George HW Bush dies at 94: War hero had pledged to make 'kinder, gentler' America, struggled with art of articulation
The World War II hero, who also presided during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the final months of the Cold War,Bush entered the White House in 1989 with a reputation as a man of indecision and indeterminate views.
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George HW Bush, a patrician New Englander whose presidency soared with the coalition victory over Iraq in Kuwait, but then plummeted in the throes of a weak economy that led voters to turn him out of office after a single term, has died aged 94. AP
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Bush married his childhood sweetheart, Barbara Pierce, daughter of the publisher of McCall’s magazine, in January 1945. They were the longest-married presidential couple in U.S. history. She died on 17 April 17, eight months before Bush. Twitter @GeorgeHWBush
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Bush was sworn into office as the 41st president of the United States.He rode into office pledging to make the United States a “kinder, gentler” nation and calling on Americans to volunteer their time for good causes. AP
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The World War II hero, who also presided during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the final months of the Cold War,Bush entered the White House in 1989 with a reputation as a man of indecision and indeterminate views. One newsmagazine suggested he was a “wimp.” But his work-hard, play-hard approach to the presidency won broad public approval. AP
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The 1991 Gulf War stoked his popularity. But Bush would acknowledge that he had trouble articulating “the vision thing,” and he was haunted by his decision to break a stern, solemn vow he made to voters: “Read my lips. No new taxes.” He lost his bid for re-election to Bill Clinton in a campaign in which businessman H. Ross Perot took almost 19 percent of the vote as an independent candidate. AP
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In the closing days of the 1992 campaign, Bush fought the impression that he was distant and disconnected, and he seemed to struggle against the younger, more empathetic Bill Clinton. AP
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Still, he lived to see his son, George W., twice elected to the presidency — only the second father-and-son chief executives, following John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Twitter @GeorgeHWBush
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An avid outdoorsman who took Theodore Roosevelt as a model, Bush sought to safeguard the environment and signed the first improvements to the Clean Air Act in more than a decade. It was activism with a Republican cast, allowing polluters to buy others’ clean-air credits and giving industry flexibility on how to meet tougher goals on smog. AP
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