Bush is the 43rd President of the United States. He was sworn into office on January 20, , re-elected on November 2, , and sworn in for a second term on January 20, Prior to his Presidency, President Bush served for 6 years as the 46th Governor of the State of Texas, where he earned a reputation for bipartisanship and as a compassionate conservative who shaped public policy based on the principles of limited government, personal responsibility, strong families, and local control.
Following graduation, he moved back to Midland and began a career in the energy business. He became the first Governor in Texas history to be elected to consecutive 4-year terms when he was re-elected on November 3, Since becoming President of the United States in , President Bush has worked with the Congress to create an ownership society and build a future of security, prosperity, and opportunity for all Americans. Bush Today, we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character.
America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness. First Inaugural Address. Overview George W.
Birth Date July 6, Birth Place New Haven, Connecticut. Education Yale B. Career Businessman, public official. Marriage November 5, , to Laura Welch. Children Barbara ; Jenna Inauguration Date January 20, Date Ended January 20, President Number Bush and Democratic candidate Al Gore was close and controversial.
As Election Day unfolded, there was no clear winner. The late-night news declared one candidate the winner, then the other the winner. By early the next morning, Bush had electoral votes and Gore had , with needed to win.
After more than a month of recounts and legal maneuvering, the U. Supreme Court decided the election, giving George Bush the victory. In the first two years of his presidency, George W. Bush enjoyed a political majority in both Congressional houses but faced a strongly divided government. At times, his political rhetoric fueled this divide. His administration prompted further controversy when he announced the U. On September 11, , Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four U.
Three of them hit their targets in New York and Washington, D. The war on terror had begun, and President George W. Bush promised the American people that he would do all he could to prevent another terrorist attack. A comprehensive strategy was formed with the creation of the Homeland Security Department, the Patriot Act and the authorization of intelligence gathering that, for a time, included monitoring international phone calls made by U. The Bush administration also built international coalitions to seek out and destroy Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in Afghanistan, where the ruling Taliban government was said to be harboring Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Hundreds of prisoners were held there as enemy combatants, a classification given by the Bush administration that stated terror detainees were not protected by the Geneva Conventions. As a result, many were subject to enhanced interrogation techniques, which in the opinion of various international organizations, including the Red Cross, amounted to torture. In September, , the Bush administration announced that the United States would preemptively use military force if necessary to prevent threats to its national security by terrorists or "rogue states" especially any that possessed weapons of mass destruction.
Based on what would prove to be inaccurate intelligence reports, the Bush administration successfully obtained a UN Security Council resolution to return weapons inspectors to Iraq.
Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, fell on April 9, , and Bush personally declared an end to major combat operations on May 1, With a power vacuum in place, Iraq soon fell into a sectarian civil war. Bush ran for re-election. Though the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not going well, and his efforts in Social Security reform had met with great resistance, Bush's political core remained supportive, and he was able to win reelection over Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry in the November election.
During his second term, Bush pushed for immigration reform, which received criticism from many conservatives, and eased environmental regulations, which received criticism from many liberals. The Bush administration's poor response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans further pushed down his favorability rating.
In , as George W. Bush entered the final year of his presidency, the country faced enormous challenges. The United States was fighting two foreign wars, and the budget surplus left by the Clinton administration had transformed into a multi-trillion-dollar debt—the effects of military spending, tax cuts, and slow economic growth. In the early fall of , the country was hit with a severe credit crisis that sent the stock market into free fall and led to massive layoffs.
Bush left office in January, , leaving behind much unfinished business and low approval ratings. The country remained politically divided. Bush and his wife settled in Dallas, Texas, where he participated in the building of his presidential library and wrote his memoir "Decision Points.
After years of leading a relatively quiet life in Texas, Bush returned to the media spotlight in He was on hand for the opening of the George W. The other living former presidents, including Bill Clinton and Bush's own father, attended the event as did President Barack Obama. Bush joked that "There was a time in my life when I wasn't likely to be found at a library, much less found one," according to Fox News.
Speaking on a more serious note, Bush seemed to defend his time as president. Bush played up to his Texas roots through most of his political life. For both his supporters and detractors, it provided reasons for their support and criticism. For some, his folksy image and manner suggested he was "not ready for prime time," politically adept, but not a statesman at a time when the country need one. For others, he was perceived as a president of big ideas who eagerly embraced large visions and the risks involved.
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