| George W. Bush | |
|---|---|
| |
| 43rd President of the United States | |
| Term of office January 20, 2001 - Present | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Vice President | Dick Cheney |
| Preceded by | Bill Clinton |
| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
| Born | July 6, 1946 New Haven, Connecticut |
| Spouse | Laura Bush |
| Religion | United Methodist |
George Walker Bush (born New Haven, Connecticut 1946) was the Governor of Texas (1996-2001) and has served as the Republican President of the United States of America since 2001. Campaigning on the notion that the United States should not be in the business of nation-building,[1] he won the office by a narrow margin in the decisive State of Florida. Legal challenges to the certified vote count went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000. Democratic contender Al Gore initially conceded defeat on the night of the election, but then contested the outcome for weeks until the Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore.
In 2004 Bush won reelection, helped in part by a 300,000 vote victory (5%) in the State of Florida, where the outcome had been so close in 2000 [2]. Democratic candidate John Kerry quickly conceded defeat the day after the election.
Foreign policy
George W. Bush has spent most of his Presidency focusing on foreign policy issues, namely the war on terror in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the USA. As part of the fight against terrorism, he received Congressional approval to invade the countries of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the military has successfully effected regime changes in those countries. He is now working to end the Iraqi insurgency and stabilize the region.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek and Libyan Socialist General Secretary Muammar Gaddafi in negotiations with Saddam Hussein relayed a message through Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush] that Saddam would be willing to avoid removal by force and voluntarily go into exile, provided Saddam was allowed to take $1 billion dollars and "all the information he wants about weapons of mass destruction." [3][4][5][6]
In a show down with Congressional Democrats after taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in the 2006 Congressional Midterm elections, Democrats retreated on their pledge to end the Iraq War early and bring the troops home. Democrats had threatened to withhold funding for the troops unless a date certain for withdrawal was set. After the final vote, 280-142 in the House and 80-14 in the Senate, the anti-War movement was defeated. The deal cut with Democratic leaders in exchange for their acquiescing to fund the troops calls for the President to sign legislation raising the minimum wage. [7] One commentator remarked, "Despite all the talk of standing up to George W. Bush, despite all the bravado about taking control of Congress, despite the so-called mandate to change direction, Democrats caved....They claim that the majority of Americans are with them on the Iraq issue, but...President Bush, at the weakest moment of his presidency, still bested his Democratic rivals." [8]
Economic issues
Though the liberal media continues to disparage Bush's handling of the economy, they neglect to report all aspects of the economy are at historically high levels. This is partially due to changes in the stock market that lead to a record high in 2007. Corporations show profits growing by double digits growth.[9] Even the working class is benefiting from the Bush economy, as unemployment hits an all time low in March 2007.[10] Bush worked with Democrats to raise the minimum wage to a more livable level.[11] Tax policies have been favorable to reducing the Capital Gains Tax, with a subsequent surge in investment.
Family
George W. Bush is the son of George H. W. Bush, who served as vice-president from 1981 to 1989 and as president from 1989 to 1993, and Barbara Bush. President Bush is married to Laura Welch Bush, a former teacher and librarian, and they have twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, Neil Bush and Marvin Bush are his brothers. Dorothy Bush Koch is his only surviving sister, as Pauline Robinson Bush died at age four of leukemia.
Faith
George W. Bush is a member of the United Methodist Church, and most people feel that George W. Bush's faith is sincere and profound. The Faith of George W. Bush, a non-political book by author Stephen Strang, made the New York Times best-sellers list. [12] When asked where he would be without the influence of family friend Billy Graham, George W. Bush said "I wouldn't be president." "It was just a conversation," said the younger Bush about a talk with Graham in the mid-'80s that changed his life. During the pivotal conversation Bush recalled saying, "'You know, Billy, I'm longing for something.' And I know that he sent me a Bible I still have. All I can tell you is that as a result of being inspired by Billy Graham, I started reading the Bible and shortly after, I quit drinking." [13]
Polls
When President George W. Bush entered office, his popularity rating was near 50%. However, after the September 11 attacks, his popularity rose significantly. Since, then, though, it declined as some of his policies including the war in Iraq have become unpopular. [14] Recently, he reached the lowest popularity levels of any president in history, passing both Jimmy Carter, an extremely unpopular Democrat president, and Richard Nixon, who was disliked severely for his involvement in the Watergate scandal.[Citation Needed]
See Also
References
- ↑ http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/debates/transcripts/u221003.html
- ↑ Florida Election Records, Florida Dept. of State
- ↑ Saddam Risked His Life for WMD Secrets, WeeklyStandard.com. September 29, 2007.
- ↑ Scoop for Spanish Daily: Transcript of Private 2003 Bush Talk Promising Iraq Invasion, Editor & Publisher, September 26, 2007.
- ↑ Report Says Hussein Was Open To Exile Before 2003 Invasion, He Is Said to Have Sought $1 Billion and Information on Arms, By Karen DeYoung and Michael Abramowitz, Washington Post, September 27, 2007; Page A17.
- ↑ Llegó el momento de deshacerse de Sadam, El Pais, 26/09/2007. (In Spanish).
- ↑ Congress OKs war bill sans time-line, By S.A. Miller, The Washington Times, May 25, 2007.
- ↑ Democrats Show True Colors, Tony Phyrillas, New Media journal, May 29, 2007,
- ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/us/2006-05-08-mart-usat_x.htm
- ↑ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/economy
- ↑ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/20/AR2006122001784.html
- ↑ http://www.christianlifemissions.org/ministries/georgewbush.htm
- ↑ Billy Graham and the White House [1]
- ↑ Historical Bush Approval Ratings from University of Minnesota [2]
| |||||