Misplaced Pages

George W. Bush: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 22:31, 27 December 2004 view sourceGuanaco (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, File movers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers24,306 editsm rv childish vandalism← Previous edit Revision as of 22:33, 27 December 2004 view source 24.7.14.43 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" style="margin-left:1em; text-align:left;"
|+ <big>'''George Walker Bush'''</big>
|-
|style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan=2 |
]
|-
!Order:
|43rd President
|-
!Term of Office:
|], ]&ndash;Present
|-
!Predecessor:
|]
|-
! Successor:
|''incumbent''
|-
!Date of Birth:
|], ], ]
|-
!Place of Birth:
|], ]
|-
!]:
|]
|-
!Profession:
|]
|-
!]:
|]
|-
!]:
| ]
|}
'''George Walker Bush''' (born ], ]) is an ] ] (a member of the ]) and the 43rd and current ] of the United States. He took office on ], ] after a ]. In ], he was ] to a second four-year term, which is set to end on ], ].

Before entering politics, Bush was a ]. He was one of the co-owners of the ] ] team from ] to ]. He also served as ] of ] from ] to ].

Several of his family members are politically prominent. He is the son of former President ], the brother of current ] ] ], and the grandson of former ] ].

==Personal life, service, and education==
George Walker Bush, was born in ] to parents George and Barbara Bush, and grew up in ] and ], ]. He has four younger siblings: ], ], ], and ]. A younger sister, Robin, died of ] in ] at the age of three.
{| style="float:right; margin-left:1em;"|
]
]

|}
As was his father, Bush was educated at ] (Andover), (September ]&ndash;June ]), and ] (September ]&ndash;May ]). While at Yale he joined ] (where he was president from October ] until graduation), and the ]. He played ] during his freshman year and ] during his freshman and senior years. He received a ] in history in ].

After graduating from Yale, Bush enlisted in the Texas ] on ], ] during the ], with a commitment to serve until ], ]. He served as an F-102 pilot until 1972 and was twice promoted during his service, first to second lieutenant and then to first lieutenant. In November ], Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, the commander of the Texas Air National Guard, recommended that Bush be promoted to first lieutenant.

In September ] he received permission to end his six-year commitment six months early in order to attend ]. He transferred to inactive reserve status shortly before being honorably discharged on ], ].

It has been charged that he skipped over a waiting list to receive a coveted National Guard slot, that he did not report for required duty, and that he was suspended from flying after he missed a required physical examination. These issues were publicized during the 2004 campaign by ] and other Bush critics. See ] for details.

Bush entered ] in 1973. He was awarded a ] (MBA) in ], making him the first U.S. president to hold an MBA degree.

On ] weekend, ], ], Bush was pulled over by police near his family's ] summer home in Maine. He was arrested and fined $150 and temporary suspension of driving privileges in the state for ] of alcohol . News of the arrest was released five days before the ] by the Kennebunkport police department.

Bush married ] in ]. They have twin daughters, ], born in ]. In ], at age 40, he became a ] ], leaving the ] and joining his wife's denomination, the ].

Bush has described his days before his religious conversion as his "nomadic" period and "irresponsible youth". Bush admitted to drinking "too much" in those years. He gave up drinking for good shortly after his 40th birthday celebration. A number of reasons were cited for the change including a ] meeting with Rev. ]. ] reported during the 2000 campaign that Bush said "I quit drinking in 1986 and haven't had a drop since then".
It has been argued that Bush "seems to possess the traits characteristic of addictive persons who still have the thought patterns that accompany substance abuse" , a mindset colloquially referred to as that of the "]".

Bush has been accused of using ] in the past. For example, ], author of '']'', believes Bush was arrested for cocaine use in ], but had the arrest expunged because of his father's influence. Also, it has been alleged that Bush's refusal to take a ] during his ] service is drug-related.

In ], while beginning his campaign for the ] presidential race, Bush told the press that, as a condition of Federal employment, he had signed that he had not taken drugs within the past seven years. Asked if he would have met his father's qualifications for ] employment (which included no drug use in the past 25 years) he answered affirmatively, while refusing to answer regarding cocaine use before ].

Bush is sometimes referred to as ''Dubya'' (which is a Southern dialect variant of "]"), a play on his middle initial "W". His ] ] is '''Trailblazer''' or '''Tumbler'''.

==Business and early political career==

In ], Bush ran for the ] but lost to ] ], a ].

] (1995&ndash;2000).]]
Bush began his career in the ] in ] when he established ], an oil and gas exploration company he formed in ] with leftover funds from his education trust fund and money from other investors. Some of this funding came from the ], which in ] publicly distanced itself from its kinsman ]. The ] hurt Arbusto and, after a name change to Bush Exploration Co., Bush sold the company in ] to ], another Texas oil and gas exploration firm. Under the terms of the sale, Bush became CEO of Spectrum 7. The oil crisis of 1985&ndash;1986 bankrupted Spectrum 7. Spectrum 7 was subsequently saved by a buyout from ] Corp. in ] with Bush becoming a director of Harken.
<!-- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/bushtext073099.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0712-06.htm
http://www.famoustexans.com/georgewbush.htm
http://www.bop2004.org/bop2004/candidate.aspx?cid=1 -->

After working on his father's successful ], he was told by a friend, ], that then-owner ], another of the Bushes' many friends, wanted to sell the ], an ]-based ] franchise. In April ], Bush assembled a group of investors from his father's close friends, who bought 86% of the Rangers for $75 million. (Bush later appointed one of these partners, ], to the post of Ambassador to ].) Critics expressed concern about the propriety of the purchase, charging use of political influence and favoritism involving a family friend. Bush received a two percent share by investing $606,302, with $500,000 of it a loan from a bank. Bush paid off the loan by selling $848,000 worth of stock in ] Corp. in 1990, sparking allegations of ].

In '']'', ] notes that at the time of Bush's sale, ] "was expected to run out of money in just three days" (p. 123). In a last-ditch attempt to save the company, Harken was advised by the endowment fund of Harvard University to spin-off two of its lower-performing divisions. "According to a Harken memo, if the plan did not go through, the company had 'no other source of immediate financing.'" Bush had already taken out a $500,000 loan and sought Harken's general counsel for advice. The reply was explicit: "The act of trading, particularly if close in time to the receipt of the inside information, is strong evidence that the insider's investment decision was based on the inside information... the insider should be advised not to sell". This memo was turned over by Bush's attorney the day after the SEC ruled that it would not charge Bush with insider trading. On June 22, Bush sold his 212,140 shares of stock anyway for a net profit of $848,560. The very next quarter, Harken announced losses of $23 million, which continued to the end of the year when the stock "plummeted from $4 to $1.25".

The subsequent ] investigation ended in 1992 with a memo stating "it appears that Bush did not engage in illegal insider trading," but noted that the memo "must in no way be construed as indicating that the party has been exonerated or that no action may ultimately result". Critics allege that this decision was strongly influenced by the makeup of the SEC at the time, which heavily favored Bush. The chairman at the time was ], a good friend of the Bush family's who had been nominated to the ] by President George H. W. Bush and who had been a lawyer in ] firm, ]. The ] general counsel at the time was ], who had represented George W. Bush when he sought to buy into the ] (although Doty recused himself from the investigation.) Bush's own lawyer was ], who had been "partners with both Doty and Breeden at Baker Botts and who later became George W. Bush's ambassador to ]". Finally, ], the associate director of the SEC's enforcement division, who wrote a letter to Bush's attorney saying the investigation was being terminated, now represents former ] president ] in matters before the government.

As President, Bush has refused to authorize the SEC to release its full report on the Harken investigation. When the Rangers franchise was sold for $250 million in ], at a total profit of $170 million, Bush personally received $14.9 million for his $600,000 investment.

]He served as managing general partner of the Rangers until he was elected ] on ], ] over ] Democrat ]. He went on to become, in 1998, the first Texas governor to be elected for two consecutive four-year terms. His tenure in office featured a positive reputation for bipartisan leadership. Among issues attracting national and international attention during his terms was Texas' use of the ]. He signed the death warrants of 152 criminals, including that of ]. This is more than any previous Texas Governor. Critics charged that the death penalty was being badly administered and was too likely to result in execution of an innocent person, but Bush expressed his confidence all these defendants were guilty. He granted only one stay of execution his entire term of office, to ], the ].

In ], Bush was summoned to ] duty in a ] drunk driving case. His counsel, ], successfully argued that, as governor, Bush might one day be called to pardon the defendant, and that this should excuse him from sitting on the jury. When Bush's 1976 drunk driving conviction was made public during the 2000 presidential campaign, Ken Oden, a Democrat, the prosecutor of the 1996 case, re-examined the case and revealed that Bush's juror questionnaire left blank the question whether he had ever been accused in a criminal case. The prosecutor said, "With all the new information that has come forward, it's logical to see that there may have been motives at work that none of us knew about." He concluded that Bush "used his position as governor" to avoid disclosing the information, because the conviction was neither included on the written form nor mentioned by Gonzales. The prosecutor added, "I feel I was directly deceived." A Bush campaign spokesman responded that the form had been "filled out by a staff member who left a variety of questions blank, including the Social Security number, because he didn't know the answers to them".

==Presidential campaigns==

]
]

In ], he declared himself to be a "compassionate conservative". He campaigned on, among other issues, allowing ] ] to compete on an equal basis for participation in federally funded programs, ], promoting the use of ]s, supporting oil drilling in the ], maintaining a balanced federal budget, and restructuring of the ]. In foreign policy, he stated that he was against using the U.S. armed forces in "]" attempts abroad.

Bush was inaugurated President on ], ]. Bush had faced ] ] ] and won electoral votes in 30 of 50 states for a narrow majority of the ] (Bush-271, Gore-266). Gore received the majority of the nationwide popular vote by approximately 540,000 votes out of 105 million, a margin of barely one-half of one percent. It was the first presidential election since the ] in which a candidate received fewer popular votes while winning the electoral vote. It was also the first election to be affected by a ] decision.

The Florida vote, which favored Bush by a slim margin in the initial count, was heavily contested after concerns were raised about flaws and irregularities in the voting process, and became the subject of a series of contentious court cases. After the Supreme Court's mid-December decision in '']'' to end the recounts, Gore conceded the election. In the final official count, Bush won Florida's 25 electoral votes, and thereby won the presidency, by 537 votes. See ]. The election results are still disputed by many, though no longer contested in any legal venue.

In the 2004 election, Bush won a second term an electoral majority and also received 3.5 million popular votes more than his Democratic challenger, Senator ]. Bush was the first presidential candidate since his father, ] in ] to receive a majority of the popular vote, although his margin over Kerry of about 3 percent was the smallest popular vote margin for a re-elected President since ]'s ]. As in the 2000 election, there were charges raised voting improprieties, especially in ], although in 2004 they have not lead to recounts that would affect the result. George W. Bush is the only President to win re-election after losing the popular vote in his first election. The other three, ], ] and ], were either defeated in their bid for a second term or in the case of Hayes did not seek a second term.

:''Related articles: ]; ] and its subsidiary articles on ], ], and ]''

== Years as President ==

* ]
* ]

==Presidency==

===Foreign policy and security===
{{mainarticle|]}}
].]]
During his first presidential visit to Europe in June 2001, Bush came under harsh criticism from European leaders for his rejection of the ], which is aimed at reducing ] emissions that may contribute to ]. The treaty, however, had already been rejected by the ] on the grounds that it would exempt polluting nations classified as "developing," such as ]. In November 2004, ] ratified the treaty, giving it the required minimum of nations to put it into force.

President Bush's imposition of a ] and on Canadian soft lumber was controversial in light of his pursuit of other free market policies, and attracted criticism both from his fellow conservatives and from nations affected. The steel tariff was later rescinded under pressure from the ].

During his campaign, Bush's foreign policy platform included support of a stronger economic and political relationship with Latin America, especially Mexico, and a reduction in involvement in "nation-building" and other small-scale military engagements. However, after the ], the administration focused much more on foreign policy in the ].

Shortly after the attacks, a war was launched against ] to topple the ], which harbored ]. This action had fairly strong international support, and the Taliban government folded quickly after the invasion. However, subsequent nation-building efforts in concert with the ] under ] have proved troublesome, and bin Laden was never apprehended nor killed. A large contingent of troops and advisors remains through 2004. See ] for details. ] were held on ], ], although marred by flawed registration and validation and threatened withdrawal of 15 of 18 presidential candidates. International observers called the elections "fairly democratic" at the "overall majority" of polling centers. The election was won by ] with 55.4% of the votes.

On ], ], Bush scrapped the ] ], which had been a bedrock of U.S.-] nuclear stability during the ], arguing it was no longer relevant. Instead, Bush focused resources on a ballistic missile defense system. The proposed system has been the subject of much ]. Field tests have been mixed, with both some successes and failures. It is scheduled to start deployment in ]. A ballistic missile defense system will not stop cruise missiles, or missiles transported by boat or land vehicle. Hence, many critics of the system believe it is an expensive mistake, built for the least likely attack, a nuclear tipped ballistic missile. Bush has also increased spending on military research and development and the modernization of weapons systems, but cancelled programs such as the ] self-propelled artillery system. The administration also began initial research into bunker-busting nuclear missiles.

]'' on the morning of September 11, 2001. He has been criticized for sitting in the classroom for several minutes after learning that the nation was under attack.]]

Since 1998, when the ] passed the ], stated U.S. policy had been to remove the regime headed by ] from power in ]. After the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration argued that the Iraq situation had now become urgent. The premise was that Hussein's regime had tried to acquire nuclear material and had not accounted biological, and chemical material known to have existed in the past ] (WMD) in violation of U.N. sanctions. Bush contended that Hussein might deliver such WMD to terrorists such as al Qaeda.

Beginning in ] and escalating in spring ], Bush pressed the UN to act on its disarmament mandates to ], precipitating a ]. He began by pushing for UN weapons inspections in Iraq, which he received with passage of the ], which allowed inspectors lead by ] and ] to investigate Bush's allegations. Increasing pressure from the United States in the spring of 2003 forced the UN weapons inspectors to leave the country, unable to verify the existence of any WMD in Iraq. The Bush administration examined the possibility of seeking a ] resolution to authorize the use of military force, but abandoned the idea when it became clear that the majority of the members (including most of the permanent members with vetoing power) would vote against such a resolution; the matter was never taken to a vote (cf. ]). The United States managed to gather a group of countries to support a war, a total of about forty. Bush has called it the "]" and, while most of the participating countries are small, there were some notable exceptions such as the ], ], ], and ]. Spain has since pulled out of the war; Poland has announced that it will withdraw troops in 2005.

The United States invaded Iraq in March, citing the old resolution and the lack of Iraq cooperation. The original stated goal of the war was to stop Iraq from deploying and developing WMD and to remove Hussein from power. The war proved extremely divisive, without any clear resolution and some of the U.S.'s long-term allies such as ] and ] strongly opposed to it. In many countries there have also been ], on a scale not seen since the ]. The war was called illegal by the ] ].

While the Iraqi armed forces fell apart within a few days the problems in Iraq have since escalated. The insurgency continued after the declared end of major combat operations on ], ]. More than 1000 U.S. troops have been killed and over 9000 wounded in action. The failure to uncover the alleged WMD led to renewed allegations that intelligence estimates were spun or distorted to support the war. These claims have been corroborated by investigations and reports by the ]. Nevertheless, Bush states that he still believes it was the right decision, because a demonstrably brutal tyrant has been overthrown and can no longer threaten the world. See ] for full coverage.

In July of ], Bush cut off all funding to the ] (UNFPA). Bush claimed that the UNFPA supported forced ]s and ]s in ].

Bush's foreign policy is influenced by the ] ] ], many of whose members have prominent positions in the Bush administration. Many argue that the administration is far more inspired by the ], and to a lesser degree the ], although these organizations lack representation in the administration.

===Domestic policy===
{{mainarticle|]}}
] and Gov. ] listen.]]

President Bush has endorsed an ] to the ] that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, which would ban ], but leaves open the possibility of ]s. Bush has tended to be opposed to forms of ], but expressed appreciation for the Supreme Court's ruling upholding selecting college applicants for purposes of ]. Bush has met with the ] as President, but has not yet met with the ] as President, though he did address the NAACP at their 2000 convention in Baltimore as a presidential candidate. Should President Bush not meet with the NAACP before he leaves office, he will become the first sitting President to have not met with the NAACP since ].

During his first term, Bush sought and obtained Congressional approval for three major ]s. These temporary cuts, scheduled to expire a decade after passage, increased the standard income tax deduction for married couples, eliminated the ], and reduced marginal tax rates. By 2004, these tax cuts reduced federal tax revenues, as a percentage of the ], to the lowest level since 1959. The effect was to create record budget deficits. In the last year of the Clinton administration, the federal budget showed an annual surplus of more than $230 billion. Under Bush, however, the government returned to deficit spending. The annual deficit reached a record level of $374 billion in 2003 () and then a further record of $413 billion in 2004 (). In an open letter to Bush in 2004, more than 100 professors of business and economics at U.S. business schools ascribed this "fiscal reversal" to Bush's "policy of slashing taxes - primarily for those at the upper reaches of the income distribution". The cuts were enacted as temporary ones, but Bush has expressed the hope that they will be made permanent.

Bush advocates the partial privatization of ] wherein an individual would be free to invest a portion of his Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts. This initiative has not yet been considered by Congress. Bush also advocated greatly the use of guest worker visas.

Bush signed the ], which added prescription drug coverage to ], subsidized large employers to discourage them from eliminating private prescription coverage to retired workers, and prohibited the Federal government from negotiating discounts with drug companies.

Of the US$2.4 ] budgeted for ], about US$401 billion are planned to be spent on defense. This level is generally comparable to the defense spending during the cold war.

In January of ], Bush signed the ] Act, which targets supporting early learning, measures student performance, gives options over failing schools, and ensures more resources for schools. Critics (including Senator Kerry and the ]) say schools were not given the resources to help meet new standards despite a 50% increase in federal education spending. Some state governments are refusing to implement provisions of the act as long as they are not adequately funded.

Scientists have repeatedly criticized the Bush administration for reducing funding for scientific research, setting restrictions on federal funding of ], ignoring scientific consensus on ], and hampering cooperation with foreign scientists by enforcing deterring immigration and visa restrictions. In February ], over 5,000 scientists (including 48 Nobel Prize winners) from the ] signed a statement "opposing the Bush administration's use of scientific advice". They felt that "the Bush administration has ignored unbiased scientific advice in the policy-making that is so important for our collective welfare."

On ], ], Bush announced a , calling for a return to the ] by ], the completion of the ] by ] and eventually sending ] to ]. However, the plan faces funding problems, and Bush has not mentioned the initiative since his speech, perhaps owing to its largely tepid reception. .

Bush's environmental record has been attacked by environmentalists, who charge that his policies cater to industry demands to weaken environmental protections. He did sign the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002 authorizing the federal government to begin cleaning up pollution and contaminated sediment in the Great Lakes. He signed the Brownfields Legislation in 2002, accelerating the cleanup of abandoned industrial sites, or brownfields, to better protect public health, create jobs, and revitalize communities. In December 2003, President Bush signed legislation implementing key provisions of his ]; environmental groups have charged that the plan is simply a giveaway to timber companies. Another subject of controversy is Bush's ]; opponents say that the initiative will in fact allow utilities to pollute more than they do currently. During his first presidential bid, Bush stated he supported the ] ] treaty, but once in office he reversed that position, saying it would harm the U.S. economy. Environmental groups note that many Bush Administration officials, in addition to Bush and Cheney, have ties to the energy industry, automotive industry, and other groups that have fought environmental protections.

===First term cabinet===
{| cellpadding="1" cellspacing="4" style="margin:3px; border:3px solid #000000;"
!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|
|-
|align="left"|'''CABINET OFFICE'''||align="center"|'''NAME'''||align="left"|'''TERM'''
|-
!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
!bgcolor="#000" colspan="3"|
|-
|]
!]
|2001&ndash;2005
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&ndash;2003
|-
|
!]
|2003&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&ndash;2005
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&ndash;2005
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&ndash;2005
|-
|]
!]
|2001&ndash;2005
|-
|]
!]
|2001&ndash;2005
|-
|]
!]
|2001&ndash;2003
|-
|
!]
|2004&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&ndash;2005
|-
|]
!]
|2001&ndash;2005
|-
|]
!]
|2003&ndash;2005
|}

===Cabinet info===
Bush's cabinet included the largest number of ] of any U.S. federal cabinet to date, including the first two ] federal cabinet secretaries (Chao and Mineta). This gives it the distinction of being both the most racially diverse, and, according to the ], the wealthiest cabinet ever.

Only one non-Republican was present in Bush's cabinet during his first term. ] ], the first Asian-American cabinet secretary, who had previously served as ] under ], is a ].

His cabinet included figures prominent in past administrations, notably ], who had served as ] under ] and ] under George H. W. Bush and Clinton, and ] ], who had served in the same position under ].<br>

===Other advisors and officials===
*] - ] (2001&ndash;2004), ] (interim director, 2004), ] (2004&mdash;)
*] - ]
*] - ] (2001&ndash;2005)
*] Administrator - ] (2001&ndash;2003), ] (2003&ndash;2005)
*] ] - ] (2001&ndash;2004), ] (2004)
*] Chairman - ]
*] Director - ] (2001&ndash;2003), ] (2003&mdash;)
*] - ]
*Senior Advisor - ]
*White House counsel - ](2001&ndash;2005), ] (2005-)
*Advisor - ] (2001&ndash;2002)
*] - ] (2001&ndash;2003), ] (2003&mdash;)

Among the more criticized appointments have been ], ], Otto Reich, and ] for their roles in the ] and for allegedly covering up human rights abuses in ] and ].

Some of Bush's other appointments have been noted as reflecting a preference for family members of favored officials. These include: ] (Senator ]'s son) as ]'s U.S. Attorney, ] (Supreme Court Justice ]'s son) as Solicitor for the Labor Department, ] (U.S. Chief Justice ]'s daughter) as Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (later fired for firearms charges and inappropriate job terminations), and ] (Vice President Cheney's daughter) to the newly created position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near-East Affairs.

===Proposed second term cabinet===
{| cellpadding="1" cellspacing="4" style="margin:3px; border:3px solid #000000;"
!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|
|-
|align="left"|'''CABINET OFFICE'''||align="center"|'''NAME'''||align="left"|'''TERM'''
|-
!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
!bgcolor="#000" colspan="3"|
|-
|]
!]*
|2005&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2003&mdash;
|-
|]
!]*
|2005&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
|]
!]*
|2005&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
|]
!]*
|2005&mdash;
|-
|]
!]*
|2005&mdash;
|-
|]
!]*
|2005&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2004&mdash;
|-
|]
!]
|2001&mdash;
|-
|]
!]*
|2005&mdash;
|-
|]
!]*
|2005&mdash;
|-
|]
!''no-one nominated yet''
|2005&mdash;
|-
|&nbsp;
!<nowiki>*</nowiki>] confirmation required
|&nbsp;
|}

===Legislation===
''Partial list:''
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ] (Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act) (see also ])
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
*], ]: United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ]
*], ]: ] (CAN-SPAM)
*], ]: ] (Laci and Conner's Law)



==Public perception and assessments==

=== Domestic ===

In the time of national crisis following the ], Bush briefly enjoyed approval ratings of greater than 85 percent. Bush maintained these extraordinary ratings (the highest approval ratings of any president since such regular polls began in ]) for some months following the attack, though they gradually dropped to lower levels.

During the ] midterm congressional elections, Bush had the highest approval rating of any president during a mid-term election since ], and subsequently the Republican Party retook control of the ] and added to their majority in the ]. These results marked an unusual deviation from the historic trend of the President's party losing congressional seats in the midterm elections, and was just the third time since the ] that the party in control of the White House gained seats in both houses of Congress in a midterm election (others were ] and ]). One explanation for this historic event is that Bush's wartime popularity carried over to other Republicans in races for legislative office. Another is that the singularly close election of Bush in ] complicates expectations based on general historic trends.

In ], Bush's approval ratings continued their slow descent from the ] highs, with 13 major polls agreeing on for his entire presidency with the exceptions of only three significant increases: immediately after 9/11, during the Iraq War, and the capture of Saddam Hussein. By late ], his approval numbers were in the low to middle 50s. Nevertheless, his numbers were still solid for the third year of a Presidency, when the President's opponents typically begin their campaigns in earnest. Most polls tied the decline to growing concern over the ] and the economy's slow recovery from the ] recession. Late during the Democratic primary, most major polls showed Bush losing to the various Democratic challengers by a narrow margin. Polls of May ] showed anywhere from a 53 percent approval rating to a 46 percent approval rating. Composite time-series graphs of Bush's approval ratings from ] ] to ] ] are available at , an analysis of G. W. Bush's popularity over time is available at .

<div style="float:right;margin-left:1em">
]
</div>

Bush has been the subject of both high praise and stringent criticism, and has been called by some the "love him or hate him" president. The former have focused on matters such as the ], homeland security, and especially his leadership after the September 11 attacks; the latter on matters such as the economy, the ], and the ]. The magazine '']'' named Bush as its ] for ] and ]. This award is traditionally given to the person considered by the editors to be most important newsmaker of the year.

=== Outside the United States ===
] during the G-8 sessions, July 21, 2001.]]

Bush's popularity outside the United States is generally lower. In many parts of the world he is very unpopular, with many reporting a dislike of his personality and foreign policy. The ] particularly provoked charges of ]. Recent polls indicate erosion of support among Europeans for Bush, for example a drop from 36% to 16% favorability over the last year in Germany. A broader Associated Press/Ipsos survey of industrialized nations found that a majority of people in ], ], ], ], ]&mdash;in addition to ] and the ], where ]n cooperation traditionally reigns&mdash;have an unfavorable view of Bush and his policy on foreign affairs, although significant minorities continue to report favorable views. In Muslim countries Bush's unfavorability ratings are particularly high, often over 90%. Among the non-U.S. nations polled in a worldwide study, Bush's popularity was highest in ], where 62% reported favorable views.

A July and August 2004 survey by the ] and ] of 34,330 people in 35 nations found that, in 30 out of 35 countries polled, a majority or plurality would have preferred to see Democratic presidential candidate ] win in the 2004 election. Kerry was strongly preferred by traditional European allies like ] (74% for Kerry to 7% for Bush), ] (74% to 10%), ] (64% to 5%), the ] (63% to 6%), ] (58% to 14%), ] (45% to 7%), and the ] (47% to 16%). Also other allies such as ] (43% to 23%), ] (38% to 18%), ] (40% to 25%) and ] (43% to 29%). The only countries where President Bush was preferred by a majority were the ], ], and ]. ] and ] were divided.
An October poll by a range of major international newspapers show that in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Japan, Spain and South Korea a majority of voters share a rejection of the Iraq invasion, contempt for the Bush administration and a growing hostility to the U.S.; however, while they all oppose the Bush government's politics, they do not express a dislike of American people. Another poll found that Israel and Russia were the only countries surveyed in which a majority favored President Bush over Senator Kerry.

==Further reading==
*K. Auletta (January 19, 2004). "Fortress Bush: How the White House Keeps the Press Under Control", ''The New Yorker'', LXXIX, 53.
*James Bovard, ''The Bush Betrayal'', (2004) ISBN 140396727X
*Robert Bryce, ''Cronies: Oil, The Bushes, and the Rise of Texas, America's Superstate'', (2004) ISBN 1586481886
*George W. Bush, ''A Charge to Keep'', (1999) ISBN 0688174418
*George W. Bush, ''We Will Prevail'', (2003) ISBN 0826415520
*Ben Fritz, Bryan Keefer & Brendan Nyhan, ''All the President's Spin: George W. Bush, the Media, and the Truth'', (2004) ISBN 0743262514
*David Frum, ''The Right Man'', (2003) ISBN 0375509038 ISBN 0812966953
*H. Gillman, ''The Votes That Counted: How the Court Decided the 2000 Presidential Election'', (2001) ISBN 0226294080
*J. H. Hatfield, ''Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President'', (1999) ISBN 1887128840
*Molly Ivins and L. Dubose, ''Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush'', (2000) ISBN 0375503994
*Ronald Kessler, ''A Matter Of Character: Inside The White House Of George W. Bush'', (2004) ISBN 1595230009
*Stephen Mansfield, ''The Faith of George W. Bush'', (2003) ISBN 1585423092
*Richard Miniter, ''Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror'' (2004) ISBN 0895260522
*B. Minutaglio, ''First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty'', (1999) ISBN 0609808672
*E. Mitchell, ''W: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty'', (2000) ISBN 0786866306
*Bill Sammon, ''Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism from Inside the Bush White House'', (2002) ISBN 0895261499
*Bill Sammon, ''Misunderestimated: The President Battles Terrorism, John Kerry, and the Bush Haters'', (2004) ISBN 0060723831
*Craig Unger, ''House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties'', (2004) ISBN 074325337X
*Ian Williams, ''Deserter: George Bush's War on Military Families, Veterans, and His Past'', (2004) ISBN 1560256273
*Bob Woodward, ''Bush At War'', (2002) ISBN 0743244613
*Bob Woodward, ''Plan of Attack'', (2004) ISBN 074325547X

==See also==
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]

==External links==
===Transcripts===
{{wikiquote}}
* (August 3, 2000)
*
* (])
* (])
* (])
{{Wikisource author}}
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* (The Oval Office, February 7, 2004)
* &ndash; June 25, 2004 &ndash; Real player video feeds
* &ndash; June 25, 2004 &ndash; transcript
* (September 2, 2004)

===Official and news links===
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

===Information sites===
{{commons|George W. Bush}}
{{wikiquote}}
* directory category
* directory category
* directory category
*

{{start box}}

{{succession box | before = ] | title = ] | years = 2001&mdash; | after = '' '''Incumbent''' ''}}

{{succession box | before = ] | title = ] | years = 1995&ndash;2000 | after = ]}}

{{succession box | before = ] | title = ] | years = 2000 (won), 2004 (won) | after = &nbsp; }}

{{end box}}

{{USpresidents}}

]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Revision as of 22:33, 27 December 2004