George W. Bush: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Infobox President

| name = George Walker Bush

| image = George-W-Bush.jpeg

| order = 43rd

| office = President of the United States

| term_start = [[January 20]], [[2001]]

| term_end =

| vicepresident = [[Dick Cheney]]

| predecessor = [[Bill Clinton]]

| successor = [[United States presidential election, 2008|Incumbent]]

| order2 = 46th

| office2 = Governor of Texas

| term_start2 = [[January 17]], [[1995]]

| term_end2 = [[December 21]], [[2000]]

| lieutenant2 = [[Bob Bullock]] [[Rick Perry]]

| predecessor2 = [[Ann Richards]]

| successor2 = [[Rick Perry]]

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|7|6}}

| birth_place = [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], [[United States|US]]

| nationality = [[United States|American]]

| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]

| spouse = [[Laura Bush]]

| occupation = [[Businessperson|Businessman]] ([[Petroleum industry|oil]], [[baseball]])

| alma_mater = [[Yale University]] [[Harvard Business School]]

| residence = [[Crawford, Texas]]

| religion = [[United Methodist Church|United Methodist]]<ref name="um">{{cite web

| url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jesus/etc/script.html

| title = The Jesus Factor

| accessdate = 2004-05-06

| work = WGBH

| publisher = PBS

}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Cooperman |first=Alan |title=Openly Religious, to a Point |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A24634-2004Sep15?language=printer |accessdate=2007-09-22}}</ref>

| signature = GWB signature 2007.jpg

| footnotes =

}}

'''George Walker Bush''' (born [[July 6]], [[1946]]) is the forty-third and current [[President of the United States|President of the United States of America]], originally inaugurated on [[January 20]], [[2001]]. Bush was first elected in the [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000 presidential election]], and reelected for a second term in the [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004 presidential election]]. He previously served as the forty-sixth [[List of Governors of Texas|Governor of Texas]] from 1995 to 2000 and is the eldest son of former United States President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]].

After graduating from college, Bush worked in his [[Bush family|family]]'s oil businesses before making an unsuccessful run for the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] in 1978. He later co-owned the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] [[baseball]] team before returning to politics in a campaign for Governor of Texas. He defeated [[Ann Richards]] and was elected Governor of Texas in 1994. Bush won the presidency in 2000 as the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate in a [[United States presidential election, 2000|close and controversial contest]], in which he lost the nationwide popular vote, but won the [[United States Electoral College|electoral vote]].

As president, Bush signed into law a $1.35 trillion [[tax cut]] program in 2001,<ref>

{{cite web

| url = http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/06/07/bush.taxes/

| title = $1.35 trillion tax cut becomes law

| accessdate = 2007-10-21

}}</ref> and in 2002 the [[No Child Left Behind Act]]. In October 2001, after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|attacks on September 11, 2001]], Bush announced a global ''[[War on Terrorism]]'' and ordered an [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|invasion of Afghanistan]] to overthrow the [[Taliban]], destroy [[Al-Qaeda]], and to capture [[Osama bin Laden]]. In March 2003, Bush ordered the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]], asserting that Iraq was in violation of [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441|UN Security Council Resolution 1441]] and that the war was necessary for the protection of the United States.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030319-1.html| title=March 18, 2003 Presidential Letter| publisher=Whitehouse.gov| accessdate=2006-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030205-1.html| year=February 5, 2003| title=U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Addresses the U.N. Security Council|first=Colin| last=Powell| publisher=Whitehouse.gov| accessdate=2006-05-25}}</ref>

Running as a self-described "war president" in the midst of the [[Iraq War]],<ref name="War President">{{cite web| url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4179618/| title = Transcript for Feb. 8th| accessdate = 2006-09-09|date= [[2004-02-08]]| publisher = MSNBC}}</ref> Bush was [[United States presidential election, 2004|re-elected]] on [[November 2]], [[2004]];<ref>[http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=2004 2004 Presidential Election Results]</ref> his [[George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2004|presidential campaign]] against [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[John Kerry]] was successful despite controversy over Bush's prosecution of the Iraq War and domestic issues.<ref>[http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004d.html 13 October 2004 "The Third Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate" transcript]</ref><ref>CNN's exit poll showed Terrorism (19%) and Iraq (15%) as the third and fourth most important issues behind Moral Values (22%) and the Economy (20%) [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html "CNN — U.S. President / National / Exit Poll / Election 2004"]</ref> After his re-election, Bush received increasingly heated [[Criticism of George W. Bush|criticism]]. His domestic [[Approval rating|approval]] has ranged from 90 percent (the highest ever recorded by [[The Gallup Organization]])<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2007/07/usatgallup-po-1.html|accessdate=2007-11-28|publisher=USA Today|date=10 July 2007|title=USAT/Gallup Poll: Bush approval at new low; Republican support eroding}}</ref> immediately after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] to a low of 24 percent,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1624620720071017?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true|title=Voters Unhappy with Bush and Congress|date=October 17, 2007|accessdate=2007-10-17|publisher=Reuters}}</ref> with a disapproval rating of 65 percent, the highest level of disfavor for any sitting president since Richard Nixon and the third worst since the end of World War II.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/24/AR2007072402263.html?hpid=moreheadlines| accessdate=2007-07-25|publisher=Washington Post|date=25 July 2007| title=Disfavor for Bush Hits Rare Heights; In Modern Era, Only Nixon and Truman Scored Worse, Just Barely}}</ref>

==Childhood to mid-life==

{{main|Early life of George W. Bush|Professional life of George W. Bush}}

[[Image:GW-Bush-in-uniform.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Lt. George W. Bush while in the National Guard.]]

Born in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], [[Connecticut]] on [[July 6]], [[1946]], Bush was the first child of [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[Barbara Bush]] (née Pierce). Bush was raised in [[Midland, Texas|Midland]] and [[Houston, Texas]], with his four siblings, [[Jeb Bush|Jeb]], [[Neil Bush|Neil]], [[Marvin Bush|Marvin]], and [[Dorothy Bush Koch|Dorothy]]. Another younger sister, [[Robin Bush|Robin]], died in 1953 at the age of three from [[leukemia]].<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.famoustexans.com/georgewbush.htm

| title = George Walker Bush

| accessdate = 2006-06-27

|date= [[2005-02-03]]

| work = Famous Texans

| publisher = famoustexans.com

}}</ref> Bush's grandfather, [[Prescott Bush]], was a [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] from Connecticut, and his father served as U.S. President from 1989 to 1993. He is also distantly related to President [[Franklin Pierce]] and several other presidents.{{Fact|date=November 2007}}

Bush attended [[Phillips Academy]] in [[Andover, Massachusetts]], where he played baseball, and was the head cheerleader at the all-boys school during his senior year.<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/democracy/bush/stories/bush/

| title = George W. Bush: Living the Bush Legacy

| accessdate = 2007-03-18

| date = 2000-10-29

| work = CNN

| publisher = cnn.com

}}</ref><ref>See also

{{cite web

|url = http://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/061000wh-bush.html

|title = George W. Bush's Journey ''The Cheerleader'': Earning A's in People Skills at Andover

|author = [[Nicholas D. Kristof]]

|publisher = [[The New York Times]]

|date = 2000-06-10

|accessdate = 2007-06-23

}}

</ref> Following in his father's footsteps, Bush attended [[Yale University]], where he received a [[Bachelor's degree]] in history in 1968.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/biography.html |title=Biography of President George W. Bush |accessdate=2007-07-10|publisher=[[The White House]]}}</ref> As a college senior, Bush became a member of the secretive [[Skull and Bones]] society. By his own characterization, Bush was an average student.<ref>{{cite news

|author = Associated Press

|url = http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,25229,00.html

|title = Self-Deprecating Bush Talks to Yale Grads

|publisher = FOXNews.com

|date= [[2001-05-21]]

|accessdate = 2006-06-27

}}</ref><ref>{{cite news

|author = Inside Politics

|url = http://www.insidepolitics.org/heard/heard32300.html

|title = Bush/Gore Grades and SAT Scores

|publisher = insidepolitics.org

|date= [[2005-06-17]]

|accessdate = 2007-07-05

}}</ref>

In May 1968, at the height of the ongoing [[Vietnam War]], Bush was accepted into the Texas [[Air National Guard]] despite<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A7372-2004Feb2?language=printer

|title = Bush's Guard Service In Question

|accessdate = 2007-07-03

|last = Romano

|first = Lois

|date = [[2004-02-03]]

|publisher = The Washington Post

|pages = p. A08

}}</ref> only scoring in the 25th percentile<ref>{{cite news

|author = United States Department of Defense

|url = http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/bush_records/index.html

|title = Official DoD service records of Texas Air National Guard member George Walker Bush

|publisher = http://www.defenselink.mil/

|date= [[2005-06-17]]

|accessdate = 2007-07-05

}}</ref><ref>[http://www.icodap.org/papers/AFHRL/AFHRL-TR-69-103.pdf The Innovation Center for Occupational Data, Applications and Practices: Interpretation and Utilization of Scores on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test]</ref> on the pilot's written aptitude test, which was the lowest acceptable passing grade.<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A7372-2004Feb2?language=printer

|title = Bush's Guard Service In Question

|accessdate = 2007-07-03

|last = Romano

|first = Lois

|date = [[2004-02-03]]

|publisher = The Washington Post

|pages = p. A08

}}</ref> This was at a time when more than ten thousand Air National Guard personnel, many fighter pilots, had been called to active duty to serve both in Vietnam, and in support of operations there.<ref>{{cite web

| last =United States Air Force

| first =National Guard Bureau Historical Services Division

| title =Vietnam War

| url =[http://www.ang.af.mil/history/Heritage/VietnamWar.asp]

| accessdate =2007-08-08}}</ref> After training, he was assigned to duty in [[Houston]], flying [[Convair]] [[F-102 Delta Dagger|F-102s]] out of [[Ellington Field|Ellington Air Force Base]].<ref>{{cite news

|first = Byron

|last = York

|url = http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/york200408261025.asp

|title = The Facts about Bush and the National Guard

|publisher = National Review Online

|date= [[2004-08-26]]

|accessdate = 2007-10-19

}}</ref> [[George W. Bush military service controversy|Critics have alleged]] that Bush was favorably treated during his time of service due to his father's political standing and that he was irregular in attendance. The [[United States Department of Defense]] has released all of the records of Bush's Texas Air National Guard service which it says remain in its official archives.<ref>{{cite news

|author = United States Department of Defense

|url = http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/bush_records/index.html

|title = Official DoD service records of Texas Air National Guard member George Walker Bush

|publisher = http://www.defenselink.mil/

|date= [[2005-06-17]]

|accessdate = 2007-07-05

}}</ref>

In 1970 Bush applied to the [[University of Texas School of Law]] and was rejected.<ref>

{{cite web

| url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2000/bush/cron.html

| publisher = [[PBS]] - [[Frontline]]

| title = Bush Chronology

| accessdate = 2007-10-28

}}</ref> Bush took a transfer to the [[Alabama]] Air National Guard in 1972 to work on a Republican senate campaign, and in October 1973 he was discharged for the Texas Air National Guard almost eight months early to attend [[Harvard Business School]] and completed his six-year service obligation in the inactive reserve.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brit Hume, Mara Liasson, Jeff Birnbaum, Charles Krauthammer |title=The All-Star Panel Discusses John Kerry's Shifting Positions on Iraq War Spending | work=Fox News Network (transcript) |date=09-07-2004 | language=English }}</ref>

There are a number of [[George W. Bush substance abuse controversy|accounts of substance abuse]] and otherwise disorderly conduct by Bush from this time. Bush has admitted to drinking "too much" in those years and described this period of his life as his "nomadic" period of "irresponsible youth".<ref name="Life-changing">{{cite news

|first = Lois

|last = Romano

|coauthors = George Lardner Jr

|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/bush072599.htm

|title = Bush's Life-Changing Year

|publisher = [[The Washington Post]]

|date= [[1999-07-25]]

|accessdate = 2006-06-27

}}</ref> On [[September 4]], [[1976]], at the age of 30, Bush was arrested for [[Drunk driving (United States)|driving under the influence]] of alcohol ([[DUI]]) near his family's summer home in [[Kennebunkport, Maine|Kennebunkport]], [[Maine]]. He pled guilty, was fined $150, and had his [[driver's license]] suspended in Maine until 1978.<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/bushdmv1.html

| title = 2000 Driving Record

| accessdate = 2006-08-09

|date= [[2000-11-02]]

| publisher = Department of the [[Secretary of State of Maine]]

}}</ref><ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998465,00.html

| title = Fallout From A Midnight Ride

| accessdate = 2006-09-08

|date= [[2000-11-13]]

| work = Time Magazine

}}</ref>

[[Image:Bush daughers.gif|thumb|left|George and Laura Bush with their daughters Jenna and Barbara, 1990.]]

After obtaining an [[Master of Business Administration|MBA]] from [[Harvard University]],<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=3378

| title = GWB: HBS MBA

| accessdate = 2006-10-16

| work = The American Thinker

| publisher = www.americanthinker.com

}}</ref> Bush entered the [[oil industry]] in Texas. In 1977, he was introduced by friends to [[Laura Bush|Laura Welch]], a schoolteacher and librarian. They married and settled in [[Midland, Texas]]. Bush left his family's [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal]] Church to join his wife's [[United Methodist Church]].<ref name="um" />

In 1978, Bush ran for the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] from the [[Texas's 19th congressional district|19th Congressional District of Texas]]. His opponent [[Kent Hance]] portrayed Bush as being out of touch with rural Texans; Bush lost by 6,000 votes.<ref name= NewsMine>{{cite news

|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991017/aponline114059_000.htm

|title = Bush Wasn't Always a Front-Runner

|publisher = [[Washington Post]]

|date= [[1999-10-17]]

|accessdate = 2007-04-07

}}</ref>

Bush returned to the oil industry, becoming a senior partner or chief executive officer of several ventures, such as [[Arbusto Energy]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Stone |first=Peter H. | title=Big oil's White House pipelines | journal=National Journal|date=04-07-2001 | issue=33 |page=1042 | language=English | id=ISSN: 03604217 }}</ref> [[Spectrum 7]], and, later, [[Harken Energy]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Carlisle, John K |title=George Soros's Plan to Defeat George Bush | work=Human Events |date=03-01-2004 | language=English }}</ref> These ventures suffered from the general decline of oil prices in the 1980s that had affected the industry and the regional economy. Additionally, questions of possible [[George W. Bush insider trading allegations|insider trading]] involving Harken have arisen, though the [[United States Securities and Exchange Commission|Securities and Exchange Commission]]'s (SEC) investigation of Bush concluded that he did not have enough insider information before his stock sale to warrant a case.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0721-02.htm |title = Files: Bush Knew Firm's Plight Before Stock Sale |publisher = [[Washington Post]] |date= [[2002-07-21]] |accessdate = 2007-01-02}}</ref>

Bush moved with his family to [[Washington, D.C.]], in 1988, to work on his father's campaign for the U.S. presidency.<ref>{{cite book |last= Bush |first= George W. |authorlink= |coauthors= Bill Adler | title= The Quotable George W. Bush: A Portrait in His Own Words |publisher= Andrews McMeel Publishing |date= 2004 |isbn= 978-0-7407-4154-8 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news

|author = Public Broadcasting System

|url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2000/bush/wead.html

|title = George W. Bush and the religious right in the 1988 campaign of George H.W. Bush

|publisher = www.pbs.org

|date= [[2005-06-17]]

|accessdate = 2007-07-05

}}</ref> Returning to Texas after the campaign, Bush purchased a share in the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] baseball franchise in April 1989, where he served as managing general partner for five years.<ref name= TexRngrs>{{cite web

|last = Farrey

|first = Tom

|url = http://espn.go.com/mlb/bush/timeline.html

|title = A series of beneficial moves

|publisher = [[ESPN]]

|date= [[1999-11-01]]

|accessdate = 2007-01-21

}}</ref> Bush actively led the team's projects and regularly attended its games, often choosing to sit in the open stands with fans.<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/governors/modern/bush-p04.html

|title = George W. Bush in Little League uniform

|publisher = [[Texas State Library and Archives Commission]]

|accessdate = 2007-01-21

}}</ref> The sale of Bush's share in the Rangers brought him over $15 million from his initial $800,000 investment.<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.makethemaccountable.com/tax/SaleOfBaseballTeam.htm

|title = Sale of baseball team

|publisher = Make Them Accountable

|date = [[2002-08-19]]

|accessdate = 2007-01-21

}}</ref>

==Elected positions==

===Governor of Texas===

Bush declared his candidacy for the 1994 Texas [[gubernatorial]] election as his brother, [[Jeb Bush|Jeb]], sought the governorship of [[Florida]]. Winning the Republican primary easily, Bush faced incumbent Governor [[Ann Richards]], a popular Democrat who was considered the favorite.

Bush was aided by several political advisers, including [[Karen Hughes]], [[John Allbaugh]], and [[Karl Rove]]. The Bush campaign was criticized for allegedly using controversial methods to disparage Richards. Following an impressive performance in the debates, however, Bush's popularity grew. He won with 52 percent against Richards' 47 percent.<ref name="SlaterBrain">{{cite book | last = Wayne Slater | first = James Moore | year = 2003 | title = Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential | publisher = Wiley | isbn= 978-0-471-42327-0 | pages = p.210 }}</ref>

As governor, Bush successfully sponsored legislation for tort reform, increased education funding, set higher standards for schools, and reformed the [[criminal justice]] system. Under his leadership, Texas executed a record 152 prisoners.<ref name="executions">{{cite web|url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17670|title=The New York Review of Books: Death in Texas}}</ref> Bush used a budget surplus to push through a $2 billion tax-cut plan, the largest in Texas history, which cemented Bush's credentials as a pro-business fiscal conservative.<ref name="SlaterBrain"/>

Bush also pioneered [[White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives|faith-based welfare programs]] by extending government funding and support for religious organizations that provide social services such as education, alcohol and drug abuse prevention, and reduction of domestic violence. He proclaimed [[June 10]] to be [[Jesus Day]] in [[Texas]], a day where he "urge[d] all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need."<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jesus/art/pop_jesusday.jpg

| title = Jesus Day

| accessdate = 2006-06-30

| author = Texas State

| date= [[2005-03-11]]

| format = JPEG

| work = Texas State Archives

| publisher = PBS

}}</ref>

In 1998, Bush won re-election in a [[landslide victory]] with nearly 69 percent of the vote.<ref>{{cite news

|author = Associated Press

|url = http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1998/11/03/election/governors/texas

|title = Texas Gov. George W. Bush wins in landslide

|publisher = CNN

|date= [[1998-11-03]]

|accessdate = 2006-06-30

}}</ref> Within a year, he had decided to seek the [[GOP|Republican]] nomination for the presidency.

===2000 Presidential candidacy===

====Primary====

Bush's campaign was managed by Rove, Hughes and Allbaugh, as well as by other political associates from Texas. He was endorsed by a majority of Republicans in 38 state legislatures. After winning the [[Iowa caucus]], Bush lost to U.S. Senator [[John McCain]] of [[Arizona]] in the [[New Hampshire primary]]. Bush then picked up eleven of the next sixteen primaries, effectively clinching the Republican nomination.

In the televised Republican presidential debate held in [[Des Moines, Iowa]] on [[December 13]] [[1999]], all of the participating candidates were asked "What political [[philosophy|philosopher]] or thinker do you most identify with and why?" Unlike most of the other candidates, who cited former presidents and other political figures, Bush responded, "[[Jesus|Christ]], because he changed my heart". Bush's appeal to religious values seems to have aided him in the general election. In a [[Gallup poll]] those who said they "attend church weekly" gave him 56% of their vote in 2000, and 63% of their vote in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=13957 |title = How Americans Voted |publisher = The Gallup Organization |date= [[2004-11-05]]

|format=Subscriber only |accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref> During the election cycle, Bush labeled himself a "[[compassionate conservatism|compassionate conservative]]", and his [[political campaign]] promised to "restore honor and dignity to the [[White House]]," a reference to the scandals and impeachment of his predecessor.<ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0009/23/se.02.html George W. Bush Speaks at Send-Off in Orlando] ([[September 23]] [[2000]]).</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Ex-FBI Chief On Clinton's Scandals |date=October 6, 2005|journal=60 Minutes|publisher=CBS News|url= http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/06/60minutes/main923095.shtml}}</ref>

====General election====

On [[July 25]] [[2000]], Bush surprised some observers by asking [[Halliburton Corporation]] chief executive officer [[Dick Cheney]], a former [[White House Chief of Staff]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] and [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]], to be his Vice Presidential [[running mate]]. Cheney was then serving as head of Bush's Vice-Presidential search committee.

While stressing his successful record as governor of Texas, Bush's campaign criticized<ref>Sack, Kevin; Toner, Robin ([[August 13]] [[2000]]). [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E5DF133FF930A2575BC0A9669C8B63&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=1 The 2000 Campaign: The Record; In Congress, Gore Selected Issues Ready for Prime Time]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved on [[July 20]] [[2007]].</ref> the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President [[Al Gore]], over [[gun politics|gun control]] and taxation.

Bush won the 2000 elections in a heated victory that saw the state of [[Florida]] appearing in exit polls to go to Gore, then to Bush. Two initial counts went to Bush but that outcome was tied up in courts for a month until the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] stepped in. On [[December 9]], in the ''[[Bush v. Gore]]'' case, it reversed a Florida Supreme Court ruling ordering a third count and stopped an ordered statewide hand recount based on the argument that the different standards that different counting procedures would have used violated the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. The machine recount stated that Bush had won the Florida vote by a margin of 537 votes out of 6 million cast.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2000presgeresults.htm| title = 2000 Official General Election Presidential Results| access date = 2007-01-12|date= December 2001| publisher = Federal Election Commission}}</ref> The famous episode pushed terms like [[hanging chad]] into the popular lexicon.

Bush received 271 [[United States Electoral College|electoral votes]] to Gore's 266 as a result of the Florida outcome. However, he lost the popular vote by more than half a million votes<ref>[http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2000presgeresults.htm 2000 Presidential General Election Results]</ref> making him the first president elected without at least a [[plurality]] of the popular vote since [[Benjamin Harrison]] in 1888.<ref>[http://ap.grolier.com/cgi-bin-unauth/dated_article_news?templatename=/news/news.html&assetid=apn20050223.04&seq=5&assettype=0tdnp "The Electoral College: How It Works" Grolier.com]</ref><ref>[http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2000presgeresults.htm 2000 Presidential General Election Results]</ref>

===2004 Presidential candidacy===

[[Image:Bush 43 10-19-04 Stpete.jpg|thumb|upright|George W. Bush speaks at a campaign rally in 2004.]]

Bush commanded broad support in the Republican Party and did not encounter a primary challenge. He appointed [[Kenneth Mehlman]] as campaign manager, with a political strategy devised by Rove.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec04/rove_9-01.html| title = An Interview With Karl Rove| accessdate = 2006-09-09|date= [[2004-08-01]]| work = NewsHour with Jim Lehrer| publisher = PBS}}</ref> Bush outlined an agenda that included a strong commitment to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a renewal of the [[USA PATRIOT Act]], making earlier tax cuts permanent, cutting the budget deficit in half, promoting education, as well as reform in tort law, reforming Social Security, and creation of an [[ownership society]].

The Bush campaign advertised across the U.S. against Democratic candidates, including Bush's emerging opponent, [[Massachusetts]] Senator [[John Kerry]]. Kerry and other Democrats attacked Bush on the war in Iraq, perceived excesses of the USA PATRIOT Act and for allegedly failing to stimulate the economy and job growth. The Bush campaign portrayed Kerry as a staunch [[American liberalism|liberal]] who would raise taxes and increase the size of government. The Bush campaign continuously criticized Kerry's seemingly contradictory statements on the war in Iraq, and claimed Kerry lacked the decisiveness and vision necessary for success in the war on terrorism. Bush carried 31 of 50 states for a total of 286 [[United States Electoral College|Electoral College]] votes.

Bush won an outright [[majority]] of the popular vote, the first president to do so since his father in 1988.<ref name="16 years">{{cite web| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,,1342908,00.html| title = And now … four more years| accessdate = 2007-05-25|date= [[2004-11-04]]| publisher = Guardian Unlimited}}</ref> In addition, Bush's re-election occurring along with the Republican Party maintaining its majorities in both houses of Congress was the first time this instance occurred since [[Calvin Coolidge]]'s election in [[United States presidential election, 1924|1924]].

==Presidency==

{{main|Presidency of George W. Bush|George W. Bush's first term as President of the United States|George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States|George W. Bush Cabinet|Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration}}

{{Infobox U.S. Cabinet

|align=left

|Name=Bush

|President=[[George W. Bush]]

|President start=2001

|President end=

|Vice President=[[Dick Cheney]]

|Vice President start=2001

|Vice President end=

|State=[[Colin Powell]]

|State start=2001

|State end=2005

|State 2=[[Condoleezza Rice]]

|State start 2=2005

|State end 2=

|Treasury=[[Paul O'Neill (cabinet member)|Paul O'Neill]]

|Treasury start=2001

|Treasury end=2002

|Treasury 2=[[John W. Snow]]

|Treasury start 2=2003

|Treasury end 2=2006

|Treasury 3=[[Henry Paulson]]

|Treasury start 3=2006

|Treasury end 3=

|Defense=[[Donald Rumsfeld]]

|Defense start=2001

|Defense end=2006

|Defense 2=[[Robert Gates]]

|Defense start 2=2006

|Defense end 2=

|Justice=[[John Ashcroft]]

|Justice start=2001

|Justice end=2005

|Justice 2=[[Alberto Gonzales]]

|Justice start 2=2005

|Justice end 2=2007

|Justice 3=[[Michael Mukasey]]

|Justice start 3=2007

|Justice end 3=

|Interior=[[Gale Norton]]

|Interior start=2001

|Interior end=2006

|Interior 2=[[Dirk Kempthorne]]

|Interior start 2=2006

|Interior end 2=

|Agriculture=[[Ann Veneman]]

|Agriculture start=2001

|Agriculture end=2005

|Agriculture 2=[[Mike Johanns]]

|Agriculture start 2=2005

|Agriculture end 2=2007

|Commerce=[[Donald Evans]]

|Commerce start=2001

|Commerce end=2005

|Commerce 2=[[Carlos Gutierrez]]

|Commerce start 2=2005

|Commerce end 2=

|Labor=[[Elaine Chao]]

|Labor start=2001

|Labor end=

|Health and Human Services=[[Tommy Thompson]]

|Health and Human Services start=2001

|Health and Human Services end=2005

|Health and Human Services 2=[[Michael Leavitt]]

|Health and Human Services start 2=2005

|Health and Human Services end 2=

|Education=[[Rod Paige]]

|Education start=2001

|Education end=2005

|Education 2=[[Margaret Spellings]]

|Education start 2=2005

|Education end 2=

|Housing and Urban Development=[[Mel Martinez]]

|Housing and Urban Development start=2001

|Housing and Urban Development end=2003

|Housing and Urban Development 2=[[Alphonso Jackson]]

|Housing and Urban Development start 2=2003

|Housing and Urban Development end 2=

|Transportation=[[Norman Mineta]]

|Transportation start=2001

|Transportation end=2006

|Transportation 2=[[Mary Peters (politician)|Mary Peters]]

|Transportation start 2=2006

|Transportation end 2=

|Energy=[[Spencer Abraham]]

|Energy start=2001

|Energy end=2005

|Energy 2=[[Samuel Bodman]]

|Energy start 2=2005

|Energy end 2=

|Veterans Affairs=[[Anthony Principi]]

|Veterans Affairs start=2001

|Veterans Affairs end=2005

|Veterans Affairs 2=[[Jim Nicholson (U.S. politician)|Jim Nicholson]]

|Veterans Affairs start 2=2005

|Veterans Affairs end 2= 2007

|Homeland Security=[[Tom Ridge]]

|Homeland Security start=2003

|Homeland Security end=2005

|Homeland Security 2=[[Michael Chertoff]]

|Homeland Security start 2=2005

|Homeland Security end 2=

}}

====Economic policy====

Facing opposition in Congress, Bush held town hall-style public meetings across the U.S. in 2001 to increase public support for his plan for a $1.35 trillion tax cut program—one of the largest tax cuts in U.S. history. Bush and his economic advisers argued that unspent government funds should be returned to taxpayers. With reports of the threat of recession from Federal Reserve Chairman [[Alan Greenspan]], Bush argued that such a tax cut would stimulate the economy and create jobs.<ref>{{cite news |first = Kelly |last = Wallace |url = http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/06/07/bush.taxes |title = $1.35 trillion tax cut becomes law |publisher = [[CNN]] InsidePolitics archives |date= [[2001-06-07]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref> Others, including the Treasury Secretary at the time [[Paul O'Neill (cabinet member)|Paul O'Neill]], were opposed to some of the tax cuts on the basis that they would contribute to budget deficits and undermine [[Social Security]].<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5510.htm|title = CBS Interviews Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill]|accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref>

Under the Bush Administration, Real [[GDP]] has grown at an average annual rate of 2.5%,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bea.gov/national/xls/gdpchg.xls|title = Gross Domestic Product|publisher = Bureau of Economic Analysis|accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref> considerably below the average for business cycles from 1949 to 2000.<ref name="Price">{{cite web|url=http://www.epi.org/briefingpapers/168/bp168.pdf|title=Price, L. (October 25, 2005). The Boom That Wasn’t: The economy has little to show for $860 billion in tax cuts.|accessdate=2007-11-10}}</ref><ref name="Price & Ratner">{{cite web|url=http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_20051026=|title=Price, L. & Ratner, D. (October 26, 2005). Economy pays price for Bush’s tax cuts.|accessdate=2007-11-10}}</ref> The Dow Jones Industrial Average has grown by about 30% since January 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=%5EDJI|title=Historical Prices for Dow Jones Industrial Average}}</ref> [[Unemployment]] rose from 4.2% in January 2001 to 6.3% in June 2003, dropping to its current rate of 4.5%.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cpsatab1.htm|title = Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey|publisher = U.S. Department of Labor|accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref> The on-budget deficit for 2006 was $434 billion, a change from an $86 billion surplus in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbo.gov/budget/historical.pdf|title=Revenues, Outlays, Surpluses, Deficits, and Debt Held by the Public, 1962 to 2006|publisher=Congressional Budget Office|accessdate=2007-07-25}}</ref> Inflation-adjusted [[median household income]] has been flat while the nation's poverty rate has increased.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p60-231.pdf|title=Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2005|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2007-07-25}}</ref> By August 23, 2007, the national debt had officially risen to $8.98 trillion dollars; the national debt has increased $3.25 trillion dollars since Bush took office.<ref>{{cite news|title= Spending and the national debt|publisher= The Washington Times|date= [[2007-09-02]]|url= http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070902/EDITORIAL/109020028/1013|accessdate= 2007-09-02}}</ref>

While some argue that the Bush-era economy has mostly benefited the wealthy and not the majority of middle and lower-class citizens<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/17/Dobbs.Oct18/index.html Fighting back in the war on the middle class]</ref><ref>[http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/43430/ Bush's Economy 'Doing Remarkably Well'] by [[Molly Ivins]], [[AlterNet]]. [[October 24]] [[2006]].</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/washington/08tax.html?ei=5088&en=e1dc830d58c7eacb&ex=1325912400&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1168290792-GR0HodSCCzDHPWdgiU8nlg|title = Tax Cuts Offer Most for Very Rich, Study Says|publisher = The New York Times|date = 2007-01-08|accessdate = 2007-01-14}}</ref>, and still others have claimed the exact opposite<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20070113-103432-9181r.htm|title = Tax cuts and the rich|publisher = The Washington Times|date = 2007-01-14|accessdate = 2007-01-14}}</ref><ref>http://www.creators.com/opinion/alan-reynolds/tax-cuts-and-the-rich.html</ref>; information available suggests that the standard of living has increased on all rungs of the socio-economic strata -- with the bulk of income gains having gone to the top 1%,<ref name="Yellen, J. L. (6 November, 2006). Speech to the Center for the Study of Democracy at the University of California, Irvine. ''Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco''.">{{cite web|url=http://www.frbsf.org/news/speeches/2006/1106.html|title=Yellen, J. L. (6 November, 2006). Speech to the Center for the Study of Democracy at the University of California, Irvine. ''Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco''.|accessdate=2007-06-20}}</ref> whose share of income has increased substantially.<ref name="Johnston, D. (29 March, 2007). Income Gap Is Widening, Data Shows. ''The New York Times''">{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/29/business/29tax.html?ex=1332820800&en=fb472e72466c34c8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss|title=Johnston, D. (29 March, 2007). Income Gap Is Widening, Data Shows. ''The New York Times''|accessdate=2007-06-20}}</ref>

Another significant part of the Bush economic plan was the [[Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act]] of 2005.

====Education and health====

[[Image:No Child Left Behind Act.jpg|thumb|right|Bush signs the [[No Child Left Behind Act]] into law.]]

The [[No Child Left Behind Act]] aimed to measure and close the gap between rich and poor student performance, provide options to parents with students in low-performing schools, and target more federal funding to low-income [[schools]]. Critics argue that Bush has underfunded his own program, and Democratic Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] has claimed: "The tragedy is that these long-overdue reforms are finally in place, but the funds are not."<ref>{{cite news |author = W. James Antle III |url = http://www.amconmag.com/2005_08_01/article.html |title = Leaving No Child Left Behind |publisher = [[The American Conservative]] |date= [[2005-08-01]] |accessdate = 2006-10-11}}</ref> Many educational experts have criticized these reforms, contending that NCLBA's focus on "high stakes testing" and quantitative outcomes is counterproductive.<ref>{{cite news |author = Harvard Graduate School of Education |url = http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/features/pierce07012002.html |title = No Child Left Behind? |publisher = HGSE News |date= [[2002-06-01]] |accessdate = 2006-10-11}}</ref><ref> ''Raising Standards or Raising Barriers?'' Edited by Gary Orfield and Mindy L. Kornhaber. The Century Foundation Press. [[May 1]] [[2001]]</ref> Bush increased funding for the [[National Science Foundation]] and [[National Institutes of Health]] in his first years of office, and created education programs to strengthen the grounding in science and mathematics for American high school students. However, funding for NIH failed to keep up with inflation in 2004 and 2005, and was actually cut in 2006, the first such cut in 36 years.<ref>{{cite news |author = Committee on Appropriations—Democratic Staff |url = http://www.house.gov/appropriations_democrats/pdf/2006-7-26-NIH-paper.pdf#search=%22bush%20nih%20funding%22 |title = President Bush and House Republicans Undermine Life Saving Health Research |publisher = U.S. House of Representatives |date= [[2006-09-12]] |accessdate = 2006-10-11}}</ref>

In 2007, Bush opposed and vetoed [[SCHIP]] legislation which was tied by the Democrats onto a war funding bill and passed by Congress. The Schip legislation would have significantly expanded federally-funded health care benefits and plans to children of some low-income families from about 6 million to 10 million children, and would have furthered the goal of removing [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] from vaccines. It was to be funded by an increase in the cigarette tax.<ref>{{cite news |author = Michael Abramowitz and Jonathan Weisman |url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/03/AR2007100300116.html?hpid=topnews |title = Bush Vetoes Health Measure |publisher = Washington Post |date= 2007-10-04 |accessdate = 2007-10-09}}</ref> Bush viewed the legislation as a move toward the liberal platform of socialized health care, and claimed that the program could benefit families making as much as $83,000 per year who would not have otherwise needed the help.<ref>{{cite news

|url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/washington/04bush.html?hp

|title = Bush Vetoes Child Health Bill Privately

|publisher = The New York Times

|date= [[2007-10-04]]

|accessdate = 2007-11-01

}}</ref>

====Social services and Social Security====

Bush promoted increased deregulation and investment options in social services, leading Republican efforts to pass the [[Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act|Medicare Act of 2003]], which added prescription drug coverage to Medicare and created [[Health Savings Accounts]], which would permit people to set aside a portion of their Medicare tax to build a "nest egg". The retired persons lobby group [[AARP]] worked with the Bush Administration on the program and gave their endorsement. Bush said the law, estimated to cost $400 billion over the first 10 years, would give the elderly "better choices and more control over their health care".<ref>{{cite news

|url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031208-2.html

|title = President Signs Medicare Legislation

|publisher = The White House

|date= [[2003-12-08]]

|accessdate = 2006-06-30

}}</ref>

Bush began his second term by outlining a major initiative to reform Social Security, which was facing record deficit projections beginning in 2005. Bush made it the centerpiece of his agenda despite contrary beliefs in the media and in the U.S. Congress, which saw the program as the "[[Third rail (metaphor)|third rail of politics]]," with the American public being suspicious of any attempt to change it. It was also widely believed to be the province of the Democratic Party, with Republicans in the past having been accused of efforts to dismantle or privatize it. In his [[2005 State of the Union address]], Bush discussed the allegedly impending bankruptcy of the program and attacked political inertia against reform. He proposed options to permit Americans to divert a portion of their Social Security tax (FICA) into secured investments, creating a "nest egg" that he claimed would enjoy steady growth. Despite emphasizing safeguards and remaining open to other plans, Bush's proposal was criticized for its high cost, and Democrats attacked it as an effort to partially privatize the system, and for leaving Americans open to the whims of the market. Bush embarked on a 60-day national tour, campaigning vigorously for his initiative in media events ("Conversations on Social Security") in a largely unsuccessful attempt to gain support from the general public.<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28120-2005Mar11.html

| title = Social Security: On With the Show

| accessdate = 2006-09-09

| author = Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker

|date= [[2005-02-12]]

| publisher = The Washington Post

}}</ref> Despite energetic campaign by Bush to promote his Social Security reform plan, by May 2005 the public support for the Bush proposal declined substantially<ref>{{ cite web

| url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f944a850-b830-11d9-bc7c-00000e2511c8,_i_rssPage=80fdaff6-cbe5-11d7-81c6-0820abe49a01.html

| title =Bush shifts approach on Social Security reform

| accessdate= 2007-09-09

| date [[2005-04-28]]

| publisher = Financial Times

}}</ref> and the House GOP leadership decided not to put Social Security reform on the priority list for the remainder of their 2005 legislative agenda.<ref>[http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/33/11527 Social Security in Limbo], The Hill, June 1, 2005 Truthout.org</ref> The proposal's legislative prospects were further diminished by the political fallout from the [[Hurricane Katrina]] in the fall of 2005.<ref>{{cite web | title=FT.com / In depth / Hurricane impact — Hurricane dims Bush's hopes on Social Security | url=http://news.ft.com/cms/s/00d6ee20-2b9f-11da-995a-00000e2511c8.html | accessdate=September 9 | accessyear=2007 }}</ref>

In the run-up to the 2006 congressional elections, the Republican leadership in Congress put the hot-button issue of the Social Security reform on the back burner. No substantive legislative action was taken on this issue in 2006. After the Democrats took over control of both houses of Congress as a result of the 2006 mid-term elections, the prospects of any further congressional action on the Bush proposal appeared to be dead for the remainder of his term in office.

====Environmental policy and global warming====

{{main|Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration#Environment|Environmental policy}}

Upon arriving in office in 2001, Bush withdrew United States support of the [[Kyoto Protocol]], an amendment to the [[United Nations]] Convention on Climate Change seeking to impose mandatory targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He did so after the Senate had voted 95–0 on a resolution expressing its disapproval in 1997. Bush asserted he would not support it because the treaty exempted 80% of the world's population,<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010314.html Text of a Letter from the President to Senators Hagel, Helms, Craig, and Roberts], Office of the Press Secretary, March 13, 2001</ref> would have cost the economy tens of billions of dollars per year,<ref>[http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/kyoto/economic.htm Summary of the Kyoto Report—Assessment of Economic Impacts], Energy Information Administration, page last modified Jul 16 2002.</ref> and was based on the uncertain science of climate change.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.alternet.org/story/11054/ | work=AlterNet| title= George W. Bush: The Un-science Guy | first= David last=Corn |date= [[2001-06-19]]| accessdate=2006-11-05}}</ref> The Bush Administration's stance on [[global warming]] has remained controversial in the scientific and environmental communities during his presidency.

In 2004, the Director of [[NASA]]'s Goddard Institute, [[James Hansen]], publicly and harshly accused the Administration of misinforming the public by suppressing the scientific evidence of the dangers of greenhouse gases, saying the Bush Administration wanted to hear only scientific results that “fit predetermined, inflexible positions” and edited reports to make the dangers sound less threatening in what he asserted was "direct opposition to the most fundamental precepts of science."<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6341451/

| title = NASA Scientist Rips Bush on Global Warming

| publisher = MSNBC

| date = 2004-10-27

| accessdate = 2007-01-22

}}</ref><ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/17/60minutes/main1415985_page2.shtml

| title = 60 Minutes: Rewriting the Science

| publisher = CBS News

| date = [[2006-03-19]]

| accessdate = 2007-01-22

}}</ref> Bush had said that he has consistently noted that global warming is a serious problem, but asserted there is a "debate over whether it's manmade or naturally caused".<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/06/20060626-2.html

| title = Press Conference

| publisher = White House

| date = [[2006-06-26]]

| accessdate = 2007-01-22

}}</ref> In his [[2007 State of the Union Address]], Bush renewed his pledge to work toward diminished reliance on foreign oil by reducing fossil fuel consumption and increasing alternative fuel production.<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070123-2.html Full text (and video) of 2007 State of the Union address]</ref>

In 2002, Bush announced the [[Clear Skies Initiative]],<ref name="EXsummary">{{cite web

|url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/02/clearskies.html

|title = Executive Summary—The Clear Skies Initiative

|publisher = White House

|date = 2002-02-14

|accessdate = 2007-02-02

}}</ref> aimed at amending the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution through the use of [[emissions trading]] programs. Critics contended that it would have weakened the original legislation by allowing higher levels of pollutants than were permitted at that time.<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/clear_skies.asp

|publisher = Sierra Club

|title = Clear Skies Proposal Weakens the Clean Air Act

|accessdate = 2007-02-04

}}</ref> The initiative was introduced to Congress, but failed to make it out of committee.

In 2006, Bush declared the [[Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]] a national monument, creating the largest marine reserve to date. It comprises 84 million acres (340,000 km²) and is home to 7,000 species of fish, birds and other marine animals, many of which are specific to only those islands.<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13300363/

|title = Bush creates world’s biggest ocean preserve

|publisher = MSNBC

|date = [[2006-06-16]]

|accessdate = 2007-01-31

}}</ref> The move was hailed by conservationists for "its foresight and leadership in protecting this incredible area."<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.nature.org/initiatives/marine/press/press2489.html

|title = The Nature Conservancy Applauds President Bush for Creating World’s Largest Marine Conservation Area in Hawaii

|publisher = The Nature Conservancy

|date = [[2006-06-16]]

|accessdate = 2007-01-31

}}</ref>

====Stem cell research and first use of veto power====

Federal funding for medical research involving the creation or destruction of human embryos through the [[Department of Health and Human Services]] and the [[National Institutes of Health]] has been forbidden by law since the [[Republican Revolution]] of 1995.<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.aaas.org/spp/cstc/briefs/stemcells/index.shtml

| title = AAAS Policy Brief: Stem Cell Research

| accessdate = 2006-09-09

| publisher = American Association for the Advancement of Science

}}</ref> Bush has asserted that he supports stem cell research, but only to the extent that human embryos are not destroyed in order to harvest additional [[stem cells]].<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/20010809-2.html

| title = President Discusses Stem Cell Research

| publisher = Office of the President of the United States

}}</ref> On [[August 9]] [[2001]], Bush signed an executive order lifting the ban on federal funding for the 71 existing "lines" of [[stem cells]],<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/NIHFedPolicy.asp

| title = NIH's Role in Federal Policy [Stem Cell Information]

| publisher = National Institutes of Health

}}</ref> but the ability of these existing lines to provide an adequate medium for testing has been questioned. Testing can only be done on 12 of the original lines, and all of the approved lines have been cultured in contact with mouse cells, which makes it highly unlikely [[FDA]] would ever approve them for administration to humans.<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,472876,00.html

| title = Stem Cells in Limbo

| publisher = TIME

| date = [[2003-08-11]]

| accessdate = 2007-01-13

}}</ref> Mouse cells are often contaminated with viruses, and they feed cell surface antigens to the stem cells that prevent safe administration to humans.<ref>[http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics3.asp Stem Cell Basics: III. What are embryonic stem cells?]</ref><ref>[http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6604 US stem cells tainted by mouse material]</ref>

On [[July 19]] [[2006]], Bush used his [[veto]] power for the first time in his presidency to veto the [[Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act]], a bill that would have reversed the [[Dickey Amendment]], permitting federal money to be used for research where stem cells are derived from the destruction of an embryo.<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/19/stemcells.veto/

| title = Bush Vetoes Embryonic Stem Cell Bill

| publisher = CNN

}}</ref>

====Immigration====

In 2006, Bush shifted focus somewhat to re-emphasize immediate and comprehensive immigration reform. Going beyond calls from Republicans and conservatives to secure the border, Bush demanded that Congress create a "temporary guest-worker program" to allow more than 12 million [[illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]] to obtain legal status. Bush continues to argue that the lack of legal status denies the protections of U.S. laws to millions of people who face dangers of poverty and exploitation, and penalizes employers despite a demand for immigrant labor.

Bush urged [[Congress]] to provide additional funding for border security, and committed to deploying 6,000 [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] troops to the [[United States-Mexico border]].<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/29/bush.immigration/

| title = Bush takes tough talk on immigration to Texas

| accessdate = 2006-09-09

| author = CNN

|date= [[2005-11-29]]

}}</ref>

In May-June 2007 Bush strongly supported the [[Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007]] which was written by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators with the active participation of the Bush administration. <ref> [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070517-7.html Fact Sheet: Border Security and Immigration Reform, May 17, 2007] at www.whitehouse.gov</ref> The bill envisioned: a legalization program for undocumented immigrants, with an eventual path to citizenship; establishing a guest worker program; a series of border and worksite enforcement measures; a reform of the green card application process and the introduction of a point-based "merit" system for green cards; elimination of "chain migration" and of the diversity [[green card lottery]]; and other measures.

A heated public debate followed, which resulted in a substantial rift within the Republican Party, with the majority of the conservative base opposing the bill because of its legalization or "amnesty" provisions.<ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0807/5449.html Talk radio helped sink immigration reform, Politico.com article,] August 20, 2007</ref>

The bill was finally defeated in the Senate on June 28, 2007, when a cloture motion failed on a 46-53 vote, whereas 60 positive votes were needed for the motion to pass.<ref>[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/immigration-bill-goes-down-in-defeat-2007-06-28.html TheHill.com - 46-53, immigration bill goes down in defeat]</ref> Bush was very disappointed in the bill's failure that also represented a defeat of one of his signature domestic initiatives.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/28/immigration.congress/index.html Senate immigration bill suffers crushing defeat], CNN.com</ref><ref> [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070628-7.html "President Bush Disappointed by Congress's Failure to Act on Comprehensive Immigration Reform", June 28, 2007 ] at www.whitehouse.gov </ref> The Bush administration later proposed a series of immigration enforcement measures that do not require a change in law.<ref> [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/08/20070810.html The White House Fact Sheet: Improving Border Security and Immigration Within Existing Law ], August 10, 2007</ref>

====Civil liberties and treatment of detainees====

Following the events of September 11, Bush issued an executive order authorizing the [[NSA]] to monitor communications between suspected terrorists outside the U.S. and parties within the U.S. without obtaining a warrant pursuant to the [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]],<ref>{{cite press release|title=Briefing by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and General Michael Hayden|publisher=The White House|date=[[2005-12-19]]| url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051219-1.html|accessdate=2007-09-02}}</ref> maintaining that the warrant requirements of FISA were implicitly superseded by the subsequent passage of the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force]].<ref>U.S. Department of Justice White Paper on NSA Legal Authorities [http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/nsa/dojnsa11906wp.pdf "Legal Authorities Supporting the Activities of the National Security Agency Described by the President" (pdf)] [[January 19]] [[2006]].</ref> The program proved to be [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|controversial]], as critics of the administration, as well as organizations such as the [[American Bar Association]], claimed it was illegal.<ref>{{cite news|title = Gonzales defends wiretaps amid protest| publisher = CNN|date = [[2006-01-26]]|url = http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/24/nsa.strategy/index.html|accessdate = 2007-09-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lawyers Group Criticizes Surveillance Program|publisher=The Washington Post|date=[[2006-02-14]]| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021302006.html|accessdate=2007-09-02}}</ref> In August 2006, a U.S. district court judge ruled that the [[Terrorist Surveillance Program]] was unconstitutional,<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090101410.html

| title = Judge Asked to Suspend Ruling Against Wiretaps

| accessdate = 2006-09-21

|date= [[2006-09-02]]

| work = The Washington Post

}}</ref> though the decision was later dismissed.<ref>{{cite news|title=Court dismisses lawsuit on spying program |publisher=Reuters |date=[[2007-07-06]] |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0642400020070706 |accessdate = 2007-09-02}}</ref> On January 17, 2007, Attorney General [[Alberto Gonzales]] informed U.S. Senate leaders that the program would not be reauthorized by the president, but would be subjected to judicial oversight.[http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/politics/20060117gonzales_Letter.pdf]

On [[October 17]], [[2006]] Bush signed into law the [[Military Commissions Act of 2006]],<ref name="detainee">{{cite web

| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-09-28-congress-terrorism_x.htm

| title = Bush's detainee interrogation and prosecution plan approved by Senate

| accessdate = 2006-09-29

| author = The Associated Press

|date= [[2005-09-28]]

| publisher = USA Today

}}</ref> a bill passed in the wake of the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]'s decision on ''[[Hamdan v. Rumsfeld]]''<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/opinion/28thu1.html?ex=1317096000&en=3eb3ba3410944ff9&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss "Rushing Off a Cliff", ''The New York Times'', September 28, 2006]</ref>, which allows the U.S. government the ability to prosecute [[unlawful enemy combatants]] by military commission rather than the standard trial. The bill also eliminates [[habeas corpus]] and, while barring torture of detainees, allows the president to determine what constitutes torture.<ref name="detainee"/>

====Hurricane Katrina====

One of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, [[Hurricane Katrina]], struck early in Bush’s second term. Katrina formed in late August during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season and devastated much of the north-central [[Gulf Coast]] of the United States, particularly [[New Orleans]].<ref> Knabb, Richard D; Rhome, Jamie R.; Brown, Daniel P ([[December 20]] [[2005]]). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Katrina: 23–30 August 2005 (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved on [[2006-05-30]].</ref>

[[Image:Hurricane Katrina President Bush with New Orleans Mayor.jpg|thumb|left|Bush shakes hands with [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]] Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] [[September 2]], [[2005]] after viewing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.]]

Bush declared a state of emergency in [[Louisiana]] on [[August 27]],<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana] on August 27, [[The White House]], [[August 27]], [[2005]].</ref> and in Mississippi and Alabama on [[August 28]];<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050828.html Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Mississippi], [[The White House]], [[August 28]], [[2005]]</ref><ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050828-3.html Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Alabama], [[The White House]], [[August 28]], [[2005]]</ref> he authorized the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] (DHS) and [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA) to manage the disaster, but his announcement failed to spur these agencies to action.<ref name=dyson>{{cite book | last = Dyson | first = Michael Eric | authorlink = Michael Eric Dyson | title = Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster | publisher = Basic Civitas | year = 2006 | page = p.57 | isbn = 978-0-465-01761-4 }}</ref> The eye of the hurricane made landfall on [[August 29]], and New Orleans started to flood due to levee breaches; later that day, Bush declared that a major disaster existed in Louisiana,<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050829-2.html Statement on Federal Disaster Assistance for Louisiana]</ref> officially authorizing FEMA to start using federal funds to help with the recovery effort. On [[August 30]], Department of Homeland Security secretary [[Michael Chertoff]] declared it "an incident of national significance,"<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050831-2.html Press Gaggle with Scott McClellan]</ref> triggering the first use of the newly created [[National Response Plan]]. Three days later, on [[September 2]], National Guard troops first entered the city of New Orleans.<ref name = "tpm">[http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/katrina-timeline.php Hurricane Katrina Timeline]</ref> The same day, Bush toured parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and declared that the success of the recovery effort up to that point was "not enough."<ref name=USAToday-Katrina>{{cite web

| title = National Guard descends on New Orleans, giving evacuees hope

| author = Associated Press

| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-02-katrina_x.htm

| publisher = USA Today

|date= [[3 September]], [[2005]]

| accessdate = 2007-01-09

}}</ref>

Due to mounting criticism as the disaster in New Orleans intensified, Bush claimed full responsibility for the failures on the part of the federal government in its response to the hurricane.<ref name = "tpm"/> Criticisms of Bush focused on three main issues. First, leaders from both parties attacked the president for having appointed incompetent leaders to positions of power at FEMA, most notably [[Michael D. Brown]],<ref>[http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0906Katrina-Brown-ON.html FEMA director Brown singled out by critics of federal response], [[Washington Post]], [[September 6]], [[2005]]</ref> who worked for the [[Arabian Horse Association]] before commanding FEMA. Bush had praised the work of Brown just as weaknesses in the FEMA response were becoming obvious to the public. Second, many people argued that the inadequacy of the federal response was the result of the [[Iraq War]] and the demands it placed on the armed forces and the federal budget.<ref name="ArmyTimesDeployment">{{cite web

| url = http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1066780.php

| title = Overseas deployments hinder Guard hurricane presence

| accessdate = 2005-09-29

| author = Pete Yost, AP

|date= [[2005-08-30]]

| publisher = ArmyTimes.com

}}</ref> Third, in the days immediately following the disaster, Bush denied having received warnings about the possibility of floodwaters breaching the levees protecting New Orleans.<ref>"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." George W. Bush to Diane Sawyer, ''Good Morning America'', [[September 1]] [[2005]].</ref> However, the presidential videoconference briefing of [[August 28]] shows [[Max Mayfield]] warning the president that overflowing the levees was "obviously a very, very grave concern."<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/katrinatranscript-0828.pdf Page 6, Transcript. Presidential Videoconference Briefing, [[August 28]] [[2005]].]</ref> Critics claimed that the president was misrepresenting his administration's role in what they saw as a flawed response.

===Foreign policy===

[[Image:Martín Torrijos visits GWBush, 2007Feb16.jpg|thumb|President George Bush reunites with Panamanian president [[Martin Torrijos]].]]

The Bush administration withdrew U.S. support for several international agreements, including the [[Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty]] (ABM) with [[Russia]]. It pursued a [[national missile defense]] which was previously barred by the ABM treaty and was never ratified by Congress.<ref>{{cite news

|url = http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/abmt/news/010501bush.html

|title = President Bush Speech on Missile Defense

|publisher = Federation of American Scientists

|date= [[2001-05-01]]

|accessdate = 2006-06-30

}}</ref>

Bush also expressed U.S. support for the defense of [[Taiwan]] following the stand-off in April 2001 with the [[People's Republic of China]] over the [[Hainan Island incident]], when an [[EP-3E]] spy plane collided with a Chinese air force jet, leading to the detention of U.S. personnel. In 2003–2004, Bush authorized U.S. military intervention in [[Haiti]] and [[Liberia]] to protect U.S. interests.

[[Image:Red Sea Summit in Aqaba.jpg|left|thumb|Bush, [[Mahmoud Abbas]], and [[Ariel Sharon]] meet at the Red Sea Summit in [[Aqaba]], [[Jordan]] on [[June 4]], [[2003]].]]

Bush emphasized a careful approach to the conflict between [[Israel]] and the [[Palestinian]]s. Bush denounced [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] leader [[Yasser Arafat]] for alleged support of violence. However, he sponsored dialogs between prime ministers [[Ariel Sharon]] and [[Mahmoud Abbas]]. Bush supported Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and lauded the democratic elections held in Palestine after Arafat's death.

[[Image:Gloria arroyo with bush.jpg|thumb|President Bush inspects the [[Malacanang Palace]] honor guards with Philippines' President [[Gloria Arroyo]] during the former's state visit in [[Manila]] on October 2003.]]

In his [[State of the Union Address]] in January 2003, Bush outlined a five-year strategy for global emergency [[AIDS]] relief, the [[President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief]]. Bush announced $15 billion for this effort—$3 billion per year for five years—but requested less in annual budgets.<ref>{{cite news

|author = Associated Press

|url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/01/29/quarter-of-bushs-15-bil_n_14689.html

|title = Quarter Of Bush's $15 Billion For AIDS Going To Christian Groups

|publisher = [[The Huffington Post]]

|date= [[2006-01-29]]

|accessdate = 2006-06-30

}}</ref>

Bush condemned the [[Darfur conflict|attacks]] by militia forces on the people of [[Darfur]], and denounced the killings in [[Sudan]] as [[genocide]].<ref>{{cite news

|author = Jim VandeHei

|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/01/AR2005060101725.html

|title = In Break With U.N., Bush Calls Sudan Killings Genocide

|publisher = [[The Washington Post]]

|date= [[2005-06-02]]

|accessdate = 2006-07-25

}}</ref> Bush said that an international [[peacekeeping]] presence was critical in Darfur, but opposed referring the situation to the [[International Criminal Court]].

[[Image:Bush Fox Harper.jpg|thumb|President George W. Bush, then-President of Mexico, [[Vicente Fox]] and [[Canada]]'s Prime Minister [[Stephen Harper]] stand in front of "[[El Castillo, Chichen Itza|El Castillo]]" in [[Chichen Itza]], [[March 30]], [[2006]].]]

Bush began his second term with an emphasis on improving strained relations with [[Europe]]an nations. He appointed long-time adviser [[Karen Hughes]] to oversee a global public relations campaign. Bush lauded the pro-democracy struggles in [[Republic of Georgia|Georgia]] and [[Ukraine]]. In March 2006, Bush visited [[India]], leading to renewed ties between the two countries, particularly in areas of [[nuclear energy]] and counter-terrorism cooperation.<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060302-5.html

| title = U.S.-India Joint Statement

| accessdate = 2006-09-28

}}</ref>

Midway through Bush's second term, many analysts observed a retreat from his freedom and democracy agenda, highlighted in policy changes toward some oil-rich former Soviet republics in central Asia.<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/23/AR2006042301017.html

| title = Retreat From the Freedom Agenda

| accessdate = 2006-09-14

| last = Diehl

| first = Jackson

|date= [[2005-04-24]]

| work = Washington Post

}}</ref>

Bush has voiced his staunch support for the independence of [[Kosovo]]. On [[June 10]] [[2007]], he met with Albanian Prime Minister [[Sali Berisha]] and became the first president to visit Albania. He repeated his support for Kosovo's independence: "At some point in time, sooner rather than later, you’ve got to say, ‘Enough is enough. Kosovo is independent."<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/world/europe/10cnd-prexy.html?hp Bush is Greeted Warmly in Albania] - By Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, [[10 June]] [[2007]].</ref>

====September 11, 2001====

The [[September 11]] terrorist attacks were a major turning point in Bush's presidency. That evening, he addressed the U.S. from the [[Oval Office]], promising a strong response to the attacks but emphasizing the need for the nation to come together and comfort the families of the victims. On [[September 14]], he visited the [[World Trade Center site]], meeting with Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] and firefighters, police officers and volunteers. Bush addressed the gathering via megaphone while standing on a heap of rubble:

{{cquote|I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.}}

In a [[September 20]] [[2001]] speech, Bush condemned [[Osama bin Laden]] and [[al Qaeda]], and issued the [[Taliban]] regime in Afghanistan, where bin Laden was operating, an ultimatum to "hand over the terrorists, or … share in their fate."<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People]</ref> Bush announced a global [[War on Terrorism]], and after the Afghan Taliban regime was not forthcoming with Osama bin Laden, he ordered the [[2001-present war in Afghanistan|invasion of Afghanistan]] to overthrow the Taliban regime.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/ |year=[[September 20]] [[2001]]|title=President Bush's address to joint session of Congress}}</ref>

====War on Terror====

After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] on the United States by the [[al Qaeda]] organization of [[Osama bin Laden]] and the invasion of Afghanistan in response, Bush announced a global [[War on Terror]] in his [[January 29]] [[2002]] [[State of the Union]] address and asserted that an "[[axis of evil]]" consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq was "arming to threaten the peace of the world" and "pose[d] a grave and growing danger".<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html Presidential State of the Union Address] [[January 29]] [[2002]]</ref>

The Bush Administration proceeded to assert a right and intention to engage in [[preemptive war]], also called [[preventive war]], in response to perceived threats.<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss5.html National Security Strategy of the United States, Part V] September 2002</ref> This would form a basis for what became known as the [[Bush Doctrine]]. The broader "War on Terror", allegations of an "axis of evil", and, in particular, the doctrine of preemptive war, began to weaken the unprecedented levels of international and domestic support for Bush and United States action against al Qaeda following the [[September 11]] attacks.<ref>[http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob1.htm President Bush: Job Ratings] Polling Report.com</ref>

Some national leaders alleged abuse by U.S. troops and called for the U.S. to shut down detention centers in [[Guantanamo Bay detainment camp|Guantanamo Bay]] and elsewhere. Dissent from, and criticism of, Bush's leadership in the War on Terror increased as the war in Iraq expanded.<ref>{{cite book |last= Cumings |first= Bruce |authorlink= |coauthors= Ervand Abrahamian, Moshe Ma'oz |title= Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran, and Syria |publisher= New Press |year= 2006 |isbn= 978-1-59558-038-2 }}</ref><ref> Lopez, George, "Perils of Bush's Pre-emptive War Doctrine", [[Indianapolis Star]], [[October 3]] [[2003]]</ref><ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss5.html Prevent Our Enemies from Threatening Us, Our Allies, and Our Friends with Weapons of Mass Destruction]</ref> In 2006, a [[National Intelligence Estimate]] expressed the combined opinion of the United States' own intelligence agencies, concluding that the Iraq War had become the "[[cause celebre]] for [[jihad]]ists" and that jihad movement was growing.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/26/nie.iraq/index.html NIE: Al Qaeda 'Damaged' Becoming More Scattered] [[CNN]], [[September 26]] [[2006]]</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/23/AR2006092301130.html Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Hurting U.S. Terror Fight] [[Washington Post]], [[September 24]] [[2006]]</ref>

====Afghanistan====

[[Image:GW Bush and Hamid Karzai in Kabul 2006-03-01.jpg|thumb|left|President George W. Bush and President [[Hamid Karzai]] of [[Afghanistan]] appear together in 2006 at a joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in [[Kabul]].]]

On [[October 7]], [[2001]], U.S. and British forces initiated bombing campaigns that led to the arrival on [[November 13]] of [[Afghan Northern Alliance|Northern Alliance]] troops in [[Kabul]]. The main goals of the war were to defeat the [[Taliban]], drive [[al Qaeda]] out of Afghanistan, and capture key al Qaeda leaders. By December 2001, the [[United Nations|UN]] had installed the [[Afghan Interim Authority]] chaired by [[Hamid Karzai]].<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/isaf.cfm

|title = Fact Sheet: International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan

|publisher = Center for Defense Information

|date = 2002-02-14

|accessdate = 2007-01-13

}}</ref><ref>{{cite web

|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4673026.stm

|title = More Dutch troops for Afghanistan

|publisher = BBC News

|date = [[2006-02-03]]

|accessdate = 2007-01-13

}}</ref>

However, efforts to kill or capture al Qaeda leader [[Osama bin Laden]] failed as he escaped a battle in December 2001 in the mountainous region of [[Tora Bora]], which escape the Bush Administration later acknowledged resulted from a failure to commit enough U.S. ground troops.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A62618-2002Apr16 | title = U.S. Concludes bin Laden Escaped at Tora Bora Fight | accessdate = 2007-01-11 |date= [[2002-04-17]] | publisher = Washington Post}}</ref> Bin Laden and al Qaeda's number two leader, [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]], as well as the leader of the Taliban, [[Mohammed Omar]], remained at large as of July 2007.

Despite the initial success in driving the Taliban from power in Kabul, the war continued as by early 2003 the Taliban was regrouping, amassing new funds and recruits.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0508/p01s02-wosc.html?related | title = Taliban Appears To Be Regrouped and Well-Funded | accessdate = 2006-10-23 |date= [[2003-05-08]] | publisher = Christian Science Monitor}}</ref> In 2006 the [[Taliban insurgency]] appeared larger, fiercer, and better organized than expected, with large-scale allied offensives such as the [[Operation Mountain Thrust]] attaining limited success.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=285 | title = World Cannot Give Up on Afghanistan, Coalition Officials Say | accessdate = 2006-10-23 |date= [[2006-06-28]] | publisher = U.S. Dept. of Defense}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5107816.stm | title = Frustrated Karzai toughens stance | accessdate = 2006-10-23 |date= [[2006-07-22]] | publisher = BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-19-taliban-afghanistan-cover_x.htm?csp=34 | title = Revived Taliban waging 'full-blown insurgency' | accessdate = 2006-06-19 |date= [[2006-07-22]] | publisher = USA Today}}</ref>

====Iraq====

Beginning with his [[January 29]], [[2002]] State of the Union address, President Bush began publicly focusing attention on Iraq, which he labeled as part of an "[[axis of evil]]" allied with terrorists and posing "a grave and growing danger" to U.S. interests through possession of "[[weapons of mass destruction]]".<ref>{{cite web|

|date=[[2002-01-02]]

|title=Presidential State of the Union Address

|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html

|accessdate=2007-06-08

}}</ref> In the latter half of 2002, [[Central Intelligence Agency]] [[National Intelligence Estimate|reports]] requested by the administration contained conflicting assertions on whether [[Saddam Hussein]] was intent on reconstituting nuclear weapons programs, had not properly accounted for Iraqi [[Biological warfare|biological]] and [[Chemical warfare|chemical weapons]], and that some Iraqi missiles had a range greater than allowed by the UN sanctions.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.cia.gov/cia/reports/iraq_wmd/Iraq_Oct_2002.htm| title = Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs| accessdate = | year = 2002| month = October| publisher = [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]}}</ref><ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB129/index.htm The National Security Archive at George Washington University]</ref> The question of whether the Bush Administration manipulated or exaggerated the threat and evidence of Iraq's [[Weapons of Mass Destruction]] capabilities or attempted to create a tie between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda attacks would eventually become a major point of criticism and controversy for the president.<ref> Judis, John B. and Ackerman, Spencer, “The Selling of the Iraq War”, The New Republic, June 2003; Hersh, Seymour M., "The Stovepipe", The New Yorker, [[October 27]] [[2003]]</ref> In late 2002 and early 2003, President Bush urged the United Nations to enforce Iraqi [[disarmament]] mandates, precipitating a [[Iraq disarmament crisis|diplomatic crisis]]. In November 2002, Hans Blix and [[Mohamed ElBaradei]] led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, but were forced to depart Iraq four days prior to the U.S. invasion, despite their requests for more time to complete their tasks.<ref>{{cite news |author = Associated Press |url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-17-inspectors-iraq_x.htm |title = U.S. advises weapons inspectors to leave Iraq |publisher = USA Today |date= [[2003-03-17]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30 }}</ref> The U.S. initially sought a [[UN Security Council]] resolution authorizing the use of military force but dropped the bid for UN approval due to vigorous opposition from several countries.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/chapterVII.htm | title = Enforcement Measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter | accessdate = 2006-06-30 | author = United Nations |date= [[2003-02-13]] | work = [[United Nations Charter]] | publisher = United Nations}}</ref>

[[Image:20030501-15 d050103-2-664v.jpg|thumb|left|upright|President Bush, with [[Naval Flight Officer]] Lieutenant Ryan Philips, in the flight suit he wore for his [[Mission Accomplished|televised arrival and speech]] aboard the [[USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)|USS ''Abraham Lincoln'']] in 2003.]]

The war effort was joined by more than 20 other nations (most notably the [[United Kingdom]]), designated the "[[Multinational force in Iraq|coalition of the willing]]".<ref>{{cite news |first = Steve |last = Schifferes |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2862343.stm |title = US names 'coalition of the willing' |publisher = BBC |date= [[2003-03-18]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref> The invasion of Iraq commenced on [[March 20]], [[2003]] and the Iraqi military was quickly defeated. [[Kofi Annan]], [[Boutros Boutros-Ghali]], as well as leaders of several nations made statements implying that the attack constituted a war crime.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3661134.stm |title = Iraq war illegal, says Annan |publisher = BBC |date= [[2004-09-16]] |accessdate = 2006-07-11}}</ref> The capital, [[Baghdad]], fell on [[April 9]], [[2003]]. On [[May 1]], [[2003]], President Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. The initial success of U.S. operations had increased President Bush's popularity, but the U.S. and allied forces faced a growing insurgency led by sectarian groups. As the situation deteriorated, Bush's [[May 1]] [[2003]] "[[Mission Accomplished]]" speech would be criticized as premature.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101031006/ Mission Not Accomplished] [[Time Magazine]]</ref> The Bush Administration was also criticized in subsequent months following the report of the [[Iraq Survey Group]], which did not find the large quantities of weapons that the regime was believed to possess. On [[December 14]], [[2005]], Bush stated that "It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong."<ref>{{cite news |author = Times Online |coauthors = agencies|url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1930698,00.html |title = Bush: we went to war on faulty intelligence |publisher = [[Times Online]] |date= [[2005-12-14]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref> Bush nevertheless continued to assert the war had been worthwhile and confirmed he would have made the same decision if he had known more.

[[Image:MALIKIBUSH.jpg|thumb|President Bush shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister [[Nouri al-Maliki]].]]Iraqi elections and a referendum to approve a constitution were held in January and December 2005. From 2004 through 2007, however, the situation in Iraq deteriorated further, with some observers arguing that the country was engaged in a full scale [[Iraq civil war|civil war]].<ref>{{cite news|title = Colin Powell says Iraq in a 'civil war'|url = http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/29/powell.iraq/index.html|publisher = CNN|date = 2006-11-29|accessdate = 2007-02-17}}</ref> Bush's policies regarding the war in Iraq met increasing criticism, with demands within the United States to set a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. In 2006 a [[National Intelligence Estimate]] asserted that the Iraq war had increased Islamic radicalism and worsened the terror threat.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/washington/25terrorcnd.html |title = Report Stirs Debate on Terror Fight |publisher = [[New York Times]] |date= [[2006-09-24]] |accessdate = 2006-09-25}}</ref> The 2006 report of the bipartisan [[Iraq Study Group]] led by [[James Baker]], concluded that the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating". While Bush admitted that there were strategic mistakes made in regards to the stability of Iraq, he maintained he would not change the overall Iraq strategy.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/images/20061021_d-0072-515h.html | title = President George W. Bush speaks during a video teleconference with Vice President Dick Cheney, on screen, and military commanders. |date= [[2006-10-21]] | accessdate = 2006-10-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=at9X1Z7oilgY | title = Bush Reviews Iraq War Strategy as Violence Mounts (Update1) |date= [[2006-10-21]] | accessdate = 2006-10-22}}</ref> On [[January 10]], [[2007]] Bush addressed the U.S. about the situation in Iraq. In [[wikisource:Presidential Speech Regarding Iraq, January 10 2007|his speech]] he announced the [[Iraq troop surge of 2007|surge of 21,500 more troops for Iraq]], as well as a job program for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and 1.2 billion dollars for these programs.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16558652/page/1/| title=Admitting strategy error, Bush adds Iraq troops | publisher=[[MSNBC]] |date=[[January 11]] [[2007]]}}</ref> On [[May 1]], [[2007]], Bush used his [[veto]] for only the second time in his presidency, rejecting a congressional bill setting a deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.<ref>Stolberg, Sheryl Gay and Jeff Zeleny, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/washington/02policy.html?hp Bush Vetoes Bill Tying Iraq Funds to Exit], ''The New York Times'', [[May 1]], [[2007]].</ref>

====North Korea====

Bush publicly condemned [[Kim Jong-Il]] of [[North Korea]], naming North Korea one of three states in an "[[axis of evil]]," and saying that "[t]he United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons."<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html 2002 State of the Union Address]</ref> Within months, "both countries had walked away from their respective commitments under the [[Agreed Framework between the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea|U.S.-DPRK Agreed Framework of October 1994]]."<ref>[http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Summer/art1-su3.htm Pollack, Jonathan. "The United States, North Korea, and the End of the Agreed Framework." ''Naval War College Review'', Summer 2003, Vol. LVI, No. 3.]</ref> North Korea's [[October 9]] [[2006]] [[2006 North Korean nuclear test|detonation]] of a nuclear device further complicated Bush's foreign policy, which centered for both terms of his presidency on "[preventing] the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world."<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html 2002 State of the Union Address]</ref> Bush condemned North Korea's claims, reaffirmed his commitment to "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula," and stated that "transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States," for which North Korea would be held accountable.<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061009.html President's Statement on North Korea Nuclear Test]</ref> On [[May 7]], [[2007]], North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear reactors immediately pending the release of frozen funds held in a foreign bank account. This was a result of a series of three-way talks initiated by the [[United States]] and including China.<ref>{{cite news | author =Associated Press | url = http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270397,00.html | title = North Korea Ready to Shut Down Reactor 'Immediately' | publisher =FOXNews.com |date= [[2007-05-07]] | accessdate = 2007-08-18}}</ref> On September 2, 2007, North Korea agreed to disclose and dismantle all of its nuclear programs by the end of 2007.<ref>{{cite news|title = U.S.: North Korea agrees to shut down nuke facilities| publisher = The Associated Press| date = [[2007-09-02]]|url = http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/02/koreas.nuclear.ap/index.html|accessdate = 2007-09-02}}</ref>

===Assassination attempt===

On [[May 10]], [[2005]], while Bush was giving a speech in the Freedom Square in [[Tbilisi, Georgia]], a live [[hand grenade]] was thrown by [[Vladimir Arutinian]] towards the podium where he and [[Georgian President]] [[Mikhail Saakashvili]] were seated. It landed in the crowd about {{convert|65|ft|m|0}} from the podium after hitting a girl; it did not detonate. Arutinian was arrested in July 2005, confessed, and was convicted and given a life sentence in January 2006.<ref>{{cite news | coauthors =Chilcote, Ryan | url = http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/01/11/georgia.grenade/index.html | title = Bush grenade attacker gets life | publisher =CNN |date= [[2006-01-11]] | accessdate = 2007-01-03}}</ref>

=== Midterm dismissal of U.S. attorneys ===

During Bush's second term, controversy arose over the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]]'s unprecedented midterm dismissal of seven [[United States Attorney]]s.<ref>

{{cite web |url=http://uspolitics.about.com/od/electionissues/i/attorney_firing.htm |title=The Firing Of US Attorneys - Nefarious Or Business As Usual? |accessdate=2007-10-09 |last=Gill |first=Kathy |date=2007-03-22 |publisher=About.com}}</ref> The White House maintains the U.S. attorneys were fired due to performance issues.<ref>

{{cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070307/oppose07.art.htm |title=They lost my confidence |accessdate=2007-10-09 |author=Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales |date=2007-03-07}}</ref> Gonzales would later resign over the issue, along with other senior members of the Justice Department.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/27/AR2007082700372.html |title=Embattled Gonzales Resigns |accessdate=2007-10-09 |last=Eggen |first=Dan |coauthors=Michael Fletcher |date=2007-08-28 |publisher=Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/gonzales-resigns/ |title=Gonzales' Resignation Letter |accessdate=2007-10-09 |author=Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales |date=2007-08-26 |publisher=US Department of Justice |quote=Please accept my resignation as Attorney General of the United States, effective September 17, 2007.}}</ref> Although Congressional investigations have focused on whether the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] and the [[Executive Office of the President|White House]] were using the U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage, no official findings have been released.

On 29 November 2007, Chairman of the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]], Vermont's senior senator, the Democrat [[Patrick Leahy]], in a ruling stated that there is "significant and uncontroverted evidence that the president had no involvement in these firings." This was a reversal of Leahy's previous demands to know what, if any, role the president played, or knowledge that he had, of the firings.<ref>Leahy: Bush Not Involved in Firings [http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Nov29/0,4670,SenateProsecutors,00.html]</ref>

The ruling allows Leahy to attack the White House's invocation of [[executive privilege]]<ref>Leahy: Bush Not Involved in Firings [http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Nov29/0,4670,SenateProsecutors,00.html]</ref> which is currently preventing several former White House aides, e.g. [[Karl Rove]] and [[Harriet Meyers]], from answering the Judiciary Committee subpoenas to testify.<ref>In order for the witnesses to compelled to testify, or be ultimately convicted of criminal [[contempt of Congress]], the Judiciary Committee must vote for contempt citations against the said aides, then the entire Senate must approve the citations and forward them to the U.S. Attorney General (currently [[Micheal Mukasey]]). The [[Attorney General of the United States|AG]], at his discretion, may then go to Federal court and request a U.S. District Judge to order the aides to testify. Refusal to comply with such a judicial order by someone so ordered could lead the judge to find that person in contempt. However, this would not necessarily be the end of the matter. The White House could appeal to the Supreme Court, which would have to decide the validity of the executive privilege claim.</ref>

==Criticism and public perception==

{{main|Criticism of George W. Bush|Public perception of George W. Bush}}

===Domestic perceptions===

[[Image:George W. Bush public opinion polling.png|thumb|right|[[Gallup]]/''[[USA Today]]'' Bush [[public opinion polling]] from February 2001 to November 2007. Blue denotes "approve", red "disapprove", and yellow "unsure". Large increases in [[Approval rating|approval]] followed the [[September 11]] attacks, the beginning of the 2003 Iraq conflict, and the capture of Saddam Hussein.]]

Bush began his presidency with [[approval rating]]s near 50%;<ref name=ApprovalRatingsOverTime>{{cite web

| url = http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/hsrun.exe/Roperweb/PresJob/PresJob.htx;start=HS_fullresults?pr=Bush| title = Job Performance Ratings for President Bush| accessdate = 2006-09-09| author = Roper Center| year = 2006}}</ref> however, following the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], Bush gained an approval rating of greater than 85%, maintaining 80–90% approval for four months after the attacks. Since then, his approval ratings and approval of handling of domestic and foreign policy issues have steadily dropped. Bush has received heavy criticism for his handling of the [[Iraq War]], his [[Political effects of Hurricane Katrina|response to Hurricane Katrina]], his mixed positions on [[LGBT rights]], and to the [[prisoner abuse|Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse]], [[NSA warrantless surveillance]] of terrorists or individuals suspected of involvement with terrorist groups, [[Scooter Libby]] and [[Guantanamo Bay detainment camp]] controversies.<ref name="Unchecked and Unbalanced">{{cite news | last = Kakutani | first = Michiko | title = Unchecked and Unbalance d | publisher = The New York Times | date = July 6, 2007 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/books/06book.html?pagewanted=all | accessdate = July 7, 2007 }}</ref> Additionally, critics have decried his frequent use of [[Signing statement (United States)|signing statement]]s, contending that they are unconstitutional.<ref>[http://judiciary.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?id=1969&wit_id=5482 Testimony of Bruce Fein, United States Senate] ([[June 27]] [[2006]])</ref> The decision of Rep. [[John Conyers]] (D-MI) the House Judiciary Chair to hold hearings on Bush’s use of “[[signing statements]]”, has been hailed by the president’s critics as a step towards impeachment.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://baltimorechronicle.com/2007/012607Lindorff.shtml| author=Dave Lindorff|title=Conyers Puts Abuse of Power 'On the Table'|date=01/25/2007}} Retrieved [[January 27]] [[2007]]</ref>

In the 2004 elections, 95–98% of the Republican electorate approved of him. This support waned, however, due mostly to Republicans' growing frustration with Bush on the issues of spending and illegal immigration. Some Republican leaders began criticizing Bush on his policies in Iraq, Iran and the Palestinian Territories.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-02-15-rice-request_x.htm| title = Republicans criticize Rice over Bush Mideast policy| accessdate = 2006-09-09| author = Associated Press|date= [[2006-02-15]]}}</ref> Bush's approval rating has been below the 50 percent mark in AP-Ipsos polling since December 2004.<ref Name="Taipei Times">"[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/03/10/2003351719 Bush's job approval rating creeps up in AP-Ipsos poll]". [[Taipei Times]] archive. [[March 10]] [[2007]]. Retrieved on [[April 27]] [[2007]].</ref>

Polls conducted in 2006 showed an average of 37% approval ratings for Bush;<ref>"[http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm President Bush—Overall Job Rating]", PollingReport.com, new data added every few days, Retrieved on [[April 27]] [[2007]].</ref> the lowest for any second term president in this point of term since Harry Truman in March 1951, when his approval rating was 28 percent,<ref Name="Taipei Times"/><ref>Silva, Mark. "[http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2007/03/bushs_secondter.html Bush's second-term slump"]. Chicago Tribune. The Swamp. [[March 7]] [[2007]]. Retrieved on [[April 27]] [[2007]].</ref> which contributed to what Bush called the "thumping" of the [[GOP]] in the [[United States general elections, 2006|2006 mid-term elections]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://elections.us.reuters.com/top/news/usnN07478317.html | year=November 8,2006 | title=Bush admits Republicans took a "thumping" (Reuters)}}</ref>

In the average of major polls Bush's approval rating was, as of September 25, 33.8%.<ref>[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/ Poll Averages]. "President Bush Job Approval". Accessed 9 October 2007. RealClearPolitics.</ref>

In a ''Newsweek'' poll of [[June 21]], [[2007]], Bush received an approval rate of 26%, the lowest point of his presidency, and the second lowest of any president in the last thirty five years, second only to [[Richard Nixon]]'s record low of 23%, seven months before he resigned from office.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19352087/site/newsweek/ | title=How Low Can He Go? | author=Marcus Mabry | publisher=Newsweek | date=2007-06-21 | accessdate=2007-06-21 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url =http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/popularity.php?pres=37&sort=time&direct=ASC&Submit=DISPLAY | title =Presidential Job Approval for Richard Nixon| accessdate = 2007-09-16| publisher =The American Presidency Project }}</ref>

Calls for the impeachment of Bush have been made by various groups and individuals, with their reasons usually centering on the [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://writ.corporate.findlaw.com/dean/20051230.html|title=George W. Bush as the New Richard M. Nixon: Both Wiretapped Illegally, and Impeachably |author=John W. Dean|date=2005-12-30|accessdate=2007-04-14}}</ref> the Bush administration's justification for the war in Iraq,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alternet.org/story/16434|title=A Firm Basis for Impeachment |author=Robert Scheer|publisher=AlterNet|date=2003-07-18|accessdate=2007-04-14}}</ref> and violations of the [[Geneva Conventions]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0308-33.htm|title=Grounds for Impeachment|author=Matthew Rothschild|publisher=CommonDreams.org|date=2006-03-8|accessdate=2007-04-14}}</ref> Opinion polling has shown that about half of Americans would support impeaching Bush if it was found that he had lied about the reasons for the war in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/3528|title=Poll: Americans Favor Bush's Impeachment If He Lied about Iraq|publisher=AfterDowningStreet|author=David Swanson|date=2005-10-11|accessdate=2007-04-14}}</ref> In a July 2007 poll, a plurality of registered voters favored the House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Bush.<ref name="AmReImp">{{cite web |url=http://www.americanresearchgroup.com/|title=Do you favor or oppose the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush?|publisher=American Research Group|accessdate=2007-07-05}}</ref> However, the same poll shows that a plurality of all adults oppose such actions.<ref name="AmReImp"/>

Bush's intellectual capacities have been questioned by the news media,<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/19/AR2006081900568_pf.html| title = Pundits Renounce The President

| accessdate = 2006-09-11| last = Baker| first = Peter|date= [[2006-08-20]]| publisher = Washington Post}}</ref> as well as other politicians.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=401414| title = Blair 'feels betrayed by Bush on Lebanon'| accessdate = 2006-09-11| last = Walters| first = Simon|date= [[2006-08-19]]| publisher = Daily Mail}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.csbsju.edu/uspp/Election/bush011401.htm| title = Bush gets bad rap on intelligence| accessdate = 2006-10-09|date= [[January 14]] [[2001]]| publisher = St. Cloud Times Online}}</ref> Detractors tended to cite the various linguistic errors made by Bush during his public speeches (colloquially known as [[Bushism]]s).<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/US_election_race/Story/0,,392735,00.html

| title = Bush, in his own words | accessdate = 2006-10-09| author = Jacob Weisberg |date= [[November 4]] [[2000]]| publisher = Guardian Unlimited}}</ref>

Activist and filmmaker [[Michael Moore]] released ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'' in 2004, making a plethora of accusations against Bush, most notably using public sentiments following 9/11 for political purposes, financial connections between the Bush family and the prominent Saudi Arabian families such as the royal family and the [[Bin Laden family]], and lying about the cause for war in Iraq. In 2000 and again in 2004, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine named George W. Bush as its [[Person of the Year]], a title awarded to someone who, "for better or for worse, … has done the most to influence the events of the year."<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.time.com/time/personoftheyear/2004/| title = Person of the Year President George W. Bush American Revolutionary| accessdate = 2006-09-09| year = 2004| work = [[TIME]] Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.time.com/time/poy2000/| title = And the Winner Finally Is … George W. Bush| accessdate = 2006-09-09| year = 2000| work = [[TIME]] Magazine}}</ref> In 2006, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine featured an article by historian [[Sean Wilentz]] contending Bush is one of the worst presidents in American history.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/profile/story/9961300/the_worst_president_in_history |title = The Worst President in History| accessdate = 2007-05-18 |year = 2006 |work = [[Rolling Stone]] Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22070368-28737,00.html |title = Defending the home front| accessdate = 2007-07-14 |year = 2007 |work = [[The Australian]]}}</ref>

On November 14, 2007, President Bush topped the annual [[Film Threat]] Frigid 50 list of Hollywood's coldest people. President Bush was cited because of the large number of hostile film and television programs that criticized his presidency, and because of the excess number of documentaries that called his domestic and foreign policy judgments into question. "With all due respect to Hollywood, the mighty W is as much a cinema celebrity as the next despotic tyrant," said Film Threat, adding: "President George W. Bush has been a fixture on the big and small screens for the length of his historically tragic run."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=2076| title=FILM THREAT'S FRIGID 50: THE COLDEST PEOPLE IN HOLLYWOOD 2007| accessdate = 2007-07-14 |year = 2007 |work = [[Film Threat]]}}</ref>

===Foreign perceptions===

[[Image:Bush Stencil.jpg|thumb|An anti-Bush [[stencil]] photographed in Australia.]]

Bush has been widely criticized internationally; he was targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization campaigns, and criticized for his foreign policy in general. Bush's policies were also the subject of heated criticism in the [[German federal election, 2002|2002 elections in Germany]] and the [[Canadian federal election, 2006|2006 elections in Canada]].<ref>{{cite journal| title= Die außenpolitischen Positionen der Parteien im Bundestagswahlkampf 2002| year=2002| author= M. Overhaus, S. Schieder| journal= Politik im Netz| volume 3| url= http://www.deutsche-aussenpolitik.de/daparchive/dateien/2002/01300.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author = CBC News |url = http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/realitycheck/americans.html |title = Was the American ambassador meddling in a Canadian election? |publisher = CBC.ca Reality Check Team |date= [[2005-12-14]] |accessdate = 2006-09-23}}</ref> Bush was openly condemned by current and former international leaders such as [[Gerhard Schröder]], [[Jean Chrétien]], [[Mohammad Khatami]], [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]], [[Romano Prodi]], [[Paul Martin]], and particularly [[Hugo Chávez]]. Later in Bush's presidency, tensions arose between himself and [[Vladimir Putin]], which has led to a cooling of their relationship.<ref name=LeeryofPutin>{{cite web| url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20060721-9999-1n21usrussia.html| title = Bush, White House now leery of Putin as Russian turns back on democracy | accessdate = 2006-09-09| author = Condon, George E. Jr.|date= [[2006-07-21]]| publisher = San Diego Union Tribune}}</ref>

Bush has been described as having especially close personal relationships with [[Tony Blair]] and [[Vicente Fox]], although formal relations are sometimes strained.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/02/AR2006030201431.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns Keeping the U.S. at Bay, Mexican Presidential Candidate Looks to Move Past Fox's Failures] Marcela Sanchez ([[March 3]] [[2006]])</ref><ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/15/deathpenalty/main518772.shtml Mexico's President Snubs Bush, Vicente Fox Cancels Visit To Bush Ranch To Protest Execution] ([[August 15]] [[2002]])</ref><ref>[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,1082435,00.html Row over Bush security as Blair defends visit] Ewen MacAskill, Hugh Muir and Julian Borger in Washington, [[The Guardian]] ([[November 11]] [[2003]])</ref>

In 2006, a majority of respondents in 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world were found to hold an unfavorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as "negative" for world security.<ref> {{cite web| url = http://www.globescan.com/news_archives/bbcpoll.html | title = In 18 of 21 Countries Polled, Most See Bush’s Reelection as Negative for World Security| accessdate = 2006-09-24|date= [2004]| publisher = [[BBC World Service]] and [[Program on International Policy Attitudes]]}}</ref><ref> {{cite web| url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/04/world/main604135.shtml| title = Polls: World Not Pleased With Bush| accessdate = 2006-09-24|date= [[March 4]] [[2004]]| publisher = [[Associated Press]]}}</ref> A poll conducted in Britain named Bush the second biggest "threat to world peace" after [[Osama bin Laden|bin Laden]], beating [[North Korea]]n leader [[Kim Jong-Il]].<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1938434,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12 British believe Bush is more dangerous than Kim Jong-il]</ref>

According to a poll taken in November 2006, [[Finland|Finns]] also believed that Bush was the biggest "threat to world peace" after [[Bin Laden]]. [[Kim Jong-Il]] came in third in the poll and [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] and [[Hassan Nasrallah]] came joint fourth.<ref>{{cite web

| url = http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/200611115352441_uu.shtml| title = He uhkaavat maailman turvallisuutta (They threaten world peace)

| accessdate = 2006-11-11| last = | first =|date= [[2006-11-11]]| publisher = Iltalehti}}</ref>

A March 2007 survey of Arab opinion conducted by Zogby International and the [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]] found that George W. Bush is the most disliked leader in the Arab world. More than three times as many respondents registered their dislike for Bush as for the second most unpopular leader, [[Ariel Sharon]].<ref>{{citation|url=http://worldpoliticsreview.com/Article.aspx?id=594|title=Middle East Opinion: Iran Fears Aren't Hitting the Arab Street |author=Peter Kiernan | date=March 01, 2007|publisher=World Politics Review Exclusive}}</ref> According to a 2006 poll conducted by the Iraq Center for Research and Strategic studies, a majority of Iraqis believe that the U.S. has lost its global credibility as a result of Bush's foreign policies.<ref>{{cite web

|date=November, 2006

|url=http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/poll/2006/11icrss.pdf

|title=Public Opinion Survey in Iraq

|accessdate=2007-06-08

}}</ref>

The [[Pew Research Center]]'s 2007 Global Attitudes poll found that out of 47 countries, only respondents from [[Israel]] and some sub-Saharan countries expressed "a lot" or "some" confidence in George W. Bush more than 50% of the time. Of European respondents surveyed, [[Italy]] and the [[Czech Republic]] expressed 30% or greater confidence in Bush.<ref>{{cite web

|date=June 27, 2007

|url=http://pewglobal.org/reports/pdf/256topline.pdf

|title=Pew Global Attitudes Project: Spring 2007, Survey of 47 Publics, Final 2007 Comparative Topline

|accessdate=2007-07-17

}}</ref>

==Gallery==

Image:Bush - 2nd inauguration.jpg|Bush is sworn into his second term on [[January 20]], [[2005]] by Chief Justice [[William Rehnquist]], looked on by [[Laura Bush]] and their daughters[[ Barbara and Jenna Bush]], as well as former Senate Majority Leader [[Bill Frist]] and former Speaker of the House [[Dennis Hastert]]

Image:Bushes.jpg|[[The Bush family]] enjoying a game of tee ball on the White House front lawn in 2001

Image:George W. Bush Tours Air Force One.jpg|Bush and his wife attend the opening of the Air Force One Pavilion at the [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library]] with one of Laura Bush's predecessors, former First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]]

Image:Fox-Bush in Crawford TX.jpg|Bush with [[Vicente Fox]], [[Marta Sahagún]], and Laura Bush, Crawford, Texas, [[March 5]], [[2004]]

Image:Bush immediate extended family.jpg|Bush with his extended family

Image:Fukuda meets Bush in Oval Office 16 November 2007.jpg|Bush and [[Yasuo Fukuda]] exchange handshakes following their first meeting at the White House, November 16, 2007.

Image:Fukuda meets Bush 16 November 2007.jpg|Bush (right) and Fukuda (left) exchange handshakes following their joint statement at the White House.

Image:Hu Jintao Bush.jpg|Bush with [[Hu Jintao]]

Image:20060420_d-0298-772v.jpg|Bush with Hu

Image:Koizumi with bush.jpg|Bush with [[Junichiro Koizumi]]

Image:Blair Bush Whitehouse (2004-11-12).jpg|Bush with [[Tony Blair]]

Image:Mori and bush.jpg|Bush with [[Yoshiro Mori]]

Image:Mori and bush 2.jpg|Bush with Mori

Image:George W Bush and Vladimir Putin by Limestone fireplace at Texas White House in Crawford Texas.jpg|Bush with [[Vladimir Putin]] at [[Prairie Chapel Ranch]]

Image:Schröder and Bush.jpg|Bush walks with [[Gerhard Schröder]] at the [[White House]] on Thursday, [[March 29]], [[2001]]

Image:Bush and Schröder.jpg|Bush with Schröder

Image:Roh Moo-hyun & GW Bush, 2003-May-14.jpg|Bush with [[Roh Moo-hyun]]

Image:Roh Moo-hyun & GW Bush, APEC 2005-Nov-17.jpg|Bush with Roh

Image:APEC gala dinner 2006-Nov-18.jpg|Bush (right) at the 2006 [[APEC]] gala dinner with Roh, Kwon Yang-sook, Putin (center), and Laura Bush (far right)

Image:APEC2006 Roh Bush Abe (2).jpg|Bush at [[APEC]] 2006, with [[Shinzo Abe]] and Roh

Image:chirac with bush.jpg|Bush with [[Jacques Chirac]]

Image:Bush and Chirac.jpg|Bush and Chirac during the [[27th G8 summit]], [[July 21]] [[2001]].

Image:jiang zemin with wife bush with laura.jpg|Bush with Laura Bush, [[Jiang Zemin]], and Jiang's wife, [[Wang Yeping]], in Crawford, Texas in 2002.

Image:JPII on bier.jpg|Bush, along with [[Laura Bush]], [[Bill Clinton]], [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Condoleeza Rice]], and [[Andrew Card]] pay their respects to Pope [[John Paul II]] before the [[Funeral of Pope John Paul II|pope's funeral]].

Image:Funeral dignitaries pray.jpg|Bush with Laura Bush, [[Albert II of Belgium|Albert II]] & [[Queen Paola of Belgium]], Prince [[Henrik of Denmark]], [[Bernadette Chirac]], [[President of Portugal|President]] [[Jorge Sampaio]] of [[Portugal]], [[President of Estonia|President]] [[Arnold Rüütel]] of [[Estonia]], and [[President of the Philippines|President]] [[Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo]] of the [[Philippines]] at John Paul II's funeral

</gallery>

==See also==

* [[Bush family]]

* [[Bushism]]

* [[George W. Bush legislation and programs]]

* [[List of Presidents of the United States]]

* [[List of United States Presidential names#43 — George Walker Bush|Presidential nicknames]] for Bush

{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Governors of Texas|Governor of Texas]]|years=January 17, 1995 – December 21, 2000}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[President of the United States]]|years=January 20, 2001 – present}}

{{s-bef|before=[[Jacques Chirac]]''' ''[[France]]''}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Tony Blair]]''' ''[[United Kingdom]]''}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States Republican Party presidential tickets|Republican Party presidential candidate]]|years=[[United States presidential election, 2000|2000]], [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[United States order of precedence]]''' ''The President of the United States''|years=}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Dick Cheney]]''' ''Vice President of the United States''}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Person of the Year|Time's Person of the Year]]|years=2000}}

{{s-bef|before=The [[Military of the United States|American Soldier]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Person of the Year|Time's Person of the Year]]|years=2004}}

{{s-aft|after=The [[Good Samaritan]]s: [[Bono]], [[Bill Gates]] and [[Melinda Gates]]}}

==References==

==External links==

* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/ Official White House web site]

* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/gwbbio.html Official White House biography]

* [http://www.gop.com/About/Bio.aspx?id=1 Republican National Committee biography]

* [http://www.presidentprofiles.com/Kennedy-Bush/Bush-George-W.html Comprehensive Presidential profile by Nicholas D. Kristof]

* [http://vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=CNIP9043 Project Vote Smart information]

* [http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/gwbush Extensive essay on George W. Bush and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the Miller Center of Public Affairs]

*{{imdb name|0124133}}

{{Persondata

|NAME=Bush, George Walker

|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Bush, George, Jr.; Bush Jr.

|SHORT DESCRIPTION=43rd [[President of the United States]]

|DATE OF BIRTH=[[July 6]] [[1946]]

|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[New Haven, Connecticut]]

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[[Category:2004 U.S. presidential election controversy and irregularities]]

[[Category:American cheerleaders]]

[[Category:American sports businesspeople]]

[[Category:American Methodists]]

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[[Category:Children of Presidents of the United States]]

[[Category:Converts to Methodism]]

[[Category:Current national leaders]]

[[Category:George W. Bush|*]]

[[Category:Governors of Texas]]

[[Category:Harvard Business School alumni]]

[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]

[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:People from Midland, Texas]]

[[Category:People from New Haven, Connecticut]]

[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]

[[Category:Recipients of the Star of Romania Order]]

[[Category:Republican Party (United States) presidential nominees]]

[[Category:Texas Rangers]]

[[Category:Texas Republicans]]

[[Category:Time magazine Persons of the Year]]

[[Category:United States Air Force officers]]

[[Category:Yale University alumni]]

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[[ml:ജോര്‍ജ്ജ് ഡബ്ല്യു. ബുഷ്]]

[[mr:जॉर्ज डब्ल्यू. बुश]]

[[ms:George W. Bush]]

[[mn:Жорж Уокер Буш]]

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[[ja:ジョージ・W・ブッシュ]]

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[[ps:جورج ډبليو بوش]]

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[[sr:Џорџ В. Буш]]

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[[tl:George W. Bush]]

[[th:จอร์จ ดับเบิลยู. บุช]]

[[vi:George W. Bush]]

[[tg:Ҷорҷ Уокер Буш]]

[[tpi:George Walker Bush]]

[[tr:George W. Bush]]

[[uk:Буш Джордж Вокер]]

[[ur:جارج ڈبلیو بش]]

[[yi:דזשארדזש וואקער בוש]]

[[zh-yue:喬治布殊]]

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[[bat-smg:George W. Bush]]

[[zh:乔治·沃克·布什]]