Bush had an interesting path to the Presidency. Rather than going into investment banking with his father and grandfather, he headed to Texas to make his fortune in the oil business. His career and political positions included:
- Navy Naval Aviator: Served during World War II (1942–1945).
- Oil Industry Executive: Co-founded Zapata Petroleum and presided over Zapata Off-Shore Co.
- U.S. Representative: Represented Texas's 7th district (1967–1971).
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: Appointed by President Nixon (1971–1973).
- Chairman of the Republican National Committee: Served during the Watergate era (1973–1974).
- Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in China: Served as the de facto ambassador (1974–1975).
- Director of Central Intelligence (CIA): Headed the agency from 1976–1977.
- Vice President of the United States: Served two terms under Ronald Reagan (1981–1989).
- 41st President of the United States: Served from 1989–1993.
A lot took place for the four years that Bush was president, including: The Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989); Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989); The End of the Cold War; The Gulf War (1990–1991); Invasion of Panama (1989); Tiananmen Square Protests (1989); Savings and Loan Crisis; and the LA Riots (1992). By the end of his term, a mild recession and high unemployment began to overshadow his foreign policy successes. Most of the presidental biographies that I have read covered periods that I wasn't alive. 1990, 1991 and 1992 were a very personally tumultuous period for me. As a result, my recollection of this period is seen through a haze. I probably don't remember these events as clearly as I should.
I was surprised to learn that Bush was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), while he was in office. Additionally, the book paints a picture of Bush being ambivalent about running for reelection. The last part of the book talks a lot about George W Bush's presidency and George H W Bush's relationship with Clinton. I enjoyed the book. Bush was a very decent person.
Two footnotes. For a few hours on July 16, 1980, the Republican National Convention was in a frenzy over rumors that Gerald Ford would join the ticket. When that deal stalled, Reagan called Bush at his hotel to offer him the spot instead. At the time, I was on a fishing trip with my dad in Elko, Nevada on our way to the Ruby Mountains. My dad was extremely excited about the prospect of a Reagan/Ford Republican ticket.
In the fall of 1992, I was visiting the Nooters in Washington, DC. Eating dinner in their backyard with their friends Sara and Barkey, Sara spent the night hammering on me about George H W Bush, particularly in regards to a woman's right to choose. After being more liberal in his earlier years, Bush had leered to the right on abortion; he supported the goal of overturning Roe v. Wade and a national ban on abortion. Partly based on the discussion that evening, I voted for Clinton in November of 1992. It was the first time that I had voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.
