Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush, was a U.S. Senator, and his father served as U.S. President from 1989 to 1993. His brother Jeb is a two-term governor of Florida. The Bush family has long-standing and strong involvement in the U.S. Republican Party.
Bush attended the 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.
After a close campaign, Al Gore greets President-elect Bush at the White House in late December of 2000.
As one of the most popular governors in the nation, Bush was seen in the media and the Republican Party as a strong potential contender for the U.S. presidential election in 2000. Bush had personally envisioned running for the presidency since his re-election, and upon announcing of his candidacy, he immediately became the Republican front-runner and raised the largest amount in campaign funds.
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 bias against Catholicism and a ban on interracial dating.
President George W. Bush, flanked by Treasury Secretary John Snow and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, addresses members of the Cabinet Monday, Jan. 30, 2006, in the Cabinet Room of the White House.
His appointment of former Senator John Ashcroft as Attorney General was intensely criticized by Democrats because of Ashcroft's opposition of abortion and support for social and religious conservative causes concerning gay rights and capital punishment. Despite this, Ashcroft was confirmed, and Bush was lauded by conservatives.
On his first day in office, Bush moved to block federal aid to foreign groups that offered counseling or any other assistance to women in obtaining abortions.
Public perceptions of Bush were reputedly of lacking interest in foreign affairs. However, the Bush Administration implemented major changes in U.S. foreign policy by withdrawing its participation in the 1998 Kyoto Protocol (although in 1998 the Senate vote to participate in the treaty was 0 for and 95 against) and the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia, in order to pursue national missile defense.In a speech to the U.S. Congress, Bush declared war on terrorist groups and nations supporting terrorism across the world, and specifically endorsing the overthrow of the Taliban regime of Afghanistan, which had been harboring training camps for Al-Qaeda militants. Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan, which resulted in the overthrow of the Taliban by the Northern Alliance with the help of U.S. special forces and bombing campaigns. Bush also backed secret programs to gather intelligence through the monitoring of bank funds and telephone records, and signed the USA Patriot Act, which gave law enforcement agencies increased powers. 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. However, upon facing vigorous opposition from several nations (primarily France and Germany), the U.S. dropped the bid for UN approval and began to prepare for war; Benjamin Ferenccz, a former chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials argued that for these actions Bush, with his Administration, could be prosecuted for war crimes;Bush commanded strong 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[1]. Bush outlined a 2004 agenda that included a strong commitment in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a renewal of the USA Patriot Act, making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, cutting the budget deficit in half, promoting education, tort reform social security and national tax reform. Bush emphasized family values, arguing for the preservation of the institution of marriage through the Federal Marriage Amendment. In most of his speeches, Bush also strongly stressed a vision and commitment for spreading freedom and democracy across the world.
Building a strong treasury of campaign funds, the campaign began running television and radio advertisement campaigns across the nation against Democratic candidates as well as Bush's emerging opponent, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. Kerry and Democrats attacked Bush on the USA Patriot Act and for allegedly failing to stimulate the economy and job growth, as well as controversies surrounding Bush's service in the National Guard. Bush emphasized his leadership in war and national security challenges, evoking the patriotism and passion aroused by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Bush campaign portrayed Kerry as a staunch liberal who would raise taxes and increase government control and attacked him for his opposition to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. The Bush campaign continuously criticized Kerry's allegedly contradictory statements on the war in Iraq, and claimed Kerry lacked decisiveness and a vision for success in the war on terrorism. Popular conservative politicians like Rudy Guiliani, John McCain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and conservative DemocratZell Miller campaigned actively for Bush, who traveled across the country delivering speeches at three to four different locations on most days. The campaign organized a large group of volunteers and focused its efforts on swing states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Bush carried 31 of 50 states for 286 Electoral College votes and collected the most popular votes ever (62,040,610 votes/50.7%), thanks to the highest voter turnout since 1968. This was the first time since 1988 that a President had received a popular majority and was the smallest margin of victory for a re-elected president in American history.
Bush sworn into his second term on January 20, 2005 by 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.
We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world...The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it....From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?
For his second term, Bush assembled what is regarded as one of the most diverse U.S. cabinets in history, with the appointments of the first Hispanic American U.S. Attorney General and Commerce Secretary, as well as making Condoleezza Rice the first African American woman to head the U.S. State Department. Bush retained Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld, whose dismissal had been demanded by many in the U.S. Congress. During a visit to the Republic of Georgia on May 10, 2005, there was an attempt to assassinate Bush by Vladimir Arutinian, whose live grenade failed to detonate after hitting a girl and landing in the large crowd 18.6 meters (61 feet) from the podium where he was delivering a speech. In 2006, Bush would replace long-time chief of staff Andrew Card with Joshua Bolten and undertake major staff and cabinet changes to re-vitalize his Administration.
President Bush began his second term by outlining a major initiative to reform Social Security, which was facing record deficit projections beginning in 2015. 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 "fifth 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 whim of the market. Bush embarked on a 60-day national tour, campaigning vigorously for his initiative in media events ("Conversations on Social Security")[2] in an unsuccessful attempt to gain support from the general public. Bush failed to convince the public that the Social Security program was in crisis[3], and he failed to generate political momentum for his inititiative in face of rising criticism of the plan, and concerns over the Iraq War and the budget deficit.
In 2006, Bush shifted focus to re-emphasize immediate and comprehensive immigration reform. Going beyond calls from Republicans and conservatives to secure the border, Bush demanded that Congress create a "temporary guest-worker program" to allow more than 12 million illegal immigrants to obtain legal status. Bush continues to argue that the lack of legal status denies the protections of U.S. laws to millions of people who face dangers of poverty and exploitation, and penalizes employers despite a demand for immigrant labor. On May 15, 2006, Bush proposed expanding "Basic Pilot," an online system to allow employers to easily confirm the eligibility of new hires; creating a new identification card for all foreign workers; and increasing penalties for businesses that violate immigration laws. Bush urged Congress to provide additional funding for border security, and deployed 6,000 National Guard troops to the United States-Mexico border.Bush takes tough talk on immigration to Texas, CNN, November 29, 2005
On July 19, 2006, Bush used the first veto of his presidency against the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. The bill would have granted federal funding to scientists engaging in stem cell research derived from discarded human embryos. The bill would have overridden the president's policy of only allowing federal funding of research on 21 stem cell lines that existed prior to 2001. [4]
In 2005-06, Bush emphasized the need for comprehensive energy reform and proposed increased funding for research and development of renewable sources of energy such as hydrogen power, nuclear power, ethanol and clean coal technologies. Bush has proposed the American Competitiveness Initiative which seeks to support increasing competitiveness of the U.S. economy, with greater development of advanced technologies, as well as greater education and support for American students.
Bush appointed First Lady Laura Bush to oversee an initiative to improve opportunities and education for inner-city boys.
On August 1, 2005, in response to a press question about the teaching of intelligent design versus evolution in public schools, Bush answered, "Both sides ought to be properly taught . . . so people can understand what the debate is about. . . . Bush said, "I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought."
Foreign media have often been critical of Bush's foreign policies.
Bush's approval ratings from February 2001 to June 2006. Large increases in approval followed the September 11 attacks and the beginning of the 2003 Iraq conflict. These numbers have since steadily decreased.
At the beginning of his first term, Bush was portrayed as lacking legitimacy, because he lost the popular vote. Although working with Democrats such as Ted Kennedy and Joseph Lieberman on major legislation, Bush has been criticized for squandering opportunities for uniting Americans across party lines. While routinely criticized by Democrats, Bush has also divided Republicans, American celebrities, sports and media personalities, many of whom have engaged in heated criticism of Bush. Activist and filmmaker Michael Moore's 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 accused Bush of using public sentiments following 9/11 for political purposes and lying about the case for war in Iraq. Apart from Russia, some countries in Eastern Europe and Israel, peoples across the world have negative views on Bush, who has been targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization campaigns, and criticized for his foreign policy. Bush's policies have also been subject to heated criticism in the 2002 elections in Germany and the 2006 elections in Canada.http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/realitycheck/americans.html Bush has been openly condemned by centrist and liberal politicians such as Gerhard Schroeder, Jean Chretien, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and Paul Martin. Diplomatic visits made by Bush have been characterized by small-scale as well as significant protests.
Bush has enjoyed strong support among Republicans and Americans holding conservative and pro-military views, and for the 2004 elections, 95-98% of Republicans approved of and voted for Bush, a figure exceeding the approval of Ronald Reagan. However, this support has waned, and even Republicans have begun criticizing Bush on his policies in Iraq, Iran and the Palestinian territories. [5] Bush has also enjoyed strong personal and working relationships with foreign leaders such as Tony Blair, John Howard, Junichiro Koizumi, Angela Merkel, Stephen Harper, and Ehud Olmert, as well as good rapport with Vladimir Putin and Vicente Fox. Here, also, tensions have arisen, such as the cooling of the relationship between Bush and Putin.[6] Privately, Bush has expressed regret at the effusiveness he displayed after his first meeting with Putin. "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy...I was able to get a sense of his soul."[7] San Diego Union Tribune July 21, 2006
