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« Read my
lips: no new taxes! », the famous
George Bush's 1988 presidential campaign
leitmotif.
In the fall of 1990, during the Gulf crisis,
President Bush broke his pledge on taxes. In his
Memories, George Bush emphasize that
« [he] had
to decide between a compromise on taxes or
literally to shut down the
government ». But
« when
push came to shove and our troops were moving
overseas, [the administration] needed a fully
functioning
government »1.
After these necessary tax increases, President Bush
took « a
terrible flak on [his]
credibility ». This is an
explanation of his electoral defeat in 1992.
__________
1. G. Bush
and B. Scowcroft, A World Transformed, Knopf, 1st ed. Sept.
1998, p. 380.
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