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''aq. They accused critics, mainly [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] who have called for a U.S. troop pullout or a timetable for withdrawal, of advocating a policy of "cut-and-run".<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/article_1209492.php/Stay-the-course_not_U.S.s_only_Iraq_option_Baker | title = Stay-the-course not U.S.'s only Iraq option: Baker |date= [[2006-10-08]] | accessdate = 2006-10-08}}</ref>
'''George Walker Bush''' (born [[July 6]] [[1946]]) is the 43rd and current [[President of the United States|President]] of the [[United States]], [[Inauguration Day|inaugurated]] on [[January 20]], [[2001]] and re-inaugurated on January 20, [[2005]].

Bush was [[United States presidential election, 2000|first elected in 2000]] in one of the most controversial presidential elections, after a month of ballot recounts and court challenges in [[Florida]] were ended by a [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] ruling.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/00-949.ZPC.html George W. Bush, et al., Petitioners v. Albert Gore, Jr., et al.], 531 U.S. 98 (2000).</ref> Eight months into Bush's presidency in 2001, nineteen hijackers sponsored by [[al-Qaeda]] carried out the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]]. President Bush responded by declaring a [[War on Terrorism|Global War on Terrorism]], which would become a central issue of his presidency. In early [[October 2001]], he ordered the [[2001-present war in Afghanistan|invasion of Afghanistan]] to overthrow the [[Taliban]] and attempt to destroy [[al-Qaeda]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/
|year=September 20, 2001|title=President Bush's address to joint session of Congress}}</ref> In [[March 2003]], Bush ordered the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]], asserting that [[Iraq]] was in violation of [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441|UN Resolution 1441]] regarding [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction]].<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030319-1.html Presidential Letter to Congress] (March 18, 2003).</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030205-1.html| year=February 5, 2003| title=U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Addresses the U.N. Security Council|first=Colin| last=Powell| publisher=Whitehouse.gov| accessdate=2006-05-25}}</ref> Following the overthrow of [[Saddam Hussein]]'s Iraq regime, Bush stated his policy of attempting to establish [[democracy in the Middle East]], starting with [[Afghanistan]] and Iraq.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/11/20031106-2.html| year=November 6, 2003| title=President discusses freedom in Iraq and Middle East}}</ref>

Running as a self-described "war president" in the midst of the [[Iraq war]],<ref name="War President">{{cite web| url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4179618/| title = Transcript for Feb. 8th| accessdate = 2006-09-09|date= [[2004-02-08]]| publisher = MSNBC}}</ref> Bush won [[United States presidential election, 2004|re-election]] in 2004<ref>[http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=2004 2004 Presidential Election Results]</ref> after a heated [[George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2004|general election campaign]] against Senator [[John Kerry]] in which President Bush's prosecution of the Global War on Terrorism and the Iraq war became central issues.<ref>[http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004d.html 13 October 2004 "The Third Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate" transcript]</ref><ref>CNN's exit poll showed Terrorism (19%) and Iraq (15%) as the third and fourth most important issues behind Moral Values (22%) and the Economy (20%) [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html "CNN - U.S. President / National / Exit Poll / Election 2004"]</ref> President Bush's declaration of the Global War on Terror would become the most controversial aspect of his presidency, including issues surrounding the [[Iraq War]], the [[Guantánamo Bay detainment camp|Guantánamo Bay]] and [[Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse]] scandals, and related domestic controversies such as [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|NSA warrantless surveillance]] activities and the [[Plame affair]].

Following his re-election, Bush received heated condemnation, even from former allies, on these issues, as well as domestic issues such as his first-ever use of the veto power to veto federal funding of [[stem cell controversy|stem cell research]], and the federal government's response to [[criticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina|Hurricane Katrina]]. According to polls of job [[Approval rating#American presidential job approval|approval rating]], his popularity reached record heights after September 11, but later drastically declined, due to his perceived poor handling of the Iraq War.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/04/29/bush_polls/index.html|year=April 29, 2005 |title=Bush's sinking popularity (Salon)}}</ref> It was one of the major reasons for what Bush called the "thumpin'"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20061231-105156-9319r.htm|date=January 1, 2007|title=Who said what in 2006 (Washington Times)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061112/20barone.htm|title=Post-Thumpin' Politics|author=Michael Barone|work=U. S. News and World Report|date=November 12, 2006}}</ref> of the Republican Party in [[United States general elections, 2006|November 2006 mid-term elections]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elections.us.reuters.com/top/news/usnN07478317.html|date=November 8, 2006|title=Bush admits Republicans took a "thumping (Reuters)}}</ref>

==Early Life==
{{main|Early life of George W. Bush|Professional life of George W. Bush}}
[[Image:GW-Bush-in-uniform.jpg|thumb|Lt. George W. Bush while in the National Guard.]]

Born in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], [[Connecticut]], Bush was the first child of [[George H. W. Bush]] and his wife [[Barbara Bush]]. His [[paternal]] ancestors emigrated from [[Somerset]] in the [[West Country]] of [[England]] in the seventeenth century. Bush's parents moved from [[Connecticut]] to [[Texas]] when he was two years old. He was raised in [[Midland, Texas|Midland]] and [[Houston, Texas]], with his four siblings, [[Jeb Bush|Jeb]], [[Neil Bush|Neil]], [[Marvin Bush|Marvin]], and [[Dorothy Bush Koch|Dorothy]]. Another younger sister, [[Robin Bush|Robin]], died in 1953 at the age of three from [[leukemia]].<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.famoustexans.com/georgewbush.htm
| title = George Walker Bush
| accessdate = 2006-06-27
|date= [[2005-02-03]]
| work = Famous Texans
| publisher = famoustexans.com
}}</ref> Bush's grandfather, [[Prescott Bush]], was a [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] from Connecticut, and his father served as U.S. President from 1989 to 1993.

Bush attended [[Phillips Academy]] in [[Andover, Massachusetts]] and, following in his father's footsteps, was accepted into [[Yale University]], where he received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in history in 1968. At the same time, he worked in various Republican campaigns, including his father's 1964 and 1970 Senate campaigns in Texas. As a college senior, Bush became a member of the secretive [[Skull and Bones]] society. By his own characterization, Bush was an average student.<ref>{{cite news
|author = Associated Press
|url = http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,25229,00.html
|title = Self-Deprecating Bush Talks to Yale Grads
|publisher = FOXNews.com
|date= [[2001-05-21]]
|accessdate = 2006-06-27
}}</ref>

In May 1968, at the height of the ongoing [[Vietnam War]], Bush was accepted into the Texas [[Air National Guard]]. After training, he was assigned to duty in Houston, flying [[Convair]] [[F-102 Delta Dagger|F-102s]] out of [[Ellington Field|Ellington Air Force Base]].<ref>{{cite news
|first = Byron
|last = York
|url = http://www.hillnews.com/york/090904.aspx
|title = Bush's National Guard Years
|publisher = The Hill
|date= [[2004-09-09]]
|accessdate = 2006-06-27
}}</ref> Throughout his political career, Bush has been criticized over his induction and period of service. [[George W. Bush military service controversy|Critics allege]] that Bush was favorably treated due to his father's political standing, and that he was irregular in attendance. Bush took a transfer to the [[Alabama]] Air National Guard in 1972 to work on a Republican senate campaign, and in 1974 he obtained permission to end his six-year service obligation six months early to attend [[Harvard Business School]], receiving an [[honorable discharge]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Brit Hume, Mara Liasson, Jeff Birnbaum, Charles Krauthammer |title=The All-Star Panel Discusses John Kerry's Shifting Positions on Iraq War Spending | work=Fox News Network (transcript) |date=09-07-2004 | language=English }}</ref>

There are a number of [[George W. Bush substance abuse controversy|accounts of substance abuse]] and otherwise disorderly conduct by Bush from this time. Bush has admitted to drinking "too much" in those years and described this period of his life as his "nomadic" period of "irresponsible youth".<ref name="Life-changing">{{cite news
|first = Lois
|last = Romano
|coauthors = George Lardner Jr
|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/bush072599.htm
|title = Bush's Life-Changing Year
|publisher = [[The Washington Post]]
|date= [[1999-07-25]]
|accessdate = 2006-06-27
}}</ref> On [[September 4]], [[1976]], at the age of 30, Bush was arrested for [[Drunk driving (United States)|driving under the influence]] of alcohol near his family's summer home in [[Kennebunkport, Maine|Kennebunkport]], [[Maine]]. He pleaded guilty, was fined $150, and had his [[driver's license]] suspended until 1978<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/bushdmv1.html
| title = 2000 Driving Record
| accessdate = 2006-08-09
|date= [[2000-11-02]]
| publisher = Department of the Secretary of State of Maine
}}</ref> in Maine.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998465,00.html
| title = Fallout From A Midnight Ride
| accessdate = 2006-09-08
|date= [[2000-11-13]]
| work = Time Magazine
}}</ref>

After obtaining an [[Master of Business Administration|MBA]] from [[Harvard University]] (Bush is the only US President to serve holding a [[Master of Business Administration]] degree<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=3378
| title = GWB: HBS MBA
| accessdate = 2006-10-16
| work = The American Thinker
| publisher = www.americanthinker.com
}}</ref>), Bush entered the [[oil industry]] in Texas. In 1977, he was introduced by friends to [[Laura Bush|Laura Welch]], a schoolteacher and librarian. After three months of courting, they married and settled in [[Midland, Texas]]. Bush's twin daughters, [[Jenna Bush|Jenna]] and [[Barbara Pierce Bush|Barbara]], were born in 1981. Bush also left his family's [[The Episcopal Church|Episcopal]] Church to join his wife's [[Methodism|Methodist]] Church. During their time in Dallas, Bush and his family were members of the congregation of the Highland Park United Methodist Church, within the Dallas greater metropolitan area.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jesus/etc/script.html
| title = The Jesus Factor
| accessdate = 2004-05-06
| work = WGBH
| publisher = PBS
}}</ref>

[[Image:Bush daughers.gif|thumb|left|George and [[Laura Bush]] with their daughters, [[Jenna Bush|Jenna]] and [[Barbara Pierce Bush|Barbara]], in 1990.]]

In 1978, Bush ran for the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] from the [[Texas's 19th congressional district|19th Congressional District of Texas]]. Facing [[Kent Hance]] of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Bush stressed his energy credentials and conservative values in the campaign. Hance, however, also held many conservative views, opposing [[gun control]] and strict regulation; he portrayed Bush as being out of touch with rural Texans. Bush lost by 6,000 votes. Hance later became a Republican and donated money to Bush's campaign for [[List of Governors of Texas|Governor of Texas]] in 1993.<ref name= NewsMine>{{cite news
|url = http://newsmine.org/archive/cabal-elite/w-administration/w-bush/bush-loses-congress-election-1978-texas.txt
|title = Bush Wasn't Always a Front-Runner
|publisher = [[Associated Press]]
|date= [[1999-10-17]]
|accessdate = 2006-07-27
}}</ref>

Bush returned to the oil industry, becoming a senior partner or chief executive officer of several ventures, such as [[Arbusto Energy]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=Stone |first=Peter H. | title=Big oil's White House pipelines | journal=National Journal|date=04-07-2001 | issue=33 |page=1042 | language=English | id=ISSN: 03604217 }}</ref> ('arbusto' means bush in Spanish), [[Spectrum 7]], and, later, [[Harken Energy]] when it acquired Spectrum 7.<ref>{{cite news |last=Carlisle, John K. |title=George Soros's Plan to Defeat George Bush | work=Human Events |date=03-01-2004 | language=English }}</ref> These ventures suffered from the general decline of oil prices in the 1980s that had affected the industry and the regional economy. Additionally, questions of possible [[George W. Bush insider trading allegations|insider trading]] involving Harken have arisen, but the SEC's investigation of Bush was closed after officials determined he did not have enough insider information before his stock sale to warrant a case <ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0721-02.htm |title = Files: Bush Knew Firm's Plight Before Stock Sale |publisher = [[Washington Post]] |date= [[2002-07-21]] |accessdate = 2007-01-02}}</ref>

Around 1986, Bush and friends have stated that he became [[teetotal]], began studying [[Christian philosophy]], and started participating in church and community study groups. According to Bush, following a personal meeting and exchange with Reverend [[Billy Graham]], he became a [[born-again Christian]].<ref name="Life-changing"/>

Bush moved with his family to [[Washington, D.C.]] in 1988, to work on his father's campaign for the U.S. presidency.<ref>{{cite book |last=George W. Bush, Bill Adler | title=The Quotable George W. Bush: A Portrait in His Own Words |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |date=2004 |id=ISBN 0-7407-4154-3 }}</ref> With colleagues [[Lee Atwater]] and [[Doug Wead]], he helped to develop and coordinate a political strategy for courting conservative Christians and [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] voters, who were seen as key to winning the nomination and the election.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Duffy, Michael; Gibbs, Nancy | title=The quiet dynasty | journal=Time; Canadian edition |date=08-07-2000 | issue=156 |page=34 | language=English | id=ISSN: 03158446 }}</ref>

Returning to Texas, Bush purchased a share in the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] baseball franchise in April 1989, where he served as managing general partner of the Rangers for five years.<ref name= TexRngrs>{{cite web
|last = Farrey
|first = Tom
|url = http://espn.go.com/mlb/bush/timeline.html
|title = A series of beneficial moves
|publisher = [[ESPN]]
|date= [[1999-11-01]]
|accessdate = 2007-01-21
}}</ref> One act he would be remembered for during his tenure occurred in 1989, when Bush presided during the trade of [[Sammy Sosa]] who would go on to be a popular and prodigous home run hitter for the [[Chicago Cubs]].<ref>{{cite web
|last = Heller
|first = Dick
|url = http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20050727-121928-7814r.htm
|title = Bush got bum rap for Sosa deal
|publisher = [[The Washington Times]]
|date = [[2005-07-25]]
|accessdate = 2007-01-21
}}</ref> Also during his tenure, the Rangers acquired Hall-of-Fame pitcher [[Nolan Ryan]], who was popular with the fans during the last years of his career.<ref name=TexRngrs/> The team nearly won its first division title in 1994, before a strike shortened the season.<ref name=TexRngrs/> Bush was the only [[Major League Baseball]] owner to vote against a realignment and extended format in 1994, which most notably expanded the playoffs to include more teams through the [[Wild_card_%28sports%29#Major_League_Baseball|"wildcard" format]], saying: "I made my arguments and went down in flames. History will prove me right. This is an exercise in folly."<ref name=wildcard>{{cite web
|last = Dodd
|first = Mike
|url = http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/playoffs/2004-10-04-wild-card-cover_x.htm
|title = WildCard Turns 10, Loses Stigma
|publisher = [[USA Today]]
|date = [[2004-10-04]]
|accessdate = 2007-01-22
}}</ref> However, while Bush would leave baseball, within ten years the wildcard expansion was seen as "almost universally accepted and good for business" by those in baseball, fans and media.<ref name=wildcard/> Off the field, Bush was active in the team's media relations and in securing the construction of a new stadium, which opened in 1994 as [[Ameriquest Field in Arlington|The Ballpark in Arlington]]<ref name=TexRngrs/>. Bush actively led the team's projects and regularly attended its games, often choosing to sit in the open stands with fans.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/governors/modern/bush-p04.html
|title = George W. Bush in Little League uniform
|publisher = [[Texas State Library and Archives Commission]]
|accessdate = 2007-01-21
}}</ref> Bush's role with the Rangers gave him prominent media exposure and attention, as well as garnering public, business and political support.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/bush43rdp/running.htm
|title = Running a baseball team and becoming governor
|work = George W. Bush: 43rd President of the United States of America
|publisher = USINFO, U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs
|date = November 2004
|accessdate = 2007-01-21
}}</ref> The Rangers were seen as mostly successful while Bush was a leader of the organization.<ref name=TexRngrs/>
The sale of Bush's share in the Texas Rangers brought him over $15 million from his initial $800,000 investment.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.makethemaccountable.com/tax/SaleOfBaseballTeam.htm
|title = Sale of baseball team
|publisher = Make Them Accountable
|date = [[2002-08-19]]
|accessdate = 2007-01-21
}}</ref>

Bush is the first president to have run a marathon. Before running for governor of Texas he completed the 1993 Houston Marathon in 3:44:52 for a pace of about 8:36/mile. He had been running since he was 26, and before taking office, ran 15 to 30 miles a week.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://shorthorn.uta.edu/archive/2004/fall/04-oct-27/sp102704-01.html
| first = Melissa
| last = Winn
| title = Playing the Game
| date = [[2004-10-27]]
| accessdate = 2007-01-24
| work = The Shorthorn
| publisher = [[University of Texas at Arlington]]
}}</ref>

Bush is often referred to by the [[nickname]] "Dubya", playing on his [[Southern American English|Southern pronunciation]] of the letter W.

==Elected positions==
===Governor of Texas===

With his father's election in 1988, speculation had arisen amongst Republicans that Bush would enter the 1990 [[gubernatorial]] election, but this was offset by Bush's purchase of the Rangers baseball team and personal concerns regarding his own record and profile. Following his success as owner and manager of the Rangers, Bush declared his candidacy for the 1994 election, even as his brother Jeb first sought the governorship of Florida. Winning the Republican primary easily, Bush faced incumbent Governor [[Ann Richards]], a popular Democrat who was considered the easy favorite, given Bush's lack of political credentials.

Bush was aided in his campaign by a close coterie of political advisors that included [[Karen Hughes]], a former journalist who was his communications advisor; [[John Allbaugh]], who became his campaign manager, and [[Karl Rove]], a personal friend and political activist who is believed to have been a strong influence in encouraging Bush to enter the election. Bush's aides crafted a campaign strategy that attacked Governor Richards' record on law enforcement, her political appointments, and her support of liberal political causes. Bush developed a positive image and message with themes of "personal responsibility" and "moral leadership". His campaign focused on issues such as education (seeking more accountability for schools over student performance), crime, deregulation of the economy, and [[tort reform]]. The Bush campaign was criticized for allegedly using controversial methods to disparage Richards. Following an impressive performance in the debates, however, Bush's popularity grew. He won with 52 percent against Richards' 47 percent.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Wayne Slater
| first = James Moore
| year = 2003
| title = Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential
| publisher = Wiley
| location = USA
| ISBN = 0-471-42327-0
| pages = 210
}}</ref>

As governor, Bush successfully sponsored legislation for tort reform, increased education funding, set higher standards for schools, and reformed the [[criminal justice]] system. Under his leadership, Texas executed 152 prisoners, more than under any other governor in modern American history; critics such as [[Helen Prejean]] argue that he failed to give serious consideration to clemency requests.<ref name="executions">{{cite web|url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17670|title=The New York Review of Books: Death in Texas}}</ref> School finance was considered a sensitive issue at the time by politicians and the press. The state financed its school system through property taxes. Seeking to reduce the high rates to benefit homeowners while increasing general education funding, Bush sought to create business taxes, but faced vigorous opposition from his own party and the private sector. Failing to obtain political consensus for his proposal, Bush used a budget surplus to push through a $2 billion tax-cut plan, which was the largest in Texas history and cemented Bush's credentials as a pro-business fiscal conservative.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Wayne Slater
| first = James Moore
| year = 2003
| title = Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential
| publisher = Wiley
| location = USA
| ISBN = 0-471-42327-0
| pages = 233-36
}}</ref>

Bush also pioneered [[White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives|faith-based welfare programs]] by extending government funding and support for religious organizations providing social services such as education, alcohol and drug abuse prevention, and reduction of domestic violence. Governor Bush signed a memorandum on [[April 17]], [[2000]] proclaiming [[June 10]] to be [[Jesus Day]] in [[Texas]], a day where he "urge[d] all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need."<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jesus/art/pop_jesusday.jpg
| title = Jesus Day
| accessdate = 2006-06-30
| author = Texas State
|date= [[2005-03-11]]
| format = JPEG
| work = Texas State Archives
| publisher = PBS
}}</ref> Although Bush was criticized for violating the constitutional [[separation of church and state]] ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."), his initiative was popular with most people across the state, especially religious and social conservatives.

In 1998, Bush won re-election in a [[landslide victory]] with nearly 69 percent 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).<ref>{{cite news
|author = Associated Press
|url = http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1998/11/03/election/governors/texas
|title = Texas Gov. George W. Bush wins in landslide
|publisher = CNN
|date= [[1998-11-03]]
|accessdate = 2006-06-30
}}</ref>

===2000 Presidential candidacy===
{{main|United States presidential election, 2000}}
[[Image:GoreBush.jpg|thumb|left|After a close campaign, [[Al Gore]] greets President-elect Bush at the White House in late December of 2000.]]

During the election cycle, Bush labeled himself a "[[compassionate conservatism|compassionate conservative]]," a term popularized by [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas]] professor [[Marvin Olasky]], and his [[political campaign]] promised to "restore honor and dignity to the [[White House]]".<ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0009/23/se.02.html George W. Bush Speaks at Send-Off in Orlando] (September 23, 2000).</ref>

====Primary====
Bush's campaign was managed by Rove, Hughes and Albaugh, as well as by other political associates from Texas. He was endorsed by a majority of Republicans in 38 state legislatures. After winning the [[Iowa caucus]], Bush was handed a surprising defeat by U.S. Senator [[John McCain]] of [[Arizona]] in the [[New Hampshire primary]]. During his campaign, Bush was criticized for visiting the controversial [[Bob Jones University]], which bore a reputation for a [[Anti-Catholicism|bias against Catholicism]] and a ban on [[miscegenation|interracial dating]].<ref>{{cite news |author = [[Derrick Jackson|Jackson, Derrick]] |url = http://www.commondreams.org/views/020900-101.htm |title = At Bob Jones U., A Disturbing Lesson About The Real George W. |publisher = Common Dreams Newscenter |date= [[2000-02-09]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30
}}</ref> Bush then won the [[South Carolina]] primary, severely crippling the momentum McCain had picked up with his win in New Hampshire. McCain countered by winning in Michigan. McCain criticized [[Pat Robertson]] and [[Jerry Falwell]] just before the Virginia primary, stirring the ire of religious conservatives. Bush went on to win the Virginia Primary and then, a week later, he captured nine of thirteen [[Super Tuesday]] state primaries, effectively clinching the Republican nomination. He chose [[Dick Cheney]], a former [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] and [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]], as his [[running mate]]. His campaign was endorsed by prominent Republicans such as [[Donald Rumsfeld]] and [[Colin Powell]], who assumed roles as advisers on issues of national security and foreign relations. While stressing his successful record as governor of Texas, Bush's campaign attacked the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President [[Al Gore]], over [[gun politics|gun control]] and taxation. Bush criticized the [[Kyoto Protocol]] (although in 1998 the Senate vote to participate in the treaty was 0 for and 95 against), championed by Gore, citing the decline of the industries in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] states, such as [[West Virginia]], and resulting economic hardships.

In the televised Republican presidential debate held in [[Des Moines, Iowa]] on [[December 13]] [[1999]], all of the participating candidates were asked "What political [[philosophy|philosopher]] or thinker do you most identify with and why?" Unlike the other candidates, who cited former Presidents and other political figures, Bush responded, "[[Jesus|Christ]], because he changed my heart". Bush's appeal to religious values is believed to have aided his election. In a [[Gallup poll]] those who said they "attend church weekly" gave him 56% of their vote in 2000 (and 63% of their vote in 2004).<ref>{{cite news |title = How Americans Voted |publisher = The Gallup Organization |date= [[2004-11-05]]
|accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref>

====General election====
On election day, [[November 7]], [[2000]], Bush won key midwestern states such as [[Ohio]], [[Missouri]], and [[Arkansas]]. He also clinched Gore's home state of [[Tennessee]], [[New Hampshire]], and the erstwhile Democratic bastion of [[West Virginia]]. Television networks initially called the state of [[Florida]] for Gore, then withdrew that projection and later called the state, along with the entire election, for Bush. Finally, it was declared that the results were too close to call. Sometime after the networks reported that Bush had won Florida, Gore conceded the election, and then rescinded that concession less than one hour later. The vote count, which favored Bush in preliminary tallies, was contested over allegations of irregularities in the voting and tabulation processes. Because of Florida state law, a state-wide machine recount was ordered. 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. 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]]'' case, the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] reversed the Florida Supreme Court ruling and stopped the statewide hand recount. The machine recount showed that Bush had won the Florida vote by a margin of 537 votes out of 6 million cast, making it the 30th state he carried.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2000presgeresults.htm| title = 2000 Official General Election Presidential Results| accessdate = 2007-01-12|date= December 2001| publisher = Federal Election Commission}}</ref> There has been much controversy over the legality of the election; in fact, it is still disputed today.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2000presgeresults.htm| title = 2000 Official Presidential General Election Results| accessdate = 2006-06-30| author = State Elections Offices|date= [[2001-11-07]]| publisher = Public Disclosure Division, Federal Election Commission}}</ref> Despite having lost the nationwide popular contest by more than half a million votes,<ref>[http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2000presgeresults.htm 2000 Presidential General Election Results]</ref> he won 271 [[United States Electoral College|electoral votes]] to Gore's 266. This made him the first President elected without having a plurality of the popular vote since [[Benjamin Harrison]] in 1888.<ref>[http://ap.grolier.com/cgi-bin-unauth/dated_article_news?templatename=/news/news.html&assetid=apn20050223.04&seq=5&assettype=0tdnp "The Electoral College: How It Works" Grolier.com]</ref>

====Cabinet appointments====
Bush appointed [[Andrew Card]] as his [[White House Chief of Staff|Chief of Staff]], [[Karl Rove]] as his political advisor and [[Karen Hughes]] as White House communications director. He appointed [[Colin Powell]] as [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]], [[Paul O'Neill (cabinet member)|Paul O'Neill]] as [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]], and [[Donald Rumsfeld]] as the [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]].<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1120959,00.html Bush decided to remove Saddam 'on day one'] Julian Borger, [[The Guardian]] (January 12, 2004).</ref>

His appointment of former Senator [[John Ashcroft]] as [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] was intensely criticized by Democrats because of Ashcroft's opposition of [[abortion in the United States|abortion]] and support for social and religious conservative causes concerning [[LGBT social movements|gay rights]] and [[capital punishment in the United States|capital punishment]].<ref>[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-68479000.html Bush Nominates John Ashcroft Attorney General] US Newswire (December 27, 2000).</ref>

===2004 Presidential candidacy===
[[Image:Bush 43 10-19-04 Stpete.jpg|thumb|right|George W. Bush speaks at a campaign rally in 2004.]]
{{main|United States presidential election, 2004}}
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.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec04/rove_9-01.html| title = An Interview With Karl Rove| accessdate = 2006-09-09|date= [[2004-08-01]]| work = NewsHour with Jim Lehrer| publisher = PBS}}</ref> Bush outlined a 2004 agenda that included a strong commitment to 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.

The Bush campaign used television and radio advertisement advertisements across the U.S. against Democratic candidates, including Bush's emerging opponent, [[Massachusetts]] Senator [[John Kerry]]. Kerry and other Democrats attacked Bush on the conduct of the war in Iraq, 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. The Bush campaign portrayed Kerry as a staunch [[American liberalism|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. Bush carried 31 of 50 states for a total of 286 [[United States Electoral College|Electoral College]] votes.

In his 2004 victory, Bush was the first presidential candidate to win a majority of the popular vote since his father did so 16 years earlier.<ref name="16 years">{{cite web| url = http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/11/3/22753.shtml| title = Bush First President in 16 Years to Win Popular Majority| accessdate = 2006-10-01|date= [[2004-11-03]]| publisher = NewsMax.com}}</ref> In the three previous elections, strong showings by third-party candidates had prevented the candidates who the popular vote, [[Bill Clinton]] in 1992 and 1996, and [[Al Gore]] in 2000, from winning a popular vote majority, rather than a plurality. <ref>{{cite news | title = The Popular Vote | url = http://www.nysun.com/article/4180 | format = Editorial | publisher = New York Sun |date= November 3, 2004 | accessdate = December 31, 2006}}</ref>. Bush also became the first president to ever be re-elected after losing the popular vote 4 years earlier.

====Inauguration====
[[Image:Bush - 2nd inauguration.jpg|thumb|left|Bush sworn into his second term on [[January 20]], [[2005]] by [[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]] [[William Rehnquist]], watched on by [[First Lady]] Laura Bush and their daughters Barbara and Jenna Bush, as well as Senate Majority Leader [[Bill Frist]] and Speaker of the House [[Dennis Hastert]].]]

Bush was [[Inauguration Day|inaugurated]] for his second term on [[January 20]], [[2005]]. The [[oath of office]] was administered by [[Chief Justice of the United States|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?''

====Cabinet appointments====
In August 2005, with his nomination of the controversial [[John R. Bolton|John Bolton]] as [[U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations]] filibustered by [[United States Senate|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.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/01/AR2005080100436.html "Bush Names Bolton U.N. Ambassador in Recess Appointment"], ''The Washington Post''</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12048598/from/ET/ | title=White House shake-up: Chief of staff resigns | year=March 28, 2006 | publisher=MSNBC.com | author=Associated Press | accessdate=2006-09-30 }}</ref>

The day after the midterm elections, on [[November 8]], [[2006]], Bush announced plans to replace Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]] with former CIA Director [[Robert Gates]]. Gates was confirmed by the Senate on [[December 6]] and took office as the 22nd [[Secretary of Defense]] on [[December 18]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6190279.stm|title=New US defence secretary sworn in|work=BBC News|date=[[December 18]] [[2006]]}}</ref>

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

===Domestic policy===
{{main|Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration}}

====Economic policy====

<!-- There is a main article for this being made, and users have been invited to work on it at "Economic Policies of the George W. Bush Administration". -->
Facing opposition in Congress, Bush held town hall-style public meetings across the nation in [[2001]] to increase public support for his plan for a $1.3 trillion tax cut. Bush and his economic advisers argued that unspent government funds should be returned to taxpayers. With reports of the threat of recession from Federal Reserve Chairman [[Alan Greenspan]], Bush argued that such a tax cut would stimulate the economy and create jobs. In the end, five Senate Democrats crossed party lines to join Republicans in approving Bush's $1.35 trillion<ref>{{cite news |first = Kelly |last = Wallace |url = http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/06/07/bush.taxes |title = $1.35 trillion tax cut becomes law |publisher = [[CNN]] InsidePolitics archives |date= [[2001-06-07]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref> tax cut program &mdash; one of the largest in U.S. history.

Under the Bush Administration, [[unemployment]] peaked at a high of 6.2% in June 2003, and is currently at a low of 4.4%. The economy has remained strong, with [[Wall Street]] setting several record highs and the [[GDP]] experiencing healthy growth <ref>[http://bea.gov/bea/newsrel/gdpnewsrelease.htm Gross Domestic Product and Corporate Profits]</ref><ref>[http://www.commerce.gov/opa/press/Secretary_Gutierrez/2006_Releases/November/29_GDP_Third%20Qtr_Stmt.htm GDP report shows sustainable economic growth]</ref>. Critics argue that the economy, however strong, is only benefiting the wealthy, and not the majority of middle and lower-class citizens.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/17/Dobbs.Oct18/index.html Fighting back in the war on the middle class]</ref><ref>[http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/43430/ Bush's Economy 'Doing Remarkably Well'] By Molly Ivins, [[AlterNet]]. October 24, 2006.</ref>

The effect of Bush's tax cuts on the upper, middle and lower class is contentious, with some observers arguing that the cuts have benefited the nation's most wealthy households at the expense of the middle and lower class,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/washington/08tax.html?ei=5088&en=e1dc830d58c7eacb&ex=1325912400&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1168290792-GR0HodSCCzDHPWdgiU8nlg|title = Tax Cuts Offer Most for Very Rich, Study Says|publisher = The New York Times|date = 2007-01-08|accessdate = 2007-01-14}}</ref> while others have claimed the exact opposite.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20070113-103432-9181r.htm|title = Tax cuts and the rich|publisher = The Washington Times|date = 2007-01-14|accessdate = 2007-01-14}}</ref>

====Education and Health====
[[Image:No Child Left Behind Act.jpg|thumb|right|Bush signs the [[No Child Left Behind Act]] into law.]]
The [[No Child Left Behind Act]] 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 argue that Bush has underfunded his own program, and Democratic Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] has claimed: "The tragedy is that these long overdue reforms are finally in place, but the funds are not."<ref>{{cite news |author = W. James Antle III |url = http://www.amconmag.com/2005_08_01/article.html |title = Leaving No Child Left Behind |publisher = [[The American Conservative]] |date= [[2005-08-01]] |accessdate = 2006-10-11}}</ref> Many educational experts are critical of the reforms in question, claiming that NCLB allows some students to flee failing public schools instead of improving those schools.<ref>{{cite news |author = Harvard Graduate School of Education |url = http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/features/pierce07012002.html |title = No Child Left Behind? |publisher = HGSE News |date= [[2002-06-01]] |accessdate = 2006-10-11}}</ref> Others contend that NCLBA's focus on "high stakes testing" and quantitative outcomes is counterproductive.<ref> ''Raising Standards or Raising Barriers?'' Edited by Gary Orfield and Mindy L. Kornhaber. The Century Foundation Press. May 1, 2001</ref> Bush increased funding for the [[National Science Foundation]] and [[National Institutes of Health]] in his first years of office, and created education programs to strengthen the grounding in science and mathematics for American high school students. However, funding for NIH failed to keep up with inflation in 2004 and 2005, and was actually cut in 2006, the first such cut in 36 years.<ref>{{cite news |author = Committee on Appropriations – Democratic Staff |url = http://www.house.gov/appropriations_democrats/pdf/2006-7-26-NIH-paper.pdf#search=%22bush%20nih%20funding%22 |title = President Bush and House Republicans Undermine Life Saving Health Research |publisher = U.S. House of Representatives |date= [[2006-09-12]] |accessdate = 2006-10-11}}</ref>

Bush appointed First Lady Laura Bush to oversee an initiative to improve opportunities and education for inner-city boys.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4492617| title = Laura Bush: Putting Boys in the Spotlight| accessdate = 2006-09-09| last = Norris| first = Michele|date= [[2005-02-09]]| publisher = NPR}}</ref>

====Social services and Social Security====
Bush promoted increased de-regulation and investment options in social services, leading Republican efforts to pass the [[Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act|Medicare Act of 2003]], which added prescription drug coverage to Medicare and created [[Health Savings Accounts]], which would permit people to set aside a portion of their Medicare tax to build a "nest egg". The elderly group, [[AARP]] worked with the Bush Administration on the program and gave their endorsement. Bush said the law, estimated to cost US$400 billion over the first 10 years, would give the elderly "better choices and more control over their health care".<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031208-2.html
|title = President Signs Medicare Legislation
|publisher = The White House
|date= [[2003-12-08]]
|accessdate = 2006-06-30
}}</ref>

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 (metaphor)|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.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28120-2005Mar11.html
| title = Social Security: On With the Show
| accessdate = 2006-09-09
| author = Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker
|date= [[2005-02-12]]
| publisher = The Washington Post
}}</ref> According to at least one poll, Bush failed to convince the public that the Social Security program was in crisis.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/polls/tables/live/2005-02-07-poll-results.htm#socsec
| title = USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll results
| accessdate = 2006-09-09
|date= [[2005-05-20]]
| publisher = USA Today
}}</ref>

====Environmental Policy/Global Warming====

Arriving in office in 2001, President Bush withdrew United States support of the then pending [[Kyoto Protocol]] pursued and supported by the Clinton Administration, an amendment to the [[United Nations]] Convention on Climate Change seeking to impose mandatory targets for reducing "greenhouse gas" emissions - carbon dioxide emitted in the burning of fossil fuels. Bush asserted that uncertainties existed in the climate change science with regard to the degree to which human activity is the cause and cited concerns regarding the treaty's impact on US industry and the US economy and the fact that China and India had not yet agreed.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.alternet.org/story/11054/ | work=AlterNet| title= George W. Bush: The Un-science Guy | first= David last=Corn |date= [[2001-06-19]]| accessdate=2006-11-05}}</ref>

In 2002, the Bush Administration's [[Environmental Protection Agency]] issued a Climate Action Report concluding that the climate changes observed over several decades "are likely mostly due to human activities".<ref name=cbsGlobWarm>>{{cite web
| url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/03/tech/main510920.shtml
| title = Bush Disses Global Warming Report
| publisher = CBS News
| date = 2002-06-04
| accessdate = 2007-01-22
}}</ref> While the EPA report was initially hailed by environmentalists critical of the Bush administration as a "180-degree turn on the science" reversing "everything the president has said about global warming since he took office," within days President Bush dismissed the report as being "put out by the bureaucracy" and reaffirmed his opposition to the Kyoto Protocol.<ref name=cbsGlobWarm/> The Bush Administration's stance on global warming, and in particular its questioning the consensus of scientists, would remain controversial in the scientific and environmental communities during his presidency. In 2004, the Director of [[NASA]]'s Goddard Institute, [[James Hansen]], came out publicly and harshly accusing the Administration of misinforming the public by suppressing the scientific evidence of the dangers of greenhouse gases, saying the Bush Administration wanted to hear only scientific results that “fit predetermined, inflexible positions” and edited reports to make the dangers sound less threatening in what he asserted was "direct opposition to the most fundamental precepts of science."<ref>>{{cite web
| url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6341451/
| title = NASA Scientist Rips Bush on Global Warming
| publisher = MSNBC
| date = 2004-10-27
| accessdate = 2007-01-22
}}</ref><ref>>{{cite web
| url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/17/60minutes/main1415985_page2.shtml
| title = 60 Minutes: Rewriting the Science
| publisher = CBS News
| date = 2006-03-19
| accessdate = 2007-01-22
}}</ref>

In 2006, former Vice President [[Al Gore]] made a documentary film from his book on global warming entitled "[[An Inconvenient Truth]]", and media attention to the issue again peaked. President Bush said that he had consistently noted that global warming is a serious problem but asserted there is a "debate over whether its manmade or naturally caused" and maintained that regardless of that debate his administration was working on plans to make America less dependent on foreign oil "for economic and national security reasons."<ref>>{{cite web
| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/06/20060626-2.html
| title = Press Conference
| publisher = White House
| date = 2006-06-26
| accessdate = 2007-01-22
}}</ref> In his [[2007 State of the Union Address]], President Bush renewed his pledge from his [[2006 State of the Union Address]] to work toward diminished reliance on foreign oil by reducing fossil fuel consumption and increasing alternative fuel production, saying, "America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. And these technologies will help us be better stewards of the environment, and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change."<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070123-2.html Full text (and video) of 2007 State of the Union address]</ref>

In 2006, Bush declared the [[Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]] a national monument, creating the largest marine reserve to date. It comprises 84 million acres and is home to 7,000 species of fish, birds and other marine animals, many of which are specific to only those islands.<ref>{{citeweb
|url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13300363/
|title = Bush creates world’s biggest ocean preserve
|publisher = MSNBC
|date = 2006-06-16
|accessdate = 2007-01-31
}}</ref> The move was hailed by conservationists for "its foresight and leadership in protecting this incredible area."<ref>{{citeweb
|url = http://www.nature.org/initiatives/marine/press/press2489.html
|title = The Nature Conservancy Applauds President Bush for Creating World’s Largest Marine Conservation Area in Hawaii
|publisher = The Nature Conservancy
|date = 2006-06-16
|accessdate = 2007-01-31
}}</ref> At the signing ceremony Bush stated, "Our duty is to use the land and seas wisely or sometimes not use them at all. Good stewardship of the environment is not just a personal responsibility. It is a public value."<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2081896&page=2
|title = http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2081896&page=2
|publisher = ABC News
|date = 2006-06-15
|accessdate = 2007-01-31
}}</ref>

====Stem cell research and first use of veto power====
Starting in 1995 after the Republican Party gained control of both houses of Congress, federal funding for medical research involving the creation or destruction of human embryos through the [[Department of Health and Human Services]] and the [[National Institutes of Health]] was forbidden by passage of the [[Dickey Amendment]], named for Congressman [[Jay Dickey]] (R-AR) who introduced the amendment, a rider attached to the relevant agency appropriation bills that would be signed by President [[Bill Clinton]] and President Bush for the next several years.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.aaas.org/spp/cstc/briefs/stemcells/index.shtml
| title = AAAS Policy Brief: Stem Cell Research
| accessdate = 2006-09-09
| publisher = American Association for the Advancement of Science
}}</ref> Bush had asserted that he supported limited stem cell research, but only to the extent that human embryos are not destroyed in order to harvest additional stem cells.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/20010809-2.html
| title = President Discusses Stem Cell Research
| publisher = Office of the President of the United States
}}</ref> On [[August 9]], [[2001]], Bush signed an executive order lifting the ban on federal funding for the 71<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/NIHFedPolicy.asp
| title = NIH's Role in Federal Policy [Stem Cell Information]
| publisher = National Institutes of Health
}}</ref> existing "lines" of stem cells. However, the ability of these existing lines to provide an adequate medium for testing has been questioned, as testing can only be done on 12 of the original lines and there are fears that these lines are corrupted.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,472876,00.html
| title = Stem Cells in Limbo
| publisher = TIME
| date = 2003-08-11
| accessdate = 2007-01-13
}}</ref>

On July 19, 2006, President Bush used his [[veto]] power for the first time in his presidency to veto the [[Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act]] (H.R.810), a bill that would have reversed the [[Dickey Amendment]], permitting federal money to be used for research where stem cells are derived from the destruction of an embryo.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/19/stemcells.veto/
| title = Bush Vetoes Embryonic Stem Cell Bill
| publisher = CNN
}}</ref>

===Immigration===
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 immigration|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 [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] troops to the [[United States-Mexico border]].<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/29/bush.immigration/
| title = Bush takes tough talk on immigration to Texas
| accessdate = 2006-09-09
| author = CNN
|date= [[2005-11-29]]
}}</ref>

===Justice===
On [[August 17]], [[2006]], 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. <ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090101410.html
| title = Judge Asked to Suspend Ruling Against Wiretaps
| accessdate = 2006-09-21
|date= [[2006-09-02]]
| work = The Washington Post
}}</ref>

On [[August 28]], [[2006]], Congress approved a bill that made the detainee [[interrogation]] program legal.<ref name="detainee">{{cite web
| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-09-28-congress-terrorism_x.htm
| title = Bush's detainee interrogation and prosecution plan approved by Senate
| accessdate = 2006-09-29
| author = The Associated Press
|date= [[2005-09-28]]
| publisher = USA Today
}}</ref> The bill was in response to the Supreme Court's decision in June that the program is illegal.<ref name="detainee"/> It was the second time Bush tried to approve it through Congress.<ref name="detainee"/> Bush signed the bill into law on [[October 17]], [[2006]] as the [[Military Commissions Act of 2006]].

===Hurricane Katrina===
{{main|Political effects of 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]].<ref> Knabb, Richard D; Rhome, Jamie R.; Brown, Daniel P (December 20, 2005). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Katrina: 23-30 August 2005 (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved on 2006-05-30.</ref>

President Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana on August 27,<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana] on August 27, [[The White House]], [[August 27]], [[2005]]</ref> and in Mississippi<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050828.html Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Mississippi], [[The White House]], [[August 28]], [[2005]]</ref> and Alabama<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050828-3.html Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Alabama], [[The White House]], [[August 28]], [[2005]]</ref> on August 28; he authorized DHS and FEMA to manage the disaster, but his announcement failed to spur these agencies to action.<ref name=dyson>{{cite book
| last = Dyson
| first = Michael Eric
| authorlink = Michael Eric Dyson
| title = Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster
| publisher = Basic Civitas
| year = 2006
| page = 57
| isbn = 0-465-01761-4
}}</ref> The eye of the hurricane made landfall on August 29, and New Orleans started to flood due to the levee breaches; later that day, Bush declared that a major disaster existed in Louisiana,<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050829-2.html Statement on Federal Disaster Assistance for Louisiana]</ref> officially authorizing [[FEMA]] to start using federal funds to help with the recovery effort. On August 30, Department of Homeland Security secretary [[Michael Chertoff]] declared it "an incident of national significance," <ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050831-2.html Press Gaggle with Scott McClellan]</ref> triggering the first use of the newly created [[National Response Plan]]. Several days later, on September 2, National Guard troops first entered the city of New Orleans.<ref name = "tpm">[http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/katrina-timeline.php Hurricane Katrina Timeline]</ref> The same day, President Bush toured parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and declared that the success of the recovery effort up to that point was "not enough."<ref name=USAToday-Katrina>{{cite web
| title = National Guard descends on New Orleans, giving evacuees hope
| author = Associated Press
| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-02-katrina_x.htm
| publisher = USA Today
|date= [[3 September]], [[2005]]
| accessdate = 2007-01-09
}}</ref> Due to mounting criticism as the disaster in New Orleans intensified during the days of inaction, President Bush claimed full responsibility for the failures on the part of the federal government in its response to the hurricane.<ref name = "tpm"/>

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, most notably [[Michael D. Brown]].<ref>[http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0906Katrina-Brown-ON.html FEMA director Brown singled out by critics of federal response], [[Washington Post]], [[September 6]], [[2005]]</ref> 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.<ref name="ArmyTimesDeployment">{{cite web
| url = http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1066780.php
| title = Overseas deployments hinder Guard hurricane presence
| accessdate = 2005-09-29
| author = Pete Yost, AP
|date= [[2005-08-30]]
| publisher = ArmyTimes.com
}}</ref> Third, in the days immediately following the disaster, President Bush denied having received warnings about the possibility of floodwaters breaching the levees protecting New Orleans.<ref>"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." George W. Bush to Diane Sawyer, ''Good Morning America'', Sept. 1, 2005.</ref> However, the presidential videoconference briefing of Aug. 28 shows [[Max Mayfield]] warning the President that overflowing the levees was "obviously a very, very grave concern."<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/katrinatranscript-0828.pdf Page 6, Transcript. Presidential Videoconference Briefing, Aug. 28, 2005.]</ref> Critics claimed that the President was misrepresenting his administration's role in what they saw as a flawed response.

===September 11, 2001===
Nine months into George W. Bush's presidency, nineteen hijackers (fifteen from [[Saudi Arabia]], two from the [[UAE]] and one each from [[Egypt]] and [[Lebanon]]) sponsored by the [[al Qaeda]] group headed by [[Osama bin Laden]] carried out terrorist attacks in which they commandeered commercial aircraft, flying two into the two [[World Trade Center]] Towers in [[New York city]], one into the [[Pentagon]], and one, apparently headed toward Washington, D.C., into a field in [[Pennsylvania]], after passengers forced a crash-landing. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in what became known as the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], most in the collapse of the two World Trade Center towers.
[[Image:BUSHAIRFORCEONE.jpg|thumb|left|President Bush talks on the phone with Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] while looking out a window of [[Air Force One]], [[September 11, 2001]].]]

The September 11 terrorist attacks were a major turning point in Bush's presidency. At the time of the attacks, President Bush was visiting an [[Emma E. Booker Elementary School|elementary school]] in Florida when Chief of Staff [[Andrew Card]] informed him that a plane had crashed into the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York City]]. After being informed that the second tower had also been hit, Bush remained in the classroom for several minutes until the children finished reading [[The Pet Goat#Bush.27s 2001 reading of the book|their story]] before flying to air bases in [[Barksdale Air Force Base|Louisiana]] and [[Offutt Air Force Base|Nebraska]] before returning to [[Washington, D.C.]] in the late afternoon.

That evening, he addressed the [[U.S]] from the [[Oval Office]], promising a strong response to the attacks but emphasizing the need for the nation to come together and comfort the families of the victims. On [[September 14]], he visited the [[World Trade Center site]], meeting with Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] and firefighters, police officers and volunteers. Bush addressed the gathering via megaphone while standing on a heap of rubble:
{{cquote|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.}}[[Image:Bush Ground Zero.jpg|thumb|right|President Bush addresses rescue workers at [[World Trade Center site|Ground Zero]] in [[New York City|New York]], [[September 14]], [[2001]].]]

In a September 20, 2001 speech, President Bush condemned [[Osama bin Laden]] and [[Al-Qaeda|al Qaeda]], and issued the [[Taliban]] regime in Afghanistan, where bin Laden was operating, an ultimatum to "hand over the terrorists, or ... share in their fate."<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People]</ref> President Bush declared a global [[War on Terrorism]], and after the Afghan Taliban regime was not forthcoming with [[Osama bin Laden]], he ordered the [[2001-present war in Afghanistan|invasion of Afghanistan]] to overthrow the [[Taliban]] regime.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/ |year=September 20, 2001|title=President Bush's address to joint session of Congress}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
{{main|Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration}}
The Bush Administration's foreign policy is largely seen as dominated by its declaration of a global "[[War on Terror]]" and the [[Iraq War]]. The War on Terror, the wars in Afganistan and Iraq, and the Administration's dealings with North Korea are addressed invidually in subsections below. Other aspects of President Bush's foreign policy include the following.

The Bush administration withdrew US support for several international agreements, including the [[Kyoto Protocol]], the [[International Criminal Court]], and the [[Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty]] (ABM) with [[Russia]]. It pursued a [[national missile defense]] which was previously barred by the ABM treaty and was never ratified by Congress.<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/abmt/news/010501bush.html
|title = President Bush Speech on Missile Defence
|publisher = Federation of American Scientists
|date= [[2001-05-01]]
|accessdate = 2006-06-30
}}</ref> Bush also expressed U.S. support for the defense of [[Taiwan]] following the stand-off in March 2001 with the [[People's Republic of China]] over the crash between an [[EP-3E]] [[Hainan Island incident|American spyplane and a Chinese air force jet]], leading to the detention of U.S. personnel. In 2003-04, Bush authorized U.S. military intervention in [[Haiti]] and [[Liberia]] to protect U.S. interests.

[[Image:Red Sea Summit in Aqaba.jpg|thumb|left|Bush, President of the [[Palestinian Authority]] [[Mahmoud Abbas]], and former [[Prime Minister of Israel|Israeli Prime Minister]] [[Ariel Sharon]] meet at the Red Sea Summit in [[Aqaba]], [[Jordan]] on [[June 4]], [[2003]].]] Bush emphasized a "hands-off" approach to the conflict between [[Israel]] and the [[Palestinian]]s in wake of rising violence and the alleged failure of the Clinton Administration's efforts to negotiate. Bush denounced Palestinian leader [[Yasser Arafat]] for his support of the violence and militant groups. But prompted by European leaders, he became the first American President to embrace a two-state solution in which an independent Palestine would exist side-by-side with Israel. Bush sponsored dialogs between Prime Ministers [[Ariel Sharon]] and [[Mahmoud Abbas]] but continued his boycott of Arafat. Bush also supported Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and lauded the democratic elections held in Palestine following Arafat's death.

[[Image:gloria_arroyo_with_bush.jpg|thumb|right|Philippine President [[Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo]] with George W. Bush inspects the [[Malacanang Palace]] Honor Guards during the latter's 8-hour [[State Visit]] to the [[Philippines]] in October 2003]]

In his [[State of the Union Address]] in January 2003, Bush outlined a five-year strategy for global emergency [[AIDS]] relief, the [[President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief]]. Bush announced $15 billion for this effort&mdash;$3 billion per year for five years&mdash;but requested less in annual budgets, though some members of Congress added amendments to increase the requested amounts. The emergency relief effort is led by U.S. Ambassador [[Randall L. Tobias]], former [[chief executive officer|CEO]] of [[Eli Lilly and Company|Eli Lilly]] and [[Global AIDS Coordinator]] at the [[United States Department of State|Department of State]]. At the time of the speech, $9 billion was earmarked for new programs in AIDS relief for the 15 countries most affected by HIV/AIDS, another $5 billion for continuing support of AIDS relief in 100 countries where the U.S. already had bilateral programs established, and an additional $1 billion towards the [[Global Fund|Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria]]. Almost one quarter of the $15 billion went to religious groups that tend to emphasize sexual abstinence over [[condom]] use.<ref>{{cite news
|author = Associated Press
|url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/01/29/quarter-of-bushs-15-bil_n_14689.html
|title = Quarter Of Bush's $15 Billion For AIDS Going To Christian Groups
|publisher = [[The Huffington Post]]
|date= [[2006-01-29]]
|accessdate = 2006-06-30
}}</ref> This budget represented more money contributed to fight AIDS globally than all other donor countries combined.

Bush condemned the [[Darfur conflict|attacks]] by militia forces on the people of [[Darfur]], and denounced the killings in [[Sudan]] as [[genocide]].<ref>{{cite news
|author = Jim VandeHei
|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/01/AR2005060101725.html
|title = In Break With U.N., Bush Calls Sudan Killings Genocide
|publisher = [[The Washington Post]]
|date= [[2005-06-02]]
|accessdate = 2006-07-25
}}</ref> Bush said that an international [[peacekeeping]] presence was critical in Darfur, but opposed referring the situation in Darfur to the [[International Criminal Court]].

[[Image:BUSHBLAIR.jpg|thumb|right|President George W. Bush traverses [[Cross Hall (White House)|Cross Hall]] in the [[White House]] with British Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] to attend a press conference in the [[East Room]] in 2006 discussing the [[2006 Israel-Lebanon Conflict|Middle east Crisis between Israel and Lebanon]].]]
[[Image:Bush Fox Harper.jpg|thumb|right|President George W. Bush, then-President of Mexico, [[Vicente Fox]] and [[Canada]]'s Prime Minister [[Stephen Harper]] stand in front of "[[El Castillo, Chichen Itza|El Castillo]]" in [[Chichen Itza]], [[March 30]], [[2006]].]]
Bush began his second term with an emphasis on improving strained relations with [[Europe]]an 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 [[Republic of Georgia|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.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060302-5.html
| title = U.S.-India Joint Statement
| accessdate = 2006-09-28
}}</ref>
Bilateral relations between the U.S.A. on the one hand and Germany and Canada on the other also improved following the election of conservative governments in those countries. However, midway through Bush's second term, many analysts observed a retreat from his freedom and democracy agenda, highlighted in policy changes toward some oil-rich former Soviet republics in central Asia.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/23/AR2006042301017.html
| title = Retreat From the Freedom Agenda
| accessdate = 2006-09-14
| last = Diehl
| first = Jackson
|date= [[2005-04-24]]
| work = Washington Post
}}</ref>

[[Nursultan Nazarbayev]] of [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Ilham Aliyev]] of [[Azerbaijan]], both undemocratically elected and fiercely [[autocratic]], received official state visits to the White House,<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060428.html
| title = President Bush Welcomes President Aliyev of Azerbaijan to the White House
| accessdate = 2006-10-23
|date= [[2005-04-28]]
| work = Transcript from The Oval Office
| publisher = Office of the Press Secretary
}}</ref> along with increased economic and military assistance.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/23/AR2006042301017.html
| title = Retreat From the Freedom Agenda
| accessdate = 2006-10-23
|date= [[2006-04-24]]
| publisher = The Washington Post
}}</ref> The President had encouraged both leaders to hold free and fair elections early on in his second term, but in fact neither leader carried out significant reforms.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/27/world/main1075785.shtml
| title = Azerbaijan Protests Face Crackdown
| accessdate = 2006-10-23
|date= [[2005-11-27]]
| publisher = CBS News
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/08/235340A7-FE24-4C1F-97E5-CEC841B6A0CD.html
| title = Supporters Of Slain Kazakh Oppositionist Open Probe
| accessdate = 2006-10-23
|date= [[2006-08-29]]
| publisher = Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.perspicacityonline.com/Articles/2005/01/Kuzbekistan050118.htm
| title = Setback for Democracy in Kazakhstan
| accessdate = 2006-10-23
|date= [[2005-01-12]]
| publisher = Perspicacity Press Online
}}</ref> 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, also contributed to a far less aggressive approach to democratic reform world-wide from the Bush administration. Reports in late 2006 suggested that pro-democracy groups across the [[Middle East]] had become "pessimistic about the prospects for meaningful reform."<ref>{{cite web
| url =
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-10-12T173325Z_01_N12321486_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-DEMOCRACY.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C2-TopNews-newsOne-5
| title = U.S. seen retreating from democracy push
| accessdate = 2006-10-12
| last = Morgan
| first = David
|date= 2006-10-12
| work = Reuters
}}</ref>

====War on Terror====
After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] on the United States by the [[al Qaeda]] organization of [[Osama bin Laden]] and the invasion of Afganistan in response, President Bush discussed a global [[War on Terror]] in his January 29, 2002 [[State of the Union]] address which is most remembered for his assertion of an "[[axis of evil]]", an alliance between terrorists and states like North Korea, Iran and Iraq, which alliance he said was "arming to threaten the peace of the world" and "pose[d] a grave and growing danger".<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html Presidential State of the Union Address] January 29, 2002</ref>
[[Image:BUSHWTCOVERVIEW.jpg|thumb|left|President George W. Bush and [[Laura Bush]] look over the [[World Trade Center]] site during a visit to [[Ground Zero]] in [[New York City]] to mark the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.]] The Bush Administration proceeded to assert a right and intention to engage in [[preemptive war]], also called [[preventive war]], in response to perceived threats, arguing that the prevailing "concept of imminent threat" as justification for the use of force under international law and prior United States foreign policy needed to be "adapt[ed]" due to the supposition that "rogue states" would "rely on terror, and potentially, weapons of mass destruction" to attack the United States.<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss5.html National Security Strategy of the United States, Part V] September 2002</ref> This would form a basis for what became known as the [[Bush Doctrine]]. President Bush's broader "War on Terror", allegations of an "axis of evil", and, in particular, the assertion of a broader right to engage in preemptive war, would begin to weaken or divide unprecedented levels of international and domestic support for President Bush and United States action against [[al Qaeda]] following the September 11 attacks.<ref>[http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob1.htm President Bush: Job Ratings] Polling Report.com</ref> Allegations of abuse by U.S. troops accompanied calls from European and Asian leaders to shut down detention centers in [[Guantanamo Bay detainment camp|Guantanamo Bay]] and elsewhere. Dissent from, and criticism of, President Bush's leadership in the War on Terror would expand with the war in Iraq.<ref>{{cite book|author=Cummings, Bruce, et al.|title=Inventing the Axis of Evil|publisher= New Press|year= 2006|id= ISBN-10: 1595580387}}</ref><ref> Lopez, George, "Perils of Bush's Pre-emptive War Doctrine", [[Indianapolis Star]], October 3, 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss5.html Prevent Our Enemies from Threatening Us, Our Allies, and Our Friends with Weapons of Mass Destruction]</ref> In 2006, a [[National Intelligence Estimate]] entitled, "Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States," and expressing the combined opinion of the United States' own intelligence agencies, concluded that the Iraq War had become the "cause celebre for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement" and that Muslims who describe themselves as jihadists were increasing in "number and geographic dispersion."<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/26/nie.iraq/index.html NIE: Al Qaeda 'Damaged' Becoming More Scattered] [[CNN]], September 26, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/23/AR2006092301130.html Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Hurting U.S. Terror Fight] [[Washington Post]], September 24, 2006</ref>

====Afghanistan====
{{main|2001 war in Afghanistan}}
On October 7, 2001, U.S. and British forces initiated bombing campaigns that led to the November 13 arrival of [[Afghan Northern Alliance|Northern Alliance]] troops in [[Kabul]]. By December 2001, the [[United Nations|UN]] had organized both the [[Bonn agreement]], which installed the [[Afghan Interim Authority]] chaired by [[Hamid Karzai]], and the [[International Security Assistance Force|ISAF]], a multinational fighting force whose numbers and territory have since steadily increased.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/isaf.cfm
|title = Fact Sheet: International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan
|publisher = Center for Defense Information
|date = 2002-02-14
|accessdate = 2007-01-13
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4673026.stm
|title = More Dutch troops for Afghanistan
|publisher = BBC News
|date = 2006-02-3
|accessdate = 2007-01-13
}}</ref>
However, efforts to kill or capture [[al Qaeda]] leader [[Osama bin Laden]], in President Bush's later criticized words, "dead or alive",<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2001/12/14/bush-binladen.htm | title = Bush Pledges to Get bin Laden, Dead or Alive | accessdate = 2007-1-11 |date= [[2001-12-14]] | publisher = USA Today}}</ref> failed as he escaped a battle in December 2001 in the mountainous region of [[Tora Bora]], which escape the Bush Administration later acknowledged resulted from a failure to commit enough U.S. ground troops.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A62618-2002Apr16 | title = U.S. Concludes bin Laden Escaped at Tora Bora Fight | accessdate = 2007-1-11 |date= [[2002-04-17]] | publisher = Washington Post}}</ref> Bin Laden and al Qaeda's number two leader, [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]], as well as the Afghan leader of the Taliban, [[Mohammed Omar]], remained at large as of January 2007.

Despite the initial success in driving the Taliban from power in Kabul, the war continued as by early 2003 the Taliban was regrouping, amassing new funds and recruits.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0508/p01s02-wosc.html?related | title = Taliban Appears To Be Regrouped and Well-Funded | accessdate = 2006-10-23 |date= [[2003-05-08]] | publisher = Christian Science Monitor}}</ref> Frustrating the government of Afghan President Karzai and the NATO and US forces, as late as 2006 the[[Taliban insurgency]] appeared larger, fiercer, and better organized than expected, with large-scale allied offensives such as the [[Operation Mountain Thrust]] attaining limited success.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=285 | title = World Cannot Give Up on Afghanistan, Coalition Officials Say | accessdate = 2006-10-23 |date= [[2006-06-28]] | publisher = U.S. Dept. of Defense}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5107816.stm | title = Frustrated Karzai toughens stance | accessdate = 2006-10-23 |date= [[2006-07-22]] | publisher = BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-19-taliban-afghanistan-cover_x.htm?csp=34 | title = Revived Taliban waging 'full-blown insurgency' | accessdate = 2006-06-19 |date= [[2006-07-22]] | publisher = USA Today}}</ref>

As of 2005, NATO had been given control over western and southern parts of the country, and in September 2006, NATO agreed to assume control over operations throughout Afghanistan after the United States pledged to assign 12,000 troops to the force under NATO command, while keeping another 10,000 special operations and other troops operating under U.S. command throught the country.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/nato-takes-over-afghanistan-war/2006/09/29/1159337339908.html | title = NATO Takes Over Afghanistan War | accessdate = 2007-1-11 |date= [[2006-09-30]] | publisher = Syndey (AU) Morning Herald}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.un.org/News/dh/latest/afghan/un-afghan-history.shtml#postsept | title = Afghanistan & the United Nations | accessdate = 2006-10-23 |date= [[2006-01-01]] | publisher = UN News Centre: Afghanistan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2006/p06-117e.htm | title = Statement by the Secretary General on expansion of NATO’s operation in Afghanistan | accessdate = 2006-10-23 |date= [[2006-10-11]] | publisher = NATO: Press Release}}</ref> In an address to the [[United Nations]] that month, President Bush pledged the United States' continuing support for the war against the Taliban: "We'll help you defeat these enemies and build a free Afghanistan that will never again oppress you, or be a safe haven for terrorists."<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/afghanistan/index.html | title = President Bush Addresses United Nations General Assembly | accessdate = 2006-06-19 |date= [[2006-09-26]] | publisher = The White House}}</ref> As of October 2006, foreign troops in the region numbered more than 41,000.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100601373.html | last = Rumsfeld | first = Donald | title = Afghanistan: Five Years Later | accessdate = 2006-06-19 |date= [[2006-10-07]] | publisher = Washington Post}}</ref>

====Iraq====
{{Main article|Iraq War}}
Beginning with his January 29, [[2002 State of the Union address]] referenced above, President Bush began publicly focusing attention on Iraq, which he labelled as part of an "[[axis of evil]]" allied with terrorists and posing "a grave and growing danger" to U.S. interests through possession of "[[weapons of mass destruction]]".<ref>January 29, 2002 Presidential State of the Union Address(http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html)</ref> In the latter half of 2002, [[Central Intelligence Agency]] reports requested by the Administration contained assertions that Saddam Hussein was intent on reconstituting nuclear weapons programs, had not properly accounted for Iraqi [[Biological warfare|biological weapons]] and [[Chemical warfare|chemical weapons]] material in violation of [[Iraq sanctions|UN sanctions]], and that some Iraqi missiles had a range greater than allowed by the UN sanctions.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.cia.gov/cia/reports/iraq_wmd/Iraq_Oct_2002.htm| title = Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs| accessdate = | year = 2002| month = October| publisher = [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]}}</ref> In particular, the CIA drew together an October 1, 2002 [[National Intelligence Estimate]] on Iraq's [[Weapons of Mass Destruction]], pulling together the intelligence, estimations, opinions and judgments of 16 different U.S. intelligence services, including dissenting views or challenges to various assertions. Several versions of this report were or have been produced with varying levels of declassification, inclusion of dissenting opinions, and completeness.<ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB129/index.htm The National Security Archive at George Washington University]</ref> President Bush received a one-page summary of the [[National Intelligence Estimate]].<ref>Jehl, Douglas, New York Times, [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/14/politics/14inte.html?ex=1247457600&en=54d4d05d5b84ef90&ei=5090 "Bush and C.I.A. Won't Release Paper on Prewar Intelligence"], July 14, 2004.</ref> The question of whether the Bush Administration manipulated or exaggerated the threat and evidence of Iraq's [[Weapons of Mass Destruction]] capabilities or attempted to create a tie between Sadaam Hussein and the al Qaeda terrorists who carried out the [[September 11, 2001]] attacks would eventually become a major point of criticism and controversy for the President.<ref> Judis, John B. and Ackerman, Spencer, “The Selling of the Iraq War”, The New Republic, June 2003; Hersh, Seymour M., "The Stovepipe", The New Yorker, October 27, 2003</ref>
[[Image:20030501-15 d050103-2-664v.jpg|thumb|left|President Bush, with [[Naval Flight Officer]] Lieutenant Ryan Philips, in the flight suit he wore for his [[Mission Accomplished|televised arrival and speech]] aboard the [[USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)|USS ''Abraham Lincoln'']] in 2003.]]

In late 2002 and early 2003, President Bush urged the United Nations to enforce Iraqi [[disarmament]] mandates, precipitating a [[Iraq disarmament crisis|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.<ref>{{cite news |author = Associated Press |url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-17-inspectors-iraq_x.htm |title = U.S advises weapons inspectors to leave Iraq |publisher = USA Today |date= [[2003-03-17]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30 }}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/chapterVII.htm | title = Enforcement Measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter | accessdate = 2006-06-30 | author = United Nations |date= [[2003-02-13]] | work = [[United Nations Charter]] | publisher = United Nations}}</ref> 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 Ferencz]], a former chief prosecutor of the [[Nuremberg Trials]] argued that for these actions Bush, with his Administration, could be prosecuted for [[war crime]]s.<ref>{{cite news| author = [http://www.alternet.org/authors/6614/ Jan Frel]| url = http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/38604/| title = Could Bush Be Prosecuted for War Crimes?| publisher = [[AlterNet]]|date= [[2006-07-10]]|accessdate = 2006-07-10}}</ref> [[Kofi Annan]], [[Boutros Boutros-Ghali]], as well as leaders of several nations made similar statements, implying that the attack constitutes a war crime.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3661134.stm |title = Iraq war illegal, says Annan |publisher = BBC |date= [[2004-09-16]] |accessdate = 2006-07-11
}}</ref>

In order to comply with the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution by Congress, on March 18, 2003, President Bush certified to Congress that he had "determined that: (1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone will neither (A) adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq nor (B) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and (2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001."<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030319-1.html Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate] (March 18, 2003).</ref>

The war effort was joined by more than 20 other nations (most notably the [[United Kingdom]]) who the Bush Administrartion designated the "[[Multinational force in Iraq|coalition of the willing]]".<ref>{{cite news |first = Steve |last = Schifferes |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2862343.stm |title = US names 'coalition of the willing' |publisher = BBC |date= [[2003-03-18]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref> The invasion of Iraq commenced on [[March 20]], [[2003]], ostensibly to pre-empt Iraqi WMD deployment and remove Saddam from power. The Iraqi military was quickly defeated. The capital, [[Baghdad]], fell on [[April 9]], [[2003]]. On [[May 1]], [[2003]], President Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq in a speech from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. This speech would become known as his "[[Mission Accomplished]]" speech due to a banner with that slogan in view overhead. At the outset of the speech, President Bush stated: "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country. In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty, and for the peace of the world."<ref name="main551946.shtml">[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/01/iraq/main551946.shtml President Declares End To Major Combat In Iraq]</ref>

The initial success of U.S. operations had increased President Bush's popularity, but the U.S. and allied forces faced a growing insurgency led by sectarian groups. As the situation deteriorated, Bush's May 1, 2003 "Mission Accomplished" speech would be criticized as premature."<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101031006/ Mission Not Accomplished] [[Time Magazine]]</ref> The Bush Administration was also criticisized in subsequent months following the report of the [[Iraq Survey Group]], which 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."<ref>{{cite news |author = Times Online |coauthors = agencies|url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1930698,00.html |title = Bush: we went to war on faulty intelligence |publisher = [[Times Online]] |date= [[2005-12-14]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref> Bush nevertheless continued to assert the war had been worthwhile and confirmed he would have made the same decision if he had known more.

Iraqi elections and a referendum to approve a constitution were held in January and December 2005. Initial media reports of high voter turnout were overestimated<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO501F.html| title = Iraqi Elections: Media Disinformation on Voter Turnout?| accessdate = 2006-10-23| last = Chossudovsky | first = Michel|date= [[2005-01-31]]| work = Centre for Research on Globalisation}}</ref>, and were later estimated at less than 50%.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.markdanner.com/nyreview/042805_Iraq_election.htm| title = Iraq: The Real Election| accessdate = 2006-10-23| last = Danner | first = Mark|date= [[2005-04-28]]| work = The New York Review}}</ref> In 2004 through 2006, the siuation in Iraq deteriorated, and the country appeared to be on the brink of, if not already engaged in, a full scale [[civil war]]. Bush's policies regarding global terrorism and the war in Iraq met increasing criticism, with increasing demands within the United States in 2006 to set a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. Sectarian violence and political deadlock in Iraq at the end of 2006, after the deaths of more than 3,000 U.S. soldiers and an estimated 654,965 Iraqi deaths (according to a [[Lancet surveys of mortality before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq|Lancet survey]] putting the number of deaths in a range of 392,979 to 942,636),<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/10/AR2006101001442.html "Study Claims Iraq's 'Excess' Death Toll Has Reached 655,000"]. By David Brown. ''[[Washington Post]].'' Oct. 11, 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = http://newsblaze.com/story/2007010205300200001.ew/newsblaze/IRAQ0001/Iraq.html| title = Dallas Commemorates Fallen 3000 U.S. Soldiers And 650,000 Iraqi Deaths|date= [[2007-01-02]]| accessdate = 2007-01-04}}</ref> increased negative impressions of Bush's leadership and of the situation in Iraq. In October 2006 Bush commented on the survey "six hundred thousand or whatever they guessed at is just, it's not credible". The [[Iraq Body Count project]] disputed the Lancet survey <ref>[http://www.iraqbodycount.org/press/pr14.php Iraq Body Count Press Release 16 October 2006]</ref> and gave their own estimate of around 60,000.<ref>[http://www.iraqbodycount.org/background.php Iraq Body Count. Background and overview.]</ref> Previously, in December 2005, Bush estimated that 30,000 Iraqis had died in the war. Following the Lancet survey being published, when asked again, Bush said: "I stand by the figure, a lot of innocent people have lost their life."<ref > [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/12/MNGUTLNP6C1.DTL "Critics say 600,000 Iraqi dead doesn't tally. But pollsters defend methods used in Johns Hopkins study"]. By Anna Badkhen. ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]].'' Oct. 12, 2006.</ref>

In 2006 a [[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.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/washington/25terrorcnd.html |title = Report Stirs Debate on Terror Fight |publisher = [[New York Times]] |date= [[2006-09-24]] |accessdate = 2006-09-25}}</ref> While President Bush admitted by the end of 2006 that there were strategic mistakes made in regards to the stability of Iraq, he maintained he would not change the overall Iraq strategy.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/images/20061021_d-0072-515h.html | title = President George W. Bush speaks during a video teleconference with Vice President Dick Cheney, on screen, and military commanders. |date= [[2006-10-21]] | accessdate = 2006-10-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=at9X1Z7oilgY | title = Bush Reviews Iraq War Strategy as Violence Mounts (Update1) |date= [[2006-10-21]] | accessdate = 2006-10-22}}</ref> Bush and his aides continued to stress his belief of the necessity to "stay the course" in Iraq. They accused critics, mainly [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] who have called for a U.S. troop pullout or a timetable for withdrawal, of advocating a policy of "cut-and-run".<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/article_1209492.php/Stay-the-course_not_U.S.s_only_Iraq_option_Baker | title = Stay-the-course not U.S.'s only Iraq option: Baker |date= [[2006-10-08]] | accessdate = 2006-10-08}}</ref>


On [[November 28]], [[2006]], facing mounting criticism for his Iraq war policy, Bush told the [[NATO Summit 2006]] in [[Latvia]] that "We'll continue to be flexible, and we'll make the changes necessary to succeed. But there's one thing I'm not going to do: I'm not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/11/20061128-13.html | title=President Bush Discusses NATO Alliance During Visit to Latvia | publisher=The White House |date=November 28, 2006}}</ref> On [[January 10]], [[2007]] Bush addressed the U.S about the situation in Iraq. In [[wikisource:Presidential Speech Regarding Iraq, January 10 2007|his speech]], he made references to changes to be made, including [[Iraq troop surge of 2007|the "surge" of 21,500 more troops for Iraq]], a job program for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and 1.2 billion dollars for these programs. At this point specific, detailed information about the planned changes have not yet been officially announced.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16558652/page/1/| title=Admitting strategy error, Bush adds Iraq troops | publisher=[[MSNBC]] |date=[[January 11]] [[2007]]}}</ref> The "surge" is opposed by many influential politicians in Washington, some of whom belong to the President's own party, such as [[Senator Hagel]] and [[Senator Coleman]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nebraska.tv/news/local/5156297.html| title=Hagel Blasts Troop Surge Plan | publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=[[January 11]] [[2007]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/16430933.htm| title=From Senate floor, Coleman criticizes Bush plan for Iraq | publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=[[January 11]] [[2007]]}}</ref>
On [[November 28]], [[2006]], facing mounting criticism for his Iraq war policy, Bush told the [[NATO Summit 2006]] in [[Latvia]] that "We'll continue to be flexible, and we'll make the changes necessary to succeed. But there's one thing I'm not going to do: I'm not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/11/20061128-13.html | title=President Bush Discusses NATO Alliance During Visit to Latvia | publisher=The White House |date=November 28, 2006}}</ref> On [[January 10]], [[2007]] Bush addressed the U.S about the situation in Iraq. In [[wikisource:Presidential Speech Regarding Iraq, January 10 2007|his speech]], he made references to changes to be made, including [[Iraq troop surge of 2007|the "surge" of 21,500 more troops for Iraq]], a job program for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and 1.2 billion dollars for these programs. At this point specific, detailed information about the planned changes have not yet been officially announced.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16558652/page/1/| title=Admitting strategy error, Bush adds Iraq troops | publisher=[[MSNBC]] |date=[[January 11]] [[2007]]}}</ref> The "surge" is opposed by many influential politicians in Washington, some of whom belong to the President's own party, such as [[Senator Hagel]] and [[Senator Coleman]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nebraska.tv/news/local/5156297.html| title=Hagel Blasts Troop Surge Plan | publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=[[January 11]] [[2007]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/16430933.htm| title=From Senate floor, Coleman criticizes Bush plan for Iraq | publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=[[January 11]] [[2007]]}}</ref>

Revision as of 19:42, 3 February 2007

George Walker Bush
43rd President of the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 20, 2001
Vice PresidentRichard Bruce Cheney
Preceded byWilliam Jefferson Clinton
47th Governor of Texas
In office
January 17, 1995 – December 21, 2000
LieutenantBob Bullock, Rick Perry
Preceded byAnn Richards
Succeeded byRick Perry
Personal details
Born (1946-07-06) July 6, 1946 (age 78)
New Haven, CT
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLaura Bush
ProfessionBusinessman, Politician
Signature

aq. They accused critics, mainly Democrats who have called for a U.S. troop pullout or a timetable for withdrawal, of advocating a policy of "cut-and-run".[1]

On November 28, 2006, facing mounting criticism for his Iraq war policy, Bush told the NATO Summit 2006 in Latvia that "We'll continue to be flexible, and we'll make the changes necessary to succeed. But there's one thing I'm not going to do: I'm not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete."[2] On January 10, 2007 Bush addressed the U.S about the situation in Iraq. In his speech, he made references to changes to be made, including the "surge" of 21,500 more troops for Iraq, a job program for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and 1.2 billion dollars for these programs. At this point specific, detailed information about the planned changes have not yet been officially announced.[3] The "surge" is opposed by many influential politicians in Washington, some of whom belong to the President's own party, such as Senator Hagel and Senator Coleman.[4][5]

North Korea

Main article: United States-North Korea relations

President Bush publicly condemned Kim Jong-Il of North Korea, naming North Korea one of three states in an "axis of evil," and saying that "[t]he United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons."[6] Within months, "both countries had walked away from their respective commitments under the U.S.-DPRK Agreed Framework of October 1994."[7]

North Korea's October 9, 2006 detonation of a nuclear device further complicated President Bush's foreign policy, which centered for both terms of his presidency on "[preventing] the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world."[8] President Bush condemned North Korea's claims, 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.[9]


Assassination attempt

On May 10, 2005, while Bush was giving a speech in the Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, Vladimir Arutinian threw a live hand grenade towards the podium where he was standing and where Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was also seated. It landed in the crowd about 65 feet (20 meters) from the podium after hitting a girl. However, the grenade did not detonate because the red tartan (plaid) handkerchief wrapped tightly around it did not allow the firing pin to deploy fast enough. Arutinian was arrested in July 2005 and admitted to throwing the grenade. He was convicted in January 2006 and was subsequently given a life sentence.[10]

Criticism and public perception

Domestic perceptions

Main articles: Criticism of George W. Bush and Public perception of George W. Bush
See also: Fictionalized portrayals of George W. Bush
CBS News/New York Times Bush public opinion polling from February 2001 to October 2006. Blue denotes "approve", red "disapprove", and gray "unsure". Large increases in approval followed the September 11 attacks and the beginning of the 2003 Iraq conflict.

Time magazine named George W. Bush as its Person of the Year for 2000[11] and 2004,[12] hailing him as the most influential person for these two years. Bush began his presidency with approval ratings near 50%.[13] 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 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 his State of the Union Address, which generally provides a boost. As of January 21, 2007, an average of major polls indicated that Bush's approval rating stood at 34.0%.[14] A CBS news poll published January 22, 2007 had Bush's approval rating at 28%, with a 64% disapproval rating. Only Carter 26% (1979) and Nixon 24% (1974) ever received lower numbers in CBS polls. [15]

At the beginning of his first term, Bush was regarded by some 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. Activist and filmmaker Michael Moore's 2004 movie Fahrenheit 9/11 accused Bush of using public sentiments following 9/11 for political purposes and lying about the cause for war in Iraq.

Bush enjoyed strong support among Americans holding conservative views, as well as the military and those who support a military agenda. In the 2004 elections, 95-98% of the Republican electorate approved of him. This support waned, however, due mostly to Republicans' growing frustration with Bush on the issues of spending and illegal immigration. Many Republicans began criticizing Bush on his policies in Iraq, Iran and the Palestinian Territories.[16]

Since his re-election, critics have decried his frequent use of signing statements, contending that they are unconstitutional.[17] According to polls of job approval rating, his popularity has significantly declined from its record heights after the September 11, 2001 attacks, which contributed to what Bush called the "thumping" of the GOP in the 2006 mid-term elections.[18]

A poll taken in mid-September 2006 found that 48 percent of Americans believed the war with Iraq had made the U.S. less safe, while 41 percent believed the war had made the U.S. safer from terrorism.[19] Another poll showed that a majority of Americans, by a margin of 61 to 35 percent, believed that the United States was not better off because of Bush's policies.[20]

From time to time, Bush's intellectual capacities were questioned by the news media[21] and other politicians[22][23] Detractors tended to cite the various linguistic errors made by Bush during his public speeches (colloquially known as Bushisms).[24] Bush's habit of mispronouncing words 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).[25] He is not the only American president to be criticized for this.[26]

At the conclusion of 2006, an AP-AOL News telephone poll of 1,004 adults found President George W. Bush to be both the top villain and hero of the year.[27] The president was followed in the villain poll by Osama bin Laden, who took in 8 percent to Bush's 25 percent, Saddam Hussein (6 percent) and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (5 percent). In the hero poll, Bush's 13 percent was followed by: Soldiers/troops in Iraq (6 percent), Jesus Christ (3 percent), Barack Obama (3 percent) and Oprah Winfrey (3 percent).[28]

Foreign perceptions

An anti-Iraq War protester in London carries a placard calling Bush the "World's #1 Terrorist".

Bush has been widely criticized in the international community; he was targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization campaigns, and criticized for his foreign policy in general. Bush's policies were also the subject of heated criticism in the 2002 elections in Germany[29] and the 2006 elections in Canada.[30] Bush was openly condemned by current and former international leaders such as Gerhard Schröder, Jean Chrétien, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Romano Prodi, Paul Martin, and notably Hugo Chavez. Later in Bush's presidency, tensions arose between himself and Vladimir Putin, which has led to a cooling of their relationship.[31]

Bush has been described as having especially close personal relationships with Tony Blair and Vicente Fox, although formal relations are sometimes strained.[32][33][34]

George W. Bush answering a reporter’s question during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the East Room of the White House, July 28, 2006. White House photo by Paul Morse

In 2006 a majority of respondents in 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world were found to hold an unfavorable opinion of Bush. Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as "negative" for world security.[35][36] A poll conducted in Britain placed Bush at the second biggest "threat to world peace" right after Bin Laden, topping North Korean president Kim Jong-Il.[37] According to a poll taken in November of 2006, Finns, as well as Britons, believed that Bush was the second biggest "threat to the world peace" after Bin Laden. Kim Jong-Il came 3rd in poll and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Nasrallah came joint fourth.[38]

During a visit to the Republic of Georgia on May 10, 2005, Vladimir Arutinian attempted to assassinate Bush.[39] Arutinian threw a grenade which eventually landed in the large crowd some 18.6 meters (61 feet) from the podium where Bush was delivering a speech, but failed to detonate.

Some people, such as Benjamin Ferencz, a chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials, expressed the view that Bush should be tried, along with Saddam Hussein, for starting a war of aggression, the supreme international crime under the Nuremberg Principles.[40] Other experts also regarded the Bush Administration's decision to invade Iraq as illegitimate: "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.[41] However, some foreign policy experts at the time had argued that the U.N. Security Council was a weak institution whose authorization for the invasion of Iraq was not necessary; pointing out that every permanent member of the U.N. Security Council had 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. military action such as in Vietnam, Haiti, Kosovo, Panama or Grenada, or for that matter President Jimmy Carter's attempt to rescue American hostages during the Iran Hostage Crisis.[42]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Stay-the-course not U.S.'s only Iraq option: Baker". 2006-10-08. Retrieved 2006-10-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "President Bush Discusses NATO Alliance During Visit to Latvia". The White House. November 28, 2006.
  3. ^ "Admitting strategy error, Bush adds Iraq troops". MSNBC. January 11 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Hagel Blasts Troop Surge Plan". Associated Press. January 11 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "From Senate floor, Coleman criticizes Bush plan for Iraq". Associated Press. January 11 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ 2002 State of the Union Address
  7. ^ Pollack, Jonathan. "The United States, North Korea, and the End of the Agreed Framework." Naval War College Review, Summer 2003, Vol. LVI, No. 3.
  8. ^ 2002 State of the Union Address
  9. ^ President's Statement on North Korea Nuclear Test
  10. ^ "Bush grenade attacker gets life". CNN. 2006-01-11. Retrieved 2007-01-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Person of the Year President George W. Bush American Revolutionary". TIME Magazine. 2004. Retrieved 2006-09-09.
  12. ^ "And the Winner Finally Is...… George W. Bush". TIME Magazine. 2000. Retrieved 2006-09-09.
  13. ^ Roper Center (2006). "Job Performance Ratings for President Bush". Retrieved 2006-09-09.
  14. ^ RealClearPolitics Poll Averages
  15. ^ The News & Observer (2007-01-23). "State of the Union Facts". Retrieved 2007-01-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Associated Press (2006-02-15). "Republicans criticize Rice over Bush Mideast policy". Retrieved 2006-09-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Testimony of Bruce Fein, United States Senate (June 27, 2006)
  18. ^ "Bush admits Republicans took a "thumping" (Reuters)". November 8,2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  19. ^ "Iraq". USA Today Gallup poll. September, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "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)
  21. ^ Baker, Peter (2006-08-20). "Pundits Renounce The President". Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-09-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Walters, Simon (2006-08-19). "Blair 'feels betrayed by Bush on Lebanon'". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2006-09-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "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)
  24. ^ Jacob Weisberg (November 4 2000). "Bush, in his own words". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ 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)
  26. ^ Going Nucular by Geoff Nunberg, October 2, 2002
  27. ^ Darlene Superville (December 29, 2006). "Bush tops in poll for both villain, hero of year". Houston Chronicle.
  28. ^ Lori McNelly (December 29, 2006). "Hero or villain? Depends on your point of view". Chillicothe Gazette.
  29. ^ M. Overhaus, S. chieder (2002). "Die außenpolitischen Positionen der Parteien im Bundestagswahlkampf 2002" (PDF). Politik im Netz. {{cite journal}}: Text "volume 3" ignored (help)
  30. ^ CBC News (2005-12-14). "Was the American ambassador meddling in a Canadian election?". CBC.ca Reality Check Team. Retrieved 2006-09-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Condon, George E. Jr. (2006-07-21). "Bush, White House now leery of Putin as Russian turns back on democracy". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 2006-09-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ Keeping the U.S. at Bay, Mexican Presidential Candidate Looks to Move Past Fox's Failures Marcela Sanchez (March 3, 2006)
  33. ^ Mexico's President Snubs Bush, Vicente Fox Cancels Visit To Bush Ranch To Protest Execution (August 15, 2002)
  34. ^ Row over Bush security as Blair defends visit Ewen MacAskill, Hugh Muir and Julian Borger in Washington, The Guardian (November 11, 2003)
  35. ^ "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. [2004]. Retrieved 2006-09-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Polls: World Not Pleased With Bush". Associated Press. March 4, 2004. Retrieved 2006-09-24.
  37. ^ British believe Bush is more dangerous than Kim Jong-il
  38. ^ "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)
  39. ^ "Suspect in Bush grenade incident detained". July 20, 2005.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  40. ^ 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)
  41. ^ Iraq war bashed at hearing for soldier who wouldn't go Hal Bernton (August 18, 2006)
  42. ^ U.N. Blessing Is Just a Frill for a U.S. War in Iraq Walter Russell Mead, Los Angeles Times (February 23, 2003)



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