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U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush Bill Clinton George W. Bush Barack Obama George H. W. Bush Childhood & Upbringing Life Before the Presidency Presidency PREVIOUS Bill Clinton Childhood & Upbringing Life Before the Presidency Presidency PREVIOUS George W. Bush Childhood & Upbringing Life Before the Presidency Presidency PREVIOUS Barack Obama Childhood & Upbringing Life Before the Presidency Presidency PREVIOUS Childhood & Upbringing • Born in 1924 in Massachusetts into wealthy and political family • Son of Senator Prescot Bush • Attended an elite boarding school • Met his future wife, Barbara, at the boarding school • Enlisted in the navy at age 18 PREVIOUS Life Before the Presidency • • • • • Became youngest pilot in World War II serving as a combat pilot Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service Attended Yale University after World War II Elected to House of Representatives in 1966 & served 2 terms Held several political positions • • • • US Ambassador to the United Nations Head of Republican National Committee US envoy to China Director of CIA • Served as Ronald Reagan’s Vice President PREVIOUS Presidency Term Major Appointments Controversies/Scandals PREVIOUS Presidential Term • Won the 1988 Presidential Election after serving two terms as Ronald Reagan’s Vice President • Defeated Michael Dukakis in the election • Served 1 term from 1988-1992 • Praised for military involvement in Kuwait PREVIOUS Political Appointments During Term • Appointed Catalina Vasquez Villalpando as Treasurer of the United States • Appointed, and the Senate later confirmed, Clarence Thomas as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court • Appointed, and the Senate later confirmed, David Souter as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court PREVIOUS Controversies/Scandals While in Office • Treasurer of the US, Catalina Vasquez Villalpando, was arrested for three felonies including tax evasion and obstruction of justice (Villalpando had close ties to George H. W. Bush) • Granted presidential pardons to several high-ranking government individuals convicted of being involved in the Iran-Contra Affair during the Reagan Administration (prevented any further investigation into the matter) PREVIOUS Childhood & Upbringing • Born in 1946 in Arkansas • Raised by his mother because his father died in a car crash months before he was born • Lived with strict grandparents while his mother was in nursing school • Instilled the importance of education • Dealt with an abusive stepfather and finally stood up to him • At age 17, he was invited to meet President John F. Kennedy after being elected the Arkansas representative to the American Legion’s Boys Nation PREVIOUS Life Before the Presidency • Attended Georgetown University and entered into university politics • Worked for the foreign relations committee under Senator Fulbright • Found Vietnam War to be immoral • Enrolled in Yale Law School, where he met Hillary Rodham, who he married in 1975 • Elected state attorney general in 1976 • Became governor of Arkansas in 1978, one of youngest in history • Served as chairman of National Governor’s Association PREVIOUS Presidency Term Major Appointments Controversies/Scandals PREVIOUS Presidential Term • Chose Al Gore to be Vice Presidential running mate • Defeated George H. W. Bush in 1992 election • Elected to second term in 1996, making his total time in office 8 years • Greatest accomplishment in two terms as president was leading the United States to great economic prosperity PREVIOUS Judicial Appointments During Term • Made numerous district court and court of appeals appointments during his time as president • Appointed, and the Senate later confirmed, Stephen Breyer as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court • Appointed, and the Senate later confirmed, Ruth Bader Ginsburg as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court • Clinton was only the second president ever to appoint a female to the Supreme Court PREVIOUS Controversies/Scandals While in Office • American military forces massively failed operations in Somalia and Rwanda • Biggest scandal during administration involved Monica Lewinsky • Clinton denied then subsequently admitted to sexual relations with intern Monica Lewinsky during presidency • House of Representatives impeached Clinton for perjury and obstruction of Justice • Senate acquitted Clinton of all charges PREVIOUS Childhood & Upbringing • Born in 1946 to the former US President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush • Grew up in Texas • Attended an elite school, Phillips Academy, in Massachusetts • Was an all-around athlete • Played basketball, baseball, and football • Reputation for being a troublemaker PREVIOUS Life Before the Presidency • Attended Yale University and was a member of the Skull and Bones Society • Became president of his fraternity • Honorably discharged from Air Force Reserve in 1974 • Obtained his MBA from Harvard Business School • Married Laura Welch in 1977 • Worked in his father’s presidential campaign of 1988 & 1992 • Became governor of Texas in 1994; elected for 2 consecutive terms • First son of a former president to be elected as governor of a state PREVIOUS Presidency Term Major Appointments Controversies/Scandals PREVIOUS Presidential Term • Ran against Al Gore during the 2000 presidential election • Supreme court decided the outcome of the election & Bush ultimately won • US was subject to the 9/11 terror attacks • Led to the War on Terror and the Iraq War • Elected to a second term in 2004 • Second term was riddled with economic issues and a credit crisis PREVIOUS Judicial Appointments During Term • Appointed hundreds of judges to the US Court of Appeals and US District Courts • Number of court appointments ranks third overall, behind Reagan and Clinton • Appointed John Roberts as an Associate Justice to replace Sandra Day O’Connor • Chief Justice William Rehnquist was retired so Roberts was re-appointed and confirmed by the Senate as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court • Appointed, and the Senate later confirmed, Samuel Alito as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court PREVIOUS Controversies/Scandals While in Office • Bush did not win the popular vote in the 2000 election but still became president • Tax cuts helped the wealthy and hurt the non-wealthy • The invasion of Iraq was based on evidence that Iraq had yellowcake uranium, which was determined to be entirely false • There were also no weapons of mass destruction, which was purported to be true • Refused to adopt the Kyoto Protocol, which would protect the environment • Handling of Hurricane Katrina aftermath was seen as abysmal PREVIOUS Childhood & Upbringing • Born in Hawaii in 1961 • Only president to be born in one of the non-contiguous states • Father was born in Kenya • Did not have a relationship with his father as a child due to his father moving to Massachusetts to go to Harvard • Moved to Indonesia at age 4 but sent back to Hawaii at age 10 • Lived with his grandparents in Hawaii • Excelled in sports and graduated with honors PREVIOUS Life Before the Presidency • Entered Harvard Law School in 1988 • Met Michelle Robinson, whom he would later marry, while at Harvard • First African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review • Helped organize voting drives for President Clinton’s 1992 campaign • Won the Illinois Senate seat in 1996 • Unsuccessfully ran for the House of Representatives in 2000 • Delivered 2004 keynote speech for John Kerry in his campaign • Announced intention in 2007 to run for president in 2008 PREVIOUS Presidency Term Major Appointments Controversies/Scandals PREVIOUS Presidential Term • Defeated John McCain in the 2008 presidential election • Became first African-American president • Inherited the recession and foreign wars from the previous Bush administration • Approved covert operation in 2011 that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks • Defeated Mitt Romney in the 2012 election to win a second term as president PREVIOUS Judicial Appointments During Term • Like previous presidents, Obama has made hundreds of judicial appointments, with the 2 most important appointments being made to the Supreme Court • Appointed, and the Senate later confirmed, Sonia Sotomayor as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court • Third Woman and first Hispanic Justice on the Court • Appointed, and the Senate later confirmed, Elena Kagan as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court PREVIOUS Controversies/Scandals While in Office • Attorney General Eric Holder, appointed by Obama, held in Contempt of Congress for refusing to disclose information • NSA mass data collection program has collected data from cell phone users without their knowledge, yet the White House and administration has said it is not illegal • Largest controversy is the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) which requires an individual mandate • Supreme Court ultimately upheld the individual mandate saying that it falls under Congress’ power to tax PREVIOUS
