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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. There was controversy over the efficacy of inspections and lapses in Iraqi compliance. UN inspection teams departed Iraq upon U.S. advisement given four days prior to the U.S. invasion, despite their requests for more time to complete their tasks. The U.S. initially sought a UN Security Council resolution authorizing the use of military force pursuant to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. Upon facing vigorous opposition from several nations (primarily France and Germany), however, the U.S. dropped the bid for UN approval and began to prepare for war; Benjamin Ferenccz, a former chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials argued that for these actions Bush, with his Administration, could be prosecuted for war crimes;. Kofi Annan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, as well as leaders of several nations made similar statements, implying that the attack constitutes a war crime. The war effort was joined by more than 20 other nations (most notably the United Kingdom) who were designated the "coalition of the willing".

The invasion of Iraq commenced on March 20, 2003, ostensibly to pre-empt Iraqi WMD deployment and remove Saddam from power, and was completed on May 1, 2003 when U.S. forces took control of Baghdad. The success of U.S. operations increased Bush's popularity, but the U.S. forces would be challenged by public disorder, as well as increasing insurgency led by pro-Saddam and Islamist groups. The Bush Administration was assailed in subsequent months following the report of the Iraq Survey Group, which, apart from a few stockpiles, did not find the large quantities of weapons that the regime was believed to possess. On December 14, 2005, while discussing the WMD issue, Bush stated that "It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong." Bush would nevertheless remain unwavering when asked if the war had been worth it, or whether he would have made the same decision if he had known more. U.S. efforts in Iraq would become the centrepiece of Bush's expressed vision to promote democracy as a means to discourage and defeat terrorists, by removing radical regimes and fostering social and economic development. However a 2006 National Intelligence Estimate (a consensus report of the heads of 16 U.S. intelligence agencies) asserted that the Iraq war had increased Islamic radicalism and worsened the terror threat. Bush and his top officials told early October 2006 that the United States must press on with war in Iraq. They accuse critics, including some Democrats, who call for a U.S. troop pullout or a timetable for withdrawal, of advocating a policy of 'cut-and-run.

On October 21, 2006, Bush held a video teleconference with Vice President Cheney and military commanders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, to discuss the Iraq War. Bush admitted that there were strategic mistakes made in regards to the stability of Iraq and would modify plans but not the overall strategy.

Campaign for re-election

Bush commanded broad support in the Republican Party and did not encounter a primary challenge. He appointed Kenneth Mehlman as campaign manager, and the campaign political strategy was devised by Karl Rove. Bush outlined a 2004 agenda that included a strong commitment in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act, making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, cutting the budget deficit in half, promoting education, tort reform, social security and national tax reform. Bush emphasized his social conservatism by arguing for the Federal Marriage Amendment. In most of his speeches, Bush also stressed a vision and commitment for spreading freedom and democracy across the world.

Having had great success at fundraising, the campaign began running television and radio advertisement campaigns across the nation against Democratic candidates, including Bush's emerging opponent, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. Kerry and other Democrats attacked Bush on the perceived excesses of the USA PATRIOT Act and for allegedly failing to stimulate the economy and job growth, as well as controversies surrounding Bush's service in the National Guard. Bush emphasized his leadership in war and national security challenges, evoking the patriotism and passion aroused by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Bush campaign portrayed Kerry as a staunch liberal who would raise taxes, increase the size of government, and fail to oppose a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The Bush campaign continuously criticized Kerry's allegedly contradictory statements on the war in Iraq, and claimed Kerry lacked the decisiveness and vision necessary for success in the war on terrorism. Popular politicians such as Rudy Guiliani, John McCain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and conservative Democrat Zell Miller campaigned actively for Bush, who travelled across the country delivering speeches at three to four different locations on most days. The campaign organized a large group of volunteers and focused its efforts on swing states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Bush carried 31 of 50 states for a total of 286 Electoral College votes.

Cabinet

Second term

Bush was inaugurated for his second term on January 20, 2005. 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:

We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world...The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it....From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?

For his second term, Bush assembled what is regarded as one of the most diverse U.S. cabinets in history, with the appointments of the first Hispanic American U.S. Attorney General and Commerce Secretary, as well as making Condoleezza Rice the first African American woman to head the U.S. State Department. Bush retained Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld, whose dismissal had been demanded by many in the U.S. Congress. During a visit to the Republic of Georgia on May 10, 2005, Vladimir Arutinian attempted to assassinate Bush. Arutian threw a grenade that failed to detonate which eventually landed in the large crowd some 18.6 meters (61 feet) from the podium where Bush was delivering a speech.

In August 2005, with his nomination of the controversial John Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations filibustered by the Senate, Bush took the rarely-used expedient of installing him via a recess appointment. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid criticized this action as an abuse of Presidential power.

In 2006, Bush replaced long-time chief of staff Andrew Card with Joshua Bolten and undertook major staff and cabinet changes with the stated intention of revitalizing his Administration.

In November 2006, Bush announced plans to replace Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld with former CIA Director Robert Gates, in response to pressure from the midterm elections and military publications.

Domestic policy

President Bush began his second term by outlining a major initiative to reform Social Security, which was facing record deficit projections beginning in 2005. Bush made it the centerpiece of his agenda despite contrary beliefs in the media and in the U.S. Congress, which saw the program as the "third rail of politics," with the American public being suspicious of any attempt to change it. It was also widely believed to be the province of the Democratic Party, with Republicans in the past having been accused of efforts to dismantle or privatize it. In his 2005 State of the Union Address, Bush discussed the allegedly impending bankruptcy of the program and attacked political inertia against reform. He proposed options to permit Americans to divert a portion of their Social Security tax (FICA) into secured investments, creating a "nest egg" that he claimed would enjoy steady growth. Despite emphasizing safeguards and remaining open to other plans, Bush's proposal was criticized for its high cost, and Democrats attacked it as an effort to partially privatize the system, and for leaving Americans open to the whims of the market. Bush embarked on a 60-day national tour, campaigning vigorously for his initiative in media events ("Conversations on Social Security") in a largely unsuccessful attempt to gain support from the general public. According to at least one poll, Bush failed to convince the public that the Social Security program was in crisis.

In 2006, Bush somewhat shifted focus to re-emphasize immediate and comprehensive immigration reform. Going beyond calls from Republicans and conservatives to secure the border, Bush demanded that Congress create a "temporary guest-worker program" to allow more than 12 million illegal immigrants to obtain legal status. Bush continues to argue that the lack of legal status denies the protections of U.S. laws to millions of people who face dangers of poverty and exploitation, and penalizes employers despite a demand for immigrant labor. On May 15, 2006, Bush proposed expanding "Basic Pilot," an online system to allow employers to easily confirm the eligibility of new hires; creating a new identification card for all foreign workers; and increasing penalties for businesses that violate immigration laws. Bush urged Congress to provide additional funding for border security, and committed to deploying 6,000 National Guard troops to the United States-Mexico border.

On June 15, 2006, Bush created the 75th, and largest, National Monument in US history and the largest Marine Protected Area in the world with the formation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument.

On July 19, 2006, Bush used the first veto of his presidency against the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. The bill would have granted federal funding to scientists engaging in stem cell research derived from discarded human embryos. The bill would have overridden the president's policy of only allowing federal funding of research on 21 stem cell lines that existed prior to 2001.

In 2005-06, Bush emphasized the need for comprehensive energy reform and proposed increased funding for research and development of renewable sources of energy such as hydrogen power, nuclear power, ethanol and clean coal technologies. Bush has proposed the American Competitiveness Initiative which seeks to support increasing competitiveness of the U.S. economy, with greater development of advanced technologies, as well as greater education and support for American students.

Bush appointed First Lady Laura Bush to oversee an initiative to improve opportunities and education for inner-city boys.

On August 1, 2005, in response to a question about teaching intelligent design in public schools, Bush seemed to endorse the intelligent design movement's Teach the Controversy approach. He answered, "I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought." The National Academy of Sciences and the established scientific community regard this stance as politically motivated. These groups point out that intelligent design is based on the religious concepts found in creationism, and does not constitute valid science.

On August 17, 2006 Bush signed the Pension Protection Act, which increases fines for companies that underpay money to Social Security, making such underpayments unprofitable.

That same day, a U.S. district court judge in Detroit ruled that warrantless and otherwise congressionally unauthorized eavesdropping on telephone calls under the Terrorist Surveillance Program were unconstitutional. The judge agreed to place her ruling on hold pending an appeal. A hearing is scheduled for September 28.

On 28 August 2006 Congress approved a bill that makes the detainee interrogation program legal. The bill was in response to the Supreme Court's decision in June that the program is illegal. It was the second time Bush tried to approve it through Congress. Bush signed the bill into law on October 17, 2006 as the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

Hurricane Katrina

One of the worst natural disasters in the nation’s history, Hurricane Katrina, struck early in Bush’s second term. Katrina was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-strongest landfalling U.S. hurricane on record. Katrina formed in late August during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season and devastated much of the north-central Gulf Coast of the United States, particularly New Orleans

President Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi two days before the hurricane made landfall. After the hurricane reached ground, Bush mobilized the Coast Guard and National Guard to help rescue the approximately 60,000 people stranded in New Orleans.

Both local and federal governments were vehemently criticized for their response to Katrina, which was considered insufficient and disorganized. Criticisms of Bush focused on three main issues. First, leaders from both parties attacked the president for having appointed incompetent leaders to positions of power at FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, most notably Michael D. Brown.. Second, many people argued that the inadequacy of the federal response was the result of the Iraq War and the demands it placed on the armed forces and the federal budget. Third, in the days immediately following the disaster, President Bush denied having received warnings about the possibility of floodwaters overflowing the levees protecting New Orleans. However, the presidential videoconference briefing of Aug. 28 shows Max Mayfield warning the President that it was "obviously a very, very grave concern." Critics claimed that the President was misrepresenting his administration's role in what they saw as a flawed response.

Foreign policy

Bush began his second term with an emphasis on improving strained relations with European nations. He appointed long-time advisor Karen Hughes to oversee a global public relations campaign to improve the image of the U.S. and significantly increased development aid to countries with a focus on encouraging democracy and human rights. Bush strongly lauded the pro-democracy struggles in Georgia and Ukraine and the election of Mahmoud Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority. He led international pressure against Syria to withdraw troops from Lebanon. In March 2006, Bush visited India, leading to renewed ties between the two countries, particularly in areas of nuclear energy and counterterrorism cooperation. Bilateral relations with Germany and Canada have also improved following the election of conservative governments there. However, midway through his second term, many analysts have observed a retreat from his freedom and democracy agenda, highlighted in recent policy changes toward some oil rich former Soviet republics in central Asia.

Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, who are both undemocratically elected and fiercely autocratic, have already received official state visits to the White House, along with increased economic and military assistance.. The President had encouraged both leaders to hold free and fair elections early on in his second term, yet recent events have shown that neither leader had gone to any great lengths to carry out reforms.. The democratic election of the Hamas organization in the parliamentary elections of the Palestinian Territories, along with democratic gains in legislatures for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Hezbollah in Lebanon, all of whom are seen as terrorist organizations by the United States, appears also to have contributed to a far less aggressive approach to democratic reform world wide from the Bush administration. Reports in late 2006 suggest that pro- democracy groups across the Middle East have become "pessimistic about the prospects for meaningful reform"

Iraqi elections were held in January and December 2005, as well as in a referendum to approve a constitution. Initial media reports of high voter turnout appear to have overestimated actual turnout which has since been estimated at less than 50%. Since then, the fighting in Iraq has escalated, and the country appears on the brink of, if not already engaged in, civil war. Bush's leadership against global terrorism and in the war in Iraq has thus met increasing criticism, with increasing demands within the United States to set a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. Sectarian violence and political deadlock in Iraq has increased negative impressions of Bush's leadership and the situation in Iraq, with the attendant deaths of more than 2,700 U.S. soldiers. Allegations of abuse by U.S. troops have accompanied calls from European and Asian leaders to shut down detention centers in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. Bush has firmly defended his policies and progress in Iraq. He paid a surprise visit to Iraq following the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and the appointment of a new government.

North Korea

North Korea's October 9, 2006 detonation of a nuclear device further complicated President Bush's foreign policy, which has centered for both terms of his presidency on " the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world." The reported test, which according the IAEA Director General "creates serious security challenges not only for the East Asian region but also for the international community," has intensified criticisms that the President has taken neither military nor diplomatic measures to oppose North Korea's acquisition of WMD. These criticisms date back at least to the 2003 resignation of Special Envoy to North Korea Charles Pritchard, who claimed that "the Bush administration's refusal to engage directly with the country made it almost impossible to stop Pyongyang from going ahead with its plans to build, test and deploy nuclear weapons." On October 11, 2006, in his first extended press conference since the North Korean announcement of a nuclear detonation, President Bush contested the more specific criticism that his current endorsement of a policy of attempting "all diplomatic measures before we commit our military" in North Korea is an abandonment of his policy of military force in response to the potential threat of WMD-possession in Iraq. Posing to himself the pre-emptive, follow-up question, "why did you use military action in Iraq," President Bush responded, "And the reason why is because we tried the diplomacy." President Bush has condemned North Korea's claim, reaffirmed his commitment to "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula," and stated that "transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States," for which North Korea would be held accountable.

Criticism and public perception

Time magazine named George W. Bush as its Person of the Year for 2000 and 2004. The magazine believed him to be the most influential person during these two years. Bush began his presidency with approval ratings near 50%. In the time of national crisis following the September 11 attacks, Bush enjoyed approval ratings of greater than 85%, maintaining 80–90% approval for four months after the attacks. Since then, his approval ratings and approval of handling of domestic and foreign policy issues have steadily dropped. Polls conducted in early 2006 showed an average of around 40% for Bush, up slightly from the previous September, but still historically low from a President coming off of his State of the Union Address, which generally provides a boost. As of November 5, 2006, an average of major polls indicated that Bush's approval rating stood at 39.0%.

At the beginning of his first term, Bush was portrayed as lacking legitimacy due to his narrow victory in Florida and the attendant controversy surrounding his electoral college victory, which included accusations of vote suppression and tampering. Bush has also been criticized for squandering opportunities for uniting Americans across party lines. While routinely criticized by Democrats, Bush has also divided Republicans, American celebrities, and sports and media personalities, many of whom have engaged in heated criticism of Bush. Activist and filmmaker Michael Moore's 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 accused Bush of using public sentiments following 9/11 for political purposes and lying about the cause for war in Iraq. Apart from Russia, some countries in Eastern Europe, India, and Israel, a majority of people across the world have negative views on Bush, who has been targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization campaigns, and criticized for his foreign policy. Bush's policies have also been subject of heated criticism in the 2002 elections in Germany and the 2006 elections in Canada.Bush has been openly condemned by centrist and liberal politicians such as Gerhard Schröder, Jean Chrétien, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Romano Prodi, Paul Martin, and Hugo Chavez. Diplomatic visits made by Bush have been characterized by protests, sometimes of a significant scale.

Bush has enjoyed strong support among Republicans and Americans holding conservative and pro-military views, and for the 2004 elections, 95-98% of the Republican electorate approved of and voted for Bush, a figure exceeding the approval of Ronald Reagan. This support has waned, however, due mostly to Republicans' growing frustration with Bush on the issues of spending and illegal immigration. Some Republicans have even begun criticizing Bush on his policies in Iraq, Iran and the Palestinian territories. Bush has also enjoyed strong personal and working relationships with foreign leaders such as Tony Blair, John Howard, Junichiro Koizumi, Angela Merkel, Stephen Harper, and Ehud Olmert, as well as good rapport with Vladimir Putin and Vicente Fox. Here, tensions have arisen, such as the cooling of the relationship between Bush and Putin. Privately, Bush has expressed regret at the effusiveness he displayed after his first meeting with Putin. "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy...I was able to get a sense of his soul."

From time to time, Bush's intellectual capacities have been questioned by the media and other politicians , leading to speculation about his IQ, of which no official record is known .

Detractors tend to cite the various linguistic errors made by Bush during his public speeches (colloquially known as Bushisms) . Bush's habit of mispronouncing words has received much ridicule in the media and in popular culture. Even as early as the 2000 presidential debates, this was the subject of a Saturday Night Live sketch (see Strategery). Perhaps his most famous mispronunciation is that of "nucular" instead of "nuclear". It should be noted, however, that he is not the only American president to have done this. .

In 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world, a majority of respondents were found to hold an unfavorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as "negative" for world security. A poll taken in mid September of 2006 indicated that 48 percent of Americans believed the war with Iraq has made the U.S. less safe, while 41 percent believed the war has made the U.S. safer from terrorism. Another poll shows that a majority of Americans, by a margin of 61 to 35 percent, believe that the United States is not better off because of Bush's policies. Another poll conducted in Britain placed Bush at the second biggest "threat to the world peace" right after Bin Laden, and topped North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il. According to poll taken in November of 2006 Finns just as British believe that Bush is second biggest "threat to the world peace" right after Bin Laden. Kim Jong-Il came 3rd in poll and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Nasrallah share 4th position. .

Some people, such as Benjamin Ferencz, a chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials, hold the view that Bush should be tried for war crimes along with Saddam Hussein for starting "aggressive" wars. They argue that the US-led invasion was a war of aggression, and therefore under the Nuremberg Principles it constitutes the supreme international crime from which all other war crimes follow.

Other experts have also regarded the Bush Administration's decision to invade Iraq as the supreme international crime, a crime against the peace: "There was no authorization from the U.N. Security Council ... and that made it a crime against the peace," said Francis Boyle, professor of international law, who also said the U.S. Army's field manual required such authorization for an offensive war. However, historians point out that every permanent member of the U.N. Security Council has undertaken at least one war without the council's permission or endorsement, and no such authorization came from the U.N. in other U.S. led wars and/or interventions such as Vietnam, Haiti, Kosovo, Panama or Grenada, or for that matter President Jimmy Carter's attempt to rescue American hostages during the Iran Hostage Crisis.

Legislation and programs

Trivia

• George W. Bush is the second son of a former president to become president. John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams became the first in 1825.
• George W. Bush is the second president born after World War II. The first was his immediate predecessor, Bill Clinton.
• In 2000, George W Bush is the first president since Benjamin Harrison in 1889 to be elected without winning the popular vote.
• Beginning in 1976, every Republican presidential ticket had either a Dole or a Bush on it. Robert Dole was Vice Presidential Candidate in 1976 and Presidential Candidate in 1996. George H W Bush was on the ticket as Vice presidential candidate in 1980 and 1984 as well as presidential candidate in 1988 and 1992. George W Bush was presidential candidate in 2000 and 2004.
• In 2004, George W. Bush was the first Republican candidate for president since Richard Nixon in 1968 to be younger than his Democratic Party opponent. Richard Nixon was born in 1913 while Hubert Humphrey was born in 1911. Nixon's opponent in 1972, George McGovern, was born in 1922. Gerald Ford's 1976 opponent Jimmy Carter was born in 1924 while Ford was born in 1913. Ronald Reagan, nominee and winner in 1980 and 1984, was born in 1911. His 1980 opponent was Jimmy Carter. His 1984 opponent Walter Mondale was born in 1928. 1988 Republican nominee and election-winner George H. W. Bush was born in 1924 while opponent Michael Dukakis was born in 1931. His 1992 opponent Bill Clinton was born in 1946. Bill Clinton's 1996 Republican opponent Robert Dole was born in 1923. George W. Bush's 2000 opponent Al Gore was two years younger; Gore was born in 1948. John Kerry, his 2004 opponent, is older and was born in 1943.
• Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were both born in 1946.
• George W. Bush is the first Governor of Texas ever to be elected president.
• George W. Bush is the only president, current or former, to currently have any parents still living (George and Barbara are both still living).

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54. "Bush gets bad rap on intelligence". St. Cloud Times Online. January 14 2001. Retrieved 2006-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
55. Jacob Weisberg (November 4 2000). "Bush, in his own words". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
56. Dana Milbank (April 22 2001). "Serious 'Strategery' As Rove Launches Elaborate Political Effort, Some See a Nascent Clintonian 'War Room'". Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
57. Geoffrey Nunberg (October 2 2002). "Going Nucular". Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
58. "In 18 of 21 Countries Polled, Most See Bush's Reelection as Negative for World Security". BBC World Service and Program on International Policy Attitudes. . Retrieved 2006-09-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
59. "Polls: World Not Pleased With Bush". Associated Press. March 4, 2004. Retrieved 2006-09-24.
60. "Iraq". USA Today Gallup poll. September, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
61. "President Bush and the Bush Administration". Los Angeles Times Bloomberg L.P. September, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
62. British believe Bush is more dangerous than Kim Jong-il
63. "He uhkaavat maailman turvallisuutta (They threat the world peace)". Iltalehti. 2006-11-11. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
64. Glantz, Aaron (2006-08-25). "Bush and Saddam Should Both Stand Trial, Says Nuremberg Prosecutor". OneWorld. Retrieved 2006-09-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
66. Bernton, Hal (2006-08-18). "Iraq war bashed at hearing for soldier who wouldn't go". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2006-09-09.

See also

• List of Presidents of the United States

v t e George W. Bush
43rd President of the United States (2001–2009) 46th Governor of Texas (1995–2000)
Presidency (timeline)	Transition 1st inauguration 2nd inauguration Timeline 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 January 2009 Domestic policy Legislation and programs Economic policy Foreign policy International trips Bush Doctrine Russia summits Slovenia Slovakia War in Afghanistan Status of Forces Agreement Patriot Act No Child Left Behind Act Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act USA Freedom Corps Department of Homeland Security Space policy Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty "War on Terror" President's Council on Service and Civic Participation award Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy Email controversy Judicial appointments Supreme Court candidates John Roberts Harriet Miers Samuel Alito controversies Cabinet Pardons Impeachment efforts Executive orders Presidential proclamations State funeral of Ronald Reagan State funeral of Gerald Ford Obama transition
Life and legacy	Childhood home Early life and career Presidential library Presidential portrait Military service controversy Killian documents controversy authenticity issues Professional life Governorship of Texas Prairie Chapel Ranch Walker's Point Estate Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
Speeches	Joint session of Congress (Feb 2001) Remarks at the Islamic Center of Washington (2001) Joint session of Congress (September 11 attacks) (2001) Mission Accomplished (2003) State of the Union addresses 2002 ("Axis of evil") 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Elections	U.S. House 1978 Gubernatorial 1994 1998 Presidential 2000 campaign primaries running mate selection convention debates election Bush v. Gore 2004 campaign primaries convention debates election
Public image	Bushisms Nicknames As the subject of books and films Fictionalized portrayals Miss Me Yet? "Yo, Blair"
Books	A Charge to Keep (1999) Decision Points (2010) 41: A Portrait of My Father (2014) Portraits of Courage (2017) Out of Many, One (2021)
Popular culture	Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004 documentary) W. (2008 film)
Family	Laura Bush (wife) Barbara Pierce Bush (daughter) Jenna Bush Hager (daughter) George H. W. Bush (father presidency) Barbara Bush (mother) Robin Bush (sister) Jeb Bush (brother) Neil Bush (brother) Marvin Bush (brother) Dorothy Bush Koch (sister) Barney (dog) Miss Beazley (dog) India (cat) Spot Fetcher (dog)
← Bill Clinton Barack Obama → Category

External links

Official

• Official White House biography
• Republican National Committee biography

Speeches: audio and transcripts

• Audio recordings of Bush's speeches

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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
• 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 GOP Convention Nomination Acceptance Speech (2004-09-02)
• Second Inaugural Address
• 2002 State of the Union Address
• 2003 State of the Union Address
• 2004 State of the Union Address
• 2005 State of the Union Address
• 2006 State of the Union Address
• "In First Veto, Bush Blocks Stem Cell Bill", The New York Times

v t e Governors and lieutenant governors of Texas
Governors	J. P. Henderson Wood Bell J. W. Henderson Pease Runnels Houston Clark Lubbock Murrah Hamilton Throckmorton Pease Davis Coke Hubbard Roberts Ireland Ross Hogg Culberson Sayers Lanham Campbell Colquitt J. Ferguson Hobby Neff M. Ferguson Moody Sterling M. Ferguson Allred O'Daniel Stevenson Jester Shivers Daniel Connally Smith Briscoe Clements White Clements Richards Bush Perry Abbott
Lieutenant governors	Horton Greer Henderson Dickson Runnels Lubbock Clark Crockett Stockdale Jones J. W. Flanagan (acting) Campbell (ex officio) W. Flanagan (ex officio) Fountain (ex officio) Pickett (ex officio) Hubbard Sayers Storey Martin Gibbs Wheeler Pendleton Crane Jester Browning Neal A. B. Davidson Mayes Hobby Sr. Johnson L. Davidson T. W. Davidson Miller Witt Woodul Stevenson J. L. Smith Shivers Ramsey P. Smith Barnes Hobby Jr. Bullock Perry Ratliff Dewhurst Patrick

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