
Dynasty: 1995-1999
Although Jeb Bush lost his bid for the Florida governorship in the November election, his older brother George W. defeated popular incumbent Governor Ann Richards and became Governor of Texas. That same year, he and his partners sold the Texas Rangers and Bush earned a net profit of $15 million. George W. took office as governor in January, 1995, and he and his family moved into the Governor's mansion in Austin.
.jpg) The Bush family gathers for George and Barbara's 50th wedding anniversary in January, 1995.
 With Laura at his side, George W. Bush takes the oath of office and becomes Governor of Texas. January, 1995.
 Governor and Mrs. Bush on Inauguration Day, January, 1995.
 George Bush and George W. Bush fishing off the coast of Kennebunkport, Maine.
 Ground breaking ceremonies for the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Complex.
 March 4, 1997: Governor George W. Bush with Rev. Billy Graham and Cliff Barrows at a Billy Graham Crusade. Texas Governor George W. Bush with his wife Laura and father at the dedication of the George Bush Presidential Library, November 6, 1997.
 Four Presidents at the dedication of the George Bush Presidential Library on November 6, 1997. Left to right: Jimmy Carter, George Bush, President Bill Clinton, and Gerald Ford. Former President Ronald Reagan, who was suffering from Alzheimer's, was unable to attend.
 November 6, 1997: Former Presidents and First Ladies, and the current President and First Lady at the dedication of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum. Left to right: Lady Bird Johnson, 84, Jimmy Carter, 73, Rosalyn Carter, 70, George Bush, 73, Barbara Bush, 72, President Bill Clinton, 51, First Lady Hillary Clinton, 50, Gerald R. Ford, 84, Betty Ford, 79, and Nancy Reagan, 76.
 First Lady of Texas Laura Bush, 1998.
In 1998, Jeb Bush saw his chance at the Florida governorship and decided to run again.
 Barbara Bush campaigns for her second son as Jeb and his wife Columba look on. 1998.
 Jeb and Columba Bush and their three children play with the family dog at Kennebunkport, Maine. 1998.
With the endorsement of his father and brother, Jeb went on to defeat Democratic opponent, Lt. Governor Buddy McKay 55% to 45% after courting the moderate and Hispanic vote. Meanwhile, that same November, 1998, his brother George W. won a landslide victory for a second term as Governor of Texas, making the Bush brothers the first siblings to govern two states at the same time since Winthrop and Nelson Rockefeller governed Arkansas and New York from 1967 to 1971.
 Jeb Bush after his landslide victory in Florida in November, 1998. The win made up for his loss in 1994, when he had been defeated by incumbent Governor Lawton Chiles.
 A happy Jeb Bush embraces his son Jeb, Jr. and daughter Noelle. 1998.
 George W. kisses wife Laura after he is sworn is for a second term as Governor of Texas. January 19, 1999. George, Sr. congratulates his eldest son after George W. is sworn in as Governor of Texas for the second time. January, 1999.
 Governor George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, June, 1999.
 June 10, 1999, the Bush family gathers for patriarch George Bush's 75th birthday. The former President and his five surviving chilren are seated in front, and their spouses stand behind them. Seated, left to right: Neil Bush, Texas Governor George W. Bush, The Former President, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Marvin Bush, and Dorothy Bush Koch. Standing behind are, left to right: Neil's wife Sharon Bush, George W.'s wife Laura Bush, former First Lady Barbara Bush, Jeb's wife Columba Bush, Marvin's wife Margaret Bush, and Dorothy's husband Bobby Koch (who was her second husband).  George and Barbara Bush in 1999.
 Brothers George W. and Jeb Bush share a laugh with actor Chuck Norris, of "Walker, Texas Ranger." 1999.
Campaign 2000
In 1999, a group of his advisors went to Texas Governor George W. Bush and convinced him that 2000 would be the right time for him to run for president. Personal scandal had dogged the last two years of President Bill Clinton's administration, and when his Vice-President, Al Gore, announced his candidacy in 1999, he distanced himself from Clinton. Before George W. had even committed himself to run, he was the clear favorite in the polls, and contributions from donors came in right and left. When he announced his candidacy, Bush declared himself a "compassionate conservative", a term invented by University of Texas professor Marvin Olasky, and Bush's political campaign promised to restore honor and dignity to the White House.
 Texas Governor George Walker Bush announces his candidacy for the presidency, 1999.
Bush lost the New Hampshire Primary to Senator John McCain of Arizona, but he quickly came back and captured 9 out of 13 states on Super Tuesday, effectively clinching the nomination.
 George W. Bush campaining in early 2000.
For his running mate, Bush chose his father's former Secretary of Defense, Richard B. "Dick" Cheney.
|
|
 George W. Bush, as governor of Texas, joins retired Army General Colin Powell in signing the Governor's Promise Partnership on May 25, 2000, while local schoolchildren look on. In signing the partnership, Governor Bush pledged his ongoing commitment to improve opportunities for and lift the character and competence of young people in Texas.
 July 24, 2000: George W. Bush takes a walk on his ranch in Crawford, Texas, as he prepares for the 2000 Republican National Convention.
 George and Barbara Bush at the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, August, 2000.
 Laura Bush addresses the Convention on opening night.  Jeb's eldest son, George P. Bush, addresses the Youth Caucus Rally at the Convention, August 1, 2000. George P. is viewed by many as a possible candidate for political office at some point in the future.
 Gerald and Betty Ford stand during a tribute to former Republican Presidents at the 2000 Convention. Later that night, Ford, 87, suffered two mild strokes at the Convention and was hospitalized.
 George W. Bush delivers his acceptence speech, August 3, 2000.
 George W. and Laura Bush join Dick Cheney onstage.
 The Bushes and Cheneys, August 3, 2000. |
 Campaigning, fall, 2000.
 The Bush women hit the campaign trail. Barbara Bush with daughter Dorothy (Doro) Koch and granddaughters Barbara and Jenna campaign for George W. at a womens' rally.
 George P. Bush, nephew of the candidate George W., arrives at a campaign rally in Philadelpia.
 Former President Bush campaigns for his son in Milford, New Hampshire.
Father and son enjoy a game of golf.
Holy cow, George W.! Will you slow this thing down??
 Republican Presidential candidate George W. Bush greets his Democratic opponent, Vice-President Al Gore, before the first of the 2000 Presidential debates.
 Consorting with the enemy: George P. Bush talks with Al Gore's oldest daughter, Karrena Gore, just before her father was to debate his Uncle in the 2000 Presidential campaign.
 George W. on election day, November 7, 2000, at his last campaign rally before the election.
  George W. and Laura Bush, and Al Gore and wife Tipper each greet their supporters in the final hours of the 2000 campaign.
 George Prescott Bush, 2000.
The Historic 2000 Presidential Election
The Presidential Election of November 7, 2000 was one of the closest and most historic races ever. On election night, as it first appeared that Bush was the winner, and then Gore, the media prematurely declared a winner twice based on exit polls before finally deciding that the Florida race was too close to call. The night passed and no winner had yet been declared. The next day, the race was still too close to call. The cause for the confusion was the out-dated voting system in Florida, which left in question who had actually won the Electoral votes needed to take the White House. The votes in Florida had to be counted and re-counted and re-re-counted numerous times, and when it appeared that Bush would emerge the winner, Al Gore contested the race. It looked for a time that the election would have to be decided by the Supreme Court.
The outcome of the November 7 election would not be known for more than a month as the crucial Florida votes were counted and re-counted. State results tallied on election night gave 255 Electoral votes to Gore and 246 to Bush, with New Mexico (5 votes), Oregon (7), and Florida (25) too close to call at the time. 270 Electoral votes were needed to win, and Florida's 25 votes would put either Bush or Gore over the top. Over the next few days, New Mexico's 5 Electoral votes and Oregon's 7 were awarded to Al Gore, placing him at 267 to Bush's 246, and still neither a clear winner. Finally, Florida's 25 Electoral votes were declared in favor of Bush, giving him 271 votes total. Bush won the Florida race by just over 1000 votes.
Once the Florida votes were given to Bush, both the Bush and the Gore camps braced themselves for the legal battles that were sure to follow. The Bush campaign hired the senior George Bush's former Secretary Of State James Baker to oversee their legal team, while the Gore camp hired Bill Clinton's former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, to oversee theirs. The Gore campaign requested that all the ballots in four disputed Florida counties be counted by hand.
The manual recounts were time consuming, and, when it became clear that some counties would not complete their recounts before the deadline, both Volusia and Palm Beach Counties sued to have their deadlines extended. The Bush campaign, in response to state litagation in the case of Palm Beach Canvassing Board v. Katherine Harris, filed suit in federal court against extending the statutory deadlines for the manual recounts. Besides deadlines, also in dispute were the criteria that each county canvassing board would use in examining the overvotes and/or undervotes. Numerous local court rulings went both ways, some ordering recounts because the vote was so close and others declaring that a selective manual recount in a few heavily-Democratic counties would be unfair. Eventually, the Gore campaign appealed to the Florida Supreme Court which ordered the recounting process to proceed. The Bush campaign subsequently appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which took up the case Bush v. Palm Beach County Canvassing Board on December 1. On December 4, the Supreme Court returned this matter to the Florida Supreme Court for clarification due to their "considerable uncertainty" as to the reasons for certain aspects of the decision. The Florida Supreme Court clarified their ruling on this matter while the United States Supreme Court was deliberating Bush v. Gore, and the two cases were then combined, with the U.S. Supreme Court approving by 6–3 the Florida court's actions in the original case based on the clarifications provided.
On December 8, the Florida Supreme Court, by a 4 to 3 vote, ordered a manual recount, under the supervision of the Leon County Circuit Court, of disputed ballots in all Florida counties and the portion of Miami-Dade county in which such a recount was not already complete. The Court further ordered that only undervotes be considered. The results of this tally were to be added to the November 14 tally. This count was in progess on December 9, when the United States Supreme Court unanimously granted Bush's emergency plea for a stay of the Florida Supreme Court recount ruling, stopping the incomplete recount.
Early in the afternoon of December 12, the Republican-dominated Florida House of Representatives voted nearly on party lines to certify the state's electors for Bush. Later that afternoon, the Florida Supreme Court upheld lower court rulings authorizing recounts in several south Florida counties.
Around 10 pm EST on December 12, the United States Supreme Court handed down its ruling in favor of Bush by a 5–4 vote, effectively ending the legal review of the vote count with Bush in the lead. Seven of the nine justices cited differing vote-counting standards from county to county and the lack of a single judicial officer to oversee the recount, both of which, they ruled, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. The crucial 5 to 4 decision held that insufficient time remained to implement a unified standard and therefore all recounts must stop.
 2000 Presidential lection map, with Bush states shown in blue, and Gore states in red, once all the votes were in and the election was decided.
At 9pm on December 13, in a nationally televised address, Gore conceded that he had lost his bid for the presidency. He asked his supporters to support Bush, saying, "This is America, and we put country before party." During his speech, Gore's family, his running mate Joe Lieberman, and Lieberman's wife Hadassah stood nearby.
 George W. Bush delivers his victory speech shortly after Al Gore concedes the election to him, December 13, 2000. Bush knew that he had his work cut out for him since he had not won by a popular mandate. Governing a nation as deeply divided as America was in December 2000 would not be easy.
Governor Jeb Bush congratulates his brother.
President George W. Bush 2001-
Finally, after a long drawn out process, and more than a month after election night, George Walker Bush became President-Elect, and had to rush to put together his transition team.
 President-Elect and Laura Bush are greeted at the White House on Inauguration morning by outgoing President Bill Clinton and his wife, Senator-Elect Hillary Clinton. January 20, 2001.
 Governor Jeb Bush, his wife Columba, and son George P. Bush arrive at the capitol for the inauguration of the Governor's brother.
 Laura Bush with daughters Jenna and Barbara, and her mother, Jenna Welch. Saturday, January 20, 2001, exactly twelve years to the day that his father took office, George Walker Bush takes the oath of office from Chief Justice William H. Renquist, as Laura Bush and daughters Barbara and Jenna look on.
 The new President is congratulated by his proud parents after he is sworn in as the nation's 43rd President.
 Jenna Bush congratulates her father.
 President George W. Bush delivers his Inaugural Address.
 President and Mrs. Bush escort outgoing President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton down the steps of the capitol building, January 20, 2001.
 The new President and First Lady wave to supporters at the Inaugural Parade.
 Barbara and Jenna Bush, twin daughters of George W. and Laura.
 President George W. Bush's official White House portrait, 2001.
 President Bush meets with his cabinet.
 March 4, 2001: President Reagan looks on as Nancy Reagan christens the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan at Newport News Shipping Yard in Virginia.
 The President clowning with his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
 The President speaks to small business owners in the White House. March, 2001.
 First Lady Laura Bush with her mother, Jenna Welch. June 1, 2001.
 President and Mrs. Bush in Madrid with King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Queen Sofia. June 12, 2001.
 President and Mrs. Bush with Vice-President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynn Cheney.
September 11, 2001
Barely eight months into his term, George W. Bush was faced with a crisis unlike anything any President before him had ever faced before. Shortly after 9 A.M. on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a Jet
 airplane crashed into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. At first, onlookers believed the crash to be an accident. 
But then, only moments later, the unthinkable happened: a second plane  crashed into the other tower. It became clear then that this was no accident----the United States of America was under attack! Confusion and mayhem followed in New York as a terrified public tried to comprehend what had happened.
Meanwhile, a third airliner was headed toward a target in the nation's capital of Washington, D.C. The plane crashed into one of the sides of the Pentagon, the home of the U.S. Department of Defense.
![[Image - caption immediately follows]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911/images/01749r-th.jpg) September 11, 2001: The Pentagon on fire after the attack. ![[Image - caption immediately follows]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911/images/01748r-th.jpg) [Click on photo for a larger version]
As news of the attack on the Pentagon spread, there were reports that a third plane was headed for another target in Washington, possibly the capitol building or even the White House. The White House was evacuated and members of the President's cabinet were quickly spirited away to safety. A third plane had been hijacked, but the passengers of TWA flight 93 had managed to overpower the hijackers and the plane went down in a field in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, President Bush was in Florida, reading to school children, when his Chief of Staff Andrew Card delivered the terrible news.  The President then calmly delivered the news to the nation in a televised address. Afterward, the President was immediately spirited away aboard Air Force One, which was protected by fighter planes. Bush was taken to an unknown location as the nation went on high alert for the possibility of more attacks. In the meantime, the nation was transfixed to their television sets as stunned Americans watched in horror as first one, then the second tower of the World Trade Center came crashing down. More than 3,000 people lost their lives on that terrible day. The nation quickly prepared for a possible war with whoever was responsible for the attacks.
Later that evening, President Bush returned to his beseiged capital to address a frightened nation.
 President Bush addressed an anxious nation from the Oval Office on the evening of September 11, 2001. These are the words that he spoke:
"Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors.
Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.
The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger.
These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation.
Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.
America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.
Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the best of America, with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.
Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it's prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington, D.C., to help with local rescue efforts.
Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks.
The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight and will be open for business tomorrow.
Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business as well.
The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts.
I've directed the full resources for our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.
I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance.
America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world and we stand together to win the war against terrorism.
Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me."
This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time.
None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.
Thank you. Good night and God bless America."
 Members of both Houses of Congress, Republican and Democrat alike, gather on the front steps of the U.S. capitol that night and show unity. The group sang "God Bless America."
In the days immediately following September 11, President Bush led the nation in a period of mourning. The entire world was in shock over the catastrphe that had occured.
 President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld survey the damage to the Pentagon the day after the attacks.
For those few days, it was almost as if time stood still. No one who lived through that day can ever forget where they were when they heard the news. A few days later, the President visited the site of the World Trade Center disaster in New York. As he was speaking to a crowd of firefighters, many of whom had lost friends on Sept. 11, someone shouted "We can't hear you." The President's reply was: "I can hear you, the whole world  can hear you, and the people who knocked down these buildings will hear from all of us soon."
 President Bush speaks at a service to honor the Sept. 11 victims on at Washington's National Cathedral, September 14, 2001.
 Former President Bush reaches over to take his son's hand at the service. Beside Barbara Bush sits Former President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and their daughter Chelsea.
George W. Bush has never made his deep and abiding faith in God a secret. In his youth, Bush was a fairly heavy drinker, but a 1985 meeting with Evangelist Billy Graham led him to devote his life to a more serious practice of Christianity. When asked in an interview during his campaign which political philosopher he most identified with, Bush responded "Christ, because He changed my heart." As President, Bush has never been ashamed to invoke the name of his Savior, Jesus Christ, and his candidacy had the support of Evangelical Christians. In the dark and uncertain days after September 11, the President led the nation in a period of prayerful mourning, and for a short time, there seemed to be a Spriritual reawakening taking place in America. More people began praying and invoking God's name, and church attendance rose dramatically during September and October, 2001. Unfortunately, this revival did not last long.
War On Terror 2001-
In the aftermath of the attacks, and the shock began to wear off, the U.S. began looking for the people responsible for the mass murder. Immediate suspicion pointed toward Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but soon, U.S. government investigators learned that the attacks were consistent with the mission statement of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. The group's involvement in the bombing of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania is widely suspected, and Al-Qaeda had declared responsibility for the 2000 USS Cole attack in Yemen.
The motivation for this campaign was set out in a 1998 fatwa issued by Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Abu-Yasir Rifa'i Ahmad Taha, Shaykh Mir Hamzah, and Fazlur Rahman.
The attacks had major global political ramifications. They were denounced by mainstream media and governments world-wide, with the headline of Paris, France's Le Monde newspaper summing up the international mood of sympathy: "Today We Are All Americans" (Nous sommes tous Américains).
 President Bush hold a press conference in early October, 2001. At his side are National Security Advisor Condaleza Rice, Secretary Of State Colin Powell, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Approximately one month after the attacks, the United States led a broad coalition of international forces into Afghanistan in pursuit of Al-Qaeda forces in order to topple the Taliban Government for harboring what it referred to as a terrorist organization.
 President Bush announces the start of war in Afghanistan in October, 2001.
The Pakistani authorities moved decisively to align themselves with the United States in a war against Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. It gave the U.S. a number of military airports and bases for its attack on Afghanistan, and arrested over six hundred supposed al-Qaeda members, whom it handed over to the U.S.
 President Bush with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
 The President and First Lady with his parents.
 President and Mrs. Bush at Christmas, 2001.
 George and Barbara Bush at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, March, 2002. The President holding a news conference on the War in Afghanistan as Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld look on. 2002. President Bush talks on the phone in the Oval Office.
Scandal Among The Clan: 2002
 One of the President's twin daughters, Barbara Bush, right, and her cousin, Lauren Bush, daughter of Neil and Sharon Bush. Lauren is a model for Tommy Jeans.
By 2002, the younger generation of the Bush clan was beginning to make headlines, although not always in the most positive light. In late January, 2002, Noelle Bush, only daughter of Florida Governor Jeb Bush and his wife Columba, was arrested and charged with prescription fraud. Governor Bush and his wife issued a statement saying that they were "deeply saddened by the incident involving their only daughter. This is a serious problem. Unfortunately, substance abuse is an issue confronting many families across our nation."
 Noelle with her brother, George P. Bush, 2002.
Unfortunately, this scandal could not have come at a worse time for Governor Jeb Bush, who was in the middle of a re-election campaign that year.  Governor Jeb Bush and his mother wave to supporters during his 2002 re-election campaign.
 October 17, 2002: Noelle Bush appears in court for her sentencing. There to lend support was Noelle's Aunt, Dorothy Bush Koch. Noelle was sentenced to ten days in jail, to be followed by admittance into a drug treatment program.
 With her father at her side to show support, Noelle Bush faces reporters.
Despite his daughter's escapades that year, Jeb Bush was re-elected in a landslide victory in the election.
 Jeb Bush wins re-election in Florida, November, 2002.
 Jeb Bush embraces his father on election night, 2002.
 Columba Bush laughs during an interview.
 George P., Noelle, and Jeb Bush, Jr.
Noelle Bush wasn't the only one of Jeb's children to make headlines. While eldest son George P. seems to be the shining star of the family, younger son John Ellis  Bush, Jr. (nicknamed "Jebby", born 1983) seems to have followed in sister Noelle's footsteps in terms of getting into trouble. In Oct. of 2000, 16-year-old Jebby Bush was caught having sex with his girlfriend in a public parking lot. No charges were filed in that incident, but on September 16, 2005, Bush was drinking with friends and was picked up by police on a double charge of public intoxication and resisting arrest. 
 Lauren P. Bush, the beautiful daughter of Neil and Sharon Smith Bush, was born 1984, became a top fashion model by the time she was 18. Lauren's face has appeared in numerous magezine covers and in adds for Tommy Jeans.
18-year-old Lauren Bush on the cover of Glamour Magazine, July 27, 2002.
 Neil Mallon Bush, George and Barbara's third son, and the one who has been constantly plagued by scandal since the late 1980s both in business and in his personal life.
 Neil Bush with his wife Sharon and daughters Lauren (b. 1984) and Ashley (b. 1989). The Bushes also have a son, Pierce Bush (b. 1985). During this time, Neil and Sharon Bush were having marital problems due to his alleged affair with Maria Andrews. When Maria Andrews became pregnant, Sharon accused Neil of being the father, and the two separated. They were divorced in April, 2003, after 23 years of marriage and later that year, Maria's husband Robert Andrews sued Sharon for defamation of character. The divorce of Neil and Sharon was an ugly mess for the family. At times, Sharon spoke publicly of her fear of retribution by Neil and the Bush family. At other times, she praised George and Barbara Bush for their understanding and support. Neil Bush married Maria Andrews in Houston, Texas, on March 6, 2004.
 Governor Jeb Bush and family, 2002. Left to right: Noelle, Jeb, Jr., Jeb, Columba, and George P.
 George and Barbara Bush join Gov. Jeb and Columba Bush for Jeb's second inauguration as Governor of Florida, January, 2003.
 George P. Bush at his father's second inauguration.
 Governor Bush and family after the inauguration, January, 2003. Left to right: Jebby Bush, First Lady Columba Bush, George P. Bush, Barbara Bush, Gov. Bush, Noelle Bush, and Former President George Bush.
Space Shuttle Disaster: Feb. 2, 2003
 Another disaster for the U.S. Space Program. On Saturday morning, February 2, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded as it was approaching earth, exactly 17 years and 5 days after the Challenger disaster of 1986. The crew of 7 lost their lives that day.
 February 2, 2003: President Bush addresses the nation from the Cabinet Room at the White house, announcing the space shuttle Columbia disaster: "My fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our country. At 9 a.m. this morning, Mission Control in Houston lost contact with our space shuttle Columbia. A short time later, debris was seen falling from the skies above Texas. The Columbia is lost; there are no survivors.
On board was a crew of seven: Col. Rick Husband; Lt. Col. Michael Anderson; Cmdr. Laurel Clark; Capt. David Brown; Cmdr. William McCool; Dr. Kalpana Chawla; and Ilan Ramon, a colonel in the Israeli Air Force. These men and women assumed great risk in the service to all humanity.
In an age when space flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to overlook the dangers of travel by rocket and the difficulties of navigating the fierce outer atmosphere of the Earth. These astronauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in life. Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all the more.
All Americans today are thinking, as well, of the families of these men and women who have been given this sudden shock and grief. You're not alone. Our entire nation grieves with you. And those you loved will always have the respect and gratitude of this country.
The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on.
In the skies today, we saw destruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see, there is comfort and hope. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home.
May God bless the grieving families, and may God continue to bless America."
The Road To War: 2002-2003
Much of George W. Bush's first term in office had been focused on his Middle East policy in the wake of the September 11, terrorrist attacks. On October 7, 2001, the United States had gone to war against the evil Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which had been harboring Osama bin-Laden, but by 2003, a year and a half into the war, even though the Taliban had been ousted from power and a pro-western government installed in that country, U.S. forces had still not located bin-Laden. Now, the Bush Administration planned to focus on what the President called the next front in the War On Terror---Iraq, and the regime of Saddam Hussein. Shortly after the September 11 attacks, the President had stressed the need for urgent action in Iraq to oust Saddam from power, stating once again that the Iraqi president had weapons of mass destruction. Saddam claimed to have destroyed all weapons of mass destruction as ordered by the U.N. Security Council after the Gulf War in 1991.
Unlike his father twelve years before, George W. could not gain popular support for a war against Iraq either at home or abroad. Critics warned that Bush would be making a huge mistake going into a second Gulf War without coalition support, but the President was unmoved. Many of his opponents called him a warmonger. U.N. weapons instructors had been in Iraq off and on since 1991, and the inspectors had asserted Saddam's weapons of mass destruction capability. President Bush also said that Saddam was a threat to national securirty, destabilizing the Middle East, inflaming the Israeli-Palestenian conflict, and financing terrorists. CIA reports said that Saddam had tried to acquire nuclear material, had not properly accounted for Iraqi biological weapons and chemical weapons material in violation of U.N. sanctions, and that some Iraqi missiles had a range greater than allowed by the UN sanctions.
It had been, since 1998, U.S. policy for the President to support efforts to remove Saddam Hussein from power by a law (the Iraq Liberation Act) passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate and later signed by President Bill Clinton.
Asserting that Saddam Hussein could provide terrorists with WMD, Bush urged the United Nations to enforce Iraqi disarmament mandates, precipitating a diplomatic crisis. On November 13, 2002, under UN Security Council Resolution 1441, Hans Blix and Mohamed El-Baradei led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq. Lapses in Iraqi cooperation triggered intense debate over the efficacy of inspections. UN inspection teams departed Iraq upon U.S. advisement given four days prior to full-scale hostilities.
Secretary of State Colin Powell urged his colleagues in the Bush administration to avoid a war without clear UN approval. The Bush administration initially sought a UN Security Council resolution authorizing the military force against Iraq but, facing vigorous opposition from several nations, (primarily France and Germany), dropped the bid for UN approval and, with over 20 other nations (including Great Britain) designated the "coalition of the willing", prepared for war. President Bush gave Saddam Hussein an ultimatum: disarm or face the consequences.
Saddam remained defiant. In the days leading up the the deadline for disarmament, Saddam gave an interview with CBS new anchor Dan Rather, in which he appeared calm and unworried about the threat he faced from the United States. When diplomacy failed and Saddam refused to disarm, Bush gave him another ultimatum: Saddam and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours, or he would be forcibly removed.
 On Monday evening, March 17, 2003, the President addressed the nation on the crisis in Iraq in a speech televised from the East Room of the White House. Here are some excerps from that speech:
______________________________________
"My fellow citizens, events in Iraq have now reached the final days of decision. For more than a decade, the United States and other nations have pursued patient and honorable efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime without war. That regime pledged to reveal and destroy all its weapons of mass destruction as a condition for ending the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Since then, the world has engaged in 12 years of diplomacy. We have passed more than a dozen resolutions in the United Nations Security Council. We have sent hundreds of weapons inspectors to oversee the disarmament of Iraq. Our good faith has not been returned.
The Iraqi regime has used diplomacy as a ploy to gain time and advantage. It has uniformly defied Security Council resolutions demanding full disarmament. Over the years, U.N. weapon inspectors have been threatened by Iraqi officials, electronically bugged, and systematically deceived. Peaceful efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime have failed again and again -- because we are not dealing with peaceful men.
Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. This regime has already used weapons of mass destruction against Iraq's neighbors and against Iraq's people.
The regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East. It has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda...."
"In recent days, some governments in the Middle East have been doing their part. They have delivered public and private messages urging the dictator to leave Iraq, so that disarmament can proceed peacefully. He has thus far refused. All the decades of deceit and cruelty have now reached an end. Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict, commenced at a time of our choosing. For their own safety, all foreign nationals -- including journalists and inspectors -- should leave Iraq immediately.
Many Iraqis can hear me tonight in a translated radio broadcast, and I have a message for them. If we must begin a military campaign, it will be directed against the lawless men who rule your country and not against you. As our coalition takes away their power, we will deliver the food and medicine you need. We will tear down the apparatus of terror and we will help you to build a new Iraq that is prosperous and free. In a free Iraq, there will be no more wars of aggression against your neighbors, no more poison factories, no more executions of dissidents, no more torture chambers and rape rooms. The tyrant will soon be gone. The day of your liberation is near.
It is too late for Saddam Hussein to remain in power. It is not too late for the Iraqi military to act with honor and protect your country by permitting the peaceful entry of coalition forces to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Our forces will give Iraqi military units clear instructions on actions they can take to avoid being attacked and destroyed. I urge every member of the Iraqi military and intelligence services, if war comes, do not fight for a dying regime that is not worth your own life...."
"Should Saddam Hussein choose confrontation, the American people can know that every measure has been taken to avoid war, and every measure will be taken to win it. Americans understand the costs of conflict because we have paid them in the past. War has no certainty, except the certainty of sacrifice..."
"As we enforce the just demands of the world, we will also honor the deepest commitments of our country. Unlike Saddam Hussein, we believe the Iraqi people are deserving and capable of human liberty. And when the dictator has departed, they can set an example to all the Middle East of a vital and peaceful and self-governing nation.
The United States, with other countries, will work to advance liberty and peace in that region. Our goal will not be achieved overnight, but it can come over time. The power and appeal of human liberty is felt in every life and every land. And the greatest power of freedom is to overcome hatred and violence, and turn the creative gifts of men and women to the pursuits of peace.
That is the future we choose. Free nations have a duty to defend our people by uniting against the violent. And tonight, as we have done before, America and our allies accept that responsibility.
Good night, and may God continue to bless America."
____________________________________
Second War With Iraq: 2003-
 March 19, 2003: President Bush talks with Vice-President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumfsfeld outside the Oval Office just after authorization was given to use military force against Irag.
On Wednesday, March 19, 2003, the deadline passed, and United States military forces once again launched an attack on Iraq. This was known as "Operation Iraqi Freedom." Called a "decapitation attack," the initial air strike targeted Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi leaders in Baghdad. The Iraqi capital came under heavy attack, with unclear results. At first, it was believed that Saddam had possibly been killed in the first round. But Saddam was known to have many "doubles", and within hours, a man identified as Saddam Hussein appeared on Iraqi television. Just as his father had twelve years earlier, President George W. Bush addressed the nation that night and announced the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
 President Bush addresses the nation on the night of Wednesday, March 19, 2003, announcing the start of war with Iraq. "The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass destruction."
 Hours after the invasion, Saddam Hussein appears on Iraqi television to announce that his government was alive and ready to defend Iraq against the invaders.
The next day, U.S. forces launched a second, more aggressive round of air attacks, with ground troops entering the country for the first time, crossing into southern Iraq from Kuwait. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated that the initial phase of the war was mild compared to what was to come. “What will follow will not be a repeat of any other conflict. It will be of a force and a scope and a scale that has been beyond what we have seen before,” Rumsfeld said. By the end of March, U.S. and British ground troops had advanced to within miles of Baghdad.
On April 9, 2003, just three weeks after the start of the war, Baghdad fell. U.S. forces marched into central Baghdad, and in following days, Kurdish fighters and U.S. forces took control of the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul. There was widespread looting in Baghdad and other cities as the Iraqi government was toppled.
 Large statue of Saddam Hussein is brought down in Baghdad, April, 2003.
On April 15, 2003, while conducting a house to house raid on the outskirts of Baghdad, U.S. special forces found and captured the notorious Palestenian terrorist Abu Abbas, head of the Palestine Liberation Front, which had hijacked an Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro in the eastern Mediterranean in 1985. The terrorists had murdered an elderly American passenger on the ship, Leon Klinghoffer. Abbas had spent the past 17 years beyond the reach of U.S. and Italian authorities, and in recent years had been living in Iraq under Saddam's protection. Abbas was found hiding in a house in Baghdad and was taken into U.S. custody. Abbas's capture after so many years represented a major victory in the War On Terror.
 President Bush meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his closest ally in the Iraq War. April, 2003.
On May 1, 2003, President Bush went on national television and declared an end to major combat in Iraq. Unfortunately, this was a premature annuncement, as fighting in Iraq soon intensified and U.S. casualties began to increase. Saddam Hussein and his sons were still at large somewhere in Iraq, and U.S. forces were faced with a tough guerilla war that was waged in the streets of Iraqi cities. Some higher level government officials were taken into U.S. custody, including Saddam's number two man, Tariq Aziz.
 July 16, 2003: President and Mrs. Bush help former President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty celebrate President Ford's 90th birthday at the White House.
By the middle of the summer of 2003, U.S. casualties in Iraq had risen to 141, the same number killed in the conflict in the Gulf War of 1991. Most of these casualties had taken place AFTER May 1, when President Bush declared an end to major combat. However, in late July, U.S. forces scored a major victory in the war.
On July 22, troops of the American 101st Airborne, aided by U.S. Special Forces, acted on an unidentified tip and raided a home in the northern Iraqi city of Mosrul. Inside that home were Saddam Hussein's two sons, Uday and Qusay Hussein, and Qusay's 14-year-old son, Mustapha. When a Special Forces team hot-wired a jeep outside of the house, Uday revealed himself and a gunfight started. After being fired on, the U.S. troops withdrew and called for backup. As many as 100 troops, aided by Apache helicopters and an A-10 Warthog gunship, surrounded and fired on the house. A fierce three hour battle followed, and when it was all over, soldiers entered the house and found the Hussein brothers and young Mustapha Hussein dead, and three others wounded. The bodies were possitively identified as Uday and Qusay, and Qusay's teenage son. News of the deaths of the two brothers, who were among the most powerful and most feared men in Saddam's regime, was greeted with celebration in the streets of many cities across Iraq. The brothers were number 2 and 3 on the U.S.'s list of 55 most wanted. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, "This is a great day for the new Iraq."
Qusay, 36, had become Saddam Hussein's heir apparent and controlled key areas of the country's security apparatus, with responsibility for concealing any weapons of mass destruction. Uday, 39, controlled much of the media and was centrally involved in the illegal international trade which helped keep the regime in power. He had a reputation for brutality which rivalled only that of his father, Saddam Hussein, BBC analyst Magdi Abdelhadi said. He once killed an assistant to his father and ordered corporal punishment for players of the national football team whenever they lost a match.
In December, 2003, after eluding capture since March, deposed dictator Saddam Hussein was finally caught and taken into U.S. custody. A worn and haggard Saddam looked very different from the robust man he had been before the start of the war.
 Looking more like a homeless man than a former president, Saddam Hussein is taken into custody at last. December 14, 2003.
 President Bush speaks to the troops. 2003.
 November 27, 2003: Under unprecedented secrecy, President Bush was flown without public knowledge from Waco, Texas, to Washington, D.C., where he changed planes and flew to the war zone  George and Barbara Bush share a book with their little dog.
 Governor Jeb Bush and his wife Columba at home in the Governor's Mansion.
2004 Presidential Election
As the War in Iraq and Afghanistan continued to rage and U.S. casualties mounted, President Bush's popularity ratings began to fall drastically. Nevertheless, Bush and Vice-Pesident Cheney forged ahead with plans for re-election.
Barbara Bush, Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, and Nancy Reagan.
 President and Mrs. Bush wave to supporters in early 2004.
 Neil Bush in 2004.
 Left to right: Ashley Bush (Neil's 15-year-old daughter) with her mother Sharon, sister Lauren, and model Gillian Hearst. 2004.
 President and Mrs. Bush greet a frail and ailing Pope John Paul II in Rome. June 3, 2004.
 June 10, 2004: Five days after the death of former President Ronald Reagan, President and Mrs. Bush greet Nancy Reagan at Blair House in Washington as they prepare for Mr. Reagan's state funeral the next day.
 A somberPresident and Mrs. Bush pray at President Reagan's coffin as the former President's body lies in state at the U.S. capitol, June 10, 2004.
 Former President and Mrs. Bush pray at Ronald Reagan's casket in the capitol rotunda, June 10, 2004.
 President Bush escorts a grief stricken Nancy Reagan to her seat at Former President Ronald Reagan's funeral, June 11, 2004.
 Former President George Bush delivers a eulogy at the funeral service for his old friend, Ronald Reagan. June 11, 2004.
 June 13, 2004: Former President George Bush celebrates his 80th birthday by parachuting from an airplane!
 The Bush family compound at Kennebunkport, Maine.
As the Republican National Convention neared, President Bush's popularity began to improve in some polls. Many voters were unhappy with either choice. The Democrats had chosen Senator John Kerry of Massachusettes as their nominee, and Kerry chose Senator John Edwards as his running mate. There was some speculation that Bush would drop Dick Cheney in 2004 or that Cheney would withdraw from the race because of his continuing health problems, but in the end, Cheney stayed on the ticket.
 August 4, 2004: George P. Bush marries Amanda Williams.
 George and Barbara Bush wave at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York, August 30, 2004.
 First Lady Laura Bush with her twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, at the Republican National Convention in New York City, August 30, 2004.
Newly married George P. Bush speaks at the Convention.
 Newlyweds George P. and Amanda Williams Bush. September 1, 2004.
 Barbara and Jenna Bush greet their cousin, George P., and his wife Amanda onstage at the convention.
 The Bushes and Cheneys on the last night of the Convention, September 3, 2004. A gathering of former First Ladies in 2004: Rosalyn Carter,67, Barbara Bush,79, Betty Ford,86, Nancy Reagan, 83, and Hillary Clinton, 57.
 Laura Bush and her mother, Jenna Welch.  President Bush, his daughter Barbara, and his brother, Governor Jeb Bush, in Florida. 2004.
 President Bush meets with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
 President Bush speaks at a GOP rally in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 19, 2004.
Family tree chart showing George W. Bush's very distant kinship with his Democratic opponent, John Kerry: Bush and Kerry are 10th cousins twice removed.
 The candidates and their wives: Democrat John Kerry and wife Teresa Heinz-Kerry (top) and George W. Bush and wife Laura Welch Bush. Fall 2004.
 First Lady Laura Bush with her daughters at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
 President Bush and daughter Barbara arrive for his televised debate with Democratic opponent John Kerry. President Bush and Senator John Kerry just before the first of their televised debates.
In the fall, as the election drew close, Bush and Kerry were close in the polls. But Kerry's cool detachment seemed to be a turn-off with some voters who were undecided. Kerry's strong point in the campaign was his popular running mate, Senator John Edwards, a youthful and vigorous man who seemed as warm and outgoing as Kerry seemed cool, detached, and unfeeling. In the election of November 2, 2004, despite the fact that Kerry was a three times decorated Vietnam War hero, Bush had managed to convince voters that his administration was better able to govern the country than Kerry and Edwards. George W. Bush carried 31 out of 50 states for a total of 286 Electoral votes.
 President Bush and members of his family watch the election returns in the West Sitting Hall of the White House on elecction night, November 2, 2004. Left to right: The President, his daughter Barbara Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, George Bush, Barbara Bush, the President's sister Dorothy Bush Koch, sister-in-law Maria Bush, brother Neil Bush, and family friend Lois Betts.  Vice-President Dick Cheney joins the Bush family after the Bush-Cheney team was declared the clear winner on election night. There was no big mishap like in the 2000 election. The highest voter turnout since 1968 gave Bush more popular votes than any previous Presidential candidate. This was the first time since 1988 that a Presidential candidate had received a popular majority. However, Bush's victory was, in terms of total popular votes, the smallest of any sitting president since Harry S. Truman in 1948. In addition, percentage wise, it was the closest popular margin of any sitting president ever.  The Bush states are in red, Kerry states in blue in this 2004 election map.
 Florida Governor Jeb Bush talks to the media after his brother's election victory. Unlike in 2000, George W. was the clear winner in Florida this time. Jeb's First Lady, Columba Bush.
 John Prescott Ellis, son of George Bush's sister, Nancy Bush Ellis, and first cousin of George W.
 November 9, 2004: One week after the election, First Lady Laura Bush officially re-opens Pennsylvania Avenue as a pedestrian park. The street in front of the White House had been closed since the early days of the Clinton Administration, when a man fired shots at the White House.
 Neil Bush and his second wife Maria with a friend. November, 2004.
 President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, and the President's father welcome King Juan Carlos I of Spain and his wife, Queen Sofia, on an official state visit. November 24, 2004.
The Bush Ranch, Crawford, Texas
 The house on President and Mrs. Bush's 1,583 acre ranch near Crawford, Texas, which serves as kind of a vacation White House for Bush family. The President driving his truck on his Crawford ranch. The President clearing some cedar trees at the ranch.
 The President takes a break on the back of his pickup truck as he chats with a Crawford neighbor and some of his White House staff. Just a good ol' boy! The President holds a meeting with his White House staff at his ranch.  The President gives a tour of one of the canyons on his ranch.  President Bush at the ranch with Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice and advisor Paul Wofowitz. Walking along a road on the President's ranch, left to right are: Secretary Of State Condaleeza Rice, Vice-President Dick Cheney, President Bush, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The President pauses and smiles at photographers at his ranch.  President Bush addresses the nation from his ranch.
Perilous Times: 2004-
George W. Bush's first term in office had been one of the most historic periods in the history of the modern world, and his second term would face its own challenges. On December 26, 2004, perhaps the greatest natural disaster in the last 3,000 years occured. A monster earthquake registering 9.15 on the richter scale occured in the Indian Ocean. The quake lasted a full ten minutes, whereas most quakes only last a few seconds, and was so powerful that it actually caused the entire planet to shift its rotation on its axis by a few centimeters! This was the strongest earthquake ever recorded by a seismograph. The quake touched off a monster tsunami (Asian word for giant tidal wave) that swept across the waters and devastated the shores of Sri Lanka, South India, Thailand, all the way to the east coast of Africa, with waves up to 100 feet high. The tsunami actually traveled a distance of 8,000 miles. Earthquakes in other parts of the world as far away as Alaska were touched off by the Indian Ocean quake. More than 283,100 people from South Asia to Africa were killed by the tsunami. This was a disaster of Biblical proportions.
 Animation showing the awesome magnitude of the earthquake and resulting tsunami.  Monday, January 3, 2005: President Bush announces that his father and former President Bill Clinton will head up an international humanitarian effort to aid the hundreds of thousands of victims of the tsunami. Former opponents-turned-friends George Bush and Bill Clinton film a commercial, encouraging Americans to help victims of the monster tsunami. Clinton was still recovering from heart by-pass surgery he'd had in September. January 5, 2005.
 January 6, 2005: The Bush family gathers at the White House for a formal dinner to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of George and Barbara Bush. Seated, left to right: Marvin Bush, Barbara Bush II (George W.'s daughter), First Lady Laura Bush, President George W. Bush, Barbara Bush, George Bush, and Governor Jeb Bush. Standing, left to right: Georgia Grace Koch (Dorothy's daughter), Margaret Bush (Marvin's wife), Charles Walker Bush (Marvin's son), Jenna Bush (George W.'s daughter), Dorothy Bush Koch, Bobby Koch (Dorothy's husband), Pierce M. Bush (Neil's son), Maria Andrews Bush (Neil's new wife), Neil Bush, Ashley Bush (Neil's daughter), Sam LeBlond (Dorothy's son by first husband), Robert Koch, Jr. (Dorothy's younger son), Nancy Ellis "Ellie" LeBlond (Dorothy's older daughter), Jeb Bush, Jr. (Jeb's son), Amanda "Mandi" Bush (George P.'s wife), George Prescott Bush (Jeb's son), and Florida First Lady Columba Bush (Jeb's wife). Missing from the picture are Jeb's daughter Noelle and Neil's older daughter Lauren. For larger picture, click on this link:
 The entire extended Bush family gathers for the second inauguration of George W. Bush. January 19, 2005. Barbara Bush walks ahead while Former President Bush greets members of congress on Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20, 2005. Walking behind are the President's daughters Barbara and Jenna, and their other grandmother, Jenna Welch.  Jeb and Columba Bush. Two of President Bush's nephews, Sam LeBlond and Jeb Bush, Jr., arrive for their Uncle's inauguration. George and Barbara Bush with daughter-in-law Margaret (Marvin's wife) An ailing Chief Justice William H. Renquist, suffering from cancer, administers the oath of office to George W. Bush for the second time, Thursday, January 20, 2005, as Laura Bush and their daughters look on. The President receives a handshake from Vice-President Dick Cheney. President Bush delivers his second Inaugural Address. The President and First Lady wave during the 2005 Inaugural Parade. The Bushes watch the 2005 Inaugural Parade from the VIP stands in front of the White House.
 President Bush appoints Alberto Gonzales as his Attorny General, Monday, February 14, 2005.
 The President and Laura Bush with Mrs. Bush's mother, Jenna Welch.
 The President and First Lady comment on the death of Pope John Paul II, April 2, 2005. The President and First Lady, and Former Presidents Bush and Clinton pray at Pope John Paul II's funeral. April 7, 2005.
 Billy Bush, nephew of George Bush and first cousin of the President, 2005. Born October 13, 1971, he is the son of George Bush's younger brother, Jonathan J. Bush (b. 1931). Bush is the co-host for the show "Access Hollywood."
 William Trotter "Bucky" Bush, youngest brother of former President George Bush. The former President's older brother, Prescott Bush, Jr. Prescott Bush, Jr. with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji.
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush during a briefing on the progress of the relief effort for the tsunami victims. April, 2005.
 Laura Bush with Nancy Reagan. May 12, 2005.
 Former President George Bush with Siva Yam (center), President of the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce, and Bush's older brother, Prescott Bush, Jr..
George W. Bush faced a tough road as he began his second term in office. His second term so far has been characterized by misfortune both political and personal. Throughout 2005, the U.S. casualties in Iraq continued to add up, and many believe the U.S. is bogged down in another conflict similar to Vietnam. As the casualties mounted, the economy began to get sluggish, and the situation in Iraq failed to improve, Bush's popularity took a nosedive.
 George Bush shakes hands with his eldest grandson, George P.
 Neil and Maria Bush at a Unicef charity benefit for the victims of the tsunami. 2005.
When evidence surfaced that the Bush Administration may have been wrong about Saddam Hussein's possession of weapons of mass destruction, many opponents of the war claimed that Bush simply went into Iraq to finish the job his father started in 1991 by deposing the Iraqi dictator. Others said that Bush's invasion of Iraq was retribution for Saddam's 1993 plot to assassinate the President's father.
Another scandal rocked the Bush White House in 2005 as well. When it became known that the Bush Administration had authorized the use of illegal wiretapping on American citizens, many Americans were outraged, claiming this was in direct violation of Constitutional rights. Some even called for Bush's impeachment.
Truly, the President was walking on thin ice, both with congress and with the American people. Two seats came open on the United States Supreme Court in 2005. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who had been appointed by President Reagan in 1981, decided to retire from the high court. Bush chose an old friend, Harriet Miers, to replace O'Connor.  Miers's confirmation was bogged down in Congress and she eventually withdrew. The President then nominated conservative Judge John Roberts to fill O'Connor's seat.
 July 19, 2005: President Bush nominates Judge John Roberts to the Supreme Court. Then, the Supreme Court was left with another vacancy when Chief Justice William H. Renquist died after a year-long battle with thyroid cancer. Bush then decided to nominate Roberts for Chief Justice and Judge Samuel Alito to fill O'Connor's position. Many moderates and liberals were frustrated by these nominations, fearing that Bush was trying to fill the court with conservatives in order to push his own conservative agenda and possibly outlaw abortion. Despite the controversies, both Roberts and Alito were confirmed.
Bush also angered gay rights activists when he tried to push forward a Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage.
 July 7, 2005: Governor Jeb Bush declares a state of emergency in Florida as Hurricane Dennis approaches.
 George P. Bush fishing during a trip to the country of Uruguay.
 Margaret Bush, actress wife of youngest Bush son Marvin, hugs 13-year-old jazz pianist Matt Savage.
Hurricane Katrina And Beyond: 2005-
As if he weren't having enough problems, the President was faced with one of the worst crises since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The Hurricane season of 2004 and 2005 had been two of the most active in recent memory. There had been ten named tropical storms and four named hurricanes during 2005. Then, in August of 2005, the country was hit with a natural disaster it was nowhere near ready for.
A strong storm formed over the Bahamas in late August. Hurricane Katrina first made landfall as a category 1 storm and crossed over Florida, which had already been devastated the previous year by Hurricanes Charlie, Ivan, and Frances. Then, over the Gulf of Mexico, Katrina strengthened into a category 5, becoming the strongest hurricane ever recorded at that time in the Gulf. (Hurricane Rita broke this record later in the season.) The storm weakened considerably before making its second landfall as an extremely large Category 3 storm on the morning of August 29 along the Central Gulf Coast near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana.
The storm surge from Katrina caused catastrophic damage along the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Levees separating Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans were breached by the surge, ultimately flooding about 80% of the city. Wind damage was reported well inland, impeding relief efforts. Katrina is estimated to be responsible for $75 billion in damages, making it the costliest hurricane in United States history; the storm has killed 1,418 people, becoming the deadliest U.S. hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane.
In accordance with federal law, President Bush directed Secretary Michael Chertoff of the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate the Federal response. Chertoff designated Michael D. Brown, head of FEMA, as the Principal Federal Official to lead the deployment and coordination of all federal response resources and forces in the Gulf Coast region. However, the President and Secretary Chertoff have come under harsh criticism from many Americans, particularly in the media, for their lack of planning and coordination. Eight days later, Brown was recalled to Washington and Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen replaced him as chief of hurricane relief operations. Three days after the recall, Michael D. Brown resigned as director of FEMA in spite of having received praise from President Bush.
 President Bush holds a video conference with federal and state emergency management organizations on Hurricane Katrina at his Crawford, Texas Ranch. Sunday, August 28, 2005.
 The devastated city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
 President Bush talks with a Salvation Army official during a walking tour of Hurricane ravaged Biloxi, Mississippi. September 2, 2005.
 Just as his father and mother had done twenty years before when George Bush was Vice-President, President George W. Bush and his wife greet Prince Charles at the White House. 2005. This time, Prince Charles is accompanied by his second wife, Camilla.
 At a White House dinner, left to right: President Bush, Camilla, the First Lady, and Prince Charles.
 George Bush looks uninterested as his wife Barbara chats with Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of late President John F. Kennedy and mother of California's First Lady, Maria Shriver. October 14, 2005.
Months after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Bush is still receiving criticism for his slow response. Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bush's popularity rating soared to over 85%. The same poll conducted at the end of 2005 placed his job approval rating at around 40%. The President is still under fire from the illegal wiretapping scandal.
 President Bush talking on the phone at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Thanksgiving Day, 2005.
 December 18, 2005: President Bush addresses the nation from the Oval Office.
 President and Mrs. Bush pose in front of the White House Christmas tree in their official 2005 holiday portrait. December, 2005.
 Who would have ever thought it? Former President Bush takes his old opponenent Bill Clinton for a ride in his golf cart during Clinton's visit to the Bush home in Kennebunkport, Maine. All the bitterness of the 1992 Presidential campaign far behind them, Bush and Clinton have become very close friends in recent years.
 President Bush delivers State Of The Union Address, January 31, 2006.
 The President at his desk in the Oval Office. 2006.
 First Lady Laura Bush meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, Thursday, February 9, 2006.
The Bush Dynasty Today
George and Barbara Pierce Bush
The Bush Siblings and spouses
 
President George W. Bush First Lady Laura Bush
 
Governor Jeb Bush First Lady Columba Bush
 
Neil Mallon Bush Sharon Smith Bush, Neil's first wife
 
Marvin Pierce Bush Margaret M. Bush
 
Dorothy Bush Koch Robert P. (Bobby) Koch
The Bush Clan: The Next Generation
The Bushes are a remarkable clan indeed. They have been compared to the Kennedys, and in many ways, there are similarities. George and Barbara Bush produced six children, five of whom survived to adulthood. There are 14 Bush grandchildren:
George W. and Laura Bush have twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna (born 1981)
Jeb and Columba Bush have three children: George Prescott (b. 1976), Noelle (b. 1978), and Jeb Bush, Jr. (b. 1983)
Neil Bush and his first wife, Sharon Smith, had three children: Lauren (b. 1984), Pierce M.(b. 1985), and Ashley Bush (b. 1989); after his divorce from Sharon in 2003, Neil married Maria Andrews in March, 2004.
Marvin and Margaret Bush have two children: Marshall (b. 1986) and Charles Walker Bush (b. 1989)
Dorothy Bush and her first husband, William LeBlond, had two children: Samuel LeBlond (b. 1984) and Nancy Ellis "Ellie" LeBlond (b. 1986). Dorothy and her second husband, Robert Koch, have two children: Robert Koch, Jr. (b. 1993) and Georgia Grace "Gigi" Koch (b. 1996).
 George Prescott Bush (b. 1976), the eldest grandson, is seen by many as a possible candidate for politcal office at some time in the future, thus carrying the Bush Dynasty into another generation. George P. is one of People Magazine's sexiest men alive.
George P.'s younger sister, Noelle Bush (b. 1978)
 Jeb Bush, Jr. (b. 1983) chats with members of the Penn Glee Club.
 Barbara and Jenna Bush (b. 1981), twin daughters of George W. and Laura.
 Neil Bush's three children with their mom Sharon. Left to right: Pierce Bush (b. 1985), fashion model Lauren Bush (b. 1984), Ashley Bush (b. 1989), and Sharon Bush (Neil's ex-wife).
|
George W. joins the Texas National Guard. 1968. 
Congressman George Bush visits his son during George W.'s commissioning as 2nd Lieutenant in the National Guard. 1968. Pictured with the Bushes are George W.'s commander, Col. Staudt, and his wife Claudia. 
Proud father and son. 
![[Image - caption immediately follows]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911/images/01749r.jpg)
![[Image - caption immediately follows]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911/images/01748r.jpg)
