Read My Lips: No New Taxes; Foreword by George Bush

Octavo, [6], 159pp, [3]. Blue cloth, quarter black leather, title in gilt on spine and cover. Housed in the publisher's matching blue cloth slipcase, in fine condition. From a limited edition of 175 numbered copies and 26 deluxe copies signed by President George Bush. This book is a presentation copy, held back for the author and signed by President George H.W. Bush and former President Gerald R. Ford (pg. 57). A scarce piece. In November 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, which raised several taxes-including increasing the top individual income-tax rate from 28 percent to 31 percent, raising the alternative minimum tax, and tightening high-income itemized deductions and exemptions-as part of a deficit reduction compromise. The decision directly contradicted his 1988 campaign pledge, "Read my lips: no new taxes," frustrating many conservatives and damaging his credibility. This reversal became a central issue in the 1992 presidential campaign, where Democratic challenger Bill Clinton used it to question Bush's trustworthiness, and many analysts cite Bush's broken promise as a major factor in his defeat to Clinton.…