George HW Bush, former US president, dies aged 94 Read more 
 
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 “We know what works: Freedom works. My own view is that I would now ill serve a president, whose massive accomplishments I will always respect and whose family I love, if I did not now give you my judgment.” August 1974, speaking to President Richard Nixon shortly before he resigned, when Bush was Republican national chairman. But, in an effort to deflect skepticism among some conservatives, Mr. Bush also declared, “Read my lips: No new taxes,” a fateful promise that came back to haunt and eventually help undo his presidency. The decision evoked anger and a sense of betrayal among conservatives and led to a primary challenge from the right’s firebrand Pat Buchanan. After Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, Mr. Bush—aided by his close associates, Brent Scowcroft as national security adviser and James Baker as secretary of state—patiently wove a diplomatic and military web that trapped the Iraqi leader and led to a lightning war that successfully drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
– With George HW Bush dead at 94, coverage of the life of the 41st president is plentiful. Here are some early highlights: The broad strokes: For a thorough obituary and assessment, start with the Washington Post. Its story notes that while Bush served just one term as president, it was a consequential one. "The Berlin Wall fell; the Soviet Union ceased to exist; the communist bloc in Eastern Europe broke up; the Cold War ended." And Bush's "firm, restrained diplomatic sense helped assure the harmony and peace with which these world-shaking events played out, one after the other." Great detail: In its obituary, the Wall Street Journal notes that Bush flew 58 missions in the Pacific as a Navy pilot in WWII, all with the name of his girlfriend—Barbara—on the side of the plane. He once got shot down, with this video capturing the rescue. Bush is also the only American besides John Adams to be both president and the father of a president. Read his lips: The Guardian recounts some of his Bush's famous quotes, including his "read my lips" pledge to not raise taxes. He also dissed broccoli.