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He is a fuckface, plain and simple. | |||
{{Infobox President | name=George Walker Bush | |||
| nationality=american | |||
| image name=George-W-Bush.jpeg | |||
| order=]rd ] | |||
| date1=], ] | |||
| date2=] | |||
| preceded=] | |||
| succeeded=] | |||
| date of birth=], ] | |||
| place of birth=], <br>] | |||
| dead=alive | |||
| date of death= N/A | |||
| place of death= N/A | |||
| wife=] | |||
| party=] | |||
| vicepresident=] | |||
}} | |||
Please ban me for life, I don't want to edit anymore. | |||
'''George Walker Bush''' (born ], ]) is the current ] of the ] and former Governor of the State of ]. A member of the ], before entering politics he was a ] in the ] and in professional sports, serving as managing general partner of the ] ] team. | |||
Bush was elected 46th ] in ] and served two terms, moving on to win the nomination of the Republican Party in the ], and defeating ] ] of the ] in a particularly close general election. In ], Bush was ], defeating Democratic Senator ] of ]. | |||
Bush is a member of a prominent ]; his father, ], served as U.S. President for four years and as Vice President for eight, his brother ] is the current ], and his grandfather, ], was a ]. | |||
==Personal life, service and education== | |||
].]] | |||
Bush is the son of George H. W. Bush and ]. He was born in ], ] but grew up in ] and ], ], with siblings ], ], ], and ]. (A younger sister, Robin, died of ] in ] at the age of three.) The family enjoyed the summers and most holidays at the ] in Maine. | |||
Bush attended San Jacinto Junior High for seventh grade. He later moved to the ] in Houston for two years. Afterward, like his father, Bush attended ] (September ]–June ]) and later ] (September ]–May ]). At Yale, he joined ] (of which he was president from October ] until graduation) and the ] ]. (Bush's father ] (1948) and grandfather ] (1917) were also members of Skull and Bones.) He was a C+ student, scoring 77% (with no As and one D, in astronomy) with a ] of 2.35 out of a possible 4.00. Bush has joked that he was known more for his social life than for his grades. He received a ] degree in history in ]. | |||
After graduating from Yale University, Bush joined the Texas ] on ], ], during the ], with a commitment to serve until ], ]. He was promoted to ] on the November ] recommendation of Texas Air National Guard commander Lt. Col. ]. He served as an ] pilot until 1972. | |||
] | |||
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 ], ]. <small>(])</small> It has been frequently alleged that Bush skipped over a waiting list to receive a National Guard slot, that he did not report for required duty from 1972 to 1973, and that he was suspended from flying after he failed to take a required physical examination and drug test. These issues were publicized during the 2004 Presidential campaign by the group ] and other Bush critics. See ] for details. Bush entered Harvard Business School in 1973. He received a ] (MBA) degree in ], and is the first U.S. president to hold an MBA. | |||
On ], ], Bush was pulled over by police near his family's summer home in ], Maine. He was arrested for ], admitted his guilt in the incident, was fined $150, and had his driving license suspended for 30 days within the state. , News of the arrest was uncovered by the press five days before the 2000 presidential election. Bush has described his days before his religious conversion in his 40s as his "nomadic" period and "irresponsible youth" and admitted to drinking "too much" in those years. He says that he gave up drinking for good shortly after waking up with a hangover after his 40th birthday celebration: "I quit drinking in 1986 and haven't had a drop since then." He ascribed the change in part to a ] meeting with Reverend ]. , , | |||
Bush has said that he did not use illegal drugs at any time since 1974. He has denied the allegation (Hatfield 1999) that family influence was used to expunge the record of an arrest for ] possession in 1972, but has declined to discuss whether he used drugs before 1974. In taped recordings of a conversation with an old friend, author ], Bush said: “I wouldn’t answer the marijuana question. You know why? Because I don’t want some little kid doing what I tried.” When Wead reminded Bush that the latter had publicly denied using cocaine, Bush replied, "I haven't denied anything." , ''See also ].'' | |||
Bush married ] in ]. They have twin daughters, ], born in 1981. In 1986, at the age of 40, he left the ] and joined his wife's denomination, the ]. He is a self-proclaimed "born-again" Christian. | |||
Bush is 5 feet, 11 inches (180 cm) tall. His most common nickname is "Dubya", from the colloquial pronunciation of his middle initial. | |||
==Business and early political career== | |||
In ], Bush ran for the ] but lost to a ], Democrat ]. ], at the time a former Governor of ], endorsed Bush's opponent in the Republican ]. | |||
Bush began his career in the oil industry in ], when he established ], an oil and gas exploration company he formed with leftover funds from his education trust fund and money from other investors. 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, Spectrum 7 made Bush its ]. Spectrum 7 lost revenue and was merged into ] Corporation in ], with Bush becoming a director of Harken. | |||
] | |||
After working on his father's successful ], he was told by a friend, ], that another family friend, ], wanted to sell the Texas Rangers, his ]-based ] franchise. In April ], Bush assembled a group of investors from his father's close friends (including fellow fraternity brother ]); the group bought 86% of the Rangers for $75 million. (Bush later appointed one of these partners, ], to the post of Ambassador to ].) Bush received a two percent share by investing $606,302, of which $500,000 was a bank loan. Bush paid off the loan by selling $848,000 worth of stock in Harken Energy in 1990. As Harken Energy reported significant financial losses within a year of this sale (as did much of the energy industry due to the recession of the early 1990s), the fact that Bush was advised by his own counsel not to sell his shares later fueled allegations of insider trading. | |||
''See ] for more information.'' The federal ] concluded on March 27, 1992 by Assistant Director of the SEC Herb Janick that Bush had a "preexisting plan" to sell the Harken stock and that Bush had a "relatively limited role in Harken management" and that they did not believe insider trading took place. (, , , ) | |||
Bush served as managing general partner of the Rangers for five years. He was active in the team's media relations and in securing the construction of a new stadium, which opened in 1994 as ]. Bush's prominent role with the Rangers gave him valuable goodwill and name recognition throughout Texas. () | |||
].]] | |||
In ], Bush took a leave of absence from the Rangers to run for ] against the popular ], Democrat ]. On ], 1994, he defeated Richards, 53% to 46%. As Governor, Bush forged a legislative alliance with powerful Texas Lt. Governor ], a longtime Democrat. In ] Bush went on to win re-election in a ] with close to 69% of the vote, becoming the first Texas governor to be elected for two consecutive four-year terms. (Until ], Texas governors served two-year terms.) During Bush's terms as Governor, he undertook significant legislative changes in the areas of criminal justice, ] law, and school financing. Bush took a hard line on capital punishment, and received much criticism from advocates wanting to abolish the ]. Under Bush, Texas' incarceration rate was 1014 inmates per 100,000 state population in 1999, the second highest in the world (Louisiana was first at 1025 inmates), due mainly to the strict illegal drug laws enforcement in Texas. One of his accomplishments was the ]. Bush's transformative agenda, in combination with his political and family pedigree, catapulted him onto the national political radar. As the campaign to succeed ] as president began in earnest, Bush emerged as a key figure. | |||
==Presidential campaigns== | |||
] | |||
In ], he declared himself to be a ]. He ] on, among other issues, allowing religious charities to participate in federally funded programs, cutting taxes, promoting the use of ], supporting oil drilling in the ], maintaining a balanced ], and restructuring the ]. In ], he stated that he was against using the U.S. armed forces in ] attempts abroad. | |||
After winning the Republican nomination against his chief rival ] ], Bush faced Democratic candidate ] ]. Bush won 271 ] to Gore's 266, including the electoral votes of 30 of the 50 ]. Neither candidate received a majority of the popular vote -- Bush received 47.9 percent; Gore, 48.4 percent -- but Gore received a ] of about 540,000 more of the 105 million votes cast. Most of the votes that neither Bush nor Gore won went to ] candidate ] (2,695,696 votes/2.7%), ] candidate ], (449,895/0.4%), and ] candidate ] (386,024 votes/0.4%). | |||
It was the first presidential election since ] was elected President in ] in which the winning candidate received fewer popular votes than his opponent. It was the first since ] was elected in ] in which the winner of the electoral vote was in dispute and affected by a ] decision. The Florida totals, which favored Bush in the initial tallies, became hotly contested after concerns were raised about irregularities in the voting and tabulation processes. Al Gore, who had conceded the election in a phone call to Bush, rescinded that concession a few hours later. | |||
A series of contentious court cases ensued regarding the legality of county-specific and statewide recounts. After machine and manual recounts in four counties, and with Bush still prevailing, the ] ordered a statewide manual recount of all counties. The Bush campaign appealed to the ], which, in its mid-December decision in '']'', overturned the decision and halted all recounts. (Critics have pointed out that a number of the justices were appointed by his father, contending that they should have recused themselves, although that position too was subject to much criticism.) Gore then conceded the election again. | |||
] | |||
In the final official count, Bush won Florida by 537 votes (2,912,790 for Bush to 2,912,253 for Gore), giving him the state's 25 electoral votes and the presidency. ''See ] and ].'' Bush was inaugurated President on ], ]. | |||
In the ] Bush won a second term, carrying 31 of 50 states for a total of 286 Electoral College votes. Bush also won a majority of the popular vote: 50.73% to Kerry's 48.27%. Bush's popular vote total, at 62 million, is the largest ever, with Kerry's total of 59 million being the second largest. Bush was the first presidential candidate since his father, ] in ] to receive a majority of the popular vote. As in the 2000 election, there were charges raised alleging ], especially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In 2004 they did not lead to recounts that were expected to affect the result. After a ] -- the second in American history -- failed, a ] challenging the result in Ohio was withdrawn, because the congressional certification of the electoral votes had rendered the case ]. | |||
Bush was inaugurated for his second term on ], ]. The oath was administered by ] ]. Bush's inaugural speech centered mainly on a theme of spreading ] and ] around the world. Bush stated in his second inaugural address on January 20, 2005: | |||
:"From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our ] advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?" | |||
==Presidency== | |||
* {{main article|George W. Bush's first term as President of the United States}} | |||
* {{main article|George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States}} | |||
===Foreign policy and security=== | |||
] Prime Minister ] and former ] Commission President ] at ] near ], Sweden on ], ].]] | |||
{{mainarticle|Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration}} | |||
During his first presidential visit to ] in June 2001, Bush came under criticism from European leaders for his rejection of the ]. In 2002, Bush came out strongly against the ] as harmful to ] in the United States, stating: "My approach recognizes that economic growth is the solution, not the problem." The administration also disputed the scientific basis for the treaty. In November 2004, ] ratified the treaty, giving it the required minimum of nations to put it into force without ratification by the United States. | |||
]'' shortly after the attack on the ]. He was praised by some for not alarming the schoolchildren, and criticized by others for his apparent nonchalance.]] | |||
During his campaign, Bush's ] platform included support of a stronger economic and political relationship with ], especially ], and a reduction in involvement in "]" and other small-scale military engagements that were not directly related to U.S. interests. However, after the ], the administration focused much more on foreign policy in the ]. | |||
Nearly a month after the attacks, on ], 2001, the United States and its allies commenced aerial bombing and launched a war against ] to topple the ], which the Bush Administration charged with harboring ]. This action had strong international support, and the Taliban government folded quickly after the invasion. Subsequent nation-building efforts in concert with the ] under Afghan president ] have had mixed results; bin Laden was not apprehended or killed, and (]) is still at large. A sizeable contingent of troops and advisors remains into 2005. See ] for details. ] were held on ], ]. There were allegations of flawed registration and validation, and 15 of the 18 presidential candidates threatened to withdraw, but international observers called the elections "fairly democratic" at the "overall majority" of polling centers. | |||
] in ], ], ]: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."]] | |||
In the week following the attacks on the twin towers in Manhattan in September 2001, President Bush made a brief but celebrated speech near the site of the collapsed buildings while surrounded by site workers. CNN reported that "As he stood on a pile of rubble in Manhattan, some people in the crowd shouted they couldn't hear him." In his speech he asserted that those who had carried out the attacks would soon be "hearing from all of us". | |||
On ], ], Bush withdrew from the ] ], which had been a bedrock of U.S.-] nuclear stability during the ], arguing it was no longer relevant. Bush has since then focused resources on a ] 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 ]s, 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 ] and the ] of weapons systems, but cancelled programs such as the ] self-propelled ] system. The administration also began initial research into bunker-busting nuclear missiles. | |||
In July of ], Bush cut off all funding to the ] (UNFPA). Bush claimed that the UNFPA supported forced ]s and ]s in ]. | |||
====Iraq==== | |||
Since the 1998 enactment of the ], stated U.S. policy had been to remove ] from power in ]. After the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration argued that the situation in Iraq had now become urgent. The Administration believed Saddam Hussein was a threat to U.S. interests, destabilized the ], inflamed the ] and gave financial support to ]. While many members of previous U.S. administrations and other governments have come to agree with these assertions, another alleged motive given for the invasion of Iraq has been over the issue of ], which has created further controversy. | |||
A controversy has also arisen over evidence of Iraq's armaments presented during the buildup to war. Conflicting intelligence reports noted that Saddam's regime had tried to acquire ] and the U.S. argued that it had not properly accounted for ] and ] material that it was known to possess, potential ] (WMD) in violation of ]. There is debate between supporters and opponents of the war about whether the U.S. had any evidence that Iraq possessed WMD and whether they had any evidence of ties between Iraq and ]. , However, on ], ], the U.S. ] Final Report concluded that, "ISG has not found evidence that Saddam Husayn (sic) possessed WMD stocks in 2003, but the available evidence from its investigation—including detainee interviews and document exploitation—leaves open the possibility that some weapons existed in Iraq although not of a militarily significant capability." (''see'' ] and ], for full coverage). | |||
Bush contended that Saddam might deliver WMD to ] such as Al-Qaeda. Beginning in ] and escalating in spring ], Bush pressed the ] to act on its ] mandates to Iraq, precipitating a ]. He began by pushing for UN weapons inspections in Iraq, which the UN instituted under ]. ] and ] led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq. There were occasional lapses in cooperation and limits on inspections set by the Iraqi government, leading to intense debate over the efficacy of inspections. Four days before the commencement of full-scale hostilities, the United States advised U.N. weapons inspectors to leave Iraq, and they departed the country. After Saddam's capture, interrogators asked him, "If you had no weapons of mass destruction then why not let the U.N. inspectors into your facilities?" Saddam replied, "We didn’t want them to go into the presidential areas and intrude on our privacy." | |||
Within the Bush administration, ] ] urged that the United States not go to war without clear UN approval. The administration examined the possibility of seeking an additional ] resolution to authorize the use of military force (pursuant to of the ]), but abandoned the idea in the face of opposition from the majority of Security Council members and the public threat of a veto from ] (cf. ]). Instead, the United States assembled a group of about forty nations, including the ], ], ], and ], which Bush called the "]". | |||
The coalition invaded Iraq on ], ], citing many Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq (, , , , | |||
, | |||
, | |||
, | |||
, | |||
), the current and past lack of Iraqi cooperation with those resolutions, Saddam's intermittent refusal to co-operate with UN weapons inspectors, Saddam's alleged attempt to ] former president ] in ], and Saddam's violation of the ] ] agreement. The coalition argued that these resolutions authorized the ]. Other world leaders, such as ] ], disagreed and called the war illegal. The primary stated goal of the war was to stop Iraq from deploying and developing WMD by removing Saddam from power. See ] for full coverage. | |||
] off the coast of ], where he delivers his controversial ] speech to declare victory and the end of major combat operations in Iraq, ], ].]] | |||
The coalition was highly successful against the ] Iraqi ], and soon defeated the recognized Iraqi military. After the declared end of major combat operations on ], ], however, an ] caused substantially more problems than U.S. leaders had originally anticipated. The American public's support for Bush's handling of the Iraq War declined as an armed insurgency against coalition forces became more organized. A ] ] review found no credible evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD, although the report did conclude that Hussein's government was actively attempting to acquire ] that would allow Iraq to produce WMD's as soon as U.N. sanctions were lifted. The report also concluded that Saddam's missiles had a range greater than that allowed by the UN sanctions. The report found "no collaborative relationship" between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda. Bush has defended his decision, arguing that "The world is safer today." Other disputed issues have included questions about the ] of pre-war intelligence reports, ] of the ], relationship to the ], effect on the United States' relationship with European powers and on the role and function of the United Nations, debate over nation building, and the impact on nearby countries such as ], ], ], and ]. | |||
The decision-making process of the Bush administration was the subject of a classified British document from ], 2002, known as the "]", which became public in May 2005. In it, the British Head of the ], Sir ], reported on his visit to ] in the summer of 2002: | |||
:There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through ], justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The ] had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for ] material on the Iraqi ]'s record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action. | |||
<!--"Fixed around the policy" - if this is in the memo it needs to be put in context in the last sentence --> | |||
Some critics charged that the "Downing Street memo" was a "smoking gun", claiming it proved that Bush already committed to attacking Iraq at a time when he publicly stated that he had not yet made up his mind on the issue. The existence of this debate, however, does not negate the opposing contextual events which preceded it; Bush denied this aspect of the Downing Street memo and re-asserted that he had not yet made up his mind to go to war at the time in question. Several political pundits claimed that the phrase "fixed around the policy" was ambiguous and did not insinuate that administration was ] the evidence, rather it simply meant the administration was "preparing" the intelligence for presentation. | |||
From June until October, 2002, there were long, protracted ]s with members of the Security Council. The U.S. finally received a unanimous vote for ]. Then, there were further negotiations to secure a second resolution culminating in Colin Powell's presentation to the U.N. in February 2003. The information in the "Downing Street memo" does seem to fit the timeline for information gathering operations within the Bush Administration. | |||
====Military spending==== | |||
Of the $2.4 ] ]ed for ], about $401 ] is planned to be spent on ]. Adjusted for ], this sum is the highest military budget since the late ], but is roughly comparable to the average during the ]. | |||
====Political ideology==== | |||
], ] President George W. Bush, and ]i Prime Minister ] after reading statement to the press during the closing moments of the Red Sea Summit in ], ], ], ]]] | |||
Bush's political ideology is generally referred to as ] or ], the latter being a term he has used to describe himself; conservatives have criticized Bush for his willingness to incur large ]s. In his 2005 ] he outlined his new ] set forth in the | |||
. Supporters of Bush see this policy as a necessary rejection of "]" politics and a redefinition of America's role in the ] forum. Critics of Bush see it as a withdrawal of America from the international forum. | |||
Bush's foreign policy is heavily influenced by the ] ] ] (PNAC), as evidenced by the presence of PNAC founders ] and ] at the highest positions in his administration, and the fact that PNAC's Clinton-era position that "American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the ]" that the President should the overthrow of Saddam Hussein without support of the ], was subsequently implemented, over the objections of non-PNAC members of the ], in the invasion and occupation of Iraq. | |||
====Management style==== | |||
Bush is famous for placing a high value on ], and the result has been an administration with peerless | |||
]. However, critics contend that Bush is willing to overlook mistakes made by ]s, as long as they are loyal, and that Bush has surrounded himself with ]. | |||
President Bush maintains a "hands-off" style of management which he believes prevents him from being tangled by intracacies that hinder sound decision making. "I'm confident in my management style. I'm a delegator because I trust the people I've asked to join the team. I'm willing to delegate. That makes it easier to be president.", he said in an interview with Diane Sawyer in December of 2003. | |||
Bush also has done much of his presidential duties from his ranch in Crawford, Texas. As of August 4, 2005 he recorded his 51st visit, accruing 325 days away from the White House, nearly reaching Reagan's eight-year record of 335 days in 5.5 years. Critics contend that he takes more vacation than any president in history, but officials respond that his longest visit to Crawford, in August 2005, included only one week of actual vacation in the five-week visit. | |||
===Domestic policy=== | |||
====Faith-based initiatives==== | |||
In early 2001, Bush worked with Republicans and social conservatives in Congress to pass ] changing the way the ] ]d, taxed and funded ] and non-profit initiatives run by ] ]. Although prior to the legislation it was possible for these organizations to receive federal assistance, the new legislation removed reporting requirements that required the organizations to separate their charitable functions from their religious functions. Bush also created the . Several organizations such as the ] have criticized Bush's faith-based initiative program, arguing that it involves government entanglement with religion and favoritism to religion in violation of the ]. | |||
====Diversity and civil rights==== | |||
Bush is opposed to the ] recognition of ]s, but supports the establishment of ]s ("I don't think we should deny people ] to a civil union, a legal arrangement" - ] ], ]), and has endorsed the ], a proposed ] to the ] that would define ] as being the union of one ] and one ]. Bush reiterated his disagreement with the ] ] that opposed civil unions, and said that the issue of civil unions should be left up to individual ]. In his ], ] State of the Union address he repeated his support for the constitutional amendment. | |||
Bush is the first ''Republican'' president to appoint an openly gay man to serve in his administration , and the first President in American history to nominate an openly gay man, ], to serve as an ambassador confirmed by Congress. He has claimed to support the executive order issued by Bill Clinton banning employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but ], whom Bush chose as Special Counsel in ], does not feel he has the legal authority to enforce the ban . During his 2000 campaign trail he met with the ], a first for a Republican Presidential candidate. The organization endorsed him in 2000 but not in 2004. | |||
Some claim Bush has opposed most forms of ]. Although Bush expressed appreciation for the ]'s ruling upholding the selection of ] applicants for purposes of ], his Administration filed briefs against it. | |||
Bush has met with the ] as President, but has not yet met with the ] as a group since he became president, (though he did address the NAACP at its 2000 convention in Baltimore as a presidential ], and he met with outgoing NAACP President ] on ], 2004). | |||
In his first term, Bush appointed Colin Powell as ], who became the first ] man to serve in that position. He was succeeded by ] in 2005, who became the first African-American woman to hold the post. | |||
====Economy==== | |||
During his first term Bush sought and obtained ] approval for three major ]s, which increased the standard ] ] for ] couples, eliminated the ], and reduced ]s, and are scheduled to expire a decade after passage. Bush has asked Congress to make the tax cuts permanent. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, by 2003 these tax cuts had reduced total federal revenue, as a percentage of the ] (GDP), to the lowest level since ]. | |||
The effect of the tax cuts and simultaneous increases in spending was to create record ]s. The annual deficit reached record current-dollar levels of $374 billion in 2003 and $413 billion in 2004, though as a percentage of GDP these deficits are lower than the post-] record set under the ] administration in the ]. , | |||
In an open letter to Bush in 2004, more than 100 ]s of ] and ] 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". Bush's supporters have countered that, primarily because of the doubling of the value of the ], "7.8 million low and middle-income families had their entire income tax liabilities erased by the cuts." | |||
According to the "baseline" forecast of federal revenue and spending by the ] (in its January 2005 Baseline Budget Projections, ), the trend of growing deficits under Bush's first term will become shrinking deficits in his second term. In this projection the deficit will fall to $368 billion in 2005, $261 billion in ], and $207 billion in ], with a small surplus by ]. The CBO noted, however, that this projection "omits a significant amount of spending that will occur this year--and possibly for some time to come--for ] operations in ] and ] and for other activities related to the global ]." The projection also assumes that the Bush tax cuts "will expire as scheduled on December 31, 2010." If, as Bush has urged, the tax cuts were to be extended, then "the budget outlook for ] would change from a surplus of $141 billion to a deficit of $282 billion." | |||
] under Bush has remained low. The ] and a drop in some prices led to concern about ] from mid-] to late-]. More recently, ] have caused concern about increasing inflation. So far, the economy has withstood these threats. | |||
] | |||
Private employment has decreased significantly under Bush according to the ]. After private employment (seasonally adjusted) peaked at 111,680,000 in ] ], it dropped to 108,250,000 in mid-2003. The percentage drop in jobs was the largest since 1981-1983. | |||
The economy has added jobs for 25 consecutive months, but the employment level remained below the pre-Bush level until ] ] when it reached 111,823,000 (preliminary). Considering population growth, that still represents a 4.6% decrease in employment since Bush took office. | |||
Unemployment levels under Bush started at 3.9% in ] ], peaked at 6.3% in ] ], retreated to 5.0% in ] ], and appear to be generally declining. The economy has added 1.550 million jobs so far in 2005. The latest BLS reports state that unemployment is now down to 4.9%, with 169,000 new jobs created last month(preliminary). Employment rose over the month in several industries, including construction, health care, and accommodations and food services. Manufacturing employment went down in August. Current employment is 133,900,000. | |||
The rise in ] since the recession was undergirded by substantial gains in labor productivity, in part due to layoffs of underutilized workers. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and ] deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. | |||
] | |||
While the GDP recovered from the recession early in Bush's term, ] has since worsened under Bush according to the ]. This might be due to the concentration of wealth being in fewer hands. The percent of the population below the poverty level increased in each of Bush's first four years, while it decreased for each of the prior seven years to a 26-year low. At 12.7% in ], it is still lower than at any time during the ] and ] administrations. | |||
====Social security==== | |||
{{main|Social Security debate (United States)}} | |||
]) toured the nation to promote his proposal for ] personal accounts.]] | |||
Bush called for major changes in ], identifying the issue as a priority early in his second term. From January through April of 2005, he toured the country, stopping in over 50 cities across the union with an argument that there is a "crisis", a view disputed by critics. Initially, Bush emphasized his proposal for partial ], which would allow individual ]s to invest a portion of their Social Security ] in personal ] accounts. The main idea behind this privatization of social security is to allow workers to actually own the money they place into retirement, as with the existing social security system, a person who passes on loses all ]s they paid for, and the benefits are non-transferable, even to family members. | |||
One criticism of this approach was that it would actually worsen the imbalance between ]s and ]s that Bush pointed to as a looming problem. In addition, many Democrats opposed changes that they felt were turning Social Security into a ] program that would be politically vulnerable. Some even claim that the point of Bush's plan is to benefit private companies, and that it would turn Social Security into just another insurance program. | |||
====Health==== | |||
] of 2003, surrounded by senators and congressmen. (click on image for details)]] | |||
Bush signed the ], which added prescription drug coverage to ], subsidized pharmaceutical corporations, and prohibited the Federal government from negotiating discounts with drug companies. President Bush said the law, estimated to cost $400 billion over the first 10 years, would give the elderly "better choices and more control over their health care." Seniors can buy a Medicare-approved discount card for $30 or less to help offset the increasing costs of prescription drugs. The legislation also adds prescription drug coverage to the federal health insurance program for the elderly, starting in 2006. The bill encourages insurance companies to offer private plans to millions of older Americans who now receive health care benefits under terms fixed by the government, an idea against which several Democrats have lashed out. | |||
Bush signed the ] in 2003, having declared his aim to "promote a ]." The law never was enforced, having been ruled unconstitutional by three District Courts. One of these rulings has been upheld by an Appeals Court. The federal law would have prohibited ] procedures "in which the person performing the abortion partially vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the fetus and completing the delivery". Several liberal and conservative critics alike feel that the law is merely a political gesture, as a fetus could technically be aborted inside of the womb and removed thereafter. | |||
====Education==== | |||
In January of ], Bush signed the ], with ] ] as chief sponsor, which targets supporting early learning, measures ] performance, gives options over failing ]s, and ensures more resources for schools. Critics (including ] and the ]) say schools were not given the resources to help meet new standards, although the ] said in ], ] that in three years under the Bush administration the Education Department's overall funding would have increased by $13.2 billion . Some ]s are refusing to implement provisions of the act as long as they are not adequately funded. In January of ], '']'' reported that the ] had paid $240,000 to ] political ] ] "to promote the law on his nationally ] ] show and to urge other ] ]s to do the same." Williams did not disclose the payments. | |||
The House Education and Workforce Committee stated, "As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, signed by President Bush on January 8, 2002, the federal government today is spending more money on elementary and ] (K-12) ] than at any other time in the history of the United States." | |||
====Science==== | |||
On December 19, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law H. R. 4664, far-reaching legislation to put the ] (NSF) on a track to double its budget over five years and to create new ] and ] ] initiatives at both the pre-college and ] level. | |||
Bush opposes, and has limited the funding of, embryonic ]. Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research was first approved under Clinton on ] ] , but no money was to be spent until guidelines were published. The guidelines were released under Clinton on ] ]. They allowed use of unused frozen ]s. On ] ], before any funding was granted under these guidelines, Bush announced modifications to the guidelines to allow use of only existing stem cell lines. While Bush claimed that more than 60 embryonic stem cell lines already existed from privately-funded ], scientists in ] said there were only 11 usable lines, and in ] that all lines approved for Federal funding are contaminated and unusable. Adult stem cell funding has not been restricted. Some scientists have repeatedly criticized the Bush administration for reducing funding for scientific research and setting restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. In February ], over 5,000 scientists (including 48 ] winners) from the ] signed a statement "opposing the Bush administration's use of scientific advice". They stated that "the Bush administration has ignored unbiased scientific advice in the policy-making that is so important for our collective welfare." | |||
On ], ], Bush announced the largest financial increase to ], ], calling for a return to the ] by ], the completion of the ] by ] and eventually sending astronauts to ]. . Although the plan was met with a largely tepid reception (), the budget eventually passed with a few minor changes after the November elections. In January ] the White House released a new which outlined the administration's ] policy in broad terms and tied the development of space transport capabilities to national security requirements. | |||
In August 2005, Bush took a controversial stance on the teaching ] alongside evolution in science classes, which critics contend amounts to the insertion of religion into science classes (see ]) ] is also claimed by some to be unsuitable for science class because it has not found acceptance in the ]. | |||
====Environment==== | |||
Bush signed the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002, authorizing the federal government to begin cleaning up ] and contaminated sediment in the ], as well as the Brownfields Legislation in 2002, accelerating the cleanup of abandoned industrial or ] sites. | |||
Bush's environmental record has been attacked by most ]s, who charge that his policies cater to industry demands to weaken environmental protections. Environmental groups note that many Bush Administration officials, in addition to Bush and Cheney, have ties to the energy industry, ], and other groups that have fought against ]s. In December 2003, Bush signed legislation implementing key provisions of his ]; environmental groups have charged that the plan is simply a giveaway to ] companies. Another subject of controversy is Bush's ], which seeks to reduce ] through expansion of ]. Opponents say that instead of reducing air pollution, the initiative will allow ] to pollute more than they do currently. | |||
Partially due to gas price hikes, Bush proposed tapping the ] reserves in the ], a particularly sensitive ecosystem due to its arctic location. Some claim that it is the last untouched ] left in the US, and that the majority of oil dug from the refuge will be sent to foreign countries, such as Japan, where larger profits can be made by domestic oil companies. | |||
Bush has opposed the ] saying it would harm the U.S. economy. Bush said it is unfairly strict on the U.S. while being unduly lenient with developing countries, especially ] and ]. Bush stated, "The world's second-largest emitter of ] is China. Yet, China was entirely exempted from the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol." He has also questioned the science behind the ] phenomenon, insisting that more research be done to determine its validity. (See ].) | |||
====Immigration==== | |||
<!-- huh? This needs more! --> | |||
Bush proposed an ] bill that would have greatly expanded the use of ] ]. His proposal would match ]s with ]s for a period up to six years; however workers would not be eligible for residency or ]. | |||
====Trade==== | |||
Bush's imposition of a ] and on ] softwood ] was controversial in light of his advocacy of ] ] in other areas, and attracted criticism both from his fellow ] and from nations affected. The steel tariff was later rescinded under pressure from the ]. | |||
===Major appointees=== | |||
:''For the article describing Bush's appointees, please see ].'' | |||
===Major legislation signed=== | |||
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:*]: ] (Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act) (see also ]) | |||
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:*]: United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act | |||
:*]: United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act | |||
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:*]: ] (CAN-SPAM) | |||
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==Public perception and assessments== | |||
Bush has been the subject of both high praise and stringent criticism. His supporters have focused on matters such as the ], homeland security, and his leadership after the September 11 attacks. His detractors have disagreed on those very subjects and have also criticized the passage of the ], the ], and the ]. The magazine '']'' named Bush as its ] for ] and for ]. This award is traditionally given to the person considered by the editors to be the most important newsmaker of the year. | |||
=== Domestic === | |||
{{details|political effects of Hurricane Katrina}} | |||
] | |||
], and the beginning of the ].]] | |||
In the time of national crisis following the ], Bush enjoyed approval ratings of greater than 85%. Since then, Bush's approval ratings and approval of handling of domestic, economic, and foreign policy issues has steadily dropped. For a comprehensive look, one can see an image of polling trends over the course of Bush's presidency | |||
During the ] midterm congressional elections, Bush had the highest approval rating of any president during a midterm election since ]. In an unusual deviation from the historical trend of midterm elections, the Republican Party retook control of the ] and added to their majority in the ]; typically, the President's party loses Congressional seats in the midterm elections, and 2002 marked only the third midterm election since the ] that the party in control of the White House gained seats in both houses of Congress (others were ] and ]). | |||
In ], Bush's approval spiked upward at the time of the ] in February. The upward trend continued through the invasion of Iraq in March. By late ], when presidential opponents typically begin their campaigns in earnest, his approval numbers were in the low to middle 50s. Most polls tied the decline to growing concern over the ] and a slow recovery from the ] recession. Polls of May ] showed anywhere from a 53 percent approval rating to a 46 percent approval rating. Most recently, a poll taken by American Research Group on August 18-21, 2005 shows that 36% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president (6% below the number in July), while 58% disapprove. This figure is lower than President Nixon's approval rating of 39% during the ] scandal that eventually led to his resignation, though not lower than ]'s nadir of 17%. | |||
A three-day telephone poll starting on ], ], conducted by ] International found that 42% of Americans would support ] if Bush lied about the reasons for going to war with Iraq. . | |||
On ], ] ] devastated the Gulf Coast region from ] to ]. The Bush Administration faced intense criticism from many, including numerous victims of the hurricane interviewed by television media, over its response to the disaster. However, some praised the actions of his administration and others shifted criticism to state and local governments of the region. | |||
Criticism of his administration culminated in September 2005 due to a combination of the response to ], climbing oil prices, mounting casualties in Iraq and a month long vacation which some percieved as overly indulgent. The president's approval ratings were worse than any other modern president at that point in a second term with the exception of ] during the ] scandal. | |||
Due to Bush's unique grammatical stylings, people coined a new term, ], to describe the grammatical configuration unique to the style of President George W. Bush. Bushisms are now wildly popularized across many websites on the internet due to their apparent sense of humor. | |||
=== Outside the United States === | |||
] ] during the ], ], ].]] | |||
Bush has received mostly criticism outside the United States for his foreign policy decisions regarding the ]. Polls of Europeans highlighted a "transatlantic split over the war in Iraq". | |||
A conducted by for the ] in 2004 found that "just over half in Mexico and Italy had a negative view of Mr. Bush's role. In Britain, the closest U.S. ally in the war in Iraq, and in Canada, two-thirds had a negative view...Three-fourths of those in Spain and more than 80 percent in France and Germany had a negative view of Mr. Bush's role in world affairs." While those in the United States were evenly divided on whether the war has increased or decreased the terror threat, most of those sampled outside the United States believe that Bush's foreign policy decisions in the ] have "increased the threat of terrorism in the world." | |||
Yet, of the eight countries polled, a majority in five countries — the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy and Britain — said that even if no ] are found in Iraq, there were other reasons to justify the ] (though the reasons were not listed). | |||
Another conducted by the Pew Research Center showed similar foreign attitudes towards Bush. Foreign opinion of post-invasion Iraq is relatively much higher. In another study, when Europeans were asked in 2004 if the Iraqi people will be better off now in a post-Hussein Iraq, 82% in the U.K., 67% in France and 65% in Germany agreed. However, large majorities in almost every country surveyed think that American and British leaders lied when they claimed, prior to the Iraq war, that Saddam Hussein’s regime had weapons of mass destruction." | |||
Those in Muslim countries surveyed in this poll are less confident of Iraq's future. In these Muslim countries, Bush's unfavorability ratings are particularly high, often over 90%. . Among the non-U.S. nations polled in another worldwide poll by CBC, Bush's popularity was highest in ], where 62% reported favorable views, however in the CBC poll, Israel was the only foreign country polled that had a net favorable opinion of Bush.. | |||
In June 2003 the majority of people polled in the UK, USA, Australia, and Israel agreed with Bush that it was right to invade Iraq. | |||
Some recent polls, however, show a decline in respondents who have a favorable view of the war in Iraq due to the continuing insurgency, the mounting death toll, the spectre of a new civil war in Iraq, and the ] and ] prisoner abuse scandals. | |||
==See also== | |||
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==Media== | |||
{{multi-listen start}} | |||
{{multi-listen item|filename=George W. Bush Speech - September 11, 2001.ogg|title=George W. Bush's speech on September 11, 2001 about the attacks|description=|format=]}} | |||
{{multi-listen item|filename=George W. Bush Speech - September 12, 2001.ogg|title=George W. Bush's speech on September 12, 2001 about the attacks|description=|format=]}} | |||
{{multi-listen end}} | |||
==References== | |||
* | |||
* | |||
* Graphs of approval ratings, | |||
* Time-analysis of Bush's popularity. | |||
* Collection of Bushisms | |||
* Cornell University article | |||
* {{nndb name | id = 360/000022294 | name = George W. Bush}} | |||
==Notes== | |||
{{anb|oil_and_baseball}} The White House (2005). . Retrieved June 21, 2005. ''"Owner, oil and gas business"'' ''"Partner, Texas Rangers Baseball Team"'' | |||
==Further reading and information== | |||
*Ken Auletta (], ]). , '']'', 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 | |||
*John W. Dean, ''Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush'', (2004) ISBN 031600023X | |||
*Justin A. Frank, ''Bush On The Couch'', (2004), Regan Books. ISBN 0060736704 | |||
*Ben Fritz, Bryan Keefer & Brendan Nyhan, ''All the President's Spin: George W. Bush, the Media, and the Truth'', (2004) ISBN 0743262514 | |||
*], ''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 | |||
*], ''Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President'', (1999) ISBN 1887128840 | |||
*] and L. Dubose, ''Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush'', (2000) ISBN 0375503994 | |||
*], ''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 | |||
*], '']'' (2004) motion picture | |||
*], ''Bush Country : How Dubya Became a Great President While Driving Liberals Insane'', (2004) ISBN 0312324723 | |||
*Michel Ruppert ''Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil'', (2004) ISBN 0865715408 | |||
*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 | |||
*Webster Griffin Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin, ''George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography'' ( | |||
*], ], (2004) ISBN 074325337X | |||
*Ian Williams, ''Deserter: George Bush's War on Military Families, Veterans, and His Past'', (2004) ISBN 1560256273 | |||
*], '']'', (2002) ISBN 0743244613 | |||
*Bob Woodward, '']'', (2004) ISBN 074325547X | |||
==External links== | |||
{{wikiquote}} | |||
{{Wikisource author}} | |||
{{commons|George W. Bush}} | |||
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Revision as of 00:41, 8 September 2005
He is a fuckface, plain and simple.
Please ban me for life, I don't want to edit anymore.