George H. W. Bush had been Vice President for Ronald Reagan, but when he became President he faced a dramatically changing world, as the Cold War ended after 40 bitter years, the Communist empire broke up, and the Berlin Wall fell. The Soviet Union ceased to exist; and reformist President Mikhail Gorbachev, whom Bush had supported, resigned. President Bush sent American troops into Panama to overthrow the corrupt regime of General Manuel Noriega. when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, then threatened to move into Saudi Arabia. Bush moved to free Kuwait, and successfully did so in Operation Desert Storm, where after weeks of air and missile bombardment, the 100-hour operation routed Iraq's million-man army. Despite unprecedented popularity from this military and diplomatic triumph, Bush was unable to withstand discontent at home from a faltering economy, rising violence in inner cities, and continued high deficit spending. In 1992 he lost his bid for reelection to Democrat William Clinton.