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George W. Bush

George W. Bush

Order: 43rd President
Term of Office: ,–present
Predecessor:
Date of Birth: ,,
Place of Birth: ,
:
Profession:
:
:

'George Walker Bush (born,) is the 43rd and current of the. His four-year term as President began on,. He is currently seeking a second term. (See '.)

Before assuming the presidency, Bush was a businessman. He served as from to. He is the son of former President and the brother of.

Personal life, service, and education

George W. Bush was born in to parents George and, and grew up in and,. He has four younger siblings:,,, and. A younger sister, Robin, died of in at the age of three.

File:Bush daughers.gif
George W. Bush and Laura Bush with their daughters Jenna and Barbara, 1990
George W. Bush in his national guardsman uniform.
The Bush family watches tee ball on the White House lawn.

Like his father, Bush was educated at (Andover) (September–June) and (September–May). While at Yale he joined (where he was president from October until graduation), and the society. 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 Vietnam War, 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 October 1,.

However, when Bush began his political career, his opponents and journalists began to raise questions about his service record. 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.

Bush married in. In, at age 40, he became a, converting from to his wife's denomination,. They have twin daughters,, born in.

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 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." [1] [2] [3]

Bush has addressed the issue of his alleged cocaine abuse on several occasions. The 2000 campaign initially refused to answer on principle, but later Bush told the press that, as a condition of Federal employment, he had signed a form averring he had not taken drugs in the previous seven years. When asked if he could have signed it when his father was president, he paused to think, and then answered that he could have. But Bush refused to answer if he had ever taken cocaine.

Bush is sometimes referred to as Dubya (which is an old Texan variation of ""), a play on his middle initial "W". His codename is Trailblazer.

Business and political career

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

File:texasgovbush.jpg
George W. Bush's portrait as (1995-2000).
File:Gore Debate.jpg
Bush listens as Democratic opponent states a point during a debate.
File:GoreBush.jpg
Al Gore greets President-Elect Bush at the White House in late December of 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. (Years later, he was criticized because some of the funding came from the.) The hurt Arbusto and, after a name change to Bush Exploration Co., Bush sold the company in to Spectrum 7, another Texas oil and gas exploration firm. Under the terms of the sale, Bush became CEO of Spectrum 7. History was repeated as the oil crisis of 1985-1986 bankrupted Spectrum 7. Spectrum 7 was subsequently saved by a buyout from Corp. in with Bush becoming a director of Harken.

After working on his father's successful, he was told by 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. [4]) Bush invested $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. Critics allege, although the (SEC) ended a investigation 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."[5] In fact, had Bush held the stock another year, he would have profited even more. Critics allege that the investigation was influenced by the fact that Bush's father was President at the time, although no action was taken during's presidency either. As President, Bush has refused to authorize the SEC to release its full report on the investigation. Bush personally earned US$14.9 million from his $606,302 investment in the sale of the team for $250 million at a total profit of US$170 million. [6]

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.

In, he campaigned on, among other issues, allowing to compete on an equal basis for participation in federally funded programs,, promoting the use ofs, supporting oil drilling in the, and restructuring of the. In foreign policy, he stated he was against using the U.S. armed forces in "" attempts abroad.

Bush became President on, as the winner of one of the closest general elections in U.S. history, defeating in 30 of 50 states for a narrow victory by five. Gore won a plurality 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 lost the popular vote while winning the electoral college vote. The electoral college outcome could have been altered by a difference of only a few hundred (/2) popular votes in.

The Florida vote, which favored Bush by a tiny 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 a decision in mid-December favoring Bush, Gore conceded the election. The election results are still disputed by many, though no longer contested in any legal venue. See.

Presidency

Foreign policy and security

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George W. Bush flanked by wife Laura Bush, Marta Sahagún Fox, and Mexican President

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, accused of harboring. 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 believed to have been killed. A large contingent of troops and advisors remains through 2004. See for details. Democratic elections 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.

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 WMD (). The Bush administration examined the possibility of a new resolution from the, but 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. They have been called "" and while most of them are small there were some notable exceptions such as the, and. Spain has since pulled out of the war.

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 topple the dictator. 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 difficulties in the occupation and implementation of a democracy, the failure to find Saddam's alleged weapons, and claims about information having been allegedly spun or distorted to support the war have all been used to challenge the Bush administration both domestically and from abroad. 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.

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.

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. Currently, the treaty has not been ratified by the required minimum of nations to put it into force. However, as of 2004, is going to ratify it. This leaves USA, with the largest emissions in the world, in a politically uncomfortable position when the treaty comes into effect.

Bush 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 WTO.

In July of, Bush cut off all funding to the (UNFPA). Bush claimed that the UNFPA supported forceds ands 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

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George W. Bush raises his arm to greet an audience of firefighters on November 4, 2003, as California Governor-Elect and Gov. listen.
George W. Bush speaks at a campaign rally in St. Petersburg, Florida, October 19, 2004

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 ofs. 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. Although President Bush did meet with the, he is the first sitting President not to meet with the since.

President Bush has implemented threes during his term in office that eliminated the "marriage penalty" and the "death tax" and reduced marginal tax rates. These cuts were enacted by Congress with large bipartisan majorities, but were later criticized as regressive give-aways. 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 signed the, which added prescription drug coverage to, subsidized companies that sell these drugs, and prohibited the Federal government from negotiating discounts with drug companies.

Of the US$2.4 budgeted for, about US$401 billion [7] are planned to be spent on defense. This level is generally comparable to the defense spending during the cold war. [8]

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) 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. [9]

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 from nations such as by enforcing immigration and visa restrictions. In February, over 5,000 scientists (including 48 Nobel Prize winners) from the signed a statment "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". [10] [11][12]

On,, Bush announced a "space vision", 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. [13].

Bush's environmental record has been largely criticized 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 Healthy Forests Initiative.

Cabinet

Bush's cabinet possesses the largest number of of any U.S. federal cabinet to date, including the first two federal cabinet secretaries. It is also, according to the, the wealthiest cabinet ever.

Only one non-Republican is present in Bush's cabinet., the first Asian-American cabinet secretary, had previously served as under; he is the sole in the Bush cabinet.

His cabinet includes figures prominent in past Republican administrations, notably, who had served as and under and under, and, who had served in the same position under.

OFFICE NAME TERM
2001–
2001–
2001–
2001–
2001–2003
2003–
2001–
2001–
2001–
2001–
2001–
2001–
2001–
2001–2003
2004–
2001–
2001–
2001–
2003–


Other advisors and officials

  • - (2001-2004), (interim director, 2004), (2004- )
  • -
  • -
  • Administrator - (2001-2003), (2003- )
  • - (2001-2004), (2004- )
  • Chairman -
  • Director - (2001-2003), (2003- )
  • -
  • Senior Advisor -
  • White House counsel -
  • Advisor - (2001-2002)
  • - (2001-2003), (2003- )

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. Additionally, some appointments have been accused of being, including: Michael Powell (son of Secretary of State Colin Powell) as FCC Chairman, 28-year-old (Sen.'s son) as South Carolina'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 Pres. Dick Cheney's daughter) to the newly-created position Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near-East Affairs.

Legislation

Partial list:

  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,: (Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act) (see also) [14]
  • ,:
  • ,:
  • ,: 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

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 a remarkably stable and consistent 1.7% per month decline 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 [15] to a 46 percent approval rating. [16] Composite time-series graphs of Bush's approval ratings from to are available at [17] [18], an analysis of G. W. Bush's popularity over time is available at [19].

George W. 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 has 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.

Outside the United States

President Bush and French President 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.[20] A broader Associated Press/Ipsos survey of industrialized nations found that a majority of people in,,,,—in addition to and the, wheren cooperation traditionally reigns—have an unfavorable view of Bush and his policy on foreign affairs, although significant minorities continue to report favorable views. [21] In Muslim countries Bush's unfavorability ratings are particularly high, often over 90%. [22] Among the non-U.S. nations polled in a worldwide study, Bush's popularity was highest in, where 62% reported favorable views. [23]

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 prefer 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. [24] An October [25]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.

Further reading

  • George W. Bush, A Charge to Keep, (1999) ISBN 0688174418
  • George W. Bush, We Will Prevail, (2003) ISBN 0826415520
  • Ronald Kessler, A Matter Of Character: Inside The White House Of George W. Bush, Penguin, USA, August, 2004, hardcover, 320 pages, ISBN 1595230009
  • David Frum, The Right Man, (2003) ISBN 0375509038 ISBN 0812966953
  • Robert Bryce, Cronies: Oil, The Bushes, and the Rise of Texas, America's Superstate, PublicAffairs, ISBN 1586481886
  • Bob Woodward, Bush At War, (2002) ISBN 0743244613
  • Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack, (2004) ISBN 074325547X
  • K. Auletta (January 19, 2004). Fortress Bush: How the White House Keeps the Press Under Control, The New Yorker, LXXIX, 53.
  • Bill Sammon, Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism from Inside the Bush White House, (2002) ISBN 0895261499
  • B. Minutaglio, First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty (1999) ISBN 0609808672
  • Stephen Mansfield, The Faith of George W. Bush, (2003) ISBN 1585423092
  • M. Ivins and L. Dubose, Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush (2000) ISBN 0375503994
  • Ian Williams, Deserter: George Bush's War on Military Families, Veterans, and His Past ISBN 1560256273
  • E. Mitchell, W: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty (2000) ISBN 0786866306
  • 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
  • Ben Fritz, Bryan Keefer & Brendan Nyhan, All the President's Spin: George W. Bush, the Media, and the Truth (2004) ISBN 0743262514
  • Craig Unger, House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties ISBN 074325337X
  • Bill Sammon, Misunderestimated: The President Battles Terrorism, John Kerry, and the Bush Haters (2004) ISBN 0060723831
  • Richard Miniter, Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror (2004) ISBN 0895260522

External links

This article was adapted from the 18:19, 23 Oct 2004 revision of the article on George W. Bush.

Transcripts

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