world war, or the cold war, we have an enemy. and the enemy are the terrorists who do not believe in what we do, open societies and freedom, who are out to kill plain innocent people and we have to understand -- >> it is a war. >> -- that this is a sustained effort. >> a new breeze is blowing and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn. >> a column of tanks is heading towards the russian parliament. >> there is no place for lawless aggression in the new world order that we seek to create. >> unemployment will be growing again by election day. >> i will not sell out to anybody but to the american people. >> i believe with all my heart that together we can rekindle that american dream. >> the day of the dictator is over.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ what more fitting close to 1989 than a party at the berlin wall. thousands of people have

gathered at the wall, many of them armed with hammers and chisels to chip away at the remnants of a communist system that seemed to collapse overnight. >> this enormous celebration which was spontaneous overshadowed the official ceremony attended by the leaders of both east and west germany. >> president bush sent a signal to mikhail gorbachev today, there will be no gloating from the white house over the developments in east germany. >> i was in the oval office as part of a pool when the wall came down. >> you don't seem elated and i'm wondering if you're thinking of the problems. >> i'm not an emotional kind of guy. >> bush basically said in effect, i'm not going to poke gorbachev in the eye. >> president george h.w. bush did come into his presidency in the shadow of ronald reagan but maybe we had elected the right man at the right time because he was as internationalist. >> you had 50 years of the cold war, two visions of the world

locked in combat, and then suddenly a whole world of totalitarian rule began to fall. bush was quite cautious. he was really aware that even subtle messages from the united states could indicate all sorts of things. >> when the wall fell in berlin, the questions were numerous. i mean, right away, what's going to become of europe. >> bulgaria is under a state of alert this morning. anti-communist protesters set fire to the headquarters of bulgaria's governing socialist party and chanted "let the communists burn." >> tens of thousands of ordinary citizens stormed the headquarters of the hated secret police tonight. >> the scenes in this moment are incredibly dramatic. people in the streets proclaiming freedom. some of that was liberation. some of it had a darker side. >> romania's dictator, the last hard line leader in the warsaw

pact, has been deposed by a popular uprising. > romania was the most repressive and the most grotesque of all of the european regimes. the only way to overthrow this regime turned out to be by force. >> fierce fighting erupted in bucharest. the old guard is fighting the new people. all hell has broken loose. >> romanian television aired graphic evidence today of the fate of deposed leader ceausescu. >> the ceausescus had been made to stand trial on christmas day. >> in the end, he got the kind of justice that he had dealt out to many of his subjects. >> at the end of this remarkable week, a week of blood shed in romania and elsewhere comes a reminder tonight of what the struggle is all about. it's about freedom and the reminder comes from berlin. >> germany was not just the symbol of the cold war. it was the first great crisis of the cold war. >> will germany be reunified? together, of course, they would form an economic and political power, but would a giant germany

state once again dominate europe? the memories are very real, of course. >> many europeans were very wary of reuniting germany. they liked the idea that there were two germanys and that germany was therefore weaker. >> when the european leadership saw the united states favoring a united germany, they were extremely uneasy and resisted. all the same president bush and secretary baker thought this was essential and it was right. >> we have entered a new era in world affairs, the moment when the actions we take can shape of this new world for years to come. >> george bush's goal was to get germany to unify within nato. >> the white house while repeating that the basic principle of german membership of nato is the not negotiable does appear to be putting a major effort into addressing soviet fears and finding a formula which mr. gorbachev can accept. >> george bush understood he had

a partner in shaping the post-war world, and that partner was mikhail gorbachev. but gorbachev wanted to be neutral. bush always wanted a unified germany and a very disciplined manner, moved gorbachev towards that position. >> in a major concession, gorbachev agreed to the western position that a unified germany is free to join nato. >> once you solved the german problem, you removed the basic source of tension between the two superpowers in the cold war. >> this is the big photo opportunity, the important picture that president bush came all this way to get, at this moment, gorbachev chooses to give president bush his present. the present was a soviet cartoonist' depiction of two presidents as boxers having just knocked out the cold war with the world as referee. >> george bush and brent scowcroft, his national security adviser, liked to fish together and one summer, they were fishing and they were thinking

about what kind of world would emerge after all the dominos had fallen. it's very rare that the world is so fluid and flexible that world leaders can think this way, talking about what the world should be, what it could be. what they imagined was the world that didn't happen after world war ii. the world of collective security of big powers, sharing responsibility preventing war. they used the term new world order. how do you achieve it?

today in a 45-minute state of the nation speech, president de klerk transformed 30 years of south african politics. he promised its most famous leader, nelson mandela, would soon be free. nelson mandela is probably the best known political prisoner in the world. he's been in prison for decades because of his actions in leading the armed struggle against apartheid in south africa. >> mr. nelson mandela, a free man taking his first steps into a new south africa. >> while the world is changing in europe, the apartheid government of south africa sees the writing on the wall. south africa which has been a pariah state won't be able to continue in the post cold war world.

>> when he's released from prison, it becomes a global moment that signifies one of the earliest indications that the 1990s is going to be a very different sort of decade. >> i greet you all in the name of peace, democracy, and freedom for all. >> he becomes a moral beacon around the world because of the way he handled himself. so you had this world, this moment in the early '90s when the peacemakers were in charge. the stars aligned. >> there has been a dangerous late-breaking development in the persian gulf. u.s. intelligence sources confirm that within the past few hours, more than 100,000 iraqi troops have massed along that country's border with kuwait. >> saddam hussein sends a substantial fleet of tanks and other mechanized forces to the kuwaiti border. it's shocking in washington and

other than western capitals. saddam had a million-man army and if it invades kuwait, he could very quickly lurch into saudi arabia and the saudis would not have been able to resist. all the oil is on the eastern side of the country right there on the border with iraq. >> iraq invaded and took over its tiny neighbor kuwait today. the government of dictator saddam hussein claimed it went in at the invitation of revolutionaries who had overthrown the kuwaiti government. no western authority accepted that story. >> many americans are concerned that there may be a war.

>> what is required of mr. bush to say to the americans that he doesn't want war. >> if you had been in the room with saddam hussein and interviewed him for an hour and 15 minutes and spent another hour and a half with him after the interview, i think you would have reached the same conclusion. no question saddam hussein was a stone cold killer. this is the opening of the post cold war era of history. if aggression was allowed to stand, nobody thought it would end there. >> president bush came of age throughout all those decades in which there were world wars, in which there was the west against the soviets. he'd been cia director, he's been ambassador, right? everything. so he really understood the world. and understood the stakes. but for whatever reason when iraq invaded kuwait, saddam hussein honestly thought nobody would care and he almost got away with it. >> the first saturday of the crisis, i get a call on the

phone from brent scowcroft, my boss. he said the president's helicoptering back from camp david. i can't meet him. you have to brief him on the situation. there's probably going to be a lot of press there. i got to go. the president lands and i'm out there with my piece of paper. and he took the paper, goes over to the microphone and that's when he just said -- >> this will not stand. this will not stand, this aggression against kuwait. i've got to go. i have to go to work. >> it was an unusual sound from him. he was firm because he really meant it. bush had a moral code. i think he got it from his prep school, he got it from his mother. and saddam hussein didn't do the honorable thing. he invaded another country. >> from the day the invasion took place, secretary baker led the effort to build a global coalition. they had two expeditions

overseas in which they were going around from capital to capital looking for support. >> the united nations security council has authorized the use of force against iraq. >> 14 votes in favor, none against, none abstentions. the draft resolution has been adopted. >> getting that massive alliance together truly goes down in history as one of the greatest accomplishments i think of any president to be able to get that many people on your side, believing in the same thing and ready to do the same thing. >> what george bush managed to do in iraq with that coalition in effect is to create the beginnings of this new world order. i mean who could have imagined a coalition that would have the soviet union, china and then the middle eastern states, as well. standing up to one of their own. >> hundreds of demonstrators gathered to protest the inevitable. all but one, that is. >> whatever america goes to war, there's going to be protests in the streets.

but you needed congressional support or you wouldn't have popular support. >> the world looks to the president. he can play an historic role in leading us to solve this crisis in a nonviolent way. >> make no mistake about it. our vital interests are at stake. >> bush knew that you had to let that process go forward. you couldn't just declare war and do it. >> the hope of peace remains in my heart and the hearts of us all, but this debate is now about war. >> power in a matter of days can bring this villain to his knees. >> let us stop beating the drums of war. let us oppose this march to violence. >> nowhere is it ordained that the new world order must begin with a new world war. >> they had a great national debate and the argument for going to war prevailed. >> president bush said the action by congress now shows saddam hussein that the united states government is serious and united in its demand that iraq

withdraw from kuwait or face the consequences. >> we have now closed ranks behind a clear signal of our determination and our resolve to implement the united nations resolutions. >> it is no longer a question of if war starts, but how and when.

good evening. the headlines at 6:00. more than a million troops are tonight facing each other in the saudi desert preparing for war. >> saddam hussein warned the united states today that american troops would, quote, swim in their own blood if they go to war with iraq. >> saddam hussein started this cruel war against kuwait. tonight, the battle has been joined. >> about 50 minutes ago, american aircraft suddenly descended on iraq and occupied kuwait. the war in the persian gulf has begun. >> secretary weinberger, you were credited with the military buildup which has come to a lot of criticism. we have to go to baghdad, secretary. >> something is happening

outside. the skies over baghdad have been illuminated. we're seeing bright flashes going off all over the sky. we're getting starbursts in the black sky. >> the significance in journalism terms was it was the first time which you had extensive live coverage of the war. >> our office was on the ninth floor of the el rasheed hotel. we were one of the tallest buildings in baghdad, so we knew that whatever was going to happen, we would be able to see the drama. >> the military offensive overnight has been described as the largest, the strongest air attack in history. >> just one comment. clearly, i've never been there, but this feels like we're in the center of hell. >> saddam hussein in address to the iraqi people and arab nation says the mother of all wars has started. we told you earlier in the week that the information ministry

had received its own satellite dish and prior to that, the foreign ministry had -- we've got to run. somebody is knocking on the door. john and i are going to hide. peter, here. >> we opened the door and there were several armed iraqi security people. one of them could speak sort of broken english. he said, what are you doing here? you should be in the bunker. i fell to my knees and said i won't go. i don't care about the danger. they looked at me sort of disgustedly and left. so i got up, closed the door. my colleagues emerged from hiding and we continued coverage for the next 12 hours. >> what is at stake is more than one small country. it is a big idea, a new world order, where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind. peace and security, freedom and

the rule of law. >> george bush was one of the youngest plaufts in pilots in the u.s. nawaf during the second world war. he shot down, survived heroically, really. and that experience is so searing for bush, the experience of being involved in a global war between clear good and clear evil. and so there is a realization that if you can use overwhelming air power, you're going to be able be to not only iraqi military forces but you're going to be able to eviscerate iraq as a functioning 20th century nation. >> you had 40 plus days of air war. and ultimately we began to run low on targets. >> president bush praises israel's continued restraint in the face of last night's attack by iraq when seven scud missiles

landed on israel. >> saddam hussein tried his damndest to provoke israel into entering this armed conflict, including sending scud missiles into tel aviv. >> the remains of a house in tel aviv after this morning's scud missile attacks. eight missiles landed altogether in the haifa and tel aviv central area. there was no warning of them. >> it was a fairly clever ploy by saddam to split apart the coalition and it took all of the diplomatic wherewithal of the president to keep israel out of the war. >> the coalition will give saddam hussein until noon saturday. >> if he doesn't begin moving his forces, the allied coalition is on the verge of invading kuwait and iraq by land. >> we tried to give him some good advice a few months ago. we told them, move it or lose it. they wouldn't move it, now they will lose it. >> colin powell, then chairman of the joint chiefs of staff,

believed in exerting maximum power on the ground so that you wouldn't be fighting a prolonged war, that this would be quick, decisive. it became known as the powell doctrine. >> the ground war started this morning as the americans and their allies attack with massive fire power that shook the earth. >> we're about 15 1/2 hours into a ground war that from all of the sketchy reports that we're receiving is going well. so far the offensive is progressing with dramatic success. the troops are doing a great job, but the war is not over yet. >> what are your impressions of saddam hussein as a military strategist? >> stormin' norman was out of central casting. >> he is neither a strategist nor is he schooled in the operational art, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general, nor is he a soldier. other than that, he's a great military man. i want you to know that. >> big and burly and confident.

when he came in the briefing room, your chest swelled. it was american military might on parade. >> schwarzkopf's presence was important. it was a huge factor on american support for the war. >> the war in the gulf is virtually over. tonight, what may be the final battle of the gulf war. >> headlines in newspapers screamed fight them, but pictures from southern kuwait told a different story. >> the iraqi army began to emerge from their holes in the desert to give up. >> kneel down. >> we knocked out saddam in 100 hours. >> it was a rout. >> this is sand from the liberated beaches of kuwait. >> that was a massive success. and it showed the world a huge lesson, that this kind of aggression would not stand. the problem was that they didn't go all the way to baghdad. >> but that would have been a much bigger military operation because what many of the allies

had signed on to was only to liberate kuwait. the united states allowed saddam hussein to stay in power. >> the message flashed in new york city's times square said it all. the war in the gulf has ended. >> saddam hussein had bigger than life ambitions. and he was willing to do whatever it took to stay in power, to exert himself, to make iraq the geostrategic center of the middle east. and he failed at all of them. i wanti did my ancestrydna and where i came from. and i couldn't wait to get my pie chart. the most shocking result was that i'm 26% native american.

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demonstrators protesting the communist party marched to the walls of the kremlin. all of this keeps the pressure on gorbachev who has promised to accelerate the pace of his reforms. these people want him to deliver on that promise, now. >> many of the protesters carried the flag of free revolutionary russia. >> gorbachev's reforms weren't

working. prices for food and energy in russia will go up several hundred percent next week. >> life was becoming harder. consumer goods harder to find. food even hard to come by. the economic system was breaking down. >> in a country accustomed to shortages, people are saying they've never had it so bad. >> hardliners did not like the tone of reforms introduced by gorbachev. >> gorbachev's reforms were meant to restore and refresh communism and save the soviet union and actually they had exactly the opposite effect. >> you couldn't reform this economic system. you had to throw it out. gorbachev wasn't willing or able to do that. so it was only a matter of time before the old establishment were going to try to get rid of him. >> mr. gorbachev's message calling for national unity has fallen on deaf ears. >> it's difficult for outsiders to capture the maelstrom that gorbachev was in. i remember being with him when i was traveling with president bush. he was depleted by what he had had to deal with on every level. >> it was a parade that was intended to celebrate a united and successful soviet military machine.

but this day comes as the army is losing its role abroad and prestige at home, intending to blame mr. gorbachev. >> i had a call from the mayor of moscow and while we talked about local politics, he wrote on a sheet of paper that a coup was being organized against gorbachev, and i told him that we have information that president bush wanted him to know. a coup is being organized and could happen at almost any time. first, he sort of laughed and said president bush has said that we are friends and now he's proved it. you did exactly what you should do. but don't worry, it's not going to happen. >> in connection of the health problems of soviet union president mikhail gorbachev, the vice president is becoming president of the soviet union.

>> it was announced on television that gorbachev was ill and therefore a committee would take charge until he recovered. >> a column of tanks is reported to be heading towards the russian parliament in moscow where thousands of people have gathered in defiance of the new soviet government. >> gorbachev's whereabouts tonight are unknown. there are thoughts he is under house arrest. he certainly isn't able to act as he wants to. >> gorbachev, every year, liked to holiday on the black sea. and his aides showed up at his home and cut off communications and took away his nuclear codes. >> the kgb chief, the military commander, the minister of the interior and the prime minister joined forces to mount the coup. >> nothing threatens mr. gorbachev. he's in a safe place. except he needs some time to feel better. >> shevardnadze warned today

that the right wing coup would have tragic consequences. >> it is the beginning of civil war. >> extraordinary drama in moscow tonight. scenes of destruction, of fire, even of blood on the streets. >> four people died, shot or crushed by armored vehicles. >> speculation he's being held in moscow, at least 50,000 people gathered at the russian parliament building. >> gorbachev wasn't that popular at that point, but these people were even less popular than gorbachev. if they mounted a coup in 1989 or early 1990, he might have fallen and the new soviet union would have been quite different. but there were already new legitimate figures that the russian people were supporting and were expecting a lot from. >> around 50,000 supporters of boris yeltsin gathered to chant their support for the man who is now carrying the battered banner of liberal reform.

>> boris yeltsin had been popularly elected as president of the russian federation. he was emerging as an alternative power to the communist party leaders. >> let me put on my glasses here for a moment and read you a piece of wire copy that has just come across on reuters. >> russian president boris yeltsin ordered all army and kgb units involved in the overthrow of gorbachev to stand down and said he was assuming control on the territory of russia. clearly, there is a major confrontation shaping up in the russian republic. >> the presidents' day began with a succession of meetings and phone calls. among his conversations were one with boris yeltsin whose status in the white house has risen suddenly to that of the potential savior of soviet democracy. >> when the tanks came in, the commander called him and said i'm supposed to attack you, but i will not. i will protect you. and that's when he stood up on the tank and indicated to the coup leaders, these guys are

with me and not with you. >> it is a coup by criminals, said yeltsin. >> because of the liberalization that gorbachev had brought about, the communist party and the military could no longer move against the russian people. and that was earth shaking. >> tonight moscow's skyline was ablaze with celebration. relief as the symbols of conflict were removed. >> gorbachev comes back to moscow, but the soviet institutions, the totalitarian system of government that had led this country for 70 years, collapsed virtually overnight. and that was an amazing thing to see. >> when gorbachev saw evidence that his vision of a free leninist state wasn't going to come to pass, rather than cracking down so he could stay in the kremlin, he let it happen. that takes a political courage that is so unusual in world history. >> you are looking at the

russian flag flying tonight over the kremlin. just before the kremlin cameras clicked on today, mikhail gorbachev said to himself, quote, when you have to go, you have to go. he then officially resigned as president of the soviet union and turned over the nuclear codes to the new top man russia's boris yeltsin. >> society has been granted its freedom. has been politically and spiritually unchained and that's our biggest achievement. >> there's a saying about a revolution devouring its own children. in russia's case, it devoured its own father, gorbachev. i wish you all all the best.

there are times when you have to wonder why anyone in his or her right mind would want to be president of the united states. exhibit a, george bush. >> it's one of the tragedies of the american system that presidents feel they need to be re-elected to prove their legacy. that the first election wasn't a fluke. >> for republicans, what a difference a year makes. 365 days ago, president bush's popularity was at an all-time high. >> after the gulf war, people believed we would have four more years. but the economy was in a recession and while everyone approved of how he handled the war, there were concerns about how he handled the economy. >> in little rock, arkansas, governor bill clinton makes it

official. clinton said president bush is out of touch with americans because he favors the rich at the expense of the middle class. >> i believe that together we can make america great again. >> bill clinton is very formidable. he proves early on to understand the major vulnerability of george h.w. bush, and that's the economy. >> and that is why today i proudly announce my candidacy for president of the united states of america. >> americans compete for fewer jobs and it's a sure bet unemployment will be growing again by election day. >> 83,000 jobs gone. >> another 140,000 americans became unemployed. >> i know the pain up here. i have heard about the lost homes and the shattered lives. we had won the cold war and i thought instead of putting all these countries abroad first, it was time that we started looking out for our own country and our own people. all of these things led me to

believe that if nobody's going to do it, i think i might. >> he is yesterday, and we are tomorrow. so i am declaring my candidacy for the republican nomination for president of the united states. >> pat buchanan is a super smart super ideological guy who worked in the nixon administration and was like pushing nixon to the right. >> pat buchanan becomes george bush's worst nightmare. he starts talking to the american people who are feeling a little unsure as the reagan prosperity engine sputters. >> all those are with us can come on in. >> while george bush was an excellent foreign policy president, he was not a good politician. >> to get to that. >> let me quote the words of one arab leader, saddam hussein himself. >> pick this up or take it out much my off my october or -- pocket or -- >> george bush was a little awkward. it's like he's pretending to be a politician. he did not look forward to the

'92 election. >> to deflect public criticism of his foreign travels, the president said his trip to japan was about jobs, jobs, jobs. the result was hardly what his image makers hoped for. >> the lone camera in the dining room was locked in on the head table when president bush was overcome by nausea and fell forward. it appears he lost consciousness as he toppled over on to his host, the prime minister. >> this man who had overseen the soft landing of the cold war, who had been commander in chief for a brilliant victory against iraq, would be viewed as a weak leader. he vomited into the lap of the japanese prime minister and it was caught on tape. the timing, the optics couldn't have been worse and he knew it. the primaries were about to begin. >> when i get the flu, i do it in a very dramatic, dramatic way. but it was so embarrassing.

>> this is a '92 vote special report from abc news. >> good evening, i'm peter jennings. a brief interruption for an update on the new hampshire presidential primary. tonight the voters of new hampshire very concerned with the state of the economy, their own particularly, have given president bush an unpleasant surprise. although abc news projected a victory for the president, conservative commentator patrick buchanan is likely to get more than 40% of the vote. >> pat buchanan is able to get the critical mass of people. with his charisma to create a big rift in the republican party. >> h. ross perot, the texas billionaire with lots of ideas. by the way, is there any scenario in which you would run for president? >> number one, i will not run as a democrat or a republican because a couple not sell out to anybody but the american people. i will sell out to them. >> ross perot went on larry king and announced he was going to run for president as an independent. >> i don't want any money from anybody but you. >> i didn't win the nomination.

but i think ross perot saw what we did, saw the vulnerability of bush, and made his decision right then to go. >> well, there's one thing for sure. ross perot's unorthodox way of campaigning has struck a chord with many voters. >> he bought a half hour on nbc to talk about his plan for curing what ails the economy. >> ross perot, plain talk about jobs, debt and the washington mess. >> i thought it would be a good idea to take the most important problem first. that problem is our economy and jobs. >> out of nowhere comes ross perot, this straight talking billionaire who looks a little goofy for the age of television but because he has the old southern charm, he's able to evoke an old-fashioned america that pat buchanan is also evoking that george bush is not able to evoke effectively. ross perot starts running against george h.w. bush as a steward.

>> we can win! >> the ross perot phenomenon reached new heights. >> ross perot was making inroads. the white house was just furious and scared. if he continued to attract republican voters, then bush was going to lose. you know what's awesome? gig-speed internet.

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who do you most trust to be sitting in this chair? >> american presidents tend to love foreign policies because they don't have to deal with foreign congress but the truth is that most american elections are determined by domestic politics, not so much by your foreign achievements. so george h.w. bush even after this amazing victory in the persian gulf runs into storms. >> campaign '92. >> good evening. president george bush, governor bill clinton and independent candidate for president ross perot are about to make their second joint appearance of the campaign. >> bill clinton is someone who understood the best way it learn about problems of his constituents was to sit there and talk to them. bill clinton loved the town hall

format. >> you know people who have lost theirs jobs and lost their homes? >> uh-huh. >> in my state, when someone loses their jobs, there is a good chance i'll know them by their names. >> george h.w. bush didn't have that personal touch. >> it has a lot to do with interest rates. >> she's saying you. >> on a personal basis, how has this affected you. >> this town hall is clearly excruciating for george bush. he likes people but he is not particularly good at it. >> are you suggesting that if somebody has means that the national debt doesn't effect them? i'm not sure i get it. tell me the question and i'll try to answer. >> tv was completely dominating american politics and president bush didn't benefit from that. >> what is the competition for american foreign business. >> we have got to stop sending jobs overseas. >> one of ross perot's biggest arguments during debates is that nafta agreement which president bush supports and is trying to push is going to cost american jobs.

>> if you can move your factory south of the border and you don't care about anything other than making money, there will be a job-sucking sound going south. >> this is an argument that in the middle of the recession resonates with a lot of voters. >> we have a question right here. >> then when he is asked a question, president bush looks at his watch that symbolizes every bad image that people had. he doesn't care, he wasn't interested. >> at the second debate, the president left many supporters shaking their heads. the president kept looking at his watch. campaign aides said he was merely concerned that his opponents were getting too much time. but it made him look impatient and disinterested. >> that is the george bush of 1992. completely out of step with the direction that american culture is taking. >> democrat bill clinton, once obscure governor of a small southern state, racked up the electoral votes needed to win the presidency of the united states. in doing so he defeated a gop incumbent once believed

unbeatable. >> when bush loses the 1992 election, it is certainly a generational shift. clinton really does trounce bush in a way that is pretty significant and jarring for a sitting president to be defeated in that way. >> my fellow americans -- >> george bush was a proud guy. and when he lost in 1992, he wept. >> george bush is the fourth elected president this century to be rejected by the people and denied a second term. >> he wrote in his diary that he was crushed. that he had been humiliated. after all he had done for his country, and for all the service that had rendered in war and peace, he was being told to go home. that was a painful message. >> listen, we got to get going. thank you.

>> the people have spoken. and we respect the majesty of the democratic system. i just called governor clinton over in little rock and offered my congratulations. >> george bush took the loss to bill clinton very hard. bill clinton was his son's age. >> thank you so much. >> people are sure that george bush's presidency will be the overlooked moment between the charisma of ronald reagan and the charisma of bill clinton. as we look back on the bush presidency we see stock going up. we see he managed the end of the cold war. he let the soviet union go off into the dust bin of history and america emerged as the great power of the 1990s. >> he won the world but lost his own country. the reason was in no small degree economics. in american politics most people in the end vote their pocket books. >> i believe that history will deal extraordinarily kindly when

president bush, the way he brought about germany's unification and nato. the way he dealt with iraqi aggression but did it in a way that brought the international community together. >> people often think that history is scripted. but there are moments in history when even the most powerful people don't really know what's going to come next. and this was that time in world history. the world owes george bush such a debt of gratitude for leading us through this. >> if it's true that george bush prizes loyalty above all then this must be one of the most gratifying sights of his political life. devoted employees, party faithful, old friends and family all gathered in a communal effort to put the bruising campaign and humiliating loss behind them. >> we will support the new president and give him every chance to lead this country into greater heights.

i am very grateful to all of you. it's been a wonderful four years, and i think we've really contributed something to the country. and maybe history will record it that way. thank you all very, very much. president clinton said today he is very pleased with his first year in office, but not a bit happy about how it's ending. >> let him look into it. i just want to go back to work. >> whitewater is not going away. >> republicans smell blood. >> the seismic shift to the right in the political landscape of america tonight. >> his re-election campaign is heating up. >> clinton has won a second term as president of the united states. >> political trouble for the president. >> possibility of impeaching the president must now be addressed. ♪