George W. Bush

George Walker Bush
George Walker Bush
43rd President
Vice President	Dick Cheney
Preceded by	Bill Clinton
Personal details
Nationality	american
Political party	Republican

George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd President of the United States. He is the son of former President George H. W. Bush, and the brother of Jeb Bush, the Governor of Florida.

Before becoming president, Bush was a businessman involved in the oil industry and then in professional sports. In 1994 he was elected the 46th Governor of Texas, and was re-elected in 1998. He won the nomination of the Republican Party in the 2000 presidential election. Bush became President by defeating Vice President Al Gore of the Democratic Party, losing the popular vote but winning the electorial vote in a controversial and close election. He was re-elected in 2004, defeating U.S. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts.

Personal life, service and education

George W. Bush, son of George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas, with his siblings Jeb, Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. A younger sister, Robin, died of leukemia in 1953 at the age of three. The family spent the summers and most holidays at the sprawling estate known as the Bush Compound.

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George W. Bush and Laura Bush with their daughters Jenna and Barbara, 1990

Like his father, Bush was educated at Phillips Academy (Andover), (September 1961–June 1964) and at Yale University (September 1964–May 1968). At Yale, he joined Delta Kappa Epsilon (of which he was president from October 1965 until graduation) and the Skull and Bones secret society. He was a C student, with a grade point average of 2.35 out of 4.00. He played baseball and rugby union during his freshman and senior years. He received a bachelor's degree in history in 1968.

George W. Bush in his Air National Guard uniform.

After graduating from Yale, Bush enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard on May 27, 1968 during the Vietnam War, with a commitment to serve until May 26, 1974. He served as an F-102 pilot until 1972 and was twice promoted during his service, first to second lieutenant and then to first lieutenant. In November 1970, Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, the commander of the Texas Air National Guard, recommended that Bush be promoted to first lieutenant.

In September 1973 he received permission to end his six-year commitment six months early in order to attend the MBA program at Harvard University Graduate School of Business. He transferred to inactive reserve status shortly before being honorably discharged on October 1, 1973.

Several Democratic politicians and activists have alleged that Bush skipped over a waiting list to receive a National Guard slot, that he did not report for required duty from 1972 to 1973, and that he was suspended from flying after he failed to take a required physical examination and drug test. These issues were publicized during the 2004 Presidential campaign by the group Texans for Truth and other Bush critics. See George W. Bush military service controversy for details.

Bush entered Harvard Business School in 1973. He was awarded a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in 1975, and is the first U.S. president to hold an M.B.A degree.

On September 4 1976, Bush was pulled over by police near his family's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. He was arrested, admitted his guilt, was fined $150, and had his driving license suspended for 30 days in the state for driving under the influence of alcohol [1]. News of the arrest was uncovered by the press five days before the 2000 presidential election.

Bush married Laura Welch in 1977. They had twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna Bush, born in 1981. In 1986, at the age of 40, he left the Episcopal Church and joined his wife's denomination, the United Methodist Church.

Bush has described his days before his religious conversion as his "nomadic" period and "irresponsible youth." and admitted to drinking "too much" in those years; he says that although he never joined Alcoholics Anonymous, he gave up drinking for good shortly after waking up with a hangover after his 40th birthday celebration: "I quit drinking in 1986 and haven't had a drop since then." He ascribed the change in part to a 1985 meeting with The Rev. Billy Graham ([2], [3], [4]).

Bush spokeswoman Mindy Tucker reported in 1999 that Bush said he had not used illegal drugs at any time since 1974 [5]. [6].

Business and early political career

In 1978, Bush ran for the U.S. House of Representatives but lost to a State Senator, Democrat Kent Hance.

Bush began his career in the oil industry in 1979 when he established Arbusto Energy, an oil and gas exploration company he formed in 1977 with leftover funds from his education trust fund and money from other investors. The 1979 energy crisis hurt Arbusto and, after a name change to Bush Exploration Co., Bush sold the company in 1984 to Spectrum 7, another Texas oil and gas exploration firm. Under the terms of the sale, Spectrum 7 made Bush its chief executive officer. Spectrum 7 lost money, and in 1986 it was merged into Harken Energy Corporation, with Bush becoming a director of Harken.

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The official gubernatorial portrait of Gov. Bush, hanging in the Texas State Capitol.

After working on his father's successful 1988 presidential campaign, he was told by a friend, William DeWitt, Jr., that then-owner Eddie Chiles, another of the Bushes' many friends, wanted to sell the Texas Rangers, an Arlington-based Major League Baseball franchise. In April 1989, Bush assembled a group of investors from his father's close friends; the group bought 86% of the Rangers for $75 million. (Bush later appointed one of these partners, Tom Schieffer, to the post of Ambassador to Australia.) Bush received a two percent share by investing $606,302, of which $500,000 was a bank loan. Bush paid off the loan by selling $848,000 worth of stock in Harken Energy in 1990. As Harken Energy reported significant financial losses within a year of this sale (as did much of the energy industry due to the recession of the early 1990s), the fact that Bush was advised by his own counsel not to sell his shares later fueled allegations of insider trading. (see George W. Bush insider trading allegations for more information). An SEC investigation later concluded "it appears that Bush did not engage in illegal insider trading," but noted that the memo "must in no way be construed as indicating that the party has been exonerated or that no action may ultimately result."

Bush served as managing general partner of the Rangers until he was elected Governor of Texas on November 8, 1994 over incumbent Democrat Ann Richards. His election to the governor's office surprised many as Richards was a popular incumbent. The upset has been partly attributed to Bush's intense message discipline, a quality that would define all his future campaigns.

Bush further defied conventional wisdom by forging a legislative alliance with powerful Texas Lt. Governor Bob Bullock, a longtime Democrat, who held similar political views. Bush went on to become, in 1998, the first Texas governor to be elected for two consecutive four-year terms. (Until 1975, Texas governors served two-year terms.)

While Bush was governor of Texas, he undertook significant legislative changes in the areas of criminal justice, tort law, and school financing. Bush took a hard line on capital punishment, and received much criticism for it. More convicts were executed under his terms than any other Texas governor, although the rate of executions was not unusual for Texas. Although there is much consensus that Bush effected significant changes, there is little consensus as to whether these changes were detrimental or positive in nature. If nothing else, Bush's transformative agenda, in combination with his political and family pedigree, catapulted him onto the national political radar. As the campaigns to succeed Bill Clinton as president began in earnest, Bush emerged as a key figure.

Presidential campaigns

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Al Gore greets President-Elect Bush at the White House in late December of 2000.

In Bush's 2000 presidential election campaign, he declared himself to be a "compassionate conservative". He campaigned on, among other issues, allowing religious charities to compete on an equal basis for participation in federally funded programs, tax cuts, promoting the use of education vouchers, supporting oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, maintaining a balanced federal budget, and restructuring of the armed forces. In foreign policy, he stated that he was against using the U.S. armed forces in nation building attempts abroad.

Bush was inaugurated President on January 20 2001. Bush had faced Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore, and won the electoral votes in 30 of the 50 states for a narrow majority of the electoral votes (Bush-271, Gore-266). Neither candidate received a majority of the nationwide popular vote, (Bush-47.9%, Gore-48.4%), but Gore received more votes by approximately 540,000 out of 105 million, a margin of about one-half of one percent. Votes for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader (2,695,696 votes/2.7%), Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan, (449,895/0.4%), and Libertarian Party candidate Harry Browne (386,024 votes/0.4%) accounted for most of the remainder.

It was the first presidential election since the 1888 election in which the winning candidate received fewer popular votes than his opponent, and the first presidential election since the 1876 election in which the winner of the electoral vote was in dispute. It was also the first presidential election to be directly affected by a Supreme Court decision.

The Florida vote, which favored Bush by a slim margin in the initial count, was heavily contested after concerns were raised about flaws and irregularities in the voting process and became the subject of a series of contentious court cases regarding the legality of county-specific and statewide re-counts. After machine and manual recounts in the four most populous counties still showed Bush as the winner, the Florida Supreme Court ordered a statewide manual recount of all counties. The Bush campaign appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned the decision in mid-December in Bush v. Gore. The majority opinion ruled that a statewide manual recount with no uniform standard of voter intent violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Gore conceded the election.

In the final official count Bush won Florida by 537 votes, giving him the state's 25 electoral votes and with them the presidency. See U.S. presidential election, 2000. (Also see The 2000 Florida Ballot Project.)

In the 2004 election, Bush won a second term, an electoral majority, and also received 3.5 million popular votes more than his Democratic challenger, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. Bush was the first presidential candidate since his father, George H.W. Bush in 1988 to receive a majority of the popular vote. (The intervening elections had seen stronger showings by non-major party candidates such as Ross Perot and Ralph Nader.) As is expected with population growth, more people voted both for and against the presidential candidate in this election than any other time in history, however his margin over Kerry of about 3 percent was the smallest popular vote margin for a re-elected President since Woodrow Wilson's 1916 victory. There were a wide range of irregularities in the election, which went largely unreported by the mainstream media. A civil case challenging the result in Ohio was withdrawn in January 2005 after congressional certification of the electoral votes rendered the case moot.

Bush was inaugurated for his second term on January 20, 2005; the oath was administered by Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Bush's inaugural speech centered mainly on a theme of spreading freedom and democracy around the world. George W. Bush is the only President to win re-election after losing the popular vote in his first election. Of the three other Presidents who lost the popular vote, John Quincy Adams and Benjamin Harrison were defeated in their bids for a second term, and Rutherford B. Hayes did not seek re-election.

Related articles: 2004 U.S. election voting controversies; 2004 U.S. Election controversies and irregularities and its subsidiary articles on 2004 election (voting machines), 2004 election (exit polls), and 2004 election (voter suppression)

Years as President

Presidency

Foreign policy and security

During his first presidential visit to Europe in June 2001, Bush came under harsh criticism from European leaders for his rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, which is aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions that may contribute to global warming. Since massive bipartisan opposition to the treaty in the United States Senate (which voted 95-0 in the 1997 Byrd-Hagel Resolution to prevent US adherence to any treaty that did not require binding commitments from developing nations) would prevent its adoption in the US, it was never submitted for Senate consideration by the Clinton Administration, although "symbolically" signed by Vice President Gore; the Bush Administration's view that the treaty would have a negative effect on the U.S. and world economy without restraining greenhouse gas emissions from nations such as China is consistent with the position of the Senate.

Bush's Administration has generally pursued free market policies, although the imposition of a tariff on imported steel and on Canadian soft lumber attracted criticism that led the steel tariff to be rescinded, under pressure from the World Trade Organization.

In July of 2002, Bush cut off all funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Bush claimed that the UNFPA supported forced abortions and sterilizations in China.

During his campaign, Bush's foreign policy platform included support of a stronger economic and political relationship with Latin America, especially Mexico, and a reduction in involvement in "nation-building" and other small-scale military engagements. However, after the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, the administration focused much more on foreign policy in the Middle East.

Shortly after the attacks, a war was launched against Afghanistan to topple the Taliban, which Bush charged with harboring Osama bin Laden. This action had strong international support, and the Taliban government folded quickly after the invasion. Subsequent nation-building efforts in concert with the United Nations under Afghan president Hamid Karzai have had mixed results; while bin Laden was not apprehended or killed, Afghanistan has held unprecedented democratic elections. A sizeable contingent of troops and advisors remains into 2005. (See also: U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Afghan presidential election, 2004)

On December 14, 2001, Bush withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, arguing that the bipolar agreement, a bedrock of U.S.-Soviet nuclear stability during the Cold War, was no longer relevant. Instead, Bush focused resources on a ballistic missile defense system, scheduled for deployment in 2005. This has been supported by those concerned about the threat of ballistic missile launches from "rogue states", and the subject of much scientific criticism, as it will not stop cruise missiles or missiles transported by boat or land vehicle. Bush has also increased spending on military research and development and the modernization of weapons systems, but cancelled programs such as the Crusader self-propelled artillery system. The administration also began initial research into bunker-busting nuclear missiles.

Iraq

Since 1998, when the United States Congress and Bill Clinton passed the Iraq Liberation Act, stated U.S. policy had been to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. After the 9-11 attacks, the Bush administration argued that the Iraq situation had now become urgent. The stated premise was that Saddam's regime had tried to acquire nuclear material and had not properly accounted for biological, and chemical material sold to Saddam's government by the US in the past, potential weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in violation of U.N. sanctions. In the summer of 2002, a British official gave this report of talks with the Bush administration: "Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." [7]

Intelligence reports utilized by Bush in late 2002 provided substantial evidence that Saddam had continued to produce WMD's, primarily of a biological and chemical nature. [8]. Though some of this intelligence has since been found to be inaccurate, Bush contended that Saddam might deliver such WMD to terrorists such as al Qaeda. A bipartisan intelligence review has found no credible evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD, although the report did conclude that Hussein's government was actively attempting to acquire technology that would allow Iraq to produce WMD's as soon as U.N. sanctions were lifted.

Beginning in 2002 and escalating in spring 2003, Bush pressed the UN to act on its disarmament mandates to Iraq, precipitating a diplomatic crisis. He began by pushing for UN weapons inspections in Iraq, which he received with passage of the UN Security Council Resolution 1441, which allowed inspectors lead by Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei to investigate Bush's allegations. Increasing pressure from the United States in the spring of 2003 forced the UN weapons inspectors to leave the country, unable to verify the existence of any Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. The Bush administration examined the possibility of seeking a Security Council resolution to authorize the use of military force (in pursuance of Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter), but abandoned the idea when it became clear that the majority of the members (including most of the permanent members with vetoing power) would vote against such a resolution; the matter was never taken to a vote (cf. The UN Security Council and the Iraq war). The United States gathered a group of mostly small countries to support a war, a total of about forty. Bush has called it the "coalition of the willing". Spain has since pulled out of the war; Poland has announced that it will withdraw troops as scheduled in 2005, as has Italy. More recently, Bulgaria announced it would withdraw by the end of 2005. [9]

An international coalition, led by the United States invaded Iraq in March, citing many Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq (1441, 1205, 1137, 1134, 1115, 1060, 949, 778, 715), the current and past lack of Iraqi cooperation with those resolutions, Saddam's occasional refusal to co-operate with UN weapons inspectors, Saddam's attempt to assassinate former president George Bush while visiting Kuwait, and Saddam's violation of the 1991 cease fire agreement. The primary stated goal of the war was to stop Iraq from deploying and developing WMD by removing Saddam from power. The war proved extremely divisive, with some of the U.S.'s long-term allies such as France and Germany strongly opposed to it. In many countries, including the United States, there have also been civilian opposition and antiwar protests, including the largest protest in world history [10]. The war was called illegal by the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who cited the U.N. Charter, and is considered a crime against peace by many of its critics. Proponents of the invasion cite the impotence of twelve years of U.N. resolutions, none of which had any effect on Hussein's government, and the fact that many of the countries opposing the war have since been found to have had lucrative oil and arms sales contracts with Hussein's government. The U.N. Secretary General's own son has been the focus of an investigation involving bribes and corruption between the U.N. and Hussein's government, although the Secretary General himself claims to have had no knowledge of his son's actions.

President George W. Bush addresses sailors and the nation from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of San Diego, California, May 1, 2003.

While the conventional Iraqi armed forces fell apart within a few days, the problems in Iraq later escalated. An insurgency continued after the declared end of major combat operations on May 1, 2003, with several terrorist groups also supporting the insurgency. More than 1600 U.S. troops have been killed and over 14,000 have been wounded in action. [11] The failure to uncover the alleged WMD led to renewed allegations that intelligence estimates were spun or distorted to support the war. These claims have been corroborated by investigations and reports by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which also concluded that there was a strong failure of intelligence overall. Nevertheless, Bush states that he still believes it was the right decision, because a demonstrably brutal tyrant has been overthrown and can no longer threaten the world. See 2003 invasion of Iraq for full coverage. To support his view, Bush praised the high turnout in the Iraqi election of January 30 2005, and polls conducted of Iraqi citizens' opinion of the war, which show mixed results.

Military spending

Of the $2.4 trillion budgeted for 2005, about $401 billion [12] are planned to be spent on defense. This level is generally comparable to the defense spending during the cold war. [13]

Political ideology

Bush's political ideology is generally referred to as conservative or Compassionate conservative, the latter being a term he has used to describe himself. Some do not consider Bush to be a true conservative, however, because of their perception that Bush merely has spending priorities as opposed to reliance on strict fiscal conservatism. The most salient example usually provided is the Bush administration's expansion of the Medicare program to include new medication entitlements.

Bush is generally acknowledged to be "right-wing" by both supporters and detractors alike. Arguably, the various labels (right-wing, conservative, etc.), as they relate to ideology, are merely convenient shorthand, since approximating the spectrum of human political thought into one-word categories is problematic. Thus, the main usage of said terms for Bush is basic reference, especially since many counter-arguments could presumably be made against a given label.

In his 2005 inaugural address he outlined his new foreign policy set forth in the National Security Strategy of the United States of America (pdf). Supporters of Bush see this policy as a necessary rejection of "balance of power" politics and a redefinition of America's role in the international forum. Critics of Bush see it as a withdrawal of America from the international forum.

There is some evidence that Bush's foreign policy is heavily influenced by the neo-conservative think tank Project for the New American Century (PNAC). In 1998, for instance, PNAC wrote to then President Bill Clinton saying "American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the UN Security Council" urging the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Many members of PNAC later had prominent positions in the Bush administration which invaded Iraq at a time when other permanent members of the Security Council opposed military action against Iraq.

Domestic policy

Faith-based initiatives

In early 2001, Bush worked with Republicans in Congress to pass legislation changing the way the federal government regulated, taxed and funded charities and non-profit initiatives run by religious organizations. Although prior to the legislation it was possible for these organizations to receive federal assistance, the new legislation removed reporting requirements which required the organizations to separate their charitable functions from their religious functions. Bush also created the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Several organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union have criticized Bush's faith-based initiative program as violating the principle of separation of church and state and being unconstitutional, and questioned if it violates the establishment clause of the first amendment.

Diversity

Bush is against same-sex marriage, and has thus endorsed the Federal Marriage Amendment, a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would define marriage as being the union of one man and one woman. However, a week before the 2004 election, Bush expressed his disagreement with the Republican Party platform that opposed civil unions, and said that the issue of civil unions should be left up to individual states. In his February 2, 2005 State of the Union address he repeated his support for the constitutional amendment.

During Bush's first term, his nominee as ambassador to Romania, Michael E. Guest, became the first openly gay man to be confirmed by the Senate as a U.S. ambassador. (The first openly gay ambassador, James Hormel, received a recess appointment from Bill Clinton after the Senate failed to confirm the nomination). [14]

Bush has tended to be opposed to forms of affirmative action, but expressed appreciation for the Supreme Court's ruling upholding selecting college applicants for purposes of diversity. Bush has met with the National Urban League as President, but has not yet met with the NAACP as a group since he became president, though he did address the NAACP at their 2000 convention in Baltimore as a presidential candidate, and he met with outgoing NAACP President Kweisi Mfume on December 21, 2004. Colin Powell became the first African-American man to serve as Secretary of State during Bush's first term in office. He was succeeded by Condolezza Rice in the same cabinet post beginning in 2005, becoming the first African-American female to serve in such capacity.

Economy

During his first term, Bush sought and obtained Congressional approval for three major tax cuts, which increased the standard income tax deduction for married couples, eliminated the estate tax, and reduced marginal tax rates, and are scheduled to expire a decade after passage. Bush has asked Congress to make the tax cuts permanent.

In 2004 federal tax revenues, as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product, were at the lowest level since 1959, and simultaneous record increases in spending created record budget deficits, a change from the economic conditions of the Clinton Administration. [15] The annual deficit reached a record levels of $374 billion in 2003 and $413 billion in 2004. [16],[17]

There is debate whether the "fiscal reversal" is due to the cyclical nature of the economy or due to Bush's tax policies; supporters have praised his reduction of the tax burder, while opponents accuse Bush of favoring tax cuts for taxpayers at the "upper range of the income distribution"[18]

Social Security

Bush has called for major changes in Social Security, identifying the issue as a priority for his second term. In 2005, Bush offered a proposal incorporating reductions in benefit levels and partial privatization (allowing individual workers to invest a portion of their Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts). Most Democrats and some Republicans are critical of such ideas, partly because of the large federal borrowing the plan would require ($1 trillion or more) to finance the transition, and partly because of the problems encountered by the United Kingdom's privatized pension plan. See Social Security debate (United States).

Health

George W. Bush signing the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, surrounded by senators and congressmen.

Bush signed the Medicare Act of 2003, which added prescription drug coverage to Medicare, subsidized pharmaceutical corporations, and prohibited the Federal government from negotiating discounts with drug companies.

Bush is pro-life; his aim, in his words, is to "promote a culture of life."

Education

In January of 2002, Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, which targets supporting early learning, measures student performance, gives options over failing schools, and ensures more resources for schools. Critics (including Senator Kerry and the National Education Association) say schools were not given the resources to help meet new standards, although the House Committee on Education and the Workforce said in June, 2003 that in three years under the Bush administration the Education Department's overall funding would have increased by $13.2 billion [19]. Some state governments are refusing to implement provisions of the act as long as they are not adequately funded.[20] In January of 2005, USA Today reported that the United States Department of Education had paid $240,000 to conservative political commentator Armstrong Williams "to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same." [21] Williams did not disclose the payments.

Science

Scientists have repeatedly criticized the Bush administration for reducing funding for scientific research, setting restrictions on federal funding of stem cell research (Bush's supporters have responded that he is also the first president to give funding to stem cell research), ignoring scientific consensus on global warming, and hampering cooperation with foreign scientists by enforcing deterring immigration and visa restrictions. In February 2004, over 5,000 scientists (including 48 Nobel Prize winners) from the Union of Concerned Scientists signed a statement "opposing the Bush administration's use of scientific advice". They stated that "the Bush administration has ignored unbiased scientific advice in the policy-making that is so important for our collective welfare." [22] [23]

On January 14, 2004, Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration, calling for a return to the Moon by 2020, the completion of the International Space Station by 2010 and eventually sending astronauts to Mars. [24] Although the plan was met with a largely tepid reception ([25]), the budget eventually passed with a few minor changes after the November elections. In January 2005 the White House released a new Space Transportation Policy fact sheet which outlined the administration's space policy in broad terms and tied the development of space transport capabilities to national security requirements.

Bush's environmental record has been attacked by environmentalists, who charge that his policies cater to industry demands to weaken environmental protections. He signed the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002 authorizing the federal government to begin cleaning up pollution and contaminated sediment in the Great Lakes, as well as the Brownfields Legislation in 2002, accelerating the cleanup of abandoned industrial sites, or brownfields, to better protect public health, create jobs, and revitalize communities. In December 2003, Bush signed legislation implementing key provisions of his Healthy Forests Initiative; environmental groups have charged that the plan is simply a giveaway to timber companies. Another subject of controversy is Bush's Clear Skies plan; opponents say that the initiative will in fact allow utilities to pollute more than they do currently. Bush has opposed the Kyoto Protocol saying it would harm the U.S. economy. Environmental groups note that many Bush Administration officials, in addition to Bush and Cheney, have ties to the energy industry, automotive industry, and other groups that have fought against environmental protections. However, Bush claims his reason for not supporting the Kyoto Protocol is that it unfairly targets the U.S. as opposed to other nations, especially China. (See Kyoto protocol, position of the U.S..)

Cabinet


OFFICE	NAME	TERM

President	George W. Bush	2001—
Vice President	Richard B. Cheney	2001—

State	Colin L. Powell	2001–2005
	Condoleezza Rice	2005—
Defense	Donald H. Rumsfeld	2001—
Treasury	Paul H. O'Neill	2001–2003
	John W. Snow	2003—
Justice	John D. Ashcroft	2001–2005
	Alberto R. Gonzales	2005—
Interior	Gale A. Norton	2001—
Agriculture	Ann M. Veneman	2001–2005
	Mike Johanns	2005—
Commerce	Donald L. Evans	2001–2005
	Carlos M. Gutierrez	2005—
Labor	Elaine L. Chao	2001—
HHS	Tommy G. Thompson	2001–2005
	Michael O. Leavitt	2005—
HUD	Melquiades R. Martinez	2001–2003
	Alphonso R. Jackson	2004—
Transportation	Norman Y. Mineta	2001—
Energy	E. Spencer Abraham	2001–2005
	Samuel W. Bodman	2005—
Education	Roderick R. Paige	2001–2005
	Margaret Spellings	2005—
Veterans Affairs	Anthony J. Principi	2001–2005
	James Nicholson	2005—
Homeland Security	Thomas J. Ridge	2003–2005
	Michael Chertoff	2005—

Cabinet: Makeup and composition

Bush's cabinet included the largest number of minorities of any U.S. federal cabinet to date, including the first two Asian-American federal cabinet secretaries (Chao and Mineta). This gives it the distinction of being both the most racially diverse, and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the wealthiest cabinet ever.

There is one non-Republican present in Bush's cabinet: Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, the first Asian-American cabinet secretary, who had previously served as Secretary of Commerce under Bill Clinton, is a Democrat.

His cabinet included figures prominent in past administrations, notably Colin Powell, who had served as United States National Security Advisor under Ronald Reagan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under George H. W. Bush and Clinton, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who had served in the same position under Gerald Ford.
Also, Vice President Richard Cheney served as Secretary of Defense under George H. W. Bush.

Other advisors and officials

United States Director of National Intelligence - John Negroponte (2005-)
CIA Director - George Tenet (2001–2004), John E. McLaughlin (interim director, 2004), Porter J. Goss (2004-)
FBI Director - Robert Mueller
National Security Advisor - Condoleezza Rice (2001–2005), Stephen Hadley (2005-)
EPA Administrator - Christine Todd Whitman (2001–2003), Michael O. Leavitt (2003–2005), Stephen L. Johnson (2005-)
UN Ambassador - John Negroponte (2001–2004), John Danforth (2004) Nominee John Bolton
FCC Chairman - Michael Powell(2001-2005), Kevin Martin (2005-)
OMB Director - Mitch Daniels (2001–2003), Joshua B. Bolten (2003-)
White House Chief of Staff - Andrew Card
Deputy White House Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor - Karl Rove
White House counsel - Alberto R. Gonzales(2001–2005), Harriet Miers (2005-)
Advisor - Karen Hughes (2001–2002) Appointed in 2005 to rank of Ambassador.
White House Press Secretary - Ari Fleischer (2001–2003), Scott McClellan (2003-)

Among the more criticized appointments have been John Negroponte, Elliott Abrams, Otto Reich, and John Poindexter for their roles in the Iran-Contra Affair and for allegedly covering up human rights abuses in Central and South America.

Some of Bush's other appointments have been noted as reflecting a preference for family members of favored officials. These include: J. Strom Thurmond Jr. (Senator Strom Thurmond's son) as South Carolina's U.S. Attorney, Eugene Scalia (Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's son) as Solicitor for the Labor Department, Janet Rehnquist (U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist's daughter) as Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (later fired for firearms charges and inappropriate job terminations), and Elizabeth Cheney (Vice President Cheney's daughter) to the newly created position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near-East Affairs.

Major legislation signed

2001 June 7: Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001
2001 September 18: Authorization for Use of Military Force
2001 September 28: United States-Jordan Free Trade Area Implementation Act
2001 October 26: USA PATRIOT Act
2001 November 28: Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act
2002 January 8: No Child Left Behind Act
2002 March 9: Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002
2002 March 27: Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
2002 May 13: Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
2002 July 30: Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
2002 October 16: Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq
2002 November 25: Homeland Security Act of 2002
2003 March 11: Do-Not-Call Implementation Act
2003 April 30: PROTECT Act of 2003 (Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act) (see also Age_of_consent#Social_and_legal_attitudes) [26]
2003 May 27: United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003
2003 May 28: Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003
2003 September 3: United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
2003 September 3: United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
2003 November 5: Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003
2003 December 8: Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
2003 December 16: Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM)
2004 April 1: Unborn Victims of Violence Act (Laci and Conner's Law)
2005 February 18: Class Action Fairness Act of 2005
2005 April 20: Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005

Public perception and assessments

Bush has been the subject of both high praise and stringent criticism; he has been called by some the "love him or hate him" president (a title similarly applied by some to former President William Jefferson Clinton). The former have focused on matters such as the economy, homeland security, and especially his leadership after the September 11 attacks; the latter on matters such as the economy, his leadership after the September 11 attacks and the passage of the Patriot Act; the controversial 2000 election, and the occupation of Iraq. The magazine TIME named Bush as its Person of the Year for 2000 and 2004. This award is traditionally given to the person considered by the editors to be the most important newsmaker of the year.

Domestic

File:Time 2004 poty.jpg

Bush as TIME Person of the Year 2004.

In the time of national crisis following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bush enjoyed approval ratings of greater than 85% and stayed above 50% for two and half years [27]. Bush maintained these extraordinary ratings (the highest approval ratings of any president since such regular polls began in 1938) for some months following the attack, though they gradually dropped to lower levels.

During the 2002 midterm congressional elections, Bush had the highest approval rating of any president during a midterm election since Dwight Eisenhower. In an unusual deviation from the historical trend of midterm elections, the Republican Party retook control of the Senate and added to their majority in the House of Representatives; typically, the President's party loses Congressional seats in the midterm elections, and 2002 marked only the third midterm election since the Civil War that the party in control of the White House gained seats in both houses of Congress (others were 1902 and 1934).

In 2003, Bush's approval ratings remained high. By late 2003, his approval numbers continued above the 50% range, still solid for the third year of a Presidency, when opponents typically begin their campaigns in earnest. Some concern was reflected in over the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq and a slow recovery from the 2001 recession. Polls of May 2004 showed anywhere from a 53 percent approval rating [28] to a 46 percent approval rating. [29] A recent Zogby poll showed Bush's approval rating a 46% for the month of March, 2005 - the lowest Bush had ever received, but with the exception of John F. Kennedy, the highest low-point rating of any President since polls began.

Over the course of Bush's presidency, despite ideological differences with former president Bill Clinton, the two appear to have formed a friendship. [30]

Outside the United States

Bush's popularity outside the United States among foreign journalists and news organizations is generally lower. Among many international correspondents throughout the world he is very unpopular, with many reporting a dislike of his personality and foreign policy. Although the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan was well-supported, the 2003 Invasion of Iraq particularly provoked charges of unilateralism. As a result, polls indicate erosion of support among Europeans for Bush, for example a drop from 36% to 16% favorability from mid-2002 to mid-2003 in Germany. [31] A broader Associated Press/Ipsos survey of industrialized nations found that a majority in UK, France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Spain—in addition to Canada and Australia, where cooperation with American leaders is traditional—have an unfavorable view of Bush and his policy on foreign affairs, although significant minorities continue to report favorable views. [32] Surveys show in Muslim countries Bush's unfavorability ratings are particularly high, often over 90%. [33] Among the non-U.S. nations polled by various organizations in a worldwide study, Bush's popularity was greatest in Israel, where 62% reported favorable views. [34]

File:01-Bush.png

Bush listens to children, reading The Pet Goat in a classroom after being informed of the attack on the World Trade Center. He was praised by some for not alarming the school children, and criticized by others including Osama bin Laden for his apparent nonchalance.

Personal criticisms and allegations of drug use

The sharp divisions in the American electorate, the domestic and international tensions associated with 9/11 and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Bush's self-confidence and faith, as well as his admitted history of alcohol use and his famous family history, have made Bush the object of a considerable amount of personal scrutiny and criticism, with critics keenly focused on Bush's pre-political life. Bush has admitted to a once serious alcohol problem, while his detractors have alleged that thirty years before entering politics, he used illegal drugs. Some have suggested his current political policies and behavior are explained by his early history.

James Hatfield, in Fortunate Son (ISBN 1887128840), alleged that Bush had been arrested for cocaine possession, but had the records expunged; the book was withdrawn by the original publishers when they learned Hatfield was a felon convicted of attempted murder.[35]. In February 2004, Eric Boehlert in Salon magazine claimed that Bush's departure from the Texas Air National Guard was related to implementation of the Medical Service Drug Abuse Testing Program.[36].

In an article published by Counterpunch on October 11, 2002, and subsequently widely syndicated over the internet, Katherine van Wormer, a professor of social work and writer on addiction treatment, claimed Bush displays "all the classic patterns of addictive thinking,"[37] and suggested his behavior, political style, and foreign policy are all explained by a history of alcohol abuse, with the Iraq War primarily a result of his relationship with his father: "the targeting of Iraq had become one man’s personal crusade."

In Bush on the Couch ISBN 0060736704 Justin Frank, a clinical professor of psychiatry at The George Washington University Medical School and former Salon magazine writer made similar allegations,[38] drawing praise from Bush opponents[39] and disagreement[40],[41]; the American Psychiatric Association, of which Frank is not a member, described the book as unethical [42].

Trivia

In July 2004, Bush's two daughters gave him an iPod for his birthday. The selection of songs that are loaded on his iPod was the subject of much media discussion after the New York Times ran an article[43] on his choice of music. It was revealed that a personal aide uses the iTunes Music Store to download songs which the President often listens to while working out or jogging.

Blue Box Toys produced a limited edition 1:6 scale replica action figure of Bush wearing the flight jump suit that he wore on the USS Abraham Lincoln in his May 1, 2003 "Mission Accomplished" appearance.

References

About.com's article: Bush's Faith-Based Initiative Launched
Faith Based and Community Initiatives official website
Graphs of approval ratings[44],[45]
Time-analysis of Bush's popularity[46].

External links

Preceded by Ann Richards	Governor of Texas 1995–2000	Succeeded by Rick Perry
Preceded by Bob Dole	Republican Party Presidential candidate 2000 (won), 2004 ^(a) (won)	Succeeded by —
Preceded by Bill Clinton	President of the United States January 20, 2001 – present	Succeeded by —

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