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George Walker Bush
43rd President of the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20, 2001
Vice President	Dick Cheney
Preceded by	Bill Clinton
Personal details
Born	July 6, 1946 New Haven, Connecticut
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Laura Welch Bush

George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States. Prior to his political career, he was a businessman in the oil industry and served as the managing general partner of the Texas Rangers baseball team.

Bush, a Republican, was elected 46th Governor of Texas in 1994 and was re-elected in 1998. From there, he moved on to win the nomination of the Republican Party for the 2000 presidential race and ultimately defeated Democratic Vice President Al Gore in a particularly close and controversial general election. In 2004, Bush was elected to a second term, defeating Democratic Senator John Kerry. This term will expire January 20, 2009.

Bush is a member of a prominent political family: his father, George H. W. Bush, served as U.S. President for four years and as Vice President for eight, his brother Jeb Bush is the current Governor of Florida, and his grandfather, Prescott Bush, was a Republican United States Senator from Connecticut. Among his family, he acquired the nickname "W" (for his middle initial; later Dubya, a literal spelling of a colloquial pronunciation of the letter), which has become a common public nickname, used both affectionately and pejoratively.

Bush before presidency

The eldest son of former President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara Bush (née Pierce), George Walker Bush was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He moved to Texas with his family at the age of two and he identifies himself as a native Texan. He was raised in Midland, and Houston, Texas with his siblings Jeb, Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. Another younger sister, Robin, died in 1953 at age three from leukemia.

Following family tradition, he attended prep school in New England, at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, the same school his father attended. Bush then enrolled at Yale University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1968. As a senior, Bush was a member of the secretive Skull and Bones society, as was his father. In May 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, he entered the Texas Air National Guard. He trained in the guard for two years, where he learned to fly. Bush was promoted to First Lieutenant in November 1970 on the recommendation of his commander Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian. He served as an F-102 pilot until 1972.

In 1974, he obtained permission to end his six-year service obligation six months early in order to attend Harvard Business School, from which he earned his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in 1975; he is the first U.S. President to hold an MBA. After graduation, Bush returned to Texas to enter the oil business. Two years later, he married Laura Welch, a school librarian originally from Midland, Texas. Their twin daughters Barbara and Jenna Bush were born in 1981. Bush is the only U.S. President to be the father of twins.

Early in his professional life, Bush ran, or was a partner in, a number of oil companies, including Arbusto Energy, Spectrum 7, and the Harken Energy Corporation. Bush started his political career assisting his father's 1964 and 1970 campaigns for the U.S Senate, neither of which were successful. He then served as political director for an Alabama senate campaign. In 1978, Bush ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives. After working on his father's successful 1988 presidential campaign, Bush purchased a share in the Texas Rangers baseball franchise, in April 1989, where he became managing general partner.

On 1994-11-08, Bush defeated popular incumbent Ann Richards to become Governor of Texas. That same year, he and his partners sold the Texas Rangers with the governor realizing a profit of nearly $15 million In 1998 Bush went on to win re-election in a landslide victory 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, tort law, and school financing.

Religious beliefs and practices

A 1985 meeting with evangelist Billy Graham ultimately led Bush to give up alcohol and devote himself to a more serious practice of Christianity. During this period, he left the Bush family's Episcopalian faith to join his wife's United Methodist Church, a denomination that in part represents a more socially conservative worldview (see United Methodist Church "Diversity Within Methodist Beliefs").

Bush attends services at St. John's Church (Episcopal) on a semi-regular basis. This is apparently a matter of convenience for chief executives, as the church is situated immediately across from the White House, off Lafayette square. Every president since Madison has attended services there.

In the televised Republican presidential debate held in Des Moines, Iowa on 1999-12-13, all of the participating candidates were asked: “What political philosopher or thinker do you most identify with and why?” Unlike the other candidates, who cited former presidents and other political figures, Bush responded "Christ, because he changed my heart." His decision to name a religious figure generated some criticism - even among religious conservatives such as Alan Keyes and Bill Kristol.

During his Presidency, Bush has also hosted celebrations at the White House for non-Christian holidays such as Ramadan.

Presidential campaigns

2000 campaign

Advisors convinced George W. Bush that 2000 would be the right time to run for president. He had more than enough money, and the Republicans lacked any single strong candidate. Before Bush had even committed to the race, he was the clear favorite in the polls, and contributions abounded from political donors. Bush declared himself a "compassionate conservative", a term coined by University of Texas professor Marvin Olasky, and his political campaign promised to "restore honor and dignity to the White House." Bush proposed lowering taxes in response to a projected surplus, supported participation of religious charities in federally funded programs, and promoted education vouchers, oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a balanced budget, and structural changes to the United States armed forces.

Bush lost the New Hampshire primary to Senator John McCain of Arizona, but rebounded to capture 9 of 13 Super Tuesday states, effectively clinching the nomination. Bush then chose Dick Cheney, a former U.S. Representative and Secretary of Defense for Bush's father, as his running mate. On 2000-11-07, television networks called the close race first for his opponent, Vice President Al Gore, then for Bush, and finally declared that it was too close to call. Gore conceded the election and then rescinded that concession less than one hour later. Though Bush had 47.9% of the popular vote and Gore had 48.4%, the electoral votes were less clear. The Florida vote count, which favored Bush in preliminary tallies, was contested over allegations of irregularities in the voting and tabulation processes. Allegations included confusing ballots, defective voting machines, faulty absentee ballots from the military, and the illegal barring of some voters. Because of Florida state law, a statewide machine recount was triggered and completed. Although it narrowed the gap, the recount still left Bush in the lead. Eventually four counties in Florida which had large numbers of Presidential undervotes began a manual hand recount of ballots. A legal battle ensued between the Bush and Gore campaigns over these recounts. On December 8, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that every county with a large number of undervotes would perform a hand recount. On December 9, in the Bush v. Gore Supreme Court case, the Court stopped the statewide hand recount and upheld the machine recount due to time constraints. The machine recount showed that Bush had won the Florida vote, giving him 271 electoral votes to Gore's 266; Bush carried 30 of the 50 states. Several months later, a group of newspapers commissioned a study of what would have happened had the hand recount continued. The researchers conducting the study concluded that, under the standard for assessing ballots in use during the actual count, Bush still would have won. However, other reasonable counting methods would have given the victory to Bush in four cases and Gore in four others . Since the Supreme Court did not allow the recount to continue, no one knows what standard might have been prescribed by it, or by a lower court at its direction, had the recount been reinstated. 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 2001-01-20.

Not since the 1888 election had a winner failed to receive a plurality of the popular vote. It was the first since the 1876 election in which the Supreme Court affected the decision.

Substance abuse controversy

On 1976-09-04, near his family's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, police arrested Bush for driving under the influence of alcohol. He pleaded guilty, was fined $150, and had his driver's 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 changed to a sober lifestyle shortly after waking up with a hangover after his 40th birthday celebration. He attributed the change partly to a 1985 meeting with the Reverend Billy Graham, though by his own admission, he did still drink as recently as July 1986 .

Bush has stated he did not use illegal drugs at any time since 1979. An aide clarified this as being 1974, and the correction was first broadcasted on CNN.

2004 campaign

In the 2004 election, Bush was able to win re-election against John Kerry, the Democratic candidate and senator from Massachusetts. Despite the fact that Kerry was a thrice-decorated hero in the Vietnam War, polls showed that Bush had convinced the people he and his administration would be better able to protect the nation from another terrorist attack. Bush carried 31 of 50 states for 286 Electoral College votes. The highest voter turnout since 1968 gave him more popular votes than any previous presidential candidate (62,040,610 votes/50.7%). This was the first time since 1988 that a President received a popular majority. However, Bush's victory margin, in terms of absolute number of popular votes, was the smallest of any sitting president since Harry S. Truman in 1948. Also, Bush's win was, percentage-wise, the closest popular margin ever for a sitting president. Senator John Kerry carried 19 states and the District of Columbia, earning him 251 Electoral College votes (59,028,111 votes/48.3%). A faithless elector, pledged to Kerry, voted for Democratic Vice Presidential running mate, John Edwards, giving him one Electoral College vote. No other candidate won College votes. Notable third-party candidates included Independent Ralph Nader (463,653 votes / 0.4%), and Libertarian Michael Badnarik (397,265 votes/0.3%). Congress debated potential election irregularities, including allegations of voting irregularities in Ohio and electronic voting machine fraud. An Official challenge to the Ohio election was rejected by a vote of 1-74 by the Senate and 31-267 in the House.

Bush was inaugurated for his second term on 2005-01-20. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Bush's inaugural address centered mainly on a theme of spreading freedom and democracy around the world.

Military service controversy

Bush's military service record has been a point of controversy, especially during the 2004 presidential election. Though no official copies of his records have been found, his critics have alleged that he skipped over a waiting list to receive a National Guard slot, was absent from duty from 1972 to 1973, and was suspended from flying after missing a required physical examination and drug screening. These specific issues came to light during the 2004 presidential campaign as a result of endeavors by the group Texans for Truth. Bush supporters claim that the surviving documentary evidence regarding Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard, including pay records and the official honorable discharge papers, indicate that Bush served honorably. Bush opponents contend that many of the official records can no longer be found, and that the matter is at best ambiguous. Official records do show that there was no waiting list for the Texas Air National Guard when Bush joined.

Important people in Bush's life and career

Bush's family and advisers are considered important to him in his life and career. His father, George H. W. Bush, served as U.S. President, his younger brother, Jeb Bush is the current Governor of Florida, and his grandfather, Prescott Bush, was a United States Senator. His wife Laura and his mother Barbara Bush are also considered important to his life. His most trusted advisers have included many women, including Condoleezza Rice, Karen Hughes, and Harriet Miers. Karl Rove has had perhaps the greatest influence on Bush's professional life.

Presidency of the United States

First term

Bush's first 100 days were considered less bipartisan than he pledged during the campaign. His most controversial appointment was John Ashcroft as Attorney General. Democrats vigorously opposed Ashcroft for his strong, socially conservative positions on issues like abortion and capital punishment, 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 that critics feared would dissolve the traditional separation of church and state.

Republicans lost control of the Senate in June, when Vermont's James Jeffords 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 projected budget surplus decreasing to nothing over the next years.

Political ideology

During the 2000 election campaign Bush started to use the phrase compassionate conservatism to describe his beliefs. Some conservatives have questioned Bush's commitment to traditional conservative ideals because of his willingness to incur large budget deficits by permitting substantial spending increases. Democrats and liberals have claimed that the prefixing of the word "conservative" with the adjective "compassionate" was less a new ideology and more a way of making conservatism seem palatable to independent and swing voters. In his 2005 inaugural address he outlined his vision of foreign policy and plan for democracy promotion.

An important element of Bush's presidency is its emphasis on the importance of executive powers and privileges. According to Bush and his supporters, the War on Terrorism requires a very strong executive with the ability to take various kinds of otherwise illegal covert actions against terrorists. For example, Bush repeatedly argued that the limits imposed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act over-restrict its ability to monitor terrorists electronically, and has pushed for statutory exemptions to those restrictions, including certain parts of the USA PATRIOT Act. The Bush administration threatened to veto two defense bills that included amendments by Senator John McCain that would limit the ability of the executive to authorize cruel inhuman and degrading treatment; Bush and his supporters argued that harsh treatment of detainees believed to be terrorists can be necessary to obtain information that would prevent terrorist attacks. Administration lawyers like John Yoo have argued that the president has inherent authority to wage war as he sees fit, regardless of laws and treaties that may restrict that power. Bush's Chief Justice of the United States appointee, John G. Roberts, considers the executive's power to be quite broad as well; in his decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, he wrote that Common Article III of the Geneva Conventions did not apply to people detained in the War on Terrorism, thus authorizing secret military tribunals for suspected terrorists if Bush chose to use them. The administration has classified previously public information about the executive and written executive orders to block Freedom of Information Act requests and to keep old documents classified beyond their normal expiration date. Bush's critics argue that executive power that is not reviewable risks abuse for political purposes, undermines civil liberties, and that they are anti-democratic, immoral, and likely to cause resentment, as in the world's response to prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib . Bush's supporters respond that broad powers in the War on Terrorism are necessary to prevent major attacks against the United States and that the president has not abused these powers.

Administration

Bush places a high value on personal loyalty and, as a result, his administration has high message discipline. Critics allege that Bush is willing to overlook mistakes and that Bush has surrounded himself with "yes men".

Bush's presidency has been characterized by a vigorous defense of executive privilege. Many commentators have claimed that deference to executive privilege was one of the principal considerations Bush's administration considered when he proposed his three nominations for the Supreme Court, and appointed John R. Bolton to the United Nations.

Bush also has performed many of his presidential duties from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, dubbed "The Western White House". As of 2005-08-02, 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. The administration has supported this trend, saying it helps the president get a different perspective from Beltway thinking and that he is still working (The administration noted that Bush's longest visit to Crawford, in August 2005, included only one week of actual respite in the five-week visit.)

A list of Bush's cabinet appointees is included on the main administration page.

Foreign policy

During his first presidential visit to Europe in June 2001, European leaders criticized Bush for his rejection of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce global warming. In 2002, Bush rejected the treaty as harmful to economic growth 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, Russia ratified the treaty, meeting the quota of nations required to enforce it without ratification by the United States.

International leaders also criticized Bush for withdrawing support for the International Criminal Court soon after he assumed the presidency. Bush made the following comment: "I wouldn't join the International Criminal Court. It's a body based in Hague where unaccountable judges and prosecution can pull our troops or diplomats for trial."

Bush's foreign policy campaign platform supported a stronger economic and political relationship with Latin America, especially Mexico, and reduced involvement in "nation-building" and other minor military engagements indirectly related to U.S. interests. However, after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the State Department focused primarily on the Middle East.

Terrorism

The September 11, 2001 attacks were carried out by a terrorist organization known as al-Qaeda, which is led by Osama bin Laden, who had issued a Fatwah against the United States in 1997.

Afghanistan

In response to the al-Qaeda terrorist attacks, on October 7, 2001, the United States, with international support, launched a war against the Afghan Taliban regime, charged with harboring bin Laden. The regime was quickly defeated. Subsequent nation-building efforts with the United Nations and Afghan president Hamid Karzai have had mixed results. Democratic elections were held on October 9, 2004. Even though international observers called the elections "fairly democratic" at the "overall majority" of polling centers, 15 of the 18 presidential candidates nevertheless threatened to withdraw, alleging flawed registration and validation.

Missile defense

Days after taking office, Bush stated "I am going to go forward with... plans for a missile defense system." To accomplish this deployment, Bush announced on May 1, 2001 his desire to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and deploy a missile defense system with the ability to shield against a limited attack by a rogue state. The American Physical Society criticized this policy change, citing doubts about the system's effectiveness. Bush argued this was justified as the treaty's Cold War benefits were no longer relevant. The official notification of withdrawal from the treaty was announced on December 13, 2001, citing the need to protect against terrorism. While there is past precedent for a President to cancel a treaty, most past cases have involved Congressional authorization.

Terrorism was Bush´s main topic at the 2002 NATO Summit in Prague too, calling for restructuring the organization from a Cold War focus and prepare it for new threats.

Iraq

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration promoted urgent action in Iraq, stating that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein once again had weapons of mass destruction (WMD), even though Hussein claimed to have destroyed all the chemical and biological weapons he had before 1991 (he had used WMD in the Halabja poison gas attack against the Kurds in northern Iraq in 1988, when his chemical and biological weapons program was being covertly funded and supported, in part, by America and Britain ). The theory Saddam had destroyed his WMD capability was asserted by former weapons inspector Scott Ritter and the UN's former chief weapons inspector Hans Blix. Bush also said that Hussein was a threat to U.S. security, destabilized the Middle East, inflamed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and financed terrorists. CIA reports asserted that Saddam Hussein had tried to acquire nuclear material, had not properly accounted for Iraqi biological weapons and chemical weapons material in violation of U.N. sanctions, and that some Iraqi missiles had a range greater than allowed by the UN sanctions. It had been, since 1998, U.S. policy for the President to support efforts to remove Saddam Hussein from power by a law (the Iraq Liberation Act) passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate and later signed by President Bill Clinton.

Asserting that Saddam Hussein could provide terrorists with WMD, Bush urged the United Nations to enforce Iraqi disarmament mandates, precipitating a diplomatic crisis. On November 13, 2002, under UN Security Council Resolution 1441, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei 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. 2003-03-17-inspectors-iraq_x.htm

Secretary of State Colin Powell urged his colleagues in the Bush administration to avoid a war without clear UN approval. The Bush administration initially sought a UN Security Council resolution authorizing the military force pursuant to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter but, facing vigorous opposition from several nations, (primarily France and Germany), dropped the bid for UN approval and, with over 20 other nations (including the United Kingdom) designated the "coalition of the willing", prepared for war.

Military hostilities commenced on March 20, 2003 to preempt Iraqi WMD deployment and remove Hussein from power. Casus belli included Hussein's hindering weapons inspections, an alleged 1991 assassination attempt on Bush's father George H. W. Bush, breach of a 1991 ceasefire, and violation of numerous Security Council resolutions. Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan and other world leaders questioned the war's legality. Bush declared, "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended" , under a "Mission Accomplished" banner on 2003-05-01. U.S. deployment and casualties (both military and civilian) have continued through early 2006 despite the capture of Hussein, because of ongoing Iraqi insurgencies. 2005-12-14 Bush stated that, It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong, when he discussed the issue of WMD's.

On September 30, 2004, the U.S. Iraq Survey Group Final Report concluded, "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." The 9/11 Commission report found no credible evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD, although the report did conclude that Hussein's government was actively attempting to acquire technology that would allow Iraq to produce WMD 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.

However, after the invasion, al-Qaeda has used the war to great effect in its campaign. It is speculated that it is the organization which launched a coordinated string of attacks in Madrid, Spain. Three days later, a new Spanish government was elected which soon thereafter withdrew all Spanish forces from Iraq. Osama Bin Laden also openly announced that al-Qaeda will attack any country which supports the war in Iraq.

Immigration

Bush proposed an immigration bill that would have greatly expanded the use of guest worker visas. His proposal would match employers with foreign workers 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 some Democratic Senators, including Barbara Boxer and Edward M. Kennedy.

Bush has also publicly stated he would like to tighten security at the U.S.-Mexico border, which includes speeding up the deportation process, building more jail cells to hold illegal immigrants, and installing more equipment and immigration officers at the border. He does agree with "increasing the number of annual green cards that can lead to citizenship" but does not support giving amnesty to those who are already in the country illegally, ceding that it would only serve as incentive for increased illegal immigration.

HIV/AIDS

In the State of the Union message in January, 2003, Bush outlined a five-year strategy for global emergency AIDS relief. Bush requested $15 billion for this effort, and Congress supported the president's proposal. The emergency relief effort is led by U.S. Ambassador Randall L. Tobias, the Global AIDS Coordinator at the Department of State. $9 billion is allocated for new programs in AIDS relief for 15 countries most affected by HIV/AIDS. Another $5 billion will go to continuing support of AIDS relief in 100 countries where the U.S. already has bilateral programs established. An additional $1 billion will go to support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This budget represents more money contributed to fight AIDS globally than all other donor countries combined.

Trade

Bush's imposition of a tariff on imported steel and on Canadian softwood lumber was controversial in light of his advocacy of free market policies in other areas, and attracted criticism both from his fellow conservatives and from nations affected. The steel tariff was later rescinded under pressure from the World Trade Organization, although the lumber dispute is ongoing.

Development assistance

The U.S. State Department and Agency for International Development (USAID) published a strategic plan for the 2004-2009 period. The principal aims are established in President Bush's National Security Strategy: diplomacy, development and defense. President Bush's new policy would increase assistance by 50 % for countries that take responsibility for their own development "by ruling justly, investing wisely in their people, and encouraging economic freedom." Development assistance must also be aligned with U.S. foreign policy which means the USAID would support those "countries that are committed to democratic governance, open economies, and wise investment in their people’s education, health, and potential."

Domestic policy

Economy

During his first term, Bush sought and obtained Congressional approval for three major tax cuts, and has asked congress to make the cuts permanent. Federal spending in constant dollars increased under Bush by 26% in his first 4 and a half years. The tax cuts, a recession, and increases in outlays all contributed to record budget deficits during the Bush administration. As a percentage of GDP, however, the deficits are lower than those experienced during the Reagan Administration.

Inflation under Bush has remained near historic lows at about 2-3% per year.

Private employment (seasonally adjusted) originally decreased under Bush from 111,680,000 in December 2000 to 108,250,000 in mid-2003. The economy then added private jobs for 25 consecutive months from (July 2003 to August 2005), and the private employment seasonally adjusted numbers increased as of June 2005 when it reached 111,828,000. Considering population growth, that still represents a 4.6% decrease in employment since Bush took office.

In January 2006, the government reported that first-time jobless claims fell to their lowest level in more than five years to 291,000, a sign that the national labor market continues to shake off the effects of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

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.

Most recently, in the fourth quarter of 2005, the economy under Bush grew at a 1.1 % pace, the worst showing in more than three years. Just prior to that in the third quarter, pace of growth was 4.3 %, the best showing in more than a year.

Health, medicine, and Social Security

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Bush signed the Medicare Act of 2003, which added prescription drug coverage to Medicare (United States), 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". Bush signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in 2003, having declared his aim to "promote a culture of life". The law has not yet been enforced, having been ruled unconstitutional by three District Courts. It is pending Supreme Court review.

Bush called for major changes in Social Security, identifying the system's projected insolvency as a priority early in his second term. President Bush emphasized his proposal for personalized accounts would allow individual workers to invest a portion of their Social Security Tax (FICA) into secured investments. The main advantage of personal accounts within Social Security is that it permits workers to own the money they save against the cost of retirement such that cannot be taken away from them by fiat or political whim. The rationale for such accounts is that individuals would theoretically seek better value for their "own" money than if costs were covered by employer-funded insurance or by federal programs. Additionally, consumer choice would use the market to drive efficiencies in the behaviors of providers.

Critics point out that most families do not have significant funds to put aside for additional retirement savings, most individual investors are not skilled at the management of complex financial instruments, and that both the Social Security and health care funding changes simply permit employers to spend less on benefits for employees, whether employees are able to replace the benefits or not. Individual employees are also weakly positioned to negotiate for better, or less expensive care. Perhaps most significantly, individuals who develop chronic illnesses relatively early (before age 55) are unlikely to have set aside sufficient money to even minimally meet the costs of their own care.

Bush opposes any new embryonic stem cell research, and has limited federal funding for research to studies that use embryonic stem cell lines that were in existence on 2001-08-09 (the day of the announcement). There was a controversy as to implication of the restriction. Initially Bush and his supporters claimed around 70 lines existed on that day. The number of viable lines has since been determined to be around 20. In January of 2005 it was determined that all embryonic stem cell lines approved for use in research were contaminated by mouse virus particles derived from the substrates on which the cells were cultured and were consequently probably unusable in therapies for human patients. 2005-01-24/MNGCTAV6E71.DTL sfgate Adult stem cell funding has not been restricted, and is supported by President Bush as a more viable means of research.

Education

In January of 2002, Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, with Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy as chief sponsor, which aims to close the achievement gap, measures student performance, provides options to parents with students in low-performing schools, and targets more federal funding to low-income schools. Critics say schools were not given the resources to help meet new standards, although their argument is based on premise that authorization levels are spending promises instead of spending caps.

Energy and the environment

Bush's environmental record has been attacked by most environmentalists, who charge that his policies cater to industry demands to weaken environmental protections.

Bush signed the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002, authorizing the federal government to begin cleaning up pollution and contaminated sediment in the Great Lakes, as well as the Brownfields Legislation in 2002, accelerating the cleanup of abandoned industrial or brownfield sites.

In December 2003, Bush signed legislation implementing key provisions of his Healthy Forests Initiative; environmental groups have charged that the plan is simply a giveaway to timber companies. Another subject of controversy is Bush's Clear Skies Initiative, which seeks to reduce air pollution through expansion of emissions trading.

Partially due to gas price hikes, Bush proposed tapping the oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Bush has opposed the Kyoto Protocol to reduce the effect of global warming, saying it would harm the U.S. economy; the protocol has more than 100 signatory nations. The United States has signed the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, a pact that allows signatory countries to set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions individually, but with no enforcement mechanism. In January 2006, six former EPA directors, five of them Republican, warned of the consequence of continued inaction on global warming.

Science

On 2002-12-19, Bush signed into law H. R. 4664, far-reaching legislation to put the National Science Foundation on a track to double its budget over five years and to create new mathematics and science education initiatives at both the pre-college and undergraduate level.

On 2004-01-14, Bush announced a major re-direction for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Known as the Vision for Space Exploration, it calls for the completion of the International Space Station by 2010 and the retirement of the space shuttle while developing a new spacecraft called the Crew Exploration Vehicle under the title Project Constellation. The CEV would be used to return American astronauts to the Moon by 2018.

The White House has come under criticism for downplaying reports that link human activity and greenhouse gas emissions to climate change.

On 2005-08-01, Bush took a controversial stance favoring the teaching of Intelligent Design alongside evolution 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."

Other issues

Bush has signed legislation supporting faith-based initiatives, and created the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to assist such organizations.

Bush opposes same-sex marriage but supports civil unions. He endorsed the Federal Marriage Amendment. Bush is the first Republican President to appoint an openly gay man to his administration.

In regards to what is commonly called Affirmative Action, Bush does not support enforced quotas, but has asked the public and private sector to reach out to minorities. He has drawn criticism from some minority groups on his policies. In total, Bush has appointed more women and minorities to high-level positions within his administration than any other U.S. President.

Bush is a strong supporter of capital punishment. During his tenure as Governor of Texas, 152 people were executed in that state, maintaining its record as the leading state in executions. As President of the United States, he has continued in his support for capital punishment, including presiding over the first federal execution in decades, that of convicted terrorist Timothy McVeigh.

The Bush administration has threatened presidential veto of legislation on several occasions, usually resulting in a compromise report from conference committee; Bush has never yet vetoed a bill.

Public perception and assessments

Bush has drawn both popular praise and scathing criticism. His supporters believe he has done well with the economy and homeland security, and shown exemplary leadership after the September 11 attacks. His opponents have disagreed on those very subjects and have also criticized the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, the controversial 2000 election, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The magazine TIME named Bush as its Person of the Year for 2000 and for 2004.

Notable spikes in his approval rating followed the September 11 attacks, and the beginning of the 2003 Iraq conflict.

In the time of national crisis following the September 11 attacks, 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 many reasons. A poll by Rasmussen reports show that Bush's approval rating is at 45% as of 23 January 2006, up from previous ratings, which has dipped as low as 36% approval.

Along with the criticism on issues of foreign policy, President Bush has also taken criticism for his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, which many considered slow. Bush has also been criticized for his handling of the leak of the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame from a source within his administration.

More recently, criticism has focused on issues of rights and freedoms, such as the CIA Secret Prison controversy and the NSA domestic monitoring of communications without obtaining warrants from the court established to issue them.

Internationally, Bush finds more criticism than support. Polls find that majorities in most nations view Bush negatively, with the exception of Israel and India.

In what may be seen as an unofficial international take on opinion, a multitude of website editors have participated in a so-called "Google bomb", which returns the official biography of Bush on the White House website, when the phrase "Miserable failure" is typed into the Google search engine.

Calls for impeachment

A poll, commissioned by Afterdowningstreet.org and performed by Zogby, was released in January 2006 showing that a majority of United States of America citizens (52 % to 43 %) believe Congress should consider impeaching the president if it is shown that he wiretapped US citizens without approval from the courts. In 2005 and 2006 there have been calls for impeachment from Representative John Conyers and former Representative Elizabeth Holtzman, and from convicted Watergate participant and former Nixon Administration official John Dean. However, since 1797, the House of Representatives has only impeached 16 Federal officials. Of those 16, only seven were convicted by the Senate. There are currently no impeachment hearings scheduled, nor are there any known plans by leaders in the House of Representatives to begin hearings.

Major legislation signed

See also

• Bush Doctrine
• Bush family
• Bush family conspiracy theory
• Bushism
• Caterair
• Christian right
• Compassionate conservatism
• Harken Energy Scandal
• History of the United States (1988-present)
• List of books and films about George W. Bush
• Movement to impeach George W. Bush
• Neoconservatism (United States)
• NSA warrantless surveillance controversy
• List of nicknames used by George W. Bush
• Plame affair
• Tenth Crusade
• White House Communications Agency

External links

Official

• Official White House biography
• RNC biography

Speeches: audio and transcripts

• Audio recordings of Bush's speeches
• Audio archive of the Bush's weekly radio addresses

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• 2000 GOP Convention Nomination Speech (2000-08-03)
• First Inaugural Address
• Second Inaugural Address
• Remarks by the President After Two Planes Crash Into World Trade Center (2001-09-11)
• Remarks by the President Upon Arrival at Barksdale Air Force Base (2001-09-11)
• Presidential Address to the Nation (2001-09-11)
• Declaration of War on Terrorism
• Issues Military Order No. 1, Detention, Treatment, and Trial of Certain Non-Citizens in the War Against Terrorism 2001-11-13
• 2002 State of the Union Address
• 2003 State of the Union Address
• Presidential Address to the Nation Announcing Operation Iraqi Freedom
• President Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended
• Presidential Address to the Nation on America's Actions in the War on Terrorism
• Address to the UN General Assembly
• Presidential Address to the Nation on the Capture of Saddam Hussein
• 2004 State of the Union Address
• 2004 GOP Convention Nomination Acceptance Speech (2004-09-02)
• Second Inaugural Address
• 2005 State of the Union Address
• 2006 State of the Union Address

Other

• George W. Bush at IMDb
• Works by George W. Bush at Project Gutenberg
• George W. Bush's Connections at Political Friendster

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