AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: GEORGE H.W. BUSH: PART TWO: CAVU (TV)
Summary
One in this documentary series. This two-part installment profiles politician George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States.
Topics covered in the second installment include: son Jeb Bush's recollections of his father's difficult decision regarding war after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990; British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's strong agreement that Hussein should be "thrown out"; the official end of the Cold War as the United States and the Soviet Union joined forces against Iraq; work with Saudi Arabia via emissary Dick Cheney; Bush's solo decision to send troops to Kuwait in "Operation Desert Shield," rather than simply enacting economic sanctions; his interest in a clean-air act, contrasted with Reagan's refusal to pass legislation on the subject; deciding to go back on his famous "no new taxes" promise, causing House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich and 60 percent of fellow Republicans to "bolt"; the eventual decision to raise income taxes only on the wealthy; securing the United Nations vote for military action in Kuwait, followed by Congress' "narrow" approval; the start of the Gulf War on Jan. 16, 1991, and the success of the "100-Hour War" in February; Bush's unprecedented 89 percent approval rating after the success of Desert Storm; his uncertainty regarding the win, owing to Hussein's continued position of power, and why many felt he should return to Baghdad and "finish the job"; his steady decline post-Gulf War, including his health issues and much-criticized relationship with Mikhail Gorbachev; his support of Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, who was then accused of sexual harassment; the rise in unemployment rates; the growing sense that he had "lost touch" with the American people; flooding at his Walker's Point vacation home in southern Maine, which wife Barbara dismissed as minimal compared to others' suffering during the storm; Gorbachev's surprising decision to telephone Bush upon departing office and effectively ending the Soviet Union in 1991; his lackluster 1992 reelection campaign, including the premature death of effective strategist Lee Atwater; the Republican Party's "seismic" shift toward more conservative positions and viewing of Bush as too moderate, as displayed by rival Pat Buchanan; Bush's criticism of opponent Bill Clinton's moral character; the slow end of the economic recession; why his political successes, including Desert Storm, were eventually seen as "irrelevant" to voters' immediate concerns; his lack of a strong message and personal connection with voters, exemplified by his disinterestedly checking his watch during one of the debates; why the economic boom of the 1990s came "too late" for his campaign; how Clinton used an eleventh-hour reveal about Bush's knowledge of the Iran-Contra scandal to turn his morality arguments against him; his eventual loss to Clinton on Nov. 3, 1991 and concession speech to his "sleazeball" opponent; Barbara's sense that Gingrich's defection may have ultimately saved the family from four "miserable" years in the White House; discussion of his historical impact between the highly charged Reagan and Clinton presidencies; his later years and use of the World War II-era term "CAVU," meaning "Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited," as a metaphor for a well-lived life; the eventual election of his sons Jeb and George W. to Governor of Florida and 43rd President respectively; and Jeb's memories of his father's emotional speech in the House chamber in 2006 as he honored his son's accomplishments.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: November 30, 1999 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: N/A
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 133242
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; Biography; Presidents - United States; Persian Gulf War
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1988-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Mark Samels … Executive Producer
- Susan Mottau … Coordinating Producer
- Sharon Grimberg … Senior Producer
- Callie Taintor Wiser … Producer
- Austin Hoyt … Producer, Director, Writer
- David Ogden Stiers … Narrator
- Michael Bacon … Music by
- Charles Kuskin … Theme Music by
- Mark Adler … Theme Music by
- Jeb Bush … Interviewee
- Margaret Thatcher … Interviewee
- James Baker … Interviewee
- Barbara Bush … Interviewee
- John Robert Greene … Interviewee
- Lee Atwater
- Pat Buchanan
- George H.W. Bush
- George W. Bush
- Dick Cheney
- Bill Clinton
- Newt Gingrich
- Mikhail Gorbachev
- Saddam Hussein
- Ronald Reagan
- Clarence Thomas