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The worlds best president
<!-- Note: try to make sure there is no vandalism on the top of the page. If there is, your edits may be inadvertently lost due to reverting past the vandal. -->{{Infobox President | name=George Walker Bush
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| order=43rd ]
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'''George Walker Bush''' (born ], ]) is the 43rd and current ] and a former ]. A lifelong member of the ], he served in the ], and was a ] in both the ] and ], serving as managing general partner of the ], an ] ] team.

Bush was elected as the 46th ] in ], and was re-elected in ]. He won the Republican nomination in the ], and was elected President after a particularly close ] with a controversial aftermath that was argued all the way to the ] and was finally settled when the Court declined by a 5-4 vote to intervene in the matter. Bush was elected to a second term in the ].

Bush is a member of a prominent ]. His father, ], served as the 41st ] for four years and as the 43rd ] for eight, while his brother, ], is the 43rd and current ]. His grandfather, ], was a ]. He also has two other younger brothers, ] and ], both businessmen. He and ] are the only presidents to have fathers (] and ] respectively) who were ]s themselves.

==Education, military service, and early personal life==
]
{{main|Early life of George W. Bush}}

The son of former President ] and his wife ] (née Pierce), George Walker Bush was born in ]. He was raised in ], and ], with his younger brothers ], ], and ] and his sister ].

After graduating from the ] in June 1964, Bush attended ], where he graduated with a ] in ] in 1968. As a senior, Bush was selected for the secret ] society. In May 1968, he joined the ]. He was promoted to ] on the November 1970 recommendation of his commander ] ]. He served as an ] pilot until 1972.

In 1973, with the assistance of important allies of his family, he obtained permission to end his six-year service obligation six months early, and left to attend ], from which he received his ] (MBA) in 1975; he is the first US President to hold an MBA. Two years later, he married ], a librarian originally from ]. They have twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, born in 1981. Bush is the only U.S. President to be the father of twins.

]
Bush's military service record has been a point of controversy, especially during the ]. His critics have alleged that he skipped over a waiting list to receive a National Guard slot, did not report for required duty from 1972 to 1973, and was suspended from flying after missing a required physical examination and drug test. These specific issues came to greater prominence during the 2004 Presidential campaign as a result of endeavors by the group ]. Bush supporters claimed that the surviving documentary evidence regarding Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard, including pay records and the official honorable discharge papers, indicated that Bush served honorably. Skeptics note that many of the official records can no longer be found and that the matter is at best ambiguous.

{{see|George W. Bush military service controversy}}
On ], ], near his family's summer home in ], police arrested Bush for ] of alcohol. He pleaded guilty, was fined $150, and had his driving license suspended for 30 days within Maine.
News of the arrest was published five days before the 2000 presidential election. Bush has described his days before his religious conversion in his 40s as his "nomadic" period of "irresponsible youth" and admitted to drinking "too much" in those years. He says he gave up drinking for good shortly after waking up hung-over after his 40th birthday celebration. He attributed the change partly to a 1985 meeting with Reverend ] though by his own admission he was still drinking heavily up till at least July 1986.

Bush has stated he did not use illegal drugs at any time since 1974.
He has denied unsupported allegations by author ] that family influence was used to expunge the record of an arrest for ] possession in 1972, but has refused to discuss whether he used drugs before 1974. In audio-taped recordings leaked to the media of a conversation with an old friend, author ], Bush is heard saying, "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." Wead later acknowledged that the recordings of Bush were made without Bush's permission. For more information about this ].

== Religious beliefs and practices ==
After meeting with evangelist ] in 1985, Bush became more involved in religion. During this period he left the Bush family's ] faith to join his wife's ], a denomination that espouses more conservative views.

In one of the televised debates in the Republican primaries in 2000, all of the candidates were asked to name the philosopher that had most impacted their life. Bush responded by naming "Jesus Christ" - stating that he was the person who had changed his life.

Currently, Bush holds private daily morning Bible study periods and sponsors the Thursday lunch Bible study meetings at the ]. He advocates conservative Christian religious values, but avoids directly discussing the particulars of his faith.

==Professional life==

===Business===
Bush began his oil industry career in 1979 when he established ], an oil and gas exploration company he financed with his education trust fund surplus and money from other investors. In 1984, Bush sold the company, hurt in the wake of the ] and renamed Bush Exploration Co., to ], another Texas oil and gas exploration firm. Under the terms of the sale, Bush became CEO (Chief Executive Officer). Spectrum 7 lost revenue and was merged into ] Corporation in 1986, with Bush becoming a director of Harken.

After working on his father's successful ], Bush learned from fellow Yale alumnus ], that family friend ] wanted to sell the ] ] franchise. In April 1989, Bush assembled a group of investors from his father's close friends, including fellow fraternity brother ]; the group bought an 86% share of the Rangers for $75,000,000 (USD). Bush received a 2% share by investing $606,302, of which $500,000 was a bank loan. Against the advice of his counsel, Bush repaid the loan by selling $848,000 worth of stock in Harken Energy. Harken reported significant financial losses within a year of this sale, triggering ]. On March 27, 1992, the ] concluded that Bush had a "preexisting plan" to sell, that Bush had a "relatively limited role in Harken management", and that insider trading did not occur.

{{see|Harken Energy Scandal}}

As managing general partner of the Rangers, Bush assisted the team's media relations and the construction of a new stadium. His public role generated valuable goodwill and name recognition throughout Texas.

===Political career===
].]]
Bush started his political career assisting his father's 1964 and 1970 campaigns for the U.S Senate. After a ] transfer in 1972, he served as political director for an ] senate campaign. In 1978, Bush ran for the ] but lost to a ], Democrat ] (now Republican). ] endorsed Bush's opponent in the Republican ].

In 1994, Bush took a leave of absence from the Rangers to run for ] against the popular ], Democrat ]. On ], ], he defeated Richards by a margin of 53% to 46%. That same year, he and his partners sold the ], with the Govenor realizing a profit of more than $14 million. As Governor, Bush forged a legislative alliance with powerful Texas Lt. Governor ], a longtime Democrat. In 1998 Bush went on to win re-election in a ] with nearly 69% of the vote, becoming the first Texas governor to be elected for two consecutive four-year terms (before 1975, the gubernatorial term of office was two years). During Bush's governorship, he undertook significant legislative changes in criminal justice, ] law, and school financing. Bush took a hard line on capital punishment and received much criticism from advocates who wanted to abolish the ] and also those who argued that there tangible imperfections in the Texas legal system that required a more cautious approach to carrying out the death penalty. Under Bush, Texas's incarceration rate was 1014 inmates per 100,000 in 1999, the second-highest in the nation, owing mainly to strict enforcement of drug laws. In September 1999, Bush signed the ]. Bush's transformative agenda and family pedigree now provided an opportunity to advance his political career to the national level.

==Presidential campaigns==

===2000 campaign===

Advisors convinced him that the ] election would be the right time to run for president. He had more than enough money, and the Republican party lacked any single strong candidate. Before he had even committed to the race, he was the clear favorite in the polls and huge sums of money flowed into his campaign treasury from corporations and wealthy Republicans. During ], he declared himself a ]. In the general election, Bush's ] promised to "restore honor and dignity to the White House" and pledged a huge tax cut intended to give a large part of the projected budget surplus back to the taxpayers. Among other issues, he also advocated allowing religious charities to participate in federally funded programs, promoting the use of ], supporting oil drilling in the ], maintaining a balanced ], and restructuring the ]. On ], Bush declared himself against using the U.S. armed forces in ] attempts abroad.

]

Bush lost the New Hampshire primary in a bruising, bitter fight with ] ] of ], but he rebounded to capture 9 of 13 ] states, effectively clinching the nomination. Bush then chose Dick Cheney, a former U.S. representative and defense secretary for Bush's father, as his running mate. After months of both candidates jockeying for the support of moderate and undecided voters, election night turned out to be even closer than anticipated. TV networks called the race first for Gore, then for Bush, and finally too close to call. Al Gore, who had conceded the election in a phone call to Bush, rescinded that concession less than one hour later. When the race was finally ajudicated, Bush was declared to have defeated Democratic candidate ] ], winning 271 ] to Gore's 266, carrying 30 of the 50 states. Gore had actually won a slight majority of the national popular vote of the roughly 105,000,000 votes cast, with Bush receiving 50,456,002 votes (47.9%) and Gore 50,999,897 (48.4%) but this fact is not relevant in deciding presidential elections. Notable third-party candidates included ] candidate ] (2,695,696 votes/2.7%), ] candidate ], (449,895/0.4%), and ] candidate ] (386,024 votes/0.4%).

The ] was the first since ] ] election to produce a winner that did not receive a plurality of the ]. It was the first since ] was elected in ] in which the ] affected the decision. The Florida vote count, which favored Bush in preliminary tallies, was contested over allegations of irregularities in the voting and tabulation processes. Allegations of confusing ballots, defective voting machines, faulty absentee ballots from the military, and illegal barring of many voters threw the process into chaos.

A series of court cases ensued over 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 ], upon appeal from the Bush campaign ('']''), overturned the decision and halted all recounts. Justices ] and ] have been criticized for not recusing themselves from a case involving the son of the President who appointed them. After the ruling, Gore reinstated his concession. Months later the statewide manual recount of all counties was completed by a group of newspapers and it was determined that Al Gore had won in Florida under some counting standards and had lost to Bush under other counting standards. Since the Florida Supreme Court did not define precisely the ballot counting standard to be used in the statewide manual recount of all counties, it remains disputed who would have won the state if the manual recount had not been halted by the U.S. Supreme Court and had Florida election law been complied with.

In the final official count, Bush had won Florida by only 537 votes (2,912,790 for Bush to 2,912,253 for Gore) , earning the needed 25 electoral votes and the presidency. Bush was inaugurated ], ].

{{see|U.S. presidential election, 2000}}

===First Term===
Bush's first 100 days were less bipartisan than he pledged during the campaign. His Cabinet appointees were largely Republican white males of his father's staff, or unsurprising choices like Colin Powell for Secretary of State. His most controversial appointment was ] as Atorrney General. Democrats vigorously opposed Ashcroft for his strong right-wing conservative positions on issues like abortion and the death penalty, though they eventually confirmed him. On his first day in office, Bush moved to block federal aid to foreign groups that offered counseling or any other assistance to women in obtaining abortions. Days later, he announced his commitment to channeling more federal aid to faith-based service organizations, raising fears that he would dissolve the traditional separation of church and state.

He seemed almost intent on angering environmentalists, first reneging on a campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide emissions by U.S. power plants, then refusing to join the ] to prevent global warming, and finally persuing an energy policy short on conservation and long on drilling for oil and gas in Alaska and the ].

Bush lost control of the Senate in June, when Vermont's ] quit the Republican party to become an Independent, but not before five Senate Democrats crossed party lines to approve Bush's $1.35 billion tax cut. Less than three months later, however, the administration released budget projections that showed the ] dwindling to nothing over the next several years.

===2004 campaign===
]
In the ], Bush carried 31 of 50 states for 286 ] votes. A record voter turnout gave him more popular votes than any previous presidential candidate (62,040,610 votes/50.7%). Challenger, Senator ] (Democrat), carried 20 states, earning him 251 Electoral College votes (59,028,111 votes/48.3%). A ], pledged to Kerry, voted for Democratic Vice Presidential running mate, ], giving him one Electoral College vote. No other candidate won College votes. Notable third-party candidates included Independent (/0.1%), and (119,859 votes/0.1%). Congress debated potential election irregularities, including allegations of voting irregularities in Ohio and electronic voting machine fraud.

Bush was inaugurated for his second term on ], ]. The oath was administered by ] ]. Bush's inaugural address centered mainly on a theme of spreading ] and ] around the world.

==Important people in Bush's life and career==

Bush is recognized as a ], very close to his wife Laura, his father ] and mother ]. He is also close to his sister ] and brother ]. Loyalty to family is an important cornerstone of Bush's attitude to his family relationships, and despite some differences in policy and attitudes, and independent of each other, Bush and his brother ] have worked closely to help each other's political career.

In his career, Bush values loyalty as the greatest asset, and has developed a close band of advisors deeply loyal to him. In his second term, he has elevated them from personal political jobs to top government positions.

Some of the closest and most trusted advisors to Bush in affairs of policy and politics are women. ], the ] was Bush's close confidant in the first term as ], and a Bush loyalist. ] was Bush's chief domestic policy advisor from his days as Governor of Texas, and now runs the ]. Moreover, ] was one of Bush's most trusted political advisors, playing important roles in all his campaigns from 1994 to 2004. She was briefly White House counsel, and now is ] for ] - responsible for the specific mission of improving America's image in the world, and particularly with Muslim countries. ] was legal counsel and a close loyalist to Bush in Texas, and had been nominated to the ] &mdash; though she later withdrew her nomination.

] has played perhaps the greatest influence on Bush's life and career. Ever since meeting in 1972, Rove built Bush's political campaign machine when he decided to run for Texas's governorship in 1994, and was his closest political advisor. When elected President in 2001, Bush asked Rove to give up his direct mail business and join him full-time in Washington. Officially designated White House political advisor, Rove designed the political strategy to enact Bush's legislative agenda, and guide the political strategy on important national issues of both the White House and the Republican Party, in view to the 2004 re-election campaign. After winning re-election, Bush called Rove ''The Architect'' of his campaign, and Rove now serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, for domestic policy and national security. Rove is also responsible for the elevation of Bush loyalist Republicans like ], Bush's campaign manager and now Chairman of the ]. Rove is now (2005) facing a grand jury trial for allegedly leaking to the media the name of CIA operative ] who was the wife of a critic of Bush.

] was the Governor's legal counsel in Texas, and later Attorney General. He joined Bush in 2001 in Washington, and in 2005, was appointed ], the first ] ever to run the ].

]'s exit as Secretary of State in 2004 is widely attributed to his lacking a personal rapport with the President and not merging his political image and fortunes with those of the President.

==Presidency of the United States==
{{main2|George W. Bush's first term as President of the United States|George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States}}

===Foreign policy and security===
] during a visit to a school in ].]]
{{main|Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration}}

During his first presidential visit to ] in June 2001, European leaders criticized Bush for his rejection of the ]. In 2002, Bush rejected 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 of the treaty. In November 2004, ] ratified the treaty, meeting the quota of nations required to enforce it without ratification by the United States.

Bush's ] campaign platform supported a stronger economic and political relationship with ], especially ], and reduced involvement in "]" and other minor military engagements indirectly related to U.S. interests. However, after the ] (9/11 attacks), the State Department focused primarily on the ].


====Terrorism====

Soon after the 9/11 attacks, Bush made a brief speech appearance holding a ] at ] surrounded by rescue workers. ] reported, "As he stood on a pile of rubble in Manhattan, some people in the crowd shouted they couldn't hear him." In reply, Bush stated that the attackers would soon be "hearing from all of us".

] 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."]]
On ], ], the United States, with international support, launched a war against the ] ] regime, charged with harboring ]. Subsequent nation-building efforts with the ] and Afghan president ] have had mixed results; bin Laden (]) is still at large. ] were held on ], ]. International observers called the elections "fairly democratic" at the "overall majority" of polling centers, despite 15 of the 18 presidential candidates threatening withdrawal over allegations of flawed registration and validation.

{{see|U.S. invasion of Afghanistan}}

In response to ] concerns, Bush withdrew from the 1972 ] to promote a new ] system, arguing the treaty's ] benefits were no longer relevant. The American Physical Society criticized this policy change, citing doubts about the system's effectiveness. Under Bush, total military spending has increased to a level comparable with the Cold War resulting in further suggestions that his primary objective is to feed the Military-Industrial complex that ] warned about in 1961.

====Iraq====

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration promoted urgent action in Iraq, announcing that Iraqi President ] had ] (WMD), that Hussein was a threat to U.S. security, destabilized the ], inflamed the ], and financed ]. ] reports noted that Hussein tried to acquire ], had not properly accounted for Iraqi ] and ] material in violation of ], and that Iraqi missiles had a range greater than allowed by the UN sanctions. Critics countered that U.S. economic interests in Iraqi ] resources were the underlying motive.

Asserting that Hussein could provide ] with WMD, Bush urged the ] to enforce Iraqi ] mandates, precipitating a ]. On November 13, 2002, under ], ] and ] led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq. Lapses in Iraqi cooperation triggered intense debate over the efficacy of inspections. UN inspection teams departed Iraq upon U.S. advisement given four days prior to full-scale hostilities.

] ] urged his colleagues in the Bush administration to avoid a war without clear UN approval. The Bush administration initially sought a ] resolution authorizing the military force pursuant to of the ] but, facing vigorous opposition from key nations including the public threat of an embarrassing ] veto, dropped the bid for UN approval and, with a few other nations designated the "]", prepared for war.

{{see|The UN Security Council and the Iraq war}}

Military hostilities commenced on ], ] to preempt Iraqi WMD deployment and remove Hussein from power. '']'' included Hussein's hindering weapons inspections, an alleged 1991 assassination attempt on Bush's father ], broach of a 1991 ], and violation of numerous Security Council resolutions. ] ] and other world leaders questioned the war's legality. Bush declared victory on May 1, 2003, but U.S. deployment continued through 2005 despite the capture of Hussein because of ongoing Iraqi ].

] off the coast of ], where he delivers his controversial ] speech to declare victory and the end of major combat operations in Iraq, ], ].]]

{{see|2003 invasion of Iraq}}

On September 30, 2004, the U.S. ] Final Report concluded, "ISG has not found evidence that Saddam Husayn (sic) possessed WMD stocks in 2003, but the available evidence from its investigation&#8212;including detainee interviews and document exploitation&#8212;leaves open the possibility that some weapons existed in Iraq although not of a militarily significant capability." The ] report 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 WMDs as soon as U.N. sanctions were lifted. In addition, the 9/11 commission found that despite contacts between Iraq and Al-Qaeda in 1996, "no collaborative relationship" emerged in regards to the attacks on 9/11.

{{see2|Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda}}

].]]

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 ]. Still, Bush has defended his decision, arguing, "The world is safer today."

The decision-making process of the Bush administration was the subject of a classified British document from ], ], 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:

<blockquote>There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, 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 publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.</blockquote>

<!--"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 that 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&quot; the intelligence for presentation.

{{see|Downing Street memo}}

====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 ], ], on ], ]]]

Bush describes his ideology as ]. Some conservatives have questioned Bush's commitment to traditional conservative ideals for his willingness to incur large ]s by permitting substantial spending increases. In his 2005 ] he outlined his vision of ] and claimed plan for democracy promotion, . Critics have charged that Bush's foreign policy has been influenced by neo-conservative ] including ], supposedly evidenced by the presence of PNAC founders ] and ] in high positions in his administration.

===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 '''White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives'''.

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 has been criticized for encouraging alleged racial profiling of ]s and ]. Among the cited actions by the administration have been secret detentions of 2,000 people and "the targeting of individuals, primarily Muslims from certain countries, based on national origin for voluntary interviews, registration and fingerprinting, and deportation." Bush supporters counter that these actions are necessary to protect against terrorism. In June 2003, Bush announced guidelines forbidding federal employees from racial profiling. Although these guidelines provided some protection for ethnic minorities, they did allow racial profile in certain circumstances to help "stop potential catastrophic attacks".

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" - ] ], ]). He 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 have appointed an openly gay man to serve in his administration (Scott Evertz as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy), and the first president to see one such appointment, that of openly gay Ambassador to Romania ], receive Congressional confirmation. Bush has claimed to support the executive order issued by President Bill Clinton banning employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but ], whom Bush chose as Special Counsel in 2003, 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.

Bush obtained a statistically significant increase in support from ] for a republican candidate during his presidency. Although he only got 9% of the black vote in 2000, he received nearly 12% in 2004, with the increased black vote in Ohio giving the victory to Bush over Kerry. His popularity among African-Americans dropped dramatically to only 2% following the ] disaster, according to an . This drop is attributed to harsh criticism of African-American pundits such as ], ], and rapper ] (see ]). 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 said he opposes quotas and racial preferences, but that the private and public sector should be encouraged to reach out to minorities. 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 and former Congressman, ] on ], ]).

An August 2005 report by the ] states that "the government fails to seriously consider race-neutral alternatives as the Constitution requires." Chairman Gerald A. Reynolds explained, "Federal agencies do not independently evaluate, conduct research, collect data, or periodically review programs to determine whether race-neutral strategies will provide an adequate alternative to race-conscious programs." Civil rights groups have expressed concern that this report is an attack on affirmative action inconsistent with ].

In his first term, Bush appointed ] 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. In 2005, he appointed ] as the ], the first ] to hold that position. In total, Bush has appointed more women and minorities to high-level positions within his administration than any other U.S. President.

====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. The cuts are currently 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 ].

According to the ], the economy suffered from a ] that lasted from ] to ].

Federal spending in constant dollars increased under Bush by 26% in his first 4 and a half years. Non-defense spending increased 18% in that time.

The tax cuts, recession, and increases in outlays all contributed to record ]s during the Bush administration. The annual deficit reached record current-dollar levels of $374,000,000,000 in 2003 and $413,000,000,000 in 2004. National debt, the cumulative total of yearly deficits, rose from $5.7 trillion (58% of GDP) to $ (68% of GDP) under Bush, as compared to the $2.7 trillion total debt owed when ] left office, which was of the GDP.

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 ], "7,800,000 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 budget deficits will decrease over the next several years. In this projection the deficit will fall to 368,000,000,000 (USD) in 2005, 261,000,000,000 (USD) in 2007, and 207,000,000,000 (USD) in 2009, with a small surplus by 2012. 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 ], ]". If, as Bush has urged, the tax cuts were to be extended, then "the budget outlook for 2015 would change from a surplus of 141,000,000,000 (USD) to a deficit of 282,000,000,000 (USD)".

] under Bush has remained at about 2-3% per year. The recession and a drop in some prices led to concern about ] from mid-2001 to late-2003. 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 added private jobs for 25 consecutive months (] to ]), but the private employment level remained below the pre-Bush level until ] when it reached 111,828,000. Considering population growth, that still represents a 4.6% decrease in employment since Bush took office.

]
The ] (aka Household Survey) measures the percentage of the population that is employed and unemployed. The result can be multiplied by population estimates to get total employment estimates. This survey has the advantage over the Payroll survey in that it includes self-employed. The Household Survey is less accurate in producing total numbers (since it requires population estimates) and in that it samples many fewer people (60,000 households versus 400,000 business establishments). For better or worse, the Household Survey counts multiple jobs held by one person only once, and it includes government workers, farm workers, unpaid family workers, and workers absent without pay. The Household Survey indicates that the percentage of the population employed decreased from 64.4% in ] and ] to 62.1% in ] and ] of ]. By ], it had recovered only to 62.9%. In absolute numbers, this corresponds to a drop of 1.6 million jobs but an eventual net gain of 4.7 million jobs during the Bush administration.

Under Bush, the seasonally adjusted Unemployment Rate based on the Household Survey started at 4.7% in January 2001, peaked at 6.2% in June 2003, and retreated to 4.9% in August 2005.

In ], total private average weekly earnings in constant dollars as measured by the Payroll Survey dropped to their lowest level since ]. While ] and associated price increases may have played a role, real earnings had decreased for seven of the prior eight months. Through 2002-2004, earnings had been slightly higher than when Bush came into office.

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 that Bush claims he had inherited from the previous administration, ] has since worsened according to the ]. 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 11-year low. Although the poverty level increased, it is important to note that the increase was still lower between 2000-2002 then it was between 1992-1997 (which reached a peak of 39.3% in 1993). In 2002 the poverty rate was 34.6% which was almost equal to the rate in 1998, which was 34.5%. Poverty was at in 2004.

====Social security====
]) toured the nation to promote his proposal for ] personal accounts.]]
{{main|Social Security debate (United States)}}

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 as being manufactured. Initially, Bush emphasized his proposal for partial ], which would allow individual workers to invest a portion of their Social Security Tax (FICA) into personal ] accounts. The main idea behind this privatization of Social Security is to allow workers to own the money they place into retirement, as with the existing social security system, a person who passes on loses all benefits they paid for, and the benefits are non-transferable, even to family members.

One criticism of this approach was that it might 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)]]
In July of 2002, Bush cut off U.S. funding to the ] (UNFPA). Bush claimed that the UNFPA supported forced ]s and ]s in the ].

Bush signed the ], which added prescription drug coverage to ], subsidized pharmaceutical corporations, and prohibited the Federal government from negotiating discounts with drug companies. Bush said the law, estimated to cost 400,000,000,000 (USD) 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 was never enforced, having been ruled unconstitutional by three District Courts. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld one of these rulings. 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 2002, Bush signed the ], with ] ] as chief sponsor, which aims to close the achievement gap, measures ] performance, provides options to parents with students in low-performing ]s, and targets more federal funding to low-income schools. Critics (including ] and the ]) say schools were not given the resources to help meet new standards, although their arguement is based on premise that authorization levels are spending promises instead of spending caps. Some ]s are refusing to implement provisions of the act as long as they are not adequately funded. In January of 2005, '']'' reported that the ] had paid $240,000 to African-American ] political ] ] "to promote the law on his nationally ] ] show and to urge other ] ]s to do the same." Williams did not disclose the payments, and has since acknowledged them may return some of the money.

The House Education and Workforce Committee stated, "As a result of the ], signed by Bush on ], ], 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 ], ], 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 any new, and has limited the federal funding of existing, embryonic ]. Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research was first approved under Clinton on ], ], but no money was to be spent until the 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 2003 said there were only 11 usable lines, and in 2005 that all lines approved for Federal funding are contaminated and unusable. Adult stem cell funding has not been restricted, and is vehemently supported by President Bush as a more viable means of research. 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.

On ], ], the scientific ] group the ] released a report entitled ''']'''. Included was a statement "opposing the Bush administration's use of scientific advice." The report alleged that "the Bush administration has ignored unbiased scientific advice in the policy-making that is so important for our collective welfare" and "has suppressed or distorted the scientific analyses of federal agencies to bring these results in line with administration policy" to an extent that is "unprecedented." The report has been signed by over 7,000 scientists, including 49 ], 63 recipients of the ], and 154 members of the ].

On ], ], Bush announced a major re-direction for the ]. Known as the ], it calls for the completion of the ] by 2010 and the retirement of the ] while developing a new ] called the ] under the title ]. The CEV would be used to return American ] to the ] by 2018, with the objective of establishing a permanent ], and eventually sending future manned missions 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 2005 the White House released a new Space Transportation Policy fact sheet, which outlined the administration's space policy in broad terms and tied the development of space transport capabilities to national security requirements.

On ], ], Bush took a controversial stance favoring the teaching of ] alongside ] in science classes, saying, "I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought, and I'm not suggesting - you're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, and the answer is yes." Proponents of Intelligent Design (ID) contend that organisms exhibit strong evidence of having been designed because they exhibit "irreducible complexity" that is "unlikely to be produced by numerous, successive, slight modifications of prior systems." The ID assertation claims to leave speculation on the nature of the designer to other disciplines. Although ID does not posit the existence of God, critics claim that its teaching is an unconstitutional use of the science curriculum to promote theism (''see'' ]). Intelligent Design is considered by the vast majority of the main-stream scientific community to be unsuitable for science class. For example, the ] (the world's largest general scientific society) contrasts the "scientific robustness of the contemporary theory of biological evolution" with the proposed teaching of intelligent design that it says will "confuse students about the nature of science." The ] says, "Creationism, intelligent design, and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life or of species are not science because they are not testable by the methods of science."

====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 oil 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 permanent residency ("green cards") or citizenship. The bill is opposed by certain Democrat Senators such as ] and ].

====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 ]. The ] is still ongoing.

===Administration===
{{main|George W. Bush administration}}

Bush is famous for placing a high value on ], and the result has been an administration with peerless ]. He maintains a "hands-off" style of management that he believes prevents him from being tangled by intricacies 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 ] on ] in December of 2003. However, critics contend that Bush is willing to overlook mistakes made by loyal ]s, and that Bush has surrounded himself with "]".

Bush's presidency has been characterized by a vigorous defence of executive privilege, evidenced in such acts as signing ], which suspends the release of presidential papers, tight control of Congressional inquiries into White House officers such as in the ]'s interviews with ], Bush and ], and the generally high-level of coordination between the White House, Congressional Republicans and Senate Republicans in both of Bush's terms. Many commentators have claimed that deference to executive privilege was one of the principal considerations Bush's administration considered when proposing and ] and ] as candidates for the Supreme Court, and ]'s appointment to the ] .

Bush also has performed many of his presidential duties from his ranch in ], dubbed "The Western White House". As of ], ], Bush had visited the ranch 49 times during his time as President, accruing 319 days away from the White House and nearly reaching Reagan's eight-year record of 335 days in 5.5 years, though it is acknowledged that all of these trips were "working" vacations. 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 respite in the five-week visit.

====Cabinet====

{| cellpadding="1" cellspacing="4" style="margin:3px; border:3px solid #000000;" align=";left"
!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|
|-
|align="left"|'''OFFICE'''||align="left"|'''NAME'''||align="left"|'''TERM'''
|-
!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&mdash;
|-
!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&ndash;2005
|-
| || ''']''' || 2005&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&ndash;2003
|-
| || ''']''' || 2003&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&ndash;2005
|-
| || ''']''' || 2005&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&ndash;2005
|-
| || ''']''' || 2005&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' ||2001&ndash;2005
|-
| || ''']''' || 2005&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&ndash;2005
|-
| || ''']''' || 2005&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&ndash;2003
|-
| || ''']''' || 2004&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&ndash;2005
|-
| || ''']''' || 2005&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&ndash;2005
|-
| || ''']''' || 2005&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2001&ndash;2005
|-
| || ''']''' || 2005&mdash;
|-
|] || ''']''' || 2003&ndash;2005
|-
| || ''']''' || 2005&mdash;
|}
<br clear="all">

==== Supreme Court nominations ====

Bush nominated the following individuals to sit on the ]:

*] &ndash; Chief Justice, 2005 (confirmed by the Senate)
*] &ndash; 2005 (nomination withdrawn)
*] 2005 (before the Senate)

===Major legislation signed===

;2001
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
;2002
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
;2003
:*]: ]
:*]: ] (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)
;2004
:*]: ] (Laci and Conner's Law)
;2005
:*]: ]
:*]: ]
:*]: ] Implementation Act
:*]: ]
:*]: ] (SAFETEA)
:*]: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act

==Public perception and assessments==

Bush has been the subject of both popular praise and scathing criticism. His supporters believe he has done well with the ] and homeland security, and shown exemplary 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 2000 and for 2004. This award is traditionally given to the person considered by the editors to be the most important newsmaker of the year.

Due to Bush's colorful mistakes when speaking, detractors coined a new term, “]”, to describe the grammatical configuration unique to Bush. ]s have been widely popularized and across the internet due to their humorous nature. Some of his detractors, with varying degrees of seriousness, consider him unintelligent. On the other hand, his score on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (at age 22) suggests that his ] was the mid-120s, above average. <!-- source for IQ score please? -->

=== Domestic ===

]
], and the beginning of the ].]]

In the time of national crisis following the ], Bush enjoyed approval ratings of greater than 85%. Since then, his approval ratings and approval of handling of domestic, economic, and foreign policy issues have steadily dropped. For a comprehensive look, one can see an image of polling trends over the course of Bush's presidency

In 2002, Bush had the highest approval rating of any president during a midterm congressional election since ]. In an unusual deviation from the historical trend of midterm elections, the Republican Party retook control of the ] and added to its majority in the ]. Typically, the President's party loses congressional seats in the midterm elections; 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 1902 and 1934).

In 2003, 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 2003, 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 2001 recession. Polls of May 2004 showed anywhere from a 53% to a 46 % approval rating. More recently, a poll taken by American Research Group from August 18 to 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 that of any modern president in his second term, including Nixon's approval rating of 39% during the ] scandal that eventually led to his resignation, though not lower than President ]'s nadir of 17%. A concurrent Gallup Poll performed from August 28 to 30 showed a 45% approval and 52% disapproval rating. A ] Poll of September 6-7, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, showed a 41% approval, an all-time low for Bush in Zogby's polling. The poll also showed his favorability ratings going below 50% for the first time as 49% saw him as favorable and 50% viewed him unfavorably. A ] poll conducted on October 3 to 5, 2005, showed that Bush's approval rating had dropped to 37%, his lowest as measured by CBS News.

Polls show greater support for the ] than ever seen for the ] ]. An Ipsos poll on ], ], found that by a margin of 50% to 44% Americans say that "If President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable by impeaching him." Fully 72% of Democrats favored impeachment, compared to 56% of independents and 20% of Republicans. A three-day telephone poll starting on ], ], conducted by Zogby International found that 42% of Americans would support impeachment "if it is found the President misled the nation about his reasons for going to war with Iraq.". It should be noted, however, that the polling data on impeaching Bush is couched in hypotheticals, whereas polling done concerning President Clinton's impeachment concerned an actual event. For this reason, direct comparisons between the two situations should be approached with caution.

====Hurricane Katrina====
{{main|political effects of Hurricane Katrina}}

In the wake of ] in 2005, the floodwalls protecting ] from ] broke in the early hours of August 30, leading to widespread flooding. In the aftermath of the disaster, thousands of city residents, unable or unwilling to evacuate prior to the hurricane, became stranded with little to no relief for several days resulting in lawless and unsanitary conditions in some areas. Although blame was also attributed to state and local authorities, public outcry in the disaster's early hours was largely directed at the Bush administration, mainly ] and the ] alleging weak crisis management and coordination.

Exacerbating the perceptions that the Bush Administration was slow to respond to the crisis, news organizations juxtaposed live footage of the unfolding disaster in New Orleans with coverage of Bush's pre-planned ] trip to ], where he promoted his prescription drug plan for senior citizens and gave a speech to American troops at a ] outside San Diego. News footage of the Navy base event showed ] ] presenting a ] to Bush who proceeded to strum the instrument.

The Bush Administration faced accusations of slow response and mismanagement from members of Congress and other public figures. Many critics noted that the potential for disaster involving a breach of the New Orleans levees was well documented, by both FEMA and the Louisiana State University. One of the critics was ] icon ] who stated live on NBC television, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." The Bush Administration—like previous administrations—failed to address this concern, and consistently funded less than was requested by the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain the levees, although this did not affect the part of the levees that failed. The criticism and poor planning of the local government led to the resignation of FEMA director ] and a September 15 admission by Bush that mistakes had been made by his administration. Brown's weak qualifications came under scrutiny during this time and some have regarded his appointment as a blatant case of cronyism.

====Valerie Plame affair====
{{main|Plame affair}}
{{current}}

Various members of George W. Bush's White House team were alleged to play a role in what became known as the ]. ], wife of retired ambassador ], was identified as a ] "operative on ]" in a July 2003 column by well-known ] ] ]. Novak's column was published only eight days after the publication of a ] op-ed written by former ambassador Wilson, which was highly critical of the Bush administration's use of "unreliable" ] as part of its justification for the ].

Wilson claims that Novak had conspired with sources within the Bush administration to divulge his wife's identity as political retribution for his earlier criticism. Exposing the identity of an undercover CIA agent is—under some circumstances—a federal crime in the United States.

The Plame Affair includes the subsequent ] investigation by appointee ] into the actions of Bush administration officials—including ], ], ], ] and unknown others—regarding their knowledge of the leak of Plame's identity. In addition to Novak, six other journalists are reported to have known Plame's identity before the Novak column was published, including ] of ''The New York Times'', who spent eighty five days in jail for failing to divulge the identity of her confidential administration source to a grand jury.

According to an October 21-23, 2005 ]/]/], only one in ten Americans said they believe Bush administration officials did nothing illegal or unethical in connection with the Plame affair. On ], ], Scooter Libby was indicted with five criminal felony charges. Notably, none of these indictments directly concerned the original reason for the investigation (i.e., the alleged outing of a covert CIA agent).

In the wake of Libby's indictment, media pundits on both sides of the idealogical divide seemed to be in agreement that this ongoing situation would raise interesting questions about how the Bush administration handled criticism of their push to go to war in Iraq.

=== Outside the United States ===
] and President Bush, 2001]]
] ] during the ], ], ].]]

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, traditionally America's closest ally, two-thirds had a negative view...Three-quarters of those in Spain and more than 80 % 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, by far the majority 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.&quot;

Muslim countries are even less favorable to Bush. In these countries, Bush's unfavorable ratings are particularly high, often over 90%. Among the non-U.S. nations polled in another worldwide poll by the 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.

A 2005 poll conducted by the Canadian research company Globescan for the BBC across 22,000 people in 21 nations found that a majority of world opinion (58%) believed that George Bush's re-election would have a negative impact on their peace and security. Only 26% believed it would have a positive one. Public opinion in the Philippines and India showed strong majorities in favor of Bush. , but these were the only countries in favor.
The same poll revealed that support for the Iraq occupation had dropped to 37% in Britain. In Turkey, 72% of those polled said that George Bush's re-election made them "feel worse about Americans".

====Famous personalities' opinions ====
*'''Nelson Mandela''':"''Bush is now undermining the United Nations,''" Mandela told the International Women’s Forum after Bush started the Iraqi War. At that time Mandela said he would support action against Iraq’s former President Saddam Hussein only if the UN orders it. "''What I am condemning is that one power, with a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust."''
*'''Hugo Chavez''': Has called George Bush "''The Emperor of evil''" in June 2004 and "''Mr Danger" in October 2005.

==See also==

*]
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*] First Lady
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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 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"''



==External links==
{{Sisterlinks|George W. Bush}}
===Official===

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===Speeches===

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===Transcripts===

* (August 3, 2000)
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===Other===
*{{imdb name|id=0124133|name=George W. Bush}}
* {{gutenberg author| id=George+W.+Bush | name=George W. Bush}}

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Revision as of 17:13, 31 October 2005

The worlds best president