President Bush Wednesday spelled out his vision of "a better America," including a surprise plan to cut U.S. and Soviet troops in Europe.
In his first State of the Union address, Bush stressed the "spirit of American ingenuity" in urging investment in education, environmental protection, economic competitiveness.
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Tax stance a 'turning point'
June 27, 1990
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President Bush swallowed his no-taxes pledge Tuesday, saying new taxes were needed to shrink the mushrooming federal deficit.
Bush's action brought no gloats from Democrats, even though they had been pressing him to consider tax increases to curb a deficit pegged as high as $200 billion.
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Elizabeth Dole quitting Cabinet
Oct. 24, 1990
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Labor Secretary Elizabeth Dole, President Bush's highest-ranking female appointee, will resign today - his first Cabinet member to leave office. She'll meet with Bush today, says her husband, Senate Minority Leader Robert Dole, R-Kan.
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Labor nominee clicks with Bush, GOP
Dec. 17,1990
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President Bush first met Rep. Lynn Martin, R-Ill., his choice for Labor secretary, when he stopped at an Illinois school to campaign for her reelection in 1982.
Their chemistry led him to choose her to make the seconding speech for his nomination as the GOP vice presidential candidate in 1984. It was a surprise, a quick call to offset the star appeal of his Democratic opponent, Geraldine Ferraro.
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Congress united on war, divided on domestic front
Jan. 30, 1991
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Congress greeted President Bush's dramatic State of the Union address with one voice on the war abroad but a cacophony of division about the problems at home.
The unity over the war was reflected by the longest standing ovation in most lawmakers' memory - when Bush cited the sacrifices of the troops.
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Lamar Alexander hopes to ignite school reform
Feb. 12, 1991
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Lamar Alexander, about to become the fifth U.S. secretary of education, likens his future role to that of a spark plug: not for a car or an 18-wheel tractor-trailer, but for a train.
He sees his new boss, President Bush, as the engineer. He says the train has room for anyone - Democrat, Republican or otherwise - interested in improving schools.
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Intrigue at the Fed; Open debate puts policy in question
Apr. 9, 1991
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All of a sudden, back room maneuverings make the Federal Reserve sound almost interesting.
In just the past week it has been reported that:
- Angry members of the Fed's policy-making arm have forced Chairman Alan Greenspan to relinquish some of his authority.
- Open and bitter disagreement has erupted within the Fed about where the economy is heading - up and out of recession or deeper into trouble.
President Bush's heart problem may be relatively minor, but it was still serious enough to reignite an old debate: the prospect of Vice President Quayle becoming President Quayle.
A presidential illness always shakes up public confidence and triggers questions about a change in command, which - however briefly - could occur today if Quayle becomes acting president while Bush undergoes treatment.
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Graves' slows Bush down
May 10, 1991
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President Bush, diagnosed Thursday with Graves' disease, is cutting his workload.
The disease, which also afflicts wife Barbara, is a common thyroid condition. The most apparent symptom is bulging eyes, but Bush shows no signs of that condition.
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Is it the water? Ailments may be more than just coincidence; Presidential plumbing being probed
May 29, 1991
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First doctors discovered Barbara Bush suffered from Graves' disease.
Then Millie the family dog was found to have lupus.
This month, President Bush became the third member of the first family diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder - also Graves' disease.
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Bush renominates Greenspan as Fed chief
July 11, 1991
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President Bush has nominated Alan Greenspan to a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, the nation's central bank and the institution that controls the supply of money in the U.S. economy.
"This country is very fortunate to have the important affairs of the Federal Reserve Bank in Alan Greenspan's hands," Bush said Wednesday afternoon in announcing his decision.
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How 'green' is Bush? Environmentalists see red; report card below; Pushing the Clean Air Act among pluses
Sept. 18, 1991
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Lois Gibbs spends a lot of time in communities with serious environmental problems.
So what about President Bush's environment record?
"What I think is not printable," Gibbs says swiftly.
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Abortion counseling ban upheld; President wins 24th veto fight
Nov. 20, 1991
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President Bush won another veto victory Tuesday when the House upheld a ban on abortion counseling at federally funded family planning clinics.
Language banning the "gag rule" - ruled legal by the Supreme Court earlier this year - was part of a $205 billion spending bill for health, education and labor.
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White House scramble muddies Bush's message; 'Warfare' on quotas likely to intensify
Nov. 22, 1991
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President Bush's signing of the civil rights bill was supposed to be the kind of can't-lose Rose Garden event that ends up in campaign ads.
Instead, the ceremony Thursday was marred by a White House plan for Bush to announce the end of federal government hiring guidelines - even as he signed the bill protecting women's and minorities' job rights.
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'The time had come to fold'
Dec. 4, 1991
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President Bush shed one of his biggest liabilities Tuesday when he accepted chief of staff John Sununu's resignation, setting the stage for his bid to return to the White House next year.
Bush - under siege for his domestic policy and a stagnant economy - in one decisive but maybe tardy move tried to wipe his political slate clean as he begins the final year of his first term.
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Skinner's biggest asset: No agenda
Dec. 6, 1991
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Samuel Skinner's resume doesn't mention the asset that may have won him the job as President Bush's chief of staff: He has no discernible political agenda of his own.
Bush is counting on Skinner, his trusted Transportation secretary and golfing partner, to be unfailingly loyal - a protective Doberman where predecessor John Sununu was an attack pit bull.
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President 'up and about' after flu bug strikes
Jan. 9, 1992
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TOKYO - President Bush is getting back to business today after a bout of stomach flu sent him to bed.
"The president is human; he gets sick," White House press secretary Marlin Fitzwater said, describing Bush in good spirits and "up and about."
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Bush names transport chief
Jan. 23, 1992
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President Bush rewarded Andrew Card, political ally and White House deputy chief of staff, with a nomination Wednesday to be the new Transportation secretary.
"His distinguished career and government service ... give him the unique background for serving the nation's transportation interest," the president said.
