George H. W. Bush

President George H. W. Bush

In the aftermath of the death of former U.S. President George H. W Bush, editorial cartoonists are creating obit cartoons and reposting old cartoons from when he was president from 1989 to 1993. While a few of my drawings (here and here) included Bush Sr. in editorial cartoons during his son’s Presidency, I was a university student at the time when he was at the helm, and submitting cartoons to campus newspaper, The Fulcrum. Back then my political cartooning was in the form of a wordy, densely illustrated weekly comic strip called Alas & Alack. In November 1989, Bush had been President for less than a year, leading in the shadow of his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, at a time monumental changes were happening in the world, among them the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the cold war. At the time the President seemed desperate to put his own mark on history. With references to Ronald Reagan, Leonid Breshnev, JFK, and even Donald Trump.

Saturday January 20, 2001

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday January 20, 2001

The Inauguration of George W. Bush

In a nonstop day that began with prayers in the morning and ended with partying at night, George W. Bush became the 43rd U.S. president Saturday, promising in his inaugural address to build “a single nation of justice and opportunity.”

“Now is not the time for speeches — it’s the time for dancing,” Bush joked at the first inaugural ball he visited Saturday night. Bush and wife Laura attended 10 post-inaugural events in all, including the eight balls, a ninth party added at the Washington Convention Center and an affair honoring veterans.

The joyous spirit was apparent throughout the day in Washington, although the appearance of thousands of protesters served as a reminder of the contested election that was finally declared a Bush victory in December.

Bush assumed the presidency from former President Bill Clinton just after noon Saturday, and quickly moved to assert his new power: Before the inaugural parade had begun, he had formally nominated members of his Cabinet and ordered federal agencies to suspend implementing new regulations within an hour of taking office.

“I’m here to tell the country that things will get done, that we’re going to rise above expectations, that both Republicans and Democrats will come together to do what’s right for America,” Bush, now the 43rd U.S. president, said at a congressional luncheon in his honor Saturday. (Source: CNN)