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Presidents In My Opinion My Term Paper

George H.W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush, possibly the most underestimated president of recent times, is my choice for the fifth spot. It is perhaps understandable why Bush Sr. is often excluded from most people's list of "great" U.S. Presidents; unlike "activist" presidents such as Franklin Roosevelt or his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, Bush carried out his job in a low-key manner but did his job competently. This is precisely why I have chosen him as one of the top five presidents because a president's job, in the words of Bush Sr. himself, does not always involve, "high drama, and the sound of trumpets" (Quoted by Rose, 1991, p. 307)

Bush Sr. became the President after having served the country in various positions such as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and to China, chair of the Republican National Committee, head of the CIA, and vice-president in the Reagan administration for eight years. He took the office when the Cold War was ending and the time called out for consolidation rather than radical change and this is what Bush provided to the country and the world. He did, however, work on a number of low-key, but important issues to put in place "the kinder and gentler politics" that he had promised during his election campaign. For example, he initiated the passing of the Disabilities Act of 1990, increased federal funding for education, child care, and advanced technology R&D, besides tackling the problem of a runaway budget deficit, albeit at the cost of his "no new taxes" promise and a fair amount of popularity. His most significant achievement, however, was on the foreign policy front when he managed to cobble together an unprecedented UN coalition to...

casualties. (Rose, 1991)
References

Bonwick, C. (1993, April). "Thomas Jefferson: Pragmatist or Visionary?" History Today, 43, 18+. Borden, M. (Ed.). (1961). America's Ten Greatest Presidents. Chicago: Rand McNally.

Busch, A.E. (1997). "Ronald Reagan and the Defeat of the Soviet Empire." Presidential Studies Quarterly, 27(3), 451+.

Kengor, P. (1998). "Comparing Presidents Reagan and Eisenhower." Presidential Studies Quarterly, 28(2), 366+.

Peterson, M.D. (1975). Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation: A Biography (1st ed.). London: Oxford University Press.

Rose, R. (1991). George Bush Meets the World. Chatham, NJ: Chatham House.

Rozell, M.J. & Pederson, W.D. (Eds.). (1997). FDR and the Modern Presidency: Leadership and Legacy. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Jefferson was a philosopher, educator, naturalist, politician, scientist, architect, inventor, scientific farmer, musician, and writer -- all rolled into one.

Even the "enemy" recognized the effectiveness of Reagan's policies; former KGB general Oleg Kalugin acknowledges: "American policy in the 1980s was a catalyst for the collapse of the Soviet Union." (quoted by Busch, 1997)

President Truman had withdrawn his candidature when Eisenhower was nominated by the Republicans as their Presidential candidate

Eisenhower had warned the Chinese that the U.S. would "not be constrained" in the use of weapons (an obvious reference to nuclear weapons) unless they signed an armistice; by July 1953 the armistice was signed.

Bush Sr. is also quoted to have said: "What really counts are the day-to-day things. If you do well in the short run, the long run will take care of itself"

Presidents

Sources used in this document:
References

Bonwick, C. (1993, April). "Thomas Jefferson: Pragmatist or Visionary?" History Today, 43, 18+. Borden, M. (Ed.). (1961). America's Ten Greatest Presidents. Chicago: Rand McNally.

Busch, A.E. (1997). "Ronald Reagan and the Defeat of the Soviet Empire." Presidential Studies Quarterly, 27(3), 451+.

Kengor, P. (1998). "Comparing Presidents Reagan and Eisenhower." Presidential Studies Quarterly, 28(2), 366+.

Peterson, M.D. (1975). Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation: A Biography (1st ed.). London: Oxford University Press.
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