George Walker Bush
43rd President of the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 20, 2001
Vice President	Dick Cheney
Preceded by	Bill Clinton
46th Governor of Texas
In office January 17, 1995 – December 21, 2000
Lieutenant	Bob Bullock Rick Perry
Preceded by	Ann Richards
Succeeded by	Rick Perry
Born	July 6, 1946 (1946-07-06) (age 61) New Haven, Connecticut
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Laura Bush
Children	Barbara Pierce Bush & Jenna Welch Hager
Residence	White House (official) Crawford, Texas (private)
Alma mater	Yale University Harvard Business School
Occupation	Businessman (oil, baseball)
Net Worth	$8–21 million (USD)[1]
Religion	United Methodist[2][3]
Signature
Website	The White House
Military service
Service/branch	Texas Air National Guard
Years of service	1968-1973
Rank	First Lieutenant

George Walker Bush (ˈdʒɔrdʒ ˈwɔːkɚ ˈbʊʃ (help·info); born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30 1941 is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States Governors of Texas Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States of America. Robert D "Bob" Bullock ( July 10, 1929 – June 18, 1999) was a Democratic Politician from Texas, James Richard "Rick" Perry (born March 4, 1950) is a Republican Politician and the current Governor of Texas This article is about the American politician/teacher for the Australian-American actress see Ann Richards (actress. James Richard "Rick" Perry (born March 4, 1950) is a Republican Politician and the current Governor of Texas Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Laura Lane Welch Bush (born November 4 1946 is the wife of the forty-third and current President of the United States, George W For the wife of George HW Bush see Barbara Bush. Barbara Pierce Bush (born November 25, 1981) is the elder of the fraternal Jenna Welch Hager, Née Bush, (born November 25, 1981 in Dallas Texas) the daughter of U See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence Crawford is a town located in western McLennan County, Texas, United States. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval Harvard Business School ( HBS) is a renowned Business school in the United States A businessperson (also businessman or businesswoman) is someone who is employed at usually a profit-oriented enterprise, or more specifically someone The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting (often by Oil tankers and pipelines Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination and the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. The Texas Air National Guard is composed of Airmen and officers assigned to three flying wings and three geographically separated units (GSUs throughout Texas. First Lieutenant is a Military rank. The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations (see Comparative military ranks Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by He served as the forty-sixth Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 and is the eldest son of former American President George Herbert Walker Bush and Barbara Bush. Governors of Texas George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 Barbara Pierce Bush (born June 8 1925 is the wife of the 41st President of the United States, George H He was inaugurated as President on January 20, 2001 and his current term is scheduled to end at noon EST (17:00 UTC) on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Noon (also midday) is the hour of 1200 in an observer's local time zone or more loosely a time near the middle of the day when workers in many countries take a meal break The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America Tuesday is the third Day of the week between Monday and Wednesday. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. ^[4]

After graduating from college, Bush worked in his family's oil businesses. Originating in Orange New Jersey, the Bush family in the 20th century became an accomplished Political family in the United States, including across He made an unsuccessful run for the United States House of Representatives in 1978. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. He co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball team before defeating Ann Richards to become Governor of Texas in 1994. The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in Arlington Texas, United States, representing the Dallas-Ft Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each This article is about the American politician/teacher for the Australian-American actress see Ann Richards (actress. In a close and controversial contest Bush was elected to the Presidency in 2000 as the Republican candidate; he lost the nationwide popular vote, but won the electoral vote. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States.

Bush signed into law a $1. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 35 trillion tax cut program in 2001. A tax cut is a reduction in taxes. Economic stimulus via tax cuts along with interest rate intervention and deficit spending are one of the central tenets of Keynesian economics ^[5] After the attacks on September 11, 2001, to overthrow the Taliban, destroy Al-Qaeda, and to capture Osama bin Laden, Bush ordered an invasion of Afghanistan and announced in October 2001 a global War on Terrorism. The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110 often abbreviated in print as NCLB and sometimes shortened in pronunciation to "nickelbee" is a controversial In March 2003, Bush along with the UN and Congress asserted Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction and ordered the invasion of Iraq. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security A congress is a formal meeting of representatives from different countries (or by extension Constituent States, or independent organisations (such as different Trade A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia ^[6] Aboard the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, Bush gave the Mission Accomplished speech, proclaiming, "in the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with Ship history Construction Lincoln' s contract was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding on 27 December 1982 her keel was laid 3 November 1984 at " Mission Accomplished " a Phrase associated with completing a mission, is in recent years particularly associated with a sign displayed on USS "^[7]

Bush ran for re-election against the Democratic Party's nominee, Senator John Kerry in 2004. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator Kerry debated Bush's handling of the Iraq War and domestic issues. ^[8] Bush was re-elected on November 2, 2004 garnering 50. The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday November 2, 2004, to elect the President of the United States. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 7% of the popular vote to his opponent's 48. 3%. ^[9]

After his re-election, Bush received increasingly heated criticism and began losing support from his Republican base largely due to his stance on illegal immigration and government spending. George W Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, has drawn significant domestic and international Criticism since his election ^[10][11][12] During his two terms he has had both the highest and the lowest domestic Gallup poll approval ratings of American Presidents, ranging from around 90% immediately after the September 11, 2001 attacks, to 28% in April 2008. The Gallup Poll is the division of Gallup that regularly conducts public Opinion polls in the United States and more than 140 countries around the world In the United States, presidential job approval ratings were introduced by George Gallup in the late 1930s (probably 1937 to gauge public support for the president April holidays and events National Poetry Month - in United States National Sexual Assault Awareness Month - in United 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[13] Worldwide opinions of Bush are widely less favorable^[14] with the exception of a few countries, notably Israel. ^[15]

Childhood to mid-life

Main articles: Early life of George W. Bush and Professional life of George W. Bush

Born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 6, 1946, Bush was the first child of George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush (born Pierce). Professional life of George W Bush George W Bush, the oldest child in a family of six children grew up in the Texan cities of Midland and Houston This article covers the professional life of George W Bush, the 43rd and current President of the United States. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 Barbara Pierce Bush (born June 8 1925 is the wife of the 41st President of the United States, George H He was raised in Midland and Houston, Texas, with his four siblings, Jeb, Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. Midland is a city in and the County seat of Midland County located on the Southern Plains of the western area of the U John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American Politician and was the 43rd Governor of Florida Neil Mallon Bush (born January 22, 1955 in Midland Texas) is the fourth of six children of President George Herbert Marvin Pierce Bush (born October 22, 1956) is the youngest son of George H Dorothy Walker Bush Koch, often called "Doro" (born August 18, 1959 in Texas) is the daughter of the 41st President of the United Another younger sister, Robin, died from leukemia at the age of three in 1953. Originating in Orange New Jersey, the Bush family in the 20th century became an accomplished Political family in the United States, including across Leukemia or leukaemia (Greek leukos λευκός, "white" aima αίμα, "blood" is a Cancer of the Blood ^[16] Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush, was a U.S. Senator from Connecticut, and his father served as U. Prescott Sheldon Bush ( May 15, 1895 – October 8, 1972) was a United States Senator from Connecticut, a The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives S. President from 1989 to 1993.

During his 2000 presidential campaign, Vanity Fair magazine and The New York Times reported, as a child, Bush was not accepted for admission by St. John's School in Houston, Texas, a prestigious private school. Vanity Fair is an American magazine of Culture, Fashion, and Politics published by Condé Nast Publications. St John's School is a Coeducational Independent school in the Upper Kirby district of Houston, Texas, United States ^[17] In the two years following, Bush attended The Kinkaid School, the private school from which St. The Kinkaid School is a K-12 school in Piney Point Village, Texas, United States. John's had broken away. ^[17] Bush later attended his father's alma mater, Phillips Academy. Phillips Academy (also known as Phillips Andover or PA or simply Andover) is a co-educational University preparatory school for boarding Ironically, Bush, then the Governor of Texas, served as the commencement speaker at St. Governors of Texas John's Academy in 1995. ^[18]

Bush attended the all-boys school Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where he played baseball and during his senior year was the head cheerleader. Phillips Academy (also known as Phillips Andover or PA or simply Andover) is a co-educational University preparatory school for boarding Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. ^[19] Following in his father's footsteps, Bush attended Yale University, where he received a Bachelor's degree in history in 1968. A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and ^[20] As a college senior, Bush became a member of the secretive Skull and Bones society, although, by his own characterization, he was an average student. Skull and Bones is an elite Secret society based at Yale University, in New Haven Connecticut. ^[21]

Texas Air National Guard

At the height of the Vietnam War, Bush was accepted into the Texas Air National Guard in May 1968, despite scoring the lowest acceptable passing grade on the pilot's written aptitude test. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The Air National Guard ( ANG), often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the several states and ^[22][23][24] This was at a time when more than ten thousand Air National Guard personnel, many fighter pilots, were called to active duty to serve in Vietnam. ^[25] After training, he was assigned to duty in Houston, flying Convair F-102s out of Ellington Air Force Base. The Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, commonly known as Convair, was a US aerospace development and manufacturing complex of the 1940s and later WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Ellington Field is a joint civil-military Airport located 15 miles (24 km) southeast of downtown Houston, within Harris County in ^[26] Critics allege Bush was favorably treated because of his father's political standing, citing his lack of combat service and his irregular attendance. The George W Bush military service controversy was an issue in the 2000 presidential campaign and in the 2004 presidential campaign. ^[27] The United States Department of Defense released all the records of Bush's Texas Air National Guard service, which remain in its official archives. The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government ^[23] Though not accepted to the University of Texas School of Law in 1970,^[28] he accepted a transfer to the Alabama Air National Guard in 1972 to work on a Republican senate campaign, and in October 1973 he was discharged from the Texas Air National Guard, almost eight months early without being called to active duty to serve in Vietnam, to attend Harvard Business School. The University of Texas School of Law is an ABA -certified American Law school located on The University of Texas at Austin campus Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Harvard Business School ( HBS) is a renowned Business school in the United States ^[29] While at Harvard, Bush completed his six-year service obligation in the inactive reserve. ^[30]

During this time Bush had multiple accounts of substance abuse. Allegations of Substance abuse have arisen during the political career of 43rd and current United States President George W ^[31] In one instance, Bush was arrested near his family's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine for driving under the influence of alcohol at the age of thirty on September 4, 1976. Kennebunkport is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Drunk driving is the act of operating and/or driving a Motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or Drugs to the degree that mental and Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He pled guilty, was fined US$150, and had his Maine driver's license suspended until 1978. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been A driver's license, driver license, driver licence, or driving licence is an official document which states that a person may operate a ^[32] Bush then attended Harvard University, where he earned his MBA,^[33] and entered the oil industry in Texas not long afterward. The Master of Business Administration ( MBA) is a Master's degree in Business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting (often by Oil tankers and pipelines

Marriage and family

In 1977, he was introduced by friends at a backyard barbecue to Laura Welch, a schoolteacher and librarian. Laura Lane Welch Bush (born November 4 1946 is the wife of the forty-third and current President of the United States, George W Bush proposed to her after a three-month courtship and they were married on November 5 of that year. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) ^[34] The couple settled in Midland, Texas. Midland is a city in and the County seat of Midland County located on the Southern Plains of the western area of the U Bush left his family's Episcopal Church to join his wife's United Methodist Church. The Episcopal Church is the official name of the Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States. The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination and the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. ^[2] In 1981, Laura Bush gave birth to twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara; ^[34] they graduated from high school in 2000 and from the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University, respectively, in 2004. Jenna Welch Hager, Née Bush, (born November 25, 1981 in Dallas Texas) the daughter of U For the wife of George HW Bush see Barbara Bush. Barbara Pierce Bush (born November 25, 1981) is the elder of the fraternal

Bush gave up alcohol in 1986 and credits his decision to stop drinking to his wife. ^[35] She is also credited with possessing a stabilizing effect on his private life. ^[34] While Governor of Texas, Bush said of his wife, "I saw an elegant beautiful woman who turned out not only to be elegant and beautiful, but very smart and willing to put up with my rough edges, and I must confess has smoothed them off over time. "^[34]

Early career

In 1978, Bush ran for the U.S. House of Representatives from the 19th Congressional District of Texas. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. Texas' Nineteenth Congressional District of the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that serves the upper midwestern portion of the His opponent, Kent Hance, portrayed him as being out of touch with rural Texans; Bush lost the election by 6,000 votes. Kent Ronald Hance (born November 14, 1942, in Dimmitt in Castro County, Texas) is a Lobbyist and Lawyer ^[36] He returned to the oil industry, becoming a senior partner, or chief executive officer, of several ventures, such as Arbusto Energy,^[37] Spectrum 7, and, later, Harken Energy. Arbusto Energy (sometimes referred to as Arbusto Oil) was a Petroleum and Energy Company formed in Midland, Texas, in Spectrum 7 was an oil company started by William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds. Harken Energy Corporation is an American oil and gas company headquartered in Southlake Texas. ^[38] 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 insider trading involving Harken have arisen, though the 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. Allegations of insider trading have been made against George W The US Securities and Exchange Commission (commonly known as the SEC) is an independent agency of the United States government which holds primary responsibility ^[39]

To work on his father's campaign for the U. S. presidency Bush moved his family to Washington, D.C. in 1988. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D ^[40] Returning to Texas after the successful campaign, he purchased a share in the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in April 1989, where he served as managing general partner for five years. The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in Arlington Texas, United States, representing the Dallas-Ft ^[41] He actively led the team's projects and regularly attended its games, often choosing to sit in the open stands with fans. ^[42] The sale of Bush's shares in the Rangers in 1998 brought him over US$15 million from his initial US$800,000 investment. ^[43]

Elected positions

Governor of Texas

Main article: George W. Bush as Governor of Texas

As Bush's brother Jeb sought the governorship of Florida, Bush declared his candidacy for the 1994 Texas gubernatorial election. George W Bush served as the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is the Presidential library of George H John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American Politician and was the 43rd Governor of Florida Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government Winning the Republican primary easily, Bush faced popular Democrat incumbent Governor Ann Richards. This article is about the American politician/teacher for the Australian-American actress see Ann Richards (actress.

Bush's campaign advisers were Karen Hughes, Joe Allbaugh, and Karl Rove. Karen "Brown Teeth" "Old Face" Parfitt Hughes (born December 27, 1956) is a Republican politician from the state of Texas Joe M Allbaugh (born July 27, 1952) is an American political figure in the Republican Party. Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) was Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W

Richards vetoed a bill allowing Texans to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons. Bush pledged to sign it (after he won the election, did so. )^[44] Following his debates with Richards, his popularity grew; he won the general election with 52 percent against Richards' 47 percent. ^[45]

Bush used a budget surplus to push through Texas's largest ever tax-cut of two billion dollars. ^[45]

Bush extended government funding for organizations providing education, alcohol and drug use and abuse prevention, and reduction of domestic violence, so long as those organizations are religious. The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives ( OFBCI) is a department under the Office of the President of the United States that was established He proclaimed June 10, 2000 to be Jesus Day in Texas, a day on which he "urge[d] all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need. Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Jesus Day is a common term for the day of the March for Jesus held annually by some Christians on the Saturday before Pentecost Sunday, since the 1980s with the purpose "^[46]

In 1998, Bush won re-election with nearly 69 percent of the vote. ^[47] Within a year, he had decided to seek the Republican nomination for the presidency.

2000 Presidential candidacy

Main article: United States presidential election, 2000

In 2000, Bush sought his own bid for President of the United States while still Governor of Texas. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican

Primary

Bush's campaign was managed by Rove, Hughes and Allbaugh, as well as by other Texas political associates.

In a televised Republican presidential debate held in Des Moines, Iowa on December 13, 1999, all of the participating candidates were asked "What political philosopher or thinker do you most identify with and why?" The other candidates cited former presidents and other political figures, but Bush responded, "Christ, because he changed my heart. Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) "

During the political campaign Bush labeled himself a "compassionate conservative," and in reference to the scandals and impeachment of President Bill Clinton, promised to "restore honor and dignity to the White House. A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group Compassionate conservatism is a Political philosophy that stresses using traditionally conservative techniques and concepts in order to improve the general welfare of society William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence " ^[48]

Bush was endorsed by a majority of Republicans in thirty eight state legislatures. After winning the first contest, the Iowa caucus, he lost the second contest, the New Hampshire primary to U. The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U The New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide Political party Primary elections held in the United States every four years as part of S. Senator John McCain of Arizona. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Bush picked up eleven of the next sixteen primaries and clinched the Republican nomination.

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. The Gallup Poll is the division of Gallup that regularly conducts public Opinion polls in the United States and more than 140 countries around the world ^[49]

General election

On July 25, 2000, Bush surprised some observers by asking the Halliburton corporation's chief executive officer Dick Cheney, a former White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative, and Secretary of Defense, to be his Vice Presidential running mate. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Halliburton Energy Services ( is a US -based Multinational corporation with operations in more than 70 countries Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30 1941 is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States. The White House Chief of Staff is the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U A running mate is a Person running for a Subordinate position on a joint ticket during an Election. 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^[50] the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President Al Gore, over gun control and taxation. Albert Arnold Gore Jr (born March 31 1948 is an American environmental Activist, author Businessperson, former Politician, and former Gun politics is a set of legal issues surrounding the ownership use and regulation of firearms as well as safety issues related to firearms both through their direct use and through

Bush won the 2000 election in a controversial victory. The closeness of the outcome, as well as reports of votes being miscounted, led to a recount in Florida. The outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election was not known for more than a month after balloting because of the extended process of counting and then recounting of Two initial counts went to Bush, but that outcome was tied up in courts for a month until reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. On December 9, in the Bush v. Gore case, the Court reversed a Florida Supreme Court ruling ordering a third count, and stopped an ordered statewide hand recount based on the argument that the use of different standards among Florida's counties violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Events 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city Bush v Gore,, was a United States Supreme Court case decided on December 12, 2000. The Equal Protection Clause, part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, provides that "no state shall… deny to any person The Fourteenth Amendment ( Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution is one of the post- Civil War Reconstruction Amendments, first The machine recount stated that Bush had won the Florida vote by a margin of 537 votes out of six million cast. ^[51] The famous episode pushed terms such as hanging chad into the popular lexicon. Chad refers to paper fragments created when holes are made in a paper card or similar synthetic materials typically computer Punched tape or Punch cards

Bush received 271 electoral votes to Gore's 266. The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. However, he lost the popular vote by more than half a million votes,^[51] making him one of a handful of presidents elected without at least a plurality of the popular vote.

2004 Presidential candidacy

Main article: United States presidential election, 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. Kenneth Brian Mehlman (born August 21, 1966, Baltimore Maryland) is an American attorney who is now Managing Director and head of Global Public Affairs ^[52] 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 USA PATRIOT Act, commonly known as the Patriot Act, is a controversial Act of Congress that U Ownership society is a slogan for a model of Society promoted by United States President George W

The Bush campaign advertised across the U. S. against Democratic candidates, including Bush's emerging opponent, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator 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 liberal who would raise taxes and increase the size of government. Liberalism in the United States is a broad political and philosophical mindset favoring individual Liberty, and opposing restrictions on liberty whether they come from 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 Electoral College votes. The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States.

Bush won a majority of the popular vote with 50. A majority, also known as a simple majority in the US, is a Subset of a group that is more than half of the entire group 7% of the vote to his opponents 48. 3%. ^[53] The last president to win a majority of the popular vote had been Bush's father in the 1988 election. In addition, it was the first time since Calvin Coolidge's election in 1924 that a Republican president and congressional majorities were elected. John Calvin Coolidge Jr (July 4 1872 January 5 1933 was the thirtieth President of the United States (1923–1929 The United States presidential election of 1924 was won by incumbent President Calvin Coolidge, the Republican candidate

Presidency

Main articles: 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, and Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration

The Bush Cabinet
OFFICE	NAME	TERM
President	George W. The Presidency of George W Bush began on his inauguration on January 20, 2001 as the 43rd and current President of the United States of America George W Bush's first term as president of the United States began January 20 2001 and ended January 20 2005, with the beginning of his George W Bush 's second term as President of the United States began at noon on January 20, 2005 and is due to expire with the United States President George W Bush has appointed a diverse and controversial Cabinet. This article discusses the domestic policy of the George W Bush administration, from January 20 2001 to the present day The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Bush	2001 –
Vice President	Dick Cheney	2001 –
Secretary of State	Colin Powell	2001 – 2005
	Condoleezza Rice	2005 –
Secretary of Treasury	Paul O'Neill	2001 – 2002
	John W. Snow	2003 – 2006
	Henry Paulson	2006 –
Secretary of Defense	Donald Rumsfeld	2001 – 2006
	Robert Gates	2006 –
Attorney General	John Ashcroft	2001 – 2005
	Alberto Gonzales	2005 – 2007
	Michael Mukasey	2007 –
Secretary of the Interior	Gale Norton	2001 – 2006
	Dirk Kempthorne	2006 –
Secretary of Agriculture	Ann Veneman	2001 – 2005
	Mike Johanns	2005 – 2007
	Ed Schafer	2008 –
Secretary of Commerce	Donald Evans	2001 – 2005
	Carlos Gutierrez	2005 –
Secretary of Labor	Elaine Chao	2001 –
Secretary of Health and Human Services	Tommy Thompson	2001 – 2005
	Michael Leavitt	2005 –
Secretary of Education	Rod Paige	2001 – 2005
	Margaret Spellings	2005 –
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development	Mel Martinez	2001 – 2003
	Alphonso Jackson	2003 – 2008
	Steve Preston	2008 –
Secretary of Transportation	Norman Mineta	2001 – 2006
	Mary Peters	2006 –
Secretary of Energy	Spencer Abraham	2001 – 2005
	Samuel Bodman	2005 –
Secretary of Veterans Affairs	Anthony Principi	2001 – 2005
	Jim Nicholson	2005 – 2007
	James Peake	2007 –
Secretary of Homeland Security	Tom Ridge	2003 – 2005
	Michael Chertoff	2005 –
Chief of Staff	Andrew Card	2001 – 2006
	Joshua Bolten	2006 –
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency	Christine Todd Whitman	2001 – 2003
	Michael Leavitt	2003 – 2005
	Stephen L. Johnson	2005 –
Director of the Office of Management and Budget	Mitch Daniels	2001 – 2003
	Joshua Bolten	2003 – 2006
	Rob Portman	2006 – 2007
	Jim Nussle	2007 –
Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy	John Walters	2001 –
United States Trade Representative	Robert Zoellick	2001 – 2005
	Rob Portman	2005 – 2006
	Susan Schwab	2006 –

Domestic policy

Economic policy

Main article: Economic policy of the George W. Bush administration

Facing opposition in the Congress, Bush held town hall-style public meetings across the U. The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30 1941 is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States. The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs Colin Luther Powell, KCB (Honorary MSC, (born April 5, 1937) is a retired General in the United States Army. Condoleezza Rice (born November 14 1954 is the 66th United States The United States Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, concerned with finance and monetary matters, and until See Paul O'Neill for other people with this name Paul Henry O'Neill (born December 4, 1935) served as the 72nd United John William Snow (born August 2, 1939, in Toledo Ohio) served as the 73rd United States Secretary of the Treasury. Henry Merritt "Hank" Paulson Jr (born March 28 1946 is the United States Treasury Secretary and member of the International Monetary Fund Board of Governors The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9 1932 is a United States Businessman, Politician, the 13th Secretary of Defense under President Robert Michael Gates (born September 25 1943) is currently serving as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense. The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement John David Ashcroft (born May 9 1942) is an American Politician who was the 79th United States Attorney General. Alberto R Gonzales (born August 4 1955) was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Michael Bernard Mukasey (mjuːˈkeɪzi(born July 28, 1941)is an American lawyer currently the 81st Attorney General of the United States, and The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. Gale Ann Norton (born March 11, 1954) served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2001 to 2006 under President Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951 in San Diego, California) is the current U The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. Ann Margaret Veneman (born June 29, 1949) is currently the Executive Director of UNICEF. Michael Owen Johanns (born June 18, 1950) is an American Republican politician Edward Thomas "Ed" Schafer (born August 8 1946) is the 29th United States Secretary of Agriculture. The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry the Department states its mission to Donald Louis Evans (born July 27, 1946) is the former 34th US Carlos Miguel Gutierrez (originally Gutiérrez) (born November 4, 1953) is the 35th U "Secretary of Labor" redirects here See also Secretary of Labor (Mexico. Elaine Lan Chao ( born March 26, 1953) currently serves as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of President The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) a United States Politician, was the 42nd Governor of Wisconsin and the 7th Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951 in Cedar City Utah) is an American Politician, and is currently the Secretary The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. Roderick Raynor "Rod" Paige (born June 17, 1933) served as the 7th United States Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2005 Margaret Spellings (born Margaret Dudar on November 30, 1957) is the current Secretary of Education under the administration of U The United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, concerned with urban housing Melquíades Rafael "Mel" Martínez (born October 23, 1946) is currently the junior United States Senator from Florida and served Alphonso Roy Jackson (born September 9 1945 in Marshall Texas) is the former 13th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD Steven C Preston (born August 4 1960 is the 14th Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. born November 12, 1931) is a United States politician of the Democratic Party. Mary E Peters (born December 4 1948) is the United States Secretary of Transportation. The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fifteenth in the Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952 in East Lansing Michigan) is a former United States Senator from Michigan. Samuel Wright Bodman III (born November 26 1938 is the United States Secretary of Energy and was previously Deputy Secretary of the U The United States Secretary of Veterans' Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits and Anthony Joseph Principi (born April 16, 1944) was the 4th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Robert James "Jim" Nicholson (born February 4, 1938) is an attorney, Real estate developer, and a former Republican Party Lieutenant General (ret James Benjamin Peake (born June 18, 1944) is the current United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA The United States Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the body concerned with protecting the American homeland Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26 1945) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives (1983&ndash1995 Michael B Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is the current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act The White House Chief of Staff is the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President Andrew Hill "Andy" Card Jr (born May 10 1947 is an American politician and lobbyist former United States Cabinet member and head of George W Joshua Brewster Bolten (born August 16, 1954) is the current White House Chief of Staff serving U The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States federal government's Environmental Protection Agency, and is thus responsible Christine Todd "Christie" Whitman (born September 26, 1946) is an American Republican Politician and Author who Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951 in Cedar City Utah) is an American Politician, and is currently the Secretary Stephen L Johnson (born March 21, 1951 in Washington D C) is the current Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA The Office of Management and Budget (OMB is a Cabinet -level office and is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP Mitchell Elias "Mitch" Daniels Jr (born April 7, 1949 in Monongahela PA) is the current Governor of the U Joshua Brewster Bolten (born August 16, 1954) is the current White House Chief of Staff serving U Robert Jones "Rob" Portman (born December 19 1955 is an American lawyer and politician who has served in two cabinet positions and as a member of Congress James Allen "Jim" Nussle (born June 27, 1960, Des Moines Iowa) is an American politician and the current director of the Office The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP, a Cabinet level component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, was established in 1988 John P Walters was sworn in as the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP on December 7 2001. The Office of the United States Trade Representative, or USTR, is the United States government agency responsible for developing and recommending United States Robert Bruce Zoellick (zʌlɪk (born July 25, 1953) is the eleventh President of the World Bank, a position he has held since July 1 Robert Jones "Rob" Portman (born December 19 1955 is an American lawyer and politician who has served in two cabinet positions and as a member of Congress Susan C Schwab (born March 23, 1955) is currently United States Trade Representative. During his first term George W Bush sought and obtained Congressional approval for Tax cuts: the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, S. in 2001 to increase public support for his plan for a US$1. 35 trillion tax cut program — one of the largest tax cuts in U. A tax cut is a reduction in taxes. Economic stimulus via tax cuts along with interest rate intervention and deficit spending are one of the central tenets of Keynesian economics 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. The Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is the head of the central banking system of the United States and one of the most Alan Greenspan (born March 6 1926 in New York City) is an American Economist and was from 1987 to 2006 the Chairman of the Federal Reserve of ^[54] Others, including the Treasury Secretary at the time 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. See Paul O'Neill for other people with this name Paul Henry O'Neill (born December 4, 1935) served as the 72nd United Social Security, in the United States currently refers to the federal Old-Age Survivors and Disability Insurance ( OASDI) program ^[55]

Under the Bush Administration, real GDP has grown at an average annual rate of 2. 5 percent,^[56] considerably below the average for business cycles from 1949 to 2000. ^[57][58] The Dow Jones Industrial Average has grown by about 30 percent since January 2001. ^[59] Unemployment originally rose from 4. Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. 2 percent in January 2001 to 6. 3 percent in June 2003, but subsequently dropped to 4. 5 percent in July 2007. ^[60] Inflation-adjusted median household income has been flat while the nation's poverty rate has increased. The median household income is commonly used to provide data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of Households earning less ^[61] By August 2007, the national debt had risen to US$8. 98 trillion dollars, a change from an US$86 billion surplus in 2000. ^[62]

A survey done by the American Research Group showed that as of April 2008, 22% of Americans approved of President Bush's effect on the economy. American Research Group Incorporated is an US Opinion polling and Marketing research company based in Manchester New Hampshire. The perception of President Bush's effect on the economy, however, is significantly affected by partisanship with 67% of Republicans and 1% of Democrats approving of his performance. In politics a partisan is a committed member of a party In multi-party systems the term is typically understood to describe a person who supports their party's measures without an ^[63]

Another significant part of the Bush economic plan was the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 ( providing for significant changes in Bankruptcy in the United States, was passed by the 109th United

Education and health

Since entering office, President Bush has undertaken a number of educational priorities. He 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. The National Science Foundation (NSF is a United States Government agency that supports fundamental Research and Education in all the non-medical "NIH" redirects here For other meanings of NIH see NIH (disambiguation. Funding for the NIH was cut in 2006, the first such cut in 36 years, due to rising inflation. ^[64]

One of the administration's early major initiatives was the "No Child Left Behind Act", which 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. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110 often abbreviated in print as NCLB and sometimes shortened in pronunciation to "nickelbee" is a controversial The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110 often abbreviated in print as NCLB and sometimes shortened in pronunciation to "nickelbee" is a controversial A school (from Greek σχολεῖον - scholeion) is an Institution designed to allow and encourage Students (or "pupils" This landmark education initiative was signed into law by President Bush in early 2002. ^[65] Many contend that the initiative has been successful, as cited by the fact that students in the U. S. have performed significantly better on state reading and math tests since Bush signed "No Child Left Behind" into law. ^[66] Critics argue that it is underfunded^[67] and that NCLBA's focus on "high stakes testing" and quantitative outcomes is counterproductive. ^[68]

In 2007, Bush opposed and vetoed State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) legislation which was added by the Democrats onto a war funding bill and passed by Congress. The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP is a United States federal government program that gives funds to states in order to provide Health insurance 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. It was to be funded by an increase in the cigarette tax. ^[69] 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 US$83,000 per year who would not have otherwise needed the help. ^[70]

Social services and Social Security

Bush promoted increased deregulation and investment options in social services, leading Republican efforts to pass the 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 Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act (, also called Medicare Modernization Act or MMA) is a law of the United States which A Health Savings Account (HSA is a tax-advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers in the United States who are enrolled in a High Deductible Health The retired persons lobby group AARP worked with the Bush Administration on the program and gave their endorsement. For the AppleTalk protocol developed by Apple Computer, see AppleTalk address resolution protocol (AARP Bush said the law, estimated to cost US$400 billion over the first 10 years, would give the elderly "better choices and more control over their health care". ^[71]

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 of politics," with the American public being suspicious of any attempt to change it. The phrase third rail is a Metaphor in Politics to denote an idea or topic that is so "charged" and "untouchable" that any Politician 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. The 2005 State of the Union Address was delivered by United States President George W 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. ^[72] Despite energetic campaign by Bush to promote his Social Security reform plan, by May 2005 the public support for the Bush proposal declined substantially^[73] and the House GOP leadership decided not to put Social Security reform on the priority list for the remainder of their 2005 legislative agenda. ^[74] The proposal's legislative prospects were further diminished by the political fallout from the Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States ^[75] 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

Main article: Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration#Environment

Upon arriving in office in 2001, Bush did not support the Kyoto Protocol, an amendment to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change which seeks to impose mandatory targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This article discusses the domestic policy of the George W Bush administration, from January 20 2001 to the present day The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the international Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of reducing Greenhouse gases in an effort The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Bush asserted he would not support it because the treaty exempted 80 percent of the world's population^[76] would have cost tens of billions of dollars per year,^[77] and was based on his personal opinion regarding the uncertainty of the science of climate change. ^[78] He also cited that the Senate had voted 95–0 in 1997 on a resolution expressing its disapproval of the protocol.

In 2002, Bush announced the Clear Skies Initiative,^[79] aimed at amending the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution through the use of emissions trading programs. The Clear Skies Act of 2003 is a proposed Federal law of the United States. A Clean Air Act describes one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of Smog and Air pollution in general Emissions trading (or emission trading) is an administrative approach used to control Pollution by providing economic Incentives for It was argued, however, that this legislation would have weakened the original legislation by allowing higher levels of pollutants than were permitted at that time. ^[80] The initiative was introduced to Congress, but failed to make it out of committee.

President Bush believes that global warming is real^[81] and has said that he has consistently noted that global warming is a serious problem, but he asserted there is a "debate over whether it's manmade or naturally caused". The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30 1941 is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[82] 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. The 2007 State of the Union Address was a speech given by United States President George W ^[83] During his 2008 State of the Union Address, he announced that the U. The 2008 State of the Union Address was a speech given by United States President George W S. would commit US$2 billion over the next three years towards a new international fund to promote clean energy technologies and fight climate change, saying, "along with contributions from other countries, this fund will increase and accelerate the deployment of all forms of cleaner, more efficient technologies in developing nations like India and China, and help leverage substantial private-sector capital by making clean energy projects more financially attractive. " He has also announced plans to reaffirm the United States' commitment to work with major economies and through the United Nations to complete an international agreement that will slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases; he stated, "this agreement will be effective only if it includes commitments by every major economy and gives none a free ride. Greenhouse gases are gaseous constituents of the atmosphere bothnatural and anthropogenic that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal infrared "^[84]

The Bush Administration's stance on global warming has remained controversial in the scientific and environmental communities. Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the Many accusations have been made against the administration, such as those by the Director of NASA's Goddard Institute James Hansen,^[85] and former United States Department of Energy official Joseph Romm, for misinforming the public and having not done enough to reduce carbon emissions and deter global warming. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program This is about the American scientist/administrator For others see James Hansen (disambiguation. The United States Department of Energy ( DOE) is a Cabinet -level department of the United States government responsible for energy policy Joseph J Romm (born June 27 1960) is an American author lecturer and scientist who concentrates on solutions related to reducing Greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gases are gaseous constituents of the atmosphere bothnatural and anthropogenic that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal infrared Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the ^[86]

In 2006 Bush declared the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a national monument, creating the largest marine reserve to date. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small Islands and Atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument 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. The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is a US National Monument encompassing of ocean waters and ten islands and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands ^[87] The move was hailed by conservationists for "its foresight and leadership in protecting this incredible area. "^[88]

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. The United States Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS) is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting "NIH" redirects here For other meanings of NIH see NIH (disambiguation. The term can also refer to the 1911 Xinhai Revolution that led to the establishment of the Republic of China. ^[89] Bush has said that he supports stem cell research, but only to the extent that human embryos are not destroyed in order to harvest additional cells. Stem cells are cells found in most if not all multi-cellular Organisms. ^[90] On August 9, 2001, Bush signed an executive order lifting the ban on federal funding for the 71 existing "lines" of stem cells,^[91] but the ability of these existing lines to provide an adequate medium for testing has been questioned. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Testing can only be done on twelve of the original lines, and all of the approved lines have been cultured in contact with mouse cells, which makes it unlikely the FDA would approve them for administration to humans. ^[92] On July 19, 2006, Bush used his veto power for the first time in his presidency to veto the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A veto, Latin for "I forbid" is used to Denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a certain piece of Legislation. Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act was the name of two similar bills that both passed through the United States House of Representatives and Senate, but The bill would have repealed the Dickey Amendment, thereby permitting federal money to be used for research where stem cells are derived from the destruction of an embryo. The Dickey Amendment is the name of an appropration's bill rider attached to a bill passed by United States Congress in 1995, and signed by former President ^[93]

Immigration

In 2006, going beyond calls from conservatives to secure the border, Bush demanded that Congress allow more than twelve million illegal immigrants to work in the United States with the creation of a "temporary guest-worker program. Illegal immigration refers to Immigration across National Borders in a way that violates the Immigration laws of the destination Country " The president does not support amnesty for illegal immigrants,^[94] but argues that the lack of legal status denies the protections of U. Amnesty (from the Greek amnestia, oblivion is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to S. laws to millions of people who face dangers of poverty and exploitation, and penalizes employers despite a demand for immigrant labor.

The president urged Congress to provide additional funds for border security, and committed to deploying 6,000 National Guard troops to the United States-Mexico border. For the National Guard of a State and other countries' National Guard see National Guard. ^[95] In May-June 2007 Bush strongly supported the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 which was written by a bipartisan group of U. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, or in its full name the Secure Borders Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007 ( was a bill discussed in S. senators with the active participation of the Bush administration. ^[96] 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 work site 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. The Diversity Immigrant Visa program is a United States congressionally mandated Lottery program for receiving a United States Permanent Resident Card. Bush contended that the proposed bill did not amount to amnesty. ^[97]

A heated public debate followed, which resulted in a substantial rift within the Republican Party; the majority of the conservative base opposed it because of its legalization or amnesty provisions. ^[98] The bill was eventually defeated in the Senate on June 28, 2007, when a cloture motion failed on a 46-53 vote. Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[99] President Bush expressed disappointment upon the defeat of one of his signature domestic initiatives. ^[100] The Bush administration later proposed a series of immigration enforcement measures that do not require a change in law. ^[101]

Civil liberties and terrorist detainees

Following the events of September 11, Bush issued an executive order authorizing the NSA to monitor communications between suspected terrorists outside the U. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul The National Security Agency/ Central Security Service ( NSA/CSS) is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States government S. and parties within the U. S. without obtaining a warrant pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act,^[102] maintaining that the warrant requirements of FISA were implicitly superseded by the subsequent passage of the Authorization for Use of Military Force. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (" FISA ",) is an Act of Congress which prescribes procedures for the physical and electronic Surveillance ^[103] The program proved to be controversial, as critics of the administration, as well as organizations such as the American Bar Association, claimed it was illegal. The NSA warrantless surveillance controversy concerns Surveillance of persons within the United States incident to the collection of Foreign intelligence by the The American Bar Association ( ABA) founded August 21 1878 is a voluntary Bar association of Lawyers and law students which is not specific ^[104] In August 2006, a U. S. district court judge ruled that the Terrorist Surveillance Program was unconstitutional,^[105] but the decision was later reversed. An electronic surveillance program was implemented by the National Security Agency (NSA of the United States in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks as part ^[106] On January 17, 2007, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales informed U. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. S. Senate leaders that the program would not be reauthorized by the president, but would be subjected to judicial oversight. ^[107]

On October 17, 2006 Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006,^[108] a bill passed in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision on Hamdan v. Rumsfeld,^[109] which allows the U. Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States Military Commissions Act of 2006, also known as HR-6166 was an Act of Congress signed by President George W The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. Hamdan v Rumsfeld, 548 US 557 (2006 is a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that military commissions set up by the S. government the ability to prosecute unlawful enemy combatants by military commission rather than the standard trial. An unlawful combatant or unprivileged combatant/belligerent is a Civilian who directly engages in armed conflict under the International Humanitarian Law The bill also denies them access to habeas corpus and, while barring torture of detainees, allows the president to determine what constitutes torture. Habeas corpus (ˈheɪbiəs ˈkɔɹpəs ( Latin: command that you have the body is the name of a legal action or Writ, through which a person can seek relief ^[108]

On March 8, 2008, Bush vetoed H.R. 2082, a bill that would have expanded Congressional oversight over the intelligence community and banned the use of waterboarding as well as other forms of enhanced interrogation techniques, saying that "[t]he bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror. Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common A veto, Latin for "I forbid" is used to Denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a certain piece of Legislation. Waterboarding is a form of Torture that consists of immobilizing a person on their back with the head inclined downward and pouring water over the face and into the breathing "^[110]

President Bush has consistently stated that the United States does not torture. Bush can authorize the CIA to use the simulated-drowning method under extraordinary circumstances. ^[111] The CIA once considered certain enhanced interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, legally permissible. ^[112] The CIA has exercised the technique on certain key terrorist suspects and were given permission to do so from a memo from the Attorney General. While the Army Field Manual argues "that harsh interrogation tactics elicit unreliable information",^[112] the Bush administration states that these enhanced interrogations have "provided critical information" to preserve American lives. ^[113][114]

Hurricane Katrina

Main article: Political effects of Hurricane Katrina

One of the worst natural disasters in U. This article deals with political effects of Hurricane Katrina other than those related to Criticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina, which are contained S. history, Hurricane Katrina, struck early in Bush’s second term. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States 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. The Gulf Coast region of the United States comprises the coasts of states which border the Gulf of Mexico. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana ^[115]

Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana on August 27,^[116] and in Mississippi and Alabama the following day;^[117] he authorized the 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. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. The purpose of FEMA is to coordinate the response to a Disaster which has occurred in the United States and which overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities ^[118] The eye of the hurricane made landfall on August 29, and New Orleans began to flood due to levee breaches; later that day, Bush declared that a major disaster existed in Louisiana,^[119] officially authorizing FEMA to start using federal funds to assist in the recovery effort. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) On August 30, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff declared it "an incident of national significance,"^[120] triggering the first use of the newly created National Response Plan. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Michael B Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is the current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act The National Response Plan is the United States national plan to respond to emergencies such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters Three days later, on September 2, National Guard troops first entered the city of New Orleans. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. ^[121] 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. "^[122]

As the disaster in New Orleans intensified, critics claimed that the president was misrepresenting his administration's role in what they saw as a flawed response. Leaders attacked the president for having appointed perceived incompetent leaders to positions of power at FEMA, notably Michael D. Brown;^[123] it was also argued that the federal response was limited as a result of the Iraq War^[124] and President Bush himself did not act upon warnings of floods. Michael DeWayne Brown (born November 8, 1954) was Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R a division of the Department of Homeland The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign ^{[125][126][127]} Bush responded to mounting criticism by accepting full responsibility for the federal government's failures in its handling of the emergency. ^[121]

Midterm dismissal of U. S. attorneys

Main article: Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy

During Bush's second term, a controversy arose over the Justice Department's midterm dismissal of seven United States Attorneys. The For animal rights group see Justice Department (JD The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ) is a Cabinet department United States Attorneys (also known as federal prosecutors) represent the United States federal government in United States district court and ^[128] The White House maintains the U. S. attorneys were fired for poor performance. ^[129] Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would later resign over the issue, along with other senior members of the Justice Department. Alberto R Gonzales (born August 4 1955) was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. ^[130][131] The House Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas for advisors Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten to testify regarding this matter, but Bush directed Miers and Bolten to not comply with those subpoenas, invoking his right of Executive Privilege; Bush has maintained that all of his advisers are protected under a broad Executive Privilege protection to receive candid advice. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary US House Committee on the Judiciary, or (more commonly the House Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee of Harriet Ellan Miers (born August 10 1945 is an American Lawyer and former White House Counsel. Joshua Brewster Bolten (born August 16, 1954) is the current White House Chief of Staff serving U In the United States government, executive privilege is the power ( Reserve power) claimed by the President of the United States and other members of The Justice Department has determined that the president's order was legal. ^[132] In November 2007, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy (VT-D), stated that the Executive Privilege claim was strange considering "the President had no involvement in these firings. The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (informally Senate Judiciary Committee) is a Standing committee of the United States Senate, the Patrick Joseph Leahy (born March 31, 1940) is the senior United States Senator from Vermont. "

Although Congressional investigations have focused on whether the Department of Justice and the White House were using the U. For animal rights group see Justice Department (JD The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ) is a Cabinet department The Executive Office of the President ( EOP) consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting S. Attorney positions for political advantage, no official findings have been released. On March 10, 2008, the Congress filed a federal lawsuit to enforce their issued subpoenas. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[133]

Public views and perception

Main articles: Criticism of George W. Bush and Public perception of George W. Bush

See also: Movement to impeach George W. Bush and Fictionalized portrayals of George W. Bush

Bush began his presidency with approval ratings near 50%. In the United States, presidential job approval ratings were introduced by George Gallup in the late 1930s (probably 1937 to gauge public support for the president ^[134] 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 his handling of domestic and foreign policy issues have steadily dropped. Bush has received heavy criticism for his handling of the Iraq War, his response to Hurricane Katrina, and to the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, NSA warrantless surveillance of terrorists or individuals suspected of involvement with terrorist groups, Scooter Libby/Plamegate, and Guantanamo Bay detainment camp controversies. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign This article deals with political effects of Hurricane Katrina other than those related to Criticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina, which are contained Beginning in 2004 accounts of Abuse, Torture, Sodomy and Homicide of Prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq The NSA warrantless surveillance controversy concerns Surveillance of persons within the United States incident to the collection of Foreign intelligence by the Irve Lewis "Scooter" Libby (born August 22 1950) is a former Assistant to the President of the United States, George W The phrase Plame Affair (also known as the CIA leak scandal, the CIA leak case, the CIA leak grand jury investigation, and Plamegate) refers The Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp is a controversial United States Detention center operated by Joint Task Force Guantanamo since 2002 in Guantanamo ^[135] Additionally, critics have decried his frequent use of signing statements, contending that they are unconstitutional. A signing statement is a written pronouncement issued by the President of the United States upon the signing of a bill into Law. ^[136]

The minority of Americans support Bush, citing his steadfast support for the Iraq War. A March 13, 2008 poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reported that 53% of Americans — a slim majority — believe that "the U. Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common S. will ultimately succeed in achieving its goals" in Iraq. ^[137] That figure is up from 42 percent in September 2007 and the highest it has been since 2006. ^[137]

In the 2004 elections, 95–98% of the Republican electorate approved of him. This support has since somewhat waned, however, due mostly to a minority of Republicans' frustration with him on issues of spending, illegal immigration, and Middle Eastern affairs. ^[138]

Bush's approval rating has been below the 50% mark in AP-Ipsos polling since December 2004. ^[139] Polls conducted in 2006 showed an average of 37% approval ratings for Bush;^[140] the lowest for any second term president in this point of term since Harry S. Truman in March 1951, when his approval rating was 28%,^[139][141] which contributed to what Bush called the "thumping" of the Republican Party in the 2006 mid-term elections. The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday November 7 2006. ^[142] Throughout 2007, Bush's approval rating hindered in the mid-thirties percentile,^[143] although in a Reuters poll of October 17, 2007, Bush received a lower approval rating of 24%,^[144] the lowest point of his presidency. Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[145] In response to the numbers, during a February 10, 2008 interview on Fox News Sunday Bush stated, "I frankly don't give a damn about the polls". Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Fox News Sunday is a public affairs magazine on the FOX network airing on Sunday mornings ^[146] By April 2008, Bush's disapproval ratings were the highest ever recorded in the 70-year history of the Gallop poll for any president, with 69% of those polled disapproving of the job Bush was doing as president and 28% approving. The Gallup Poll is the division of Gallup that regularly conducts public Opinion polls in the United States and more than 140 countries around the world ^[147]

Many professional historians have regarded Bush's presidency as below average, according to several surveys. A 2006 Siena College poll found that 744 professors of history judged Bush's presidency as follows: Great: 2%; Near Great: 5%; Average: 11%; Below Average: 24%; Failure: 58%;^[148] other polls conducted by the History News Network (HNN) resulted in similar outcomes. Siena College is an independent Catholic Liberal Arts College situated on US 9 in the suburban community of Loudonville New York History News Network (HNN is a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. The historian who organized the HNN polls caveated the results: "It is in no sense a scientific sample of historians. The participants are self-selected, although participation was open to all historians. Among those who responded are several of the nation’s most respected historians, including Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize winners. "^[149] In response to the "worst president" accusations,^[150][151] Bush said, "to assume that historians can figure out the effect of the Bush administration before the Bush administration has ended is. . . in my mind. . . not an accurate reflection upon how history works. "^[146]

Calls for Bush's impeachment have been made by various groups and individuals, with their reasons usually centering on the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy,^[152] the Bush administration's justification for the war in Iraq,^[153] and alleged violations of the Geneva Conventions. The NSA warrantless surveillance controversy concerns Surveillance of persons within the United States incident to the collection of Foreign intelligence by the The Geneva Conventions consist of four Treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland, that set the standards for International law for humanitarian ^[154] Most polls have shown a plurality of Americans do not support impeachment. ^[155]

Bush's intellectual capacity has been satirized by the media,^[156] comedians, and other politicians. ^[157] Detractors tended to cite linguistic errors made by Bush during his public speeches, which are colloquially termed as Bushisms. A Bushism is any of a number of peculiar Words Phrases Pronunciations Malapropisms semantic or linguistic errors and gaffes that have occurred ^[158]

In 2000 and again in 2004, Time magazine named George W. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and 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. Person of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States Newsmagazine Time that features and profiles "^[159]

Within the United States Military, the president is strongly supported. The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States ^[160] In the 2004 elections, 73% of military personnel said that they would vote for Bush with 18% for Kerry. ^[160] According to Peter Feaver, a Duke University political scientist who has studied the political leanings of the U. Duke University is a private Research University located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. S. military, members of the armed services supported Bush because they found him more likely to prosecute the War in Iraq than Kerry. ^[160]

Foreign policy

Main article: Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration

During his campaign for election as president, Bush's foreign policy platform included support for a stronger economic and political relationship with Latin America, especially Mexico, and a reduction of involvement in "nation building" and other small-scale military engagements. Vicente Fox Quesada ( born July 2 1942) is a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 and currently Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Honorific prefixes --> Stephen Joseph Harper PC El Castillo ( Spanish for "The Castle " is the nickname of a spectacular Mesoamerican step-pyramid that dominates the center Chichen Itza (tʃiːˈtʃɛn iːˈtsɑː from Chi'ch'èen Ìitsha' "At the mouth of the well of the Itza " is a Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. For nation-building in the sense of enhancing the capacity of state institutions building state-society relations and also external interventions see State-building The administration pursued a national missile defense. National missile defense (NMD as a generic term is a type of Missile defense: a military strategy and associated systems to shield an entire country against incoming ^[161] Bush was president on September 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked passenger aircraft and flew them into the World Trade Center, killing roughly 3,000 people. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. In response, Bush launched the War on Terror, invading Afghanistan and later Iraq. The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics.

Bush began his second term with an emphasis on improving strained relations with European nations. He appointed long-time adviser Karen Hughes to oversee a global public relations campaign. Karen "Brown Teeth" "Old Face" Parfitt Hughes (born December 27, 1956) is a Republican politician from the state of Texas Bush lauded the pro-democracy struggles in Georgia and Ukraine. Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. In March 2006, he visited India, leading to renewed ties between the two countries, particularly in areas of nuclear energy and counter-terrorism cooperation. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Nuclear Energy is released by the splitting (fission or merging together (fusion of the nuclei of Atom (s ^[162] Midway through Bush's second term, it was questioned whether Bush was retreating from his freedom and democracy agenda, highlighted in policy changes toward some oil-rich former Soviet republics in central Asia. ^[163]

September 11, 2001

The September 11 terrorist attacks were a major turning point in Bush's presidency. The World Trade Center site sits on 16 Acres (65000 m² in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The City of New York Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. That evening, he addressed the nation 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. | |-| |-| |- | |-| |-| |-| |-| |} The Oval Office is the official office of the President of the United States. On September 14, he visited the World Trade Center site, meeting with Mayor Rudy Giuliani and firefighters, police officers, and volunteers. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. The World Trade Center site sits on 16 Acres (65000 m² in Lower Manhattan in New York City. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government KBE Per, "Postnominal letters should be included when they are issued by a country or organization the subject has been closely associated with Bush addressed the gathering via megaphone while standing on a heap of rubble:

“

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. [164]

”

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. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately "^[165]

War on Terrorism

Main article: War on Terrorism

After September 11, Bush announced a global War on Terrorism. The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U The Afghan Taliban regime was not forthcoming with Osama bin Laden, so Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban regime. The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U ^[166] In his January 29, 2002 State of the Union address, he 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". Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Definition President Bush's exact statement was as follows second goal is to prevent regimes (terrorist that sponsor terror from threatening America or our friends and North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. ^[167] The Bush Administration proceeded to assert a right and intention to engage in preemptive war, also called preventive war, in response to perceived threats. Preemptive war (or a preemptive strike) is waged in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived inevitable offensive or Invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in A Preventive war or Preventative war is a War initiated under the belief that future conflict is inevitable though not imminent ^[168] This would form a basis for what became known as the Bush Doctrine. The Bush Doctrine is a phrase used to describe various related Foreign policy principles of United States president George W 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. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul ^[169]

Some national leaders alleged abuse by U. S. troops and called for the U. S. to shut down detention centers in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. The Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp is a controversial United States Detention center operated by Joint Task Force Guantanamo since 2002 in Guantanamo Dissent from, and criticism of, Bush's leadership in the War on Terror increased as the war in Iraq expanded. ^{[170][171][172]} 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 jihadists" and that jihad movement was growing. National Intelligence Estimates ( NIEs) are United States federal government documents that are the authoritative assessment of the Director of National Intelligence A cause célèbre (plural causes célèbres, French famous case) is Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. ^[173][174]

Afghanistan

Main article: War in Afghanistan (2001-present)

On October 7, 2001, U. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. S. and Australian forces initiated bombing campaigns that led to the arrival on November 13 of Northern Alliance troops in Kabul. Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St The United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( UIF, Jabha-yi Muttahid-i Islami-yi Milli bara-yi Nijat-i Afghanistan) also known as the Northern } Kābul ( Persian and Pashto: کابل, IPA:) is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with The main goals of the war were to defeat the Taliban, drive al Qaeda out of Afghanistan, and capture key al Qaeda leaders. The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The In December 2001, the Pentagon reported that the Taliban had been defeated^[175] but cautioned that the war would go on to continue weakening Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders. ^[175] Later that month the UN had installed the Afghan Interim Authority chaired by Hamid Karzai. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security See also Civil war in Afghanistan This article on the History of Afghanistan since 1992 covers the time period from the fall of the Najibullah government in 1992 Hamid Karzai ( حامد کرزي, حامد کرزي) (born 24 December 1957) is the current President of Afghanistan, since December ^[176][177]

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 the Bush Administration later acknowledged to have resulted from a failure to commit enough U. Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March Tora Bora (Pashto توره بوره “black cellar”) Tora Bora (Pashto توره بوره “black dust”) known locally as Spīn Ghar is a cave complex situated S. ground troops. ^[178] Bin Laden and al Qaeda's number two leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, as well as the leader of the Taliban, Mohammed Omar, remain at large. Mullah Mohammed Omar ( Pashto: ملا محمد عمر (born c

Despite the initial success in driving the Taliban from power in Kabul, by early 2003 the Taliban was regrouping, amassing new funds and recruits. } Kābul ( Persian and Pashto: کابل, IPA:) is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with ^[179] In 2006 the Taliban insurgency appeared larger, fiercer, and better organized than expected, with large-scale allied offensives such as Operation Mountain Thrust attaining limited success. The Taliban insurgency took root shortly after the group's fall from power following the 2001 war in Afghanistan. Operation Mountain Thrust was a US commanded Canadian and US -led operation in the Afghanistan campaign, with more than 2300 U ^{[180][181][182]} As a result, President Bush commissioned 3,500 additional troops to the country in March 2007. ^[183]

Iraq

Main article: Iraq War

Beginning with his January 29, 2002 State of the Union address, 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. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Definition President Bush's exact statement was as follows second goal is to prevent regimes (terrorist that sponsor terror from threatening America or our friends and S. interests through possession of weapons of mass destruction. A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e ^[167][184] Claims that the Bush Administration manipulated or exaggerated the threat and evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities would eventually become a major point of criticism for the president. ^[185][186]

In late 2002 and early 2003, Bush urged the United Nations to enforce Iraqi disarmament mandates, precipitating a diplomatic crisis. Disarmament refers to the act of reducing limiting or abolishing Weapons. The issue of Iraq's disarmament reached a crisis in 2002-2003 when U In November 2002, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, but were forced to depart the country four days prior to the U. DrMohamed Mostafa El-Baradei ( Arabic: محمد البرادعي transliteration) (born June 17, 1942, in Cairo, Egypt S. invasion, despite their requests for more time to complete their tasks. ^[187] 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. ^[188]

The war effort was joined by more than 20 other nations (most notably the United Kingdom), designated the "coalition of the willing". The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I, is a military command, led by the United States that is fighting the Iraq War against Iraqi insurgents or resistants ^[189] The invasion of Iraq commenced on March 20, 2003 and the Iraqi military was quickly defeated. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The capital, Baghdad, fell on April 9, 2003. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. On May 1, Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. The initial success of U. S. operations increased his popularity, but the U. S. and allied forces faced a growing insurgency led by sectarian groups; Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech would later be criticized as premature. " Mission Accomplished " a Phrase associated with completing a mission, is in recent years particularly associated with a sign displayed on USS ^[190]

From 2004 through 2007, the situation in Iraq deteriorated further, with some observers arguing that the country was engaged in a full scale civil war. Following the US -launched 2003 invasion of Iraq, the situation deteriorated and by 2007 the conflict between Iraqi Sunni and Shi'a factions was ^[191] Bush's policies met with criticism, including demands domestically to set a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. The 2006 report of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group led by James Baker, concluded that the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating". The Iraq Study group (ISG also known as the Baker-Hamilton Commission, was a ten-person Bipartisan panel appointed on March 15, See also James Addison Baker James Addison Baker III (born April 28 1930) is a American attorney politician political While Bush admitted that there were strategic mistakes made in regards to the stability of Iraq,^[192] he maintained he would not change the overall Iraq strategy. ^[193][194]

In January 2005, free, democratic elections were held in Iraq for the first time in fifty years. ^[195] According to Iraqi National Security Advisor Mowaffak al-Rubaie, "This is the greatest day in the history of this country. Dr Mowaffak Baqer al-Rubaie (alternative transliterations Muwaffaq al-Rubaie and Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i (موفق الربيعي is an Iraqi politician and the current Iraqi "^[195] Bush praised the event as well, saying that the Iraqis "have taken rightful control of their country's destiny. "^[195] This led to the election of Jalal Talabani as President and Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister of Iraq. Jalal Talabani ( Kurdish: جه لال تاله بانی / Celal Talebanî / Jelal Talebaní جلال طالباني) (born November 12, 1933 The President of Iraq is Iraq 's Head of state. Presidents of the Republic of Iraq (1958-2003 For most of the country's history Iraq's Nouri Kamel Mohammed Hassan al-Maliki ( Arabic: نوري كامل محمّد حسن المالكي transliterated Nūrī Kāmil al-Mālikī; born June This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. A referendum to approve a constitution in Iraq were held in October 2005, supported by the majority Shiites and many Kurds. ^[196]

On January 10, 2007 Bush addressed the nation from the Oval Office regarding the situation in Iraq. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. | |-| |-| |- | |-| |-| |-| |-| |} The Oval Office is the official office of the President of the United States. In his speech he announced a surge of 21,500 more troops for Iraq, as well as a job program for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and US$1. The surge is a phrase commonly used to describe United States President George W 2 billion for these programs. ^[197] 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. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. A veto, Latin for "I forbid" is used to Denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a certain piece of Legislation. S. troops. ^[198] Five years after the invasion, Bush called the debate over the conflict "understandable" but insisted that a continued U. S. presence there is crucial. ^[199]

In March 2008 Bush praised the Iraqi government's "bold decision" to launch the Battle of Basra against the Mahdi Army, calling it "a defining moment in the history of a free Iraq". For other battles of Basra see Battle of Basra. The Battle of Basra began on March 25, 2008, when the Iraqi Army This page describes the Shia Mahdi Army of contemporary Iraq for the Sunni Mahdi Army of Nineteenth Century Sudan see Muhammad Ahmad. ^[200] He said he will carefully weigh recommendations from his commanders General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker about how to proceed after the military buildup ends in the summer of 2008. General David Howell Petraeus, USA (born November 7 1952) is scheduled to become the next Commander U Ryan Clark Crocker (born on June 19, 1949 in Spokane Washington) is the current United States Ambassador to Iraq. He also praised the Iraqis' legislative achievements, including a pension law, a revised de-Baathification law, a new budget, an amnesty law and a provincial powers measure that, he said, sets the stage for the Iraqi governorate elections, 2008. Governorate or provincial elections are scheduled to be held in Iraq sometime prior to the end of January 2009 to replace the local councils in fourteen of the ^[201]

In June 2008 the Senate Intelligence Committee released a report confirming that Bush and other top officials engaged in deliberate distortion of facts to mislead the American public about reasons for invading Iraq^[202]

North Korea

Main article: United States-North Korea relations

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. The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (sometimes referred to as SSCI) is North Korea–United States relations developed primarily during the Korean War, but in recent years have been largely defined by the United States' suspicions regarding Kim Jong-il (also written as Kim Jong Il) (born 16 February 1941 Vyatskoye, Soviet Union; official biographies state 16 February 1942 Baekdu North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, Definition President Bush's exact statement was as follows second goal is to prevent regimes (terrorist that sponsor terror from threatening America or our friends and "^[167] Within months, "both countries had walked away from their respective commitments under the U.S.-DPRK Agreed Framework of October 1994. The Agreed Framework between the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was signed on October 21 1994 between North Korea ( DPRK) and "^[203] North Korea's October 9, 2006 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. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The 2006 North Korean nuclear test was the detonation of a nuclear device conducted on October 9, 2006 by the Democratic People's Republic "^[167] 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. ^[204] 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. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. This was a result of a series of three-way talks initiated by the United States and including China. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National ^[205] On September 2, 2007, North Korea agreed to disclose and dismantle all of its nuclear programs by the end of 2007. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[206]

Syria

President Bush has been supportive of expanding economic sanctions on Syria. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية ^[207] Under an executive order signed by Bush in June 2005, in early 2007 the U.S. Treasury Department ordered any American bank accounts of Syria's Higher Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Electronics Institute, and National Standards and Calibration Laboratory frozen, and prohibited Americans from doing business with them, because they were suspected of helping spread weapons of mass destruction^[208] and supportive of terrorism. The United States Department of the Treasury is a Cabinet department and the Treasury of the United States government. A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e ^[209] Under separate executive orders signed by Bush in 2004 and later 2007, the Treasury Depertment froze the assets of two Lebanese and two Syrians, accusing them of activities to "undermine the legitimate political process in Lebanon" in November 2007. Those designated included: Assaad Halim Hardan, a member of Lebanon's parliament and chief of the Syrian Socialist National Party central political bureau; Wi'am Wahhab, a former member of Lebanon's parliament; Hafiz Makhluf, a colonel and senior official in the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate and a cousin of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; and Muhammad Nasif Khayrbik, identified as a close adviser to Assad. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Dr Bashar al-Assad (بشار الأسد) (born 11 September, 1965) is the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Regional Secretary ^[210]

Foreign perceptions

During the Bush presidency, attitudes towards the United States and the American people have become less favorable around the world. ^[211] Historical American allies such as France^[212] and Britain^[213] have held remarkably unfavorable opinions of Bush, with many believing him to be more dangerous than Kim Jong-il. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. His administration's foreign policy in particular has caused harsh international criticism. ^[214][215] Bush was described as having especially close personal relationships with Tony Blair and Vicente Fox, although formal relations were sometimes strained. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Vicente Fox Quesada ( born July 2 1942) is a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 and currently ^{[216][217][218]} Both Bush and Tony Blair were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prizes in 2002^[219][220] and in 2004,^[221] although neither won the award. The Nobel Peace Prize ( Swedish, Danish and Nobels fredspris is one of five Nobel Prizes Bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Other leaders, such as Afghani president Hamid Karzai,^[222] Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni^[223], Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero,^[224] and Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez,^[225] have openly criticized the president. Hamid Karzai ( حامد کرزي, حامد کرزي) (born 24 December 1957) is the current President of Afghanistan, since December Yoweri Kaguta Museveni ( (born c 1944 Ntungamo, Uganda) has been the President of Uganda since 29 January 1986 José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (ˈuɰo rafaˈel ˈtʃaβ̞es ˈfɾias (born July 28 1954 is the current President of Venezuela. Later in Bush's presidency, tensions arose between himself and Vladimir Putin, which has led to a cooling of their relationship. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (; born 7 October 1952 in Leningrad, USSR; now Saint Petersburg, Russia was the second President of Russia ^[226]

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. ^[227][228]

A March 2007 survey of Arab opinion conducted by Zogby International and the University of Maryland found that Bush is the most disliked leader in the Arab world. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a decoration bestowed by the President of the United States and is along with the equivalent Congressional Gold Medal bestowed History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Pope The University of Maryland College Park (often referred to as The University of Maryland UMD, UMCP or simply Maryland) is a public research More than three times as many respondents registered their dislike for Bush as for the second most unpopular leader, Ariel Sharon. (אריאל ^[229]

The Pew Research Center's 2007 Global Attitudes poll found that out of 47 countries, a majority of respondents expressed "a lot of confidence" or "some confidence" in Bush in only nine countries: Israel, India, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda. The Pew Research Center is a Think tank based in Washington D For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the Côte d'Ivoire (ˌkoʊt divˈwɑː(r ' in English, kot diˈvwaʀ in French) or Ivory Coast, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (République du Mali is a Landlocked nation in Western Africa. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa. ^[230]

During a June 2007 visit to Albania Bush was greeted enthusiastically as the Albanian people cheered, shook his hands, and kissed his cheeks. This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. Albanian prime minister, Sali Berisha commented that Bush "was [the] greatest and most distinguished guest we have ever had in all times. (born October 15, 1944) is the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania. " The largely Islamic nation has troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan and the country's government is highly supportive of American foreign policy. ^[231] A huge image of the President now hangs in the middle of the capital city of Tirana flanked by Albanian and American flags. Tirana (Tiranë or Tirana is the Capital and largest city of the Republic of Albania. ^[232] The Bush administration's support for the independence of Albanian-majority Kosovo, while endearing him to the Albanians, has troubled U. } Albanians (Shqiptarët are an Ethnic group and a Nation, in the sense of sharing a common Albanian culture speaking the Albanian language S. relations with Serbia, leading to the February 2008 torching of the U. Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country S. embassy in Belgrade. Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia. ^[233]

Other matters

The Bush administration withdrew U. Mahmoud Abbas (محمود عباس (born March 26, 1935) also known by the kunya Abu Mazen (ابو مازن was elected President (אריאל For the town in the West Bank see Aqabah West Bank. Aqaba (العقبة Al-ʻAqabah) is a coastal town in the far south of Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. S. support for several international agreements, including the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) with Russia. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty ( ABM Treaty or ABMT) was a treaty between the United States of America and the Soviet Union on the limitation Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Bush emphasized a careful approach to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians; he denounced Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat for alleged support of violence, but sponsored dialogs between prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Palestinian people or Palestinians ( الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni; الفلسطينيون, al-filasTīnīyyūn The Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO) (منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية or Munazzamat al-Tahrir al-Filastiniyyah) is a political and paramilitary Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini ( Arabic: محمد عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني (August 24 1929 – November 11 (אריאל Mahmoud Abbas (محمود عباس (born March 26, 1935) also known by the kunya Abu Mazen (ابو مازن was elected President Bush supported Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and lauded the democratic elections held in Palestine after Arafat's death.

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. Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Hainan Island incident was the April 1, 2001, collision between a United States Navy EP-3E signals Reconnaissance aircraft The Lockheed EP-3E ARIES II is the signals reconnaissance version of the P-3C Orion, operated by the United States Navy. Surveillance aircraft are military Aircraft used for monitoring enemy activity usually carrying no armament S. personnel. In 2003–2004, Bush authorized U. S. military intervention in Haiti and Liberia to protect U. Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire S. interests.

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. The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief ( PEPFAR/Emergency Plan) was a commitment of $15 billion over five years (2003–2008 from United States President Bush announced US$15 billion for this effort—US$3 billion per year for five years—but requested less in annual budgets. ^[234]

Bush condemned the attacks by militia forces on the people of Darfur, and denounced the killings in Sudan as genocide. The War in Darfur is a military conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Darfur (دار فور daar foor, lit "realm of the Fur " is a region in Sudan. Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction in whole or in part of an ethnic racial religious or national group ^[235] Bush said that an international peacekeeping presence was critical in Darfur, but opposed referring the situation to the International Criminal Court. Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace The International Criminal Court ( ICC or ICCt) was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for Genocide, crimes against

On June 10, 2007, he met with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and became the first president to visit Albania. Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. (born October 15, 1944) is the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania. ^[236] Bush has voiced his support for the independence of Kosovo. The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence was an act of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government Assembly of Kosovo, adopted on 17 February 2008 which declared ^[237]

Assassination attempt

On May 10, 2005, in Freedom Square, Tbilisi, Georgia, Vladimir Arutyunian threw a live hand grenade toward the podium where Bush was giving a speech and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was seated. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Freedom Square ( Georgian: "თავისუფლების მოედანი" Tavisuplebis moedani, tavɪsʊplɛbɪs mɔɛdanɪ formerly known Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Vladimir Arutyunian was born on 12 March 1978 in Tbilisi, Georgia to a family of Ethnic Armenians. Mikheil Saakashvili (მიხეილ ნიკოლოზის ძე სააკაშვილი (born 21 December 1967, a Georgian Politician, the It landed in the crowd about 65 feet (20 m) from the podium after hitting a girl, but it did not detonate. Arutyunian was arrested in July 2005, confessed, and was convicted and given a life sentence in January 2006. ^[238]

Supreme Court appointments

Main article: George W. Bush Supreme Court candidates

George W. Speculation abounded over potential nominations to the Supreme Court of the United States by George W Bush appointed the following justices to the Supreme Court:

• John Glover Roberts, Jr. — appointed in 2005
• Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. — appointed in 2006

Articles of Impeachment

Dennis Kucinich, a Democrat from Ohio, introduced articles of impeachment on the floor of Congress against President Bush on June 9, 2008. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. John Glover Roberts Jr (born January 27 1955) is the seventeenth and current Chief Justice of the United States. Samuel Anthony Alito Jr (born April 1, 1950) is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Dennis John Kucinich (kuˈsɪnɪtʃ (born October 8[[ 946]] is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and was a candidate for Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads Impeachment is the first of two stages in a specific process for a legislative body to forcibly remove a Government official The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[239] Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said, however, that impeachment is "off the table". Speaker of the House is a political term referring to a number of people In the United Kingdom and Canada, the Speaker of the House Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi (born March 26 1940 is the current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ^[239]

Electoral history

Further information: Electoral history of George W. Bush

See also

• List of Presidents of the United States

Publication, literacy and reading

In 1999 George W. George W Bush was the 46th Governor of Texas and is the current President of the United States. The President of the United States is the Head of state and the Head of government of the United States. Bush published a book entitled A Charge to Keep, co-written with Mickey Herskowitz. A later edition from 2001 has the subtitle 'My Journey to the White House'. Laura Bush is known to be an avid reader and ambassador for literacy, while light-hearted jokes are made about her husband not being much of a reader. He has, however, spoken about his book and claims to have taken up reading. The White House Press Office in the summer of 2006 put out Bush's reading list, which included everything from politics to memoirs to the classics. In a television interview with NBC's Brian Williams, Bush claimed to have especially enjoyed The Stranger by Albert Camus, claiming to have found it "an interesting book and a quick read. " More recently, he said he is currently reading contemporary novels, enjoying such titles as The Shack by William P. Young and Crippled Dreams by David Rehak.

References