George W. Bush
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226174581
2008-07-17T04:17:32Z
Inetpup
3004311
/* Public views and perception */ [[George W. Bush Sewage Plant]] - thoroughly vetted on [[Talk:George W. Bush]] - agreed by [[User:Jc-S0CO]] and [[User:BenBurch]]
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{otherpeople2|George Bush}}
{{Infobox President
| name = George Walker Bush
| image = George-W-Bush.jpeg
| order = 43rd
| office = President of the United States
| term_start = [[January 20]], [[2001]]
| term_end =
| vicepresident = [[Dick Cheney]]
| predecessor = [[Bill Clinton]]
| order2 = 46th
| office2 = Governor of Texas
| term_start2 = [[January 17]], [[1995]]
| term_end2 = [[December 21]], [[2000]]
| lieutenant2 = [[Bob Bullock]] (1995 – 1999)<br />[[Rick Perry]] (1999 – 2000)
| predecessor2 = [[Ann Richards]]
| successor2 = [[Rick Perry]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|7|6}}
| birth_place = [[New Haven, Connecticut]]
| nationality = [[United States|American]]
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse = [[Laura Bush]]
| children = [[Barbara Pierce Bush]] and [[Jenna Bush|Jenna Welch Hager]]
| occupation = [[Businessperson|Businessman]] ([[Petroleum industry|oil]], [[baseball]])
| alma_mater = [[Yale University]]<br />[[Harvard Business School]]
| residence = [[White House]] (official)<br />[[Crawford, Texas|Crawford]], [[Texas]] (private)
| religion = [[United Methodist Church|United Methodist]]<ref name="um">{{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 = [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news
| last = Cooperman
| first = Alan
| title = Openly Religious, to a Point
| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A24634-2004Sep15?language=printer
| work = The Washington Post
| date = [[2004-09-15]]
| accessdate = 2007-09-22
}}</ref>
| net worth = $8–21 million ([[United States Dollar|USD]])<ref>{{Cite news
| last = Kakutani
| first = Michiko
| title = Bush Profiled: Big Ideas, Tiny Details
| url =
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/05/books/05kaku.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/R/Rumsfeld,%20Donald%20H.&pagewanted=print
| work = The New York Times
| date = [[2007-09-05]]
| accessdate = 2007-02-27
}}</ref>
| signature = GeorgeWBush Signature.svg
| website = [http://www.whitehouse.gov/ The White House]
| footnotes =
| branch = [[Texas Air National Guard]]
| serviceyears=1968 – 1973
| rank =[[First Lieutenant]]
}}
'''George Walker Bush''' ({{Audio-IPA|lang=US English|En-us-George Walker Bush.ogg|/ˈdʒɔɹdʒ ˈwɑkɚ ˈbʊʃ/}}; born [[July 6]], [[1946]]) is the forty-third and current [[President of the United States|President of the United States of America]]. He served as the forty-sixth [[List of Governors of Texas|Governor of Texas]] from 1995 to 2000 and is the eldest son of former American President [[George H. W. Bush|George Herbert Walker Bush]] and [[Barbara Bush]]. He was inaugurated as President on [[January 20]], [[2001]] and his current term is scheduled to end on [[January 20]], [[2009]].<ref>See [[Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Section 1 of the Twentieth Amendment]]</ref>
After graduating from college, Bush worked in his [[Bush family|family's]] oil businesses. He made an unsuccessful run for the [[United States House of Representatives]] in 1978. He co-owned the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] [[baseball]] team before defeating [[Ann Richards]] to become Governor of Texas in 1994. In a [[United States presidential election, 2000|close and controversial election]], Bush was elected to the Presidency in 2000 as the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate, receiving a majority of the [[Electoral College (United States)|electoral vote]], but losing the popular vote.
Bush signed into law a [[United States dollar|$]]1.35 trillion [[tax cut]] program in 2001.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/06/07/bush.taxes/|work=CNN|title=$1.35 trillion tax cut becomes law|date=[[June 7]] [[2001]]|accessdate=2007-10-21}}.</ref> After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11 terrorist attacks]], Bush ordered an [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|invasion of Afghanistan]] and in October 2001 announced a global [[War on Terrorism]] in order to overthrow the [[Taliban]], destroy [[Al-Qaeda]], and to capture [[Osama bin Laden]]. Bush signed the [[No Child Left Behind Act]] in 2002. In March 2003, Bush and the [[United States Congress|Congress]] asserted Iraq was in possession of [[weapons of mass destruction]] and ordered the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030319-1.html|title=March 18, 2003 Presidential Letter|publisher=The White House|accessdate=2006-05-25|date=[[March 19]] [[2003]]}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030205-1.html|date=[[February 5]], [[2003]]|title=U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Addresses the U.N. Security Council|first=Colin|last=Powell|publisher=The White House|accessdate=2006-05-25}}</ref> Aboard the flight deck of the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Abraham Lincoln|CVN-72|6}} on [[May 1]], [[2003]], Bush gave the [[Mission Accomplished]] speech, proclaiming, "in the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/05/20030501-15.html|title=President Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended|publisher=The White House|accessdate=2008-05-11|date=[[May 1]] [[2003]]}}</ref>
Bush ran for re-election against the Democratic Party's nominee, [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[John Kerry]] in 2004. Kerry debated Bush's handling of the Iraq War and domestic issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004d.html|date=[[October 13]] [[2004]]|title=Transcript of the third Bush-Kerry Presidential debate}}; 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> Bush was [[United States presidential election, 2004|re-elected]] on [[November 2]], [[2004]] garnering 50.7% of the popular vote to his opponent's 48.3%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=2004|date=[[2005]]|title=2004 Presidential General Election Results|accessdate=2008-05-11}}</ref>
After his re-election, Bush received increasingly heated [[Criticism of George W. Bush|criticism]] and began losing support from his Republican base largely due to his stance on illegal immigration and government spending.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12643666/|title=Republican right abandoning Bush|date=[[May 5]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2008-05-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=40D3433B-3048-5C12-00051A3BF2F9403A|title=Republican candidates begin snubbing Bush|date=[[June 20]], [[2007]]|author=David Paul Kuhn and Jonathan Martin|publisher=Politico|accessdate=2008-05-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184608,00.html|title=Illegal Immigration, Unchecked Spending Siphon Conservatives From GOP Base|publisher=FOXNews.com|author=Kelley Beaucar Vlahos|date=[[February 13]], [[2006]]|accessdate=2008-05-11}}</ref> During his two terms he has had both the highest and the lowest domestic [[Gallup poll]] [[United States Presidential approval rating|approval rating]]s of American Presidents, ranging from around 90% immediately after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], to 28% in [[June]] [[2008]].<ref>[http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm Bush: Job Ratings]</ref><ref>Gallup reported a high of 90% and a low of 28%: {{cite news|url= http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080422/a_pollbox22.art.htm|accessdate=2008-04-22|work=USA Today|date=[[22 April]] [[2008]]|title=USAT/Gallup Poll: Bush approval rating lowest recorded by Gallup}}; Some polls in late February and early March 2008 reported ratings in the low 30s: [http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm ''Polling Report''] and [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/archive/?poll_id=19 ''Real Clear Politics]; One poll reported a rating of only 24%: [http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1624620720071017?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews Reuters/Zogby], and one found only 19%: [http://americanresearchgroup.com/economy/ American Research Group]</ref> Worldwide opinions of Bush are widely less favorable<ref name=globescan>''For example'': http://www.globescan.com/news_archives/bbcpoll.html Globe Scan poll] for the [[Program on International Policy Attitudes]]</ref> with the exception of the sub-saharan region of Africa.<ref>[http://www.gallup.com/poll/106306/US-Leadership-Approval-Highest-SubSaharan-Africa.aspx U.S. Leadership Approval Highest in Sub-Saharan Africa]</ref>
{{TOClimit|limit=3}}
==Childhood to mid-life==
{{main|Early life of George W. Bush|Professional life of George W. Bush}}
Born in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], [[Connecticut]] on [[July 6]], [[1946]], Bush was the first child of [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[Barbara Bush]] (born Pierce). He was raised in [[Midland, Texas|Midland]] and [[Houston, Texas]], with his four siblings, [[Jeb Bush|Jeb]], [[Neil Bush|Neil]], [[Marvin P. Bush|Marvin]], and [[Dorothy Bush Koch|Dorothy]]. Another younger sister, [[Robin Bush|Robin]], died from [[leukemia]] at the age of three in 1953.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.famoustexans.com/georgewbush.htm | title = George Walker Bush | accessdate = 2006-06-27 |date= [[February 3]] [[2005]] | work = Famous Texans }}</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.
During his 2000 presidential campaign, ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' magazine and ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that Bush, as a child, was not accepted for admission by [[St. John's School (Texas)|St. John's School]] in [[Houston, Texas]], a prestigious private school.<ref name=VanitySchool>{{cite web |url=http://www.gailsheehy.com/Politics/polimain_bush3.html |title=The Accidental Candidate |author=Gail Sheehy |accessdate=2008-05-01 |date=October 2000 |publisher=Vanity Fair}}</ref> In the two years following, Bush attended [[The Kinkaid School]], the private school from which St. John's had broken away.<ref name=VanitySchool/> Ironically, Bush, then the [[Governor of Texas]], served as the commencement speaker at St. John's Academy in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40090/tsl-40090.html |title=An Inventory of Press Office Speech Files at the Texas State Archives, 1986, 1989-2000, undated (bulk 1995-2000) |accessdate=2008-05-01 |publisher=Texas State Library and Archives Commission}}</ref>
Bush attended the all-boys school [[Phillips Academy]] in [[Andover, Massachusetts]], where he played baseball and during his senior year was the head cheerleader.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/democracy/bush/stories/bush/
| title = George W. Bush: Living the Bush Legacy | accessdate = 2007-03-18 | date = [[October 29]] [[2000]] | work = CNN}}; {{cite web |url = http://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/061000wh-bush.html
|title = George W. Bush's Journey ''The Cheerleader'': Earning A's in People Skills at Andover |author = [[Nicholas D. Kristof]]
|work= The New York Times |date = [[June 10]] [[2000]] |accessdate = 2007-06-23}}</ref> Following in his father's footsteps, Bush attended [[Yale University]], where he received a [[Bachelor's degree]] in history in 1968.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/biography.html |title=Biography of President George W. Bush |accessdate=2007-07-10 |publisher=The White House}}</ref> As a college senior, Bush became a member of the secretive [[Skull and Bones]] society, although, by his own characterization, he 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 |work= Fox News Channel
|date= [[May 21]] [[2001]] |accessdate = 2006-06-27
}}; {{cite news |work= Inside Politics |url = http://www.insidepolitics.org/heard/heard32300.html |title = Bush/Gore Grades and SAT Scores |date=[[June 17]] [[2005]] |accessdate = 2007-07-05}}</ref>
===Texas Air National Guard===
[[Image:GW-Bush-in-uniform.jpg|right|thumb|Lt. George W. Bush while in the Texas Air National Guard]]
At the height of the [[Vietnam War]], Bush was accepted into the Texas [[Air National Guard]] in May 1968, despite scoring the lowest acceptable passing grade on the pilot's written aptitude test.<ref name=wpbushguardquestion>{{cite news |url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A7372-2004Feb2?language=printer|title = Bush's Guard Service In Question |accessdate = 2007-07-03|last = Romano |first = Lois |date =[[February 3]] [[2004]] |work= The Washington Post |pages = p. A08}}</ref><ref name=USDoDbushrecords>{{cite news |publisher= Department of Defense |url = http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/bush_records/index.html |title = Official DoD service records of Texas Air National Guard member George Walker Bush |date=[[June 17]] [[2005]] |accessdate = 2007-07-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| format=PDF |url= http://www.icodap.org/papers/AFHRL/AFHRL-TR-69-103.pdf |publisher= The Innovation Center for Occupational Data, Applications and Practices |title=Interpretation and Utilization of Scores on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test}}</ref> This was at a time when more than ten thousand Air National Guard personnel, many fighter pilots, were called to active duty to serve in Vietnam.<ref>{{cite web | publisher=United States Air Force, National Guard Bureau Historical Services Division | title =Vietnam War | url =http://www.ang.af.mil/history/Heritage/VietnamWar.asp | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061004105434/http://www.ang.af.mil/history/Heritage/VietnamWar.asp | archivedate=2006-10-04 | accessdate =2007-08-08}}</ref> 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.nationalreview.com/flashback/york200408261025.asp |title = The Facts about Bush and the National Guard |work= National Review Online |date=[[August 26]] [[2004]] |accessdate = 2007-10-19}}</ref> [[George W. Bush military service controversy|Critics allege]] Bush was favorably treated because of his father's political standing, citing his lack of combat service and his irregular attendance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7372-2004Feb2.html |title=Bush's Guard Service In Question |accessdate=2008-05-01 |date=2004-02-03 |author=Lois Romano |publisher=Washington Post}}</ref> The [[United States Department of Defense]] released all the records of Bush's Texas Air National Guard service, which remain in its official archives.<ref name=USDoDbushrecords /> Though not accepted to the [[University of Texas School of Law]] in 1970,<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2000/bush/cron.html | work= PBS - Frontline | title = Bush Chronology | accessdate = 2007-10-28}}</ref> he accepted a transfer to the [[Alabama]] Air National Guard in 1972 to work on a Republican senate campaign, and in October 1973 he was discharged from the Texas Air National Guard, almost eight months early without being called to active duty to serve in Vietnam, to attend [[Harvard Business School]].{{fact|date=July 2008}} While at Harvard, Bush completed his six-year service obligation in the inactive reserve.<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=[[2004-07-09]] | language=English }}</ref>
During this time Bush had [[George W. Bush substance abuse controversy|multiple accounts of substance abuse]].<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 |work= The Washington Post |date=[[July 25]] [[1999]] |accessdate = 2006-06-27}}</ref> In one instance, Bush was arrested near his family's summer home in [[Kennebunkport, Maine|Kennebunkport]], [[Maine]] for [[Drunk driving (United States)|driving under the influence]] of alcohol at the age of thirty on [[September 4]], [[1976]]. He pled guilty, was fined [[United States dollar|US$]]150, and had his Maine [[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=[[November 2]] [[2000]]| publisher= Department of the [[Secretary of State of Maine]]}}; {{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=[[November 13]] [[2000]] | work = Time Magazine}}</ref> Bush then attended [[Harvard University]], where he earned his [[Master of Business Administration|MBA]],<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.americanthinker.com/2004/02/gwb_hbs_mba.html| title = GWB: HBS MBA| accessdate = 2006-10-16| publisher= The American Thinker}}</ref> and entered the [[Petroleum industry|oil industry]] in Texas not long afterward.
==Marriage and family==
[[Image:Bush daughers.gif|thumb|right|George and Laura Bush with their daughters Jenna and Barbara, 1990]]
In 1977, he was introduced by friends at a backyard barbecue to [[Laura Bush|Laura Welch]], a schoolteacher and librarian. Bush proposed to her after a three-month courtship and they were married on [[November 5]] of that year.<ref name="readherlips">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/bush/profile.html|title=Read her lips: Literacy efforts on first lady's agenda|date=[[April 8]], [[2001]]|accessdate=2008-05-25|publisher=CNN}}</ref> The couple settled in [[Midland, Texas]]. Bush left his family's [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal Church]] to join his wife's [[United Methodist Church]].<ref name="um" /> In 1981, Laura Bush gave birth to twin daughters, [[Jenna Bush|Jenna]] and [[Barbara Pierce Bush|Barbara]];<ref name="readherlips"/> they graduated from high school in 2000 and from the [[University of Texas at Austin]] and [[Yale University]], respectively, in 2004.
Bush gave up [[alcoholic beverage|alcohol]] in 1986 and credits his wife with convincing him to stop drinking.{{fact|date=July 2008}} She is also credited with possessing a stabilizing effect on his private life.<ref name="readherlips"/> While Governor of Texas, Bush said of his wife, "I saw an elegant beautiful woman who turned out not only to be elegant and beautiful, but very smart and willing to put up with my rough edges, and I must confess has smoothed them off over time."<ref name="readherlips"/>
==Early career==
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]]. His opponent, [[Kent Hance]], portrayed him as being out of touch with rural Texans; Bush lost the election by 6,000 votes.<ref name= NewsMine>{{cite news |url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991017/aponline114059_000.htm
|title = Bush Wasn't Always a Front-Runner |work=The Washington Post |date=[[October 17]] [[1999]] |accessdate = 2007-04-07}}</ref> He 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=[[July 4]] [[2001]] | issue=33 | language=English | id=ISSN: 03604217 |pages=1042 }}</ref> [[Spectrum 7]], and, later, [[Harken Energy]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Carlisle, John K |title=George Soros's Plan to Defeat George Bush | work=Human Events |date=[[January 3]] [[2004]]}}</ref> These ventures suffered under his management 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, though the [[United States Securities and Exchange Commission|Securities and Exchange Commission]]'s (SEC) investigation of Bush concluded that 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 |work=The Washington Post |date=[[July 21]] [[2002]] |accessdate = 2007-01-02}}</ref>
To work on his father's campaign for the U.S. presidency Bush moved his family to [[Washington, D.C.]] in 1988.<ref>{{cite book |last= Bush |first= George W. |authorlink= |coauthors= Bill Adler | title= The Quotable George W. Bush: A Portrait in His Own Words |publisher= Andrews McMeel Publishing |date= 2004 |isbn= 978-0-7407-4154-8 }}; {{cite news |work= PBS |url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/choice2000/bush/wead.html
|title = George W. Bush and the religious right in the 1988 campaign of George H.W. Bush |date=[[June 17]] [[2005]] |accessdate = 2007-07-05}}</ref> Returning to Texas after the successful campaign, he purchased a share in the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] baseball franchise in April 1989, where he served as managing general partner 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=[[November 1]] [[1999]] |accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref> He 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> The sale of Bush's shares in the Rangers in 1998 brought him over US$15 million from his initial US$800,000 investment.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.makethemaccountable.com/tax/BushTaxes1998.pdf
|title = 1998 Tax return |format=PDF |accessdate = 2007-01-21}}</ref>
==Campaigns==
===Governor of Texas===
{{main|George W. Bush as Governor of Texas}}
[[Image:George H. W. Bush, Laura Bush, George W. Bush 1997.jpg|thumb|right|Governor Bush with wife, Laura, and father, former President [[George H. W. Bush]] at the dedication of the [[George Bush Presidential Library]], November 1997]]
As Bush's brother [[Jeb Bush|Jeb]] sought the governorship of [[Florida]], Bush declared his candidacy for the 1994 Texas [[gubernatorial]] election. Winning the Republican primary easily, Bush faced popular Democrat incumbent Governor [[Ann Richards]].
Bush's campaign advisers were [[Karen Hughes]], [[Joe Allbaugh]], and [[Karl Rove]].
Richards vetoed a bill allowing Texans to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons. Bush pledged to sign it (after he won the election, did so.)<ref name="concealed carry">{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/08/11/gun/index1.html|work=Salon News|title=Guns and Money}}</ref> Following his debates with Richards, his popularity grew; he won the general election with 52 percent against Richards' 47 percent.<ref name="SlaterBrain">{{cite book|last=Wayne Slater|first=James Moore|year=2003|title=Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential|publisher=Wiley|isbn=978-0-471-42327-0|pages=p.210 }}</ref>
Bush used a budget surplus to push through Texas's largest ever tax-cut of two billion dollars.<ref name="SlaterBrain" />
Bush extended government funding for organizations providing education, alcohol and drug use and abuse prevention, and reduction of domestic violence, so long as [[White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives|those organizations are religious]]. He proclaimed [[June 10]] [[2000]] to be [[Jesus Day]] in Texas, a day on which 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 proclamation|accessdate=2006-06-30|date=[[March 17]] [[2000]]|format=JPEG}}</ref>
In 1998, Bush won re-election with nearly 69 percent of the vote.<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|work=CNN|date=[[November 3]] [[1998]]|accessdate=2006-06-30}}</ref> Within a year, he had decided to seek the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nomination for the presidency.
===2000 Presidential candidacy===
{{main|United States presidential election, 2000}}
In 2000, Bush sought his own bid for President of the United States while still Governor of Texas.
====Primary====
With no incumbent running, Bush entered a large field of candidates for the Republican Party presidential nomination including [[Elizabeth Dole]], [[John McCain]], [[Steve Forbes]], [[Dan Quayle]], [[Pat Buchanan]], [[Lamar Alexander]], and others.
Although Bush won the [[Iowa caucuses]] and was heavily favored to win the [[New Hampshire primary]], traditionally the first primary held, he trailed John McCain by 19% of the voters in the primary.<ref>http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/03/21/the_anatomy_of_a_smear_campaign/</ref>
However, the Bush campaign regained momentum and, according to political observers, effectively became the front runner after the [[South Carolina primary]], an early primary.<ref>http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/17/nation/na-mccain17</ref> The South Carolina campaign was controversial for the use of telephone poll questions phrased negatively toward McCain. <ref>http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/03/21/the_anatomy_of_a_smear_campaign/</ref>
====General election====
On [[July 25]] [[2000]], Bush surprised some observers by asking the [[Halliburton]] corporation's chief executive officer [[Dick Cheney]], a former [[White House Chief of Staff]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]], and [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]], to be his Vice Presidential [[running mate]]. Cheney was then serving as head of Bush's Vice-Presidential search committee.
While stressing his successful record as governor of Texas, Bush's campaign criticized<ref>{{cite news|author=Sack, Kevin and Toner, Robin|date=[[August 13]] [[2000]]|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E5DF133FF930A2575BC0A9669C8B63&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=1|title=The 2000 Campaign: The Record; In Congress, Gore Selected Issues Ready for Prime Time|work=The New York Times|accessdate=2007-07-20}}</ref> the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President [[Al Gore]], over [[gun politics|gun control]] and taxation.
Bush controversially won the [[United States presidential election in Florida, 2000|2000 election]]. The closeness of the outcome, as well as reports of votes being miscounted, led to a recount in Florida. Two initial counts went to Bush, but that outcome was tied up in courts for a month until reaching the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]]. On [[December 9]], in the ''[[Bush v. Gore]]'' case, the Court reversed a Florida Supreme Court ruling ordering a third count, and stopped an ordered statewide hand recount based on the argument that the use of different standards among Florida's counties violated the [[Equal Protection Clause]] of the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]]. The machine recount stated that Bush had won the Florida vote by a margin of 537 votes out of six million cast.<ref name=2000results>{{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> The famous episode pushed terms such as "[[chad (paper)|hanging chad]]" into the popular lexicon.
Bush received 271 [[United States Electoral College|electoral votes]] to Gore's 266.<ref>Gore would have received 267 electoral votes, but a DC elector abstained</ref> However, he lost the popular vote by more than half a million votes,<ref name=2000results/> making him one of a handful of presidents elected without at least a [[plurality]] of the popular vote.
===2004 Presidential candidacy===
{{main|United States presidential election, 2004}}
[[Image:Bush 43 10-19-04 Stpete.jpg|thumb|right|George W. Bush speaks at a campaign rally in 2004.]]
Bush commanded broad support in the Republican Party and did not encounter a primary challenge. Senator [[Lincoln Chafee]] of [[Rhode Island]], a liberal Republican who later refused to vote for Bush in 2004, considered challenging Bush for renomination in the [[New Hampshire primary]] on an anti-war platform. In his autobiography, ''Against the Tide'' (2007), Chafee states that 'In the fall of 2003, part of me thought it was cowardly to oppose the president on so many issues and then not oppose him head-on as he sought renomination.' However, he decided not to run after the capture of [[Saddam Hussein]] on [[December 13]], [[2003]]. <ref>Lincoln Chafee, ''Against the Tide'' (2007), p.119-120 </ref> Bush otherwise won every primary without serious opposition.
He appointed [[Kenneth Mehlman]] as campaign manager, with a political strategy devised by 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=[[August 1]] [[2004]]|work=NewsHour with Jim Lehrer|publisher=PBS}}</ref> Bush outlined an agenda that included a strong commitment to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a renewal of the [[USA PATRIOT Act]], making earlier tax cuts permanent, cutting the budget deficit in half, promoting education, as well as reform in tort law, reforming Social Security, and creation of an [[ownership society]].
The Bush campaign advertised across the U.S. against Democratic candidates, including Bush's emerging opponent, [[Massachusetts]] Senator [[John Kerry]]. Kerry and other Democrats attacked Bush on the war in Iraq, perceived excesses of the USA PATRIOT Act and for allegedly failing to stimulate the economy and job growth. The Bush campaign portrayed Kerry as a staunch [[American liberalism|liberal]] who would raise taxes and increase the size of government. The Bush campaign continuously criticized Kerry's seemingly 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.
Bush won an absolute majority of the popular vote (50.7% to his opponent's 48.3%).<ref name="16 years">{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/nov/04/uselections2004.usa16|title=And now … four more years|accessdate=2007-05-25|date=[[November 4]] [[2004]]|work=The Guardian}}</ref> The last president to win an absolute majority(>50%) (as opposed to a plurality, meaning "the most votes" but under 50%) of the popular vote had been Bush's father in the 1988 election. In addition, it was the first time since [[Herbert Hoover]]'s election in [[United States presidential election, 1928|1928]] that a Republican president was elected alongside re-elected Republican congressional majorities in both houses. Bush's 2.5% margin of victory was the narrowest for a victorious incumbent President up for re-election since [[Woodrow Wilson]]'s 3.1% margin of victory against [[Charles Evans Hughes]] in the [[United States presidential election, 1916|1916]] contest.
==Presidency==
{{main|Presidency of George W. Bush|George W. Bush's first term as President of the United States|George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States|George W. Bush Cabinet}}
{{GW Bush cabinet infobox}}
===Domestic policy===
{{main|Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration}}
====Economic policy====
{{main|Economic policy of the George W. Bush administration}}
Facing opposition in the Congress, Bush held town hall-style public meetings across the U.S. in 2001 to increase public support for his plan for a US$1.35 trillion [[tax cut]] program — one of the largest tax cuts in U.S. history. 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.<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 |work= CNN InsidePolitics archives |date=[[June 7]] [[2001]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref> Others, including the Treasury Secretary at the time [[Paul O'Neill (cabinet member)|Paul O'Neill]], were opposed to some of the tax cuts on the basis that they would contribute to budget deficits and undermine [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]].<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5510.htm |title = CBS Interviews Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill |accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref>
Under the Bush Administration, real [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] has grown at an average annual rate of 2.5 percent,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bea.gov/national/xls/gdpchg.xls |title = Gross Domestic Product |publisher = Bureau of Economic Analysis |accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref> considerably below the average for business cycles from 1949 to 2000.<ref name="Price">{{cite web |url= http://www.epi.org/briefingpapers/168/bp168.pdf |format=PDF |author=Price, L| date=[[October 25]] [[2005]] |title=The Boom That Wasn’t: The economy has little to show for $860 billion in tax cuts. |accessdate=2007-11-10}}</ref><ref name="Price & Ratner">{{cite web |url= http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots_20051026 |author=Price, L., Ratner, D |date=[[October 26]] [[2005]] |title=Economy pays price for Bush’s tax cuts. |accessdate=2007-11-10}}</ref> The Dow Jones Industrial Average has grown by about 30 percent since January 2001.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=%5EDJI |title=Historical Prices for Dow Jones Industrial Average |publisher=Yahoo! Finance}}</ref> [[Unemployment]] originally rose from 4.2 percent in January 2001 to 6.3 percent in June 2003, but subsequently dropped to 4.5 percent in July 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cpsatab1.htm |title = Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey |publisher = [[United States Department of Labor]] |accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref> Inflation-adjusted [[median household income]] has been flat while the nation's poverty rate has increased.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p60-231.pdf |format=PDF |title= Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2005 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-07-25}}</ref> By August 2007, the national debt had risen to US$8.98 trillion dollars, an increase of over 70% from the start of the year 2000 when the debt was 5.6 trillion dollars. <ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cbo.gov/budget/historical.pdf |format=PDF |archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20070628072448/http://www.cbo.gov/budget/historical.pdf |archivedate=2007-06-28 |title=Revenues, Outlays, Surpluses, Deficits, and Debt Held by the Public, 1962 to 2006 |publisher= [[Congressional Budget Office]] |accessdate=2007-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/sep/02/spending-and-the-national-debt/ | archiveurl = http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/sep/02/spending-and-the-national-debt/ | title= Spending and the National Debt | accessdate=2007-06-25}}</ref>
A survey done by the [[American Research Group]] showed that as of April 2008, 22% of Americans approved of President Bush's effect on the economy. The perception of President Bush's effect on the economy, however, is significantly affected by [[partisan (political)|partisanship]] with 67% of Republicans and 1% of Democrats approving of his performance.<ref>[http://americanresearchgroup.com/economy/ American Research Group's survey]</ref>
Another significant part of the Bush economic plan was the [[Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act]] of 2005.
====Education and health====
Since entering office, President Bush has undertaken a number of educational priorities. He 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. Funding for the NIH was cut in 2006, the first such cut in 36 years, due to rising inflation.<ref>{{cite news |author = [[Committee on Appropriations]] —Democratic Staff |title = President Bush and House Republicans Undermine Life Saving Health Research |publisher = United States House of Representatives |date=[[September 12]] [[2006]] |accessdate = 2006-10-11}}</ref>
[[Image:No Child Left Behind Act.jpg|thumb|left|Bush signs the [[No Child Left Behind Act]] into law, January 2002]]
One of the administration's early major initiatives was the "[[No Child Left Behind Act]]", which aimed to measure and close the gap between rich and poor student performance, provide options to parents with students in low-performing schools, and target more federal funding to low-income [[schools]]. This landmark education initiative was signed into law by President Bush in early 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020108-1.html|title=President Signs Landmark No Child Left Behind Education Bill|date=[[January 8]], [[2002]]|publisher=The White House|accessdate=2008-05-30}}</ref> Many contend that the initiative has been successful, as cited by the fact that students in the U.S. have performed significantly better on state reading and math tests since Bush signed "No Child Left Behind" into law.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/05/AR2007060502684.html|title=Scores Up Since 'No Child' Was Signed|accessdate=2008-05-30|date=[[June 6]], [[2007]]|work=The Washington Post|author=Paley, Amit R}}</ref> Critics argue that it is underfunded<ref>{{cite news |author = W. James Antle III |url = http://www.amconmag.com/2005_08_01/article.html |title = Leaving No Child Left Behind |work= The American Conservative |date=[[August 1]] [[2005]] |accessdate = 2006-10-11}}</ref> and that NCLBA's focus on "high stakes testing" and quantitative outcomes is counterproductive.<ref>{{cite news |author = [[Harvard Graduate School of Education]] |url = http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/features/pierce07012002.html |title = No Child Left Behind? |work= HGSE News |date=[[June 1]] [[2002]] |accessdate = 2006-10-11}}; {{cite book |title=Raising Standards or Raising Barriers? |author=Edited by Gary Orfield and Mindy L. Kornhaber |publisher=The Century Foundation Press |date=[[May 1]] [[2001]]}}</ref>
In 2007, Bush opposed and vetoed [[State Children's Health Insurance Program]] (SCHIP) legislation which was added by the Democrats onto a war funding bill and passed by Congress. The SCHIP legislation would have significantly expanded federally-funded health care benefits and plans to children of some low-income families from about 6 million to 10 million children. It was to be funded by an increase in the cigarette tax.<ref>{{cite news |author = Michael Abramowitz and Jonathan Weisman |url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/03/AR2007100300116.html?hpid=topnews |title = Bush Vetoes Health Measure |work=The Washington Post |date=[[October 4]] [[2007]] |accessdate = 2007-10-09}}</ref> Bush viewed the legislation as a move toward the liberal platform of socialized health care, and claimed that the program could benefit families making as much as US$83,000 per year who would not have otherwise needed the help.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/washington/04bush.html?hp|title = Bush Vetoes Child Health Bill Privately |work= The New York Times |date=[[October 4]] [[2007]] |accessdate = 2007-11-01}}</ref>
====Social services and Social Security====
Bush promoted increased deregulation 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 retired persons lobby 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 web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031208-2.html|title=President Signs Medicare Legislation|publisher=The White House|date=[[December 8]] [[2003]]|accessdate=2006-06-30}}</ref>
[[Image:George W. Bush speaks at Coast Guard commencement.jpg|thumb|left|President Bush speaks at the [[United States Coast Guard]] Academy [[graduation|commencement]], May 2007]]
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 news|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=[[February 12]] [[2005]]|work=The Washington Post}}</ref> Despite energetic campaign by Bush to promote his Social Security reform plan, by May 2005 the public support for the Bush proposal declined substantially<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f944a850-b830-11d9-bc7c-00000e2511c8,_i_rssPage=80fdaff6-cbe5-11d7-81c6-0820abe49a01.html|title =Bush shifts approach on Social Security reform|accessdate= 2007-09-09|date=[[April 28]] [[2005]]|work=The Financial Times}}</ref> and the House GOP leadership decided not to put Social Security reform on the priority list for the remainder of their 2005 legislative agenda.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20051205090810/http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/060105/social.html|title=Social Security in Limbo|work=The Hill|date=[[June 1]], [[2005]]|author=Patrick O'Connor}}</ref> The proposal's legislative prospects were further diminished by the political fallout from the [[Hurricane Katrina]] in the fall of 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hurricane impact — Hurricane dims Bush's hopes on Social Security date=[[September 22]] [[2005]]|author=Holly Yeager|url=http://news.ft.com/cms/s/00d6ee20-2b9f-11da-995a-00000e2511c8.html|accessdate=2007-09-09|work=The Financial Times}}</ref> In the run-up to the 2006 congressional elections, the Republican leadership in Congress put the hot-button issue of the Social Security reform on the back burner. No substantive legislative action was taken on this issue in 2006. After the Democrats gained control of both houses of the Congress as a result of the 2006 mid-term elections, the prospects of any further congressional action on the Bush proposal appeared to be dead for the remainder of his term in office.
====Environmental policy====
{{main|Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration#Environment}}
Upon arriving in office in 2001, Bush did not support the [[Kyoto Protocol]], an amendment to the [[United Nations]] Convention on Climate Change which seeks to impose mandatory targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Bush asserted he would not support it because the treaty exempted 80 percent of the world's population<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010314.html |title=Letter from the President to Senators Hagel, Helms, Craig, and Roberts |publisher= Office of the Press Secretary |date= [[March 13]], [[2001]]}}</ref> would have cost tens of billions of dollars per year,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/kyoto/economic.htm |title=Summary of the Kyoto Report—Assessment of Economic Impacts |publisher=Energy Information Administration |date= [[July 16]] [[2002]]}}</ref> and was based on his personal opinion regarding the uncertainty of the science of climate change.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.alternet.org/story/11054?page=entire/ | title= George W. Bush: The Un-science Guy | first= David last=Corn |date=[[June 19]] [[2001]]| accessdate=2006-11-05 }}</ref> He also cited that the Senate had voted 95–0 in 1997 on a resolution expressing its disapproval of the protocol.
In 2002, Bush announced the [[Clear Skies Initiative]],<ref name="EXsummary">{{cite web |url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/02/clearskies.html
|title = Executive Summary—The Clear Skies Initiative|publisher=The White House|date=[[February 14]] [[2002]]|accessdate=2007-02-02}}</ref> aimed at amending the [[Clean Air Act]] to reduce air pollution through the use of [[emissions trading]] programs. It was argued, however, that this legislation would have weakened the original legislation by allowing higher levels of pollutants than were permitted at that time.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/clear_skies.asp |publisher = The [[Sierra Club]] |title = Clear Skies Proposal Weakens the Clean Air Act |accessdate = 2007-02-04}}</ref> The initiative was introduced to Congress, but failed to make it out of committee.
[[Image:Bush addresses media on Israel-Lebanon w Cheney Aug 14 2006.jpg|thumb|President George W. Bush with [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Dick Cheney]] addressing the media at the [[United States Department of State|State Department]], [[August 14]], [[2006]]]]
President Bush believes that global warming is real<ref>{{cite news |title=Interview with President Bush |work=White House Transcript |publisher=Politico |date=2008-05-13 |accessdate=2008-05-14 |quote=Q. Mr. President, for the record, is global warming real? A. Yes, it is real, sure is. |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10316_Page3.html }}</ref> and has said that he has consistently noted that global warming is a serious problem, but he asserted there is a "debate over whether it's manmade or naturally caused".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/06/20060626-2.html| title = Press Conference | publisher = The White House | date =[[June 26]] [[2006]] | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> In his [[2007 State of the Union Address]], Bush renewed his pledge to work toward diminished reliance on foreign oil by reducing fossil fuel consumption and increasing alternative fuel production.<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070123-2.html Full text (and video) of 2007 State of the Union address]</ref> During his [[2008 State of the Union Address]], he announced that the U.S. would commit US$2 billion over the next three years towards a new international fund to promote clean energy technologies and fight climate change, saying, "along with contributions from other countries, this fund will increase and accelerate the deployment of all forms of cleaner, more efficient technologies in developing nations like India and China, and help leverage substantial private-sector capital by making clean energy projects more financially attractive." He has also announced plans to reaffirm the United States' commitment to work with major economies and through the United Nations to complete an international agreement that will slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of [[greenhouse gases]]; he stated, "this agreement will be effective only if it includes commitments by every major economy and gives none a free ride."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23125585-401,00.html |title=State of the Union:Bush fights for spotlight |author= Reuters/AFP |date=[[January 29]] [[2008]]}}</ref>
The Bush Administration's stance on [[global warming]] has remained controversial in the scientific and environmental communities. Many accusations have been made against the administration, such as those by the Director of [[NASA]]'s Goddard Institute [[James Hansen]],<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6341451 | title = NASA Scientist Rips Bush on Global Warming | publisher = MSNBC | date =[[October 27]] [[2004]] | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}; {{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 =[[March 19]] [[2006]] | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> and former [[United States Department of Energy]] official [[Joseph Romm]], for misinforming the public and having not done enough to reduce [[carbon emissions]] and deter [[global warming]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Hell or High Water |first=Joe |last=Romm |publisher=William Morrow |year=2006 |isbn=9780061172120}}; Romm calls Bush's "don't rush to judgment" and "we need to ask more questions" stance a classic delay tactic. Part 2.}}</ref>
In 2006 Bush declared the [[Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]] a national monument, creating the largest marine reserve to date. The [[Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument]] comprises 84 million acres (340,000 km²) and is home to 7,000 species of fish, birds and other marine animals, many of which are specific to only those islands.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13300363/|title = Bush creates world’s biggest ocean preserve |publisher = MSNBC |date =[[June 16]] [[2006]]|accessdate = 2007-01-31}}</ref> The move was hailed by conservationists for "its foresight and leadership in protecting this incredible area."<ref>{{cite web|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 =[[June 16]] [[2006]] |accessdate = 2007-01-31}}</ref>
====Stem cell research and first use of veto power====
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]] has been forbidden by law since the [[Republican Revolution]] of 1995.<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 has said that he supports [[stem cell]] research, but only to the extent that human embryos are not destroyed in order to harvest additional 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}}</ref> On [[August 9]] [[2001]], Bush signed an executive order lifting the ban on federal funding for the 71 existing "lines" of stem cells,<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> but the ability of these existing lines to provide an adequate medium for testing has been questioned. Testing can only be done on twelve of the original lines, and all of the approved lines have been cultured in contact with mouse cells, which makes it unlikely the [[Food and Drug Administration|FDA]] would approve them for administration to humans.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,472876,00.html
| title = Stem Cells in Limbo | work=TIME Magazine | date = [[2003-08-11]] | accessdate = 2007-01-13}}</ref> On [[July 19]] [[2006]], Bush used his [[veto]] power for the first time in his presidency to veto the [[Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act]]. The bill would have repealed the [[Dickey Amendment]], thereby 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====
[[Image:Bush delivers statement at Mexican border.jpg|thumb|right|President Bush discusses border security near the [[El Paso, Texas]], United States-Mexico border, November 2005]]
In 2006, going beyond calls from conservatives to secure the border, Bush demanded that Congress allow more than twelve million [[illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]] to work in the United States with the creation of a "temporary guest-worker program." The president does not support [[amnesty]] for illegal immigrants,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/06/bush-calls-immi.html|title=Bush Calls Immigration Bill "Amnesty"|date=[[June 26]], [[2007]]|accessdate=2008-05-30|publisher=ABC}}</ref> but argues 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.
The president urged Congress to provide additional funds 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 | publisher = CNN |date=[[November 29]] [[2005]] }}</ref> In May-June 2007 Bush strongly supported the [[Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007]] which was written by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators with the active participation of the Bush administration.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070517-7.html |title=Fact Sheet: Border Security and Immigration Reform |date=[[May 17]], [[2007]] |publisher=The White House}}</ref> The bill envisioned a legalization program for undocumented immigrants, with an eventual path to citizenship; establishing a guest worker program; a series of border and work site enforcement measures; a reform of the green card application process and the introduction of a point-based "merit" system for green cards; elimination of "chain migration" and of the diversity [[Green Card Lottery]]; and other measures. Bush contended that the proposed bill did not amount to amnesty.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Fox News|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286705,00.html|date=[[June 26]], [[2008]]|accessdate=2008-05-30|title=Senate Votes to Continue Work on Immigration Reform Compromise|author=Garrett, Major and Trish Turner}}</ref>
A heated public debate followed, which resulted in a substantial rift within the Republican Party; the majority of the conservative base opposed it because of its legalization or amnesty provisions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0807/5449.html |title=Talk radio helped sink immigration reform] |work=Politico.com |date=[[August 20]], [[2007]]}}</ref> The bill was eventually defeated in the Senate on [[June 28]], [[2007]], when a cloture motion failed on a 46-53 vote.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/immigration-bill-goes-down-in-defeat-2007-06-28.html |work=The Hill |title= 46-53, immigration bill goes down in defeat |author=Klaus Marre |date=[[June 28]] [[2007]]}}</ref> President Bush expressed disappointment upon the defeat of one of his signature domestic initiatives.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/28/immigration.congress/index.html |title=Senate immigration bill suffers crushing defeat |publisher=CNN}}; {{cite web |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070628-7.html |title=President Bush Disappointed by Congress's Failure to Act on Comprehensive Immigration Reform |date=[[June 28]], [[2007]] |publisher=The White House}}</ref> The Bush administration later proposed a series of immigration enforcement measures that do not require a change in law.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/08/20070810.html |title=The White House Fact Sheet: Improving Border Security and Immigration Within Existing Law] |date=[[August 10]], [[2007]]|publisher=The White House}}</ref>
====Civil liberties and terrorist detainees====
Following the events of [[September 11]], Bush issued an executive order authorizing the [[National Security Agency|NSA]] to monitor communications between suspected terrorists outside the U.S. and parties within the U.S. without obtaining a warrant pursuant to the [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]],<ref>{{cite press release |title=Briefing by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and General Michael Hayden |publisher=The White House |date=[[December 19]] [[2005]] |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051219-1.html |accessdate=2007-09-02}}</ref> maintaining that the warrant requirements of FISA were implicitly superseded by the subsequent passage of the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force]].<ref>U.S. Department of Justice White Paper on NSA Legal Authorities. {{cite web |url=http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/nsa/dojnsa11906wp.pdf |format=PDF |title=Legal Authorities Supporting the Activities of the National Security Agency Described by the President |date=[[January 19]] [[2006]]}}</ref> The program proved to be [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|controversial]], as critics of the administration, as well as organizations such as the [[American Bar Association]], claimed it was illegal.<ref>{{cite news |title =Gonzales defends wiretaps amid protest| work= CNN |date =[[January 26]] [[2006]] |url = http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/24/nsa.strategy/index.html |accessdate = 2007-09-02}}; {{cite news|title=Lawyers Group Criticizes Surveillance Program |work=The Washington Post |date=[[February 14]] [[2006]] |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021302006.html |accessdate=2007-09-02}}</ref> In August 2006, a U.S. district court judge ruled that the [[Terrorist Surveillance Program]] was unconstitutional,<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=[[February 9]] [[2006]]| work = The Washington Post}}</ref> but the decision was later reversed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Court dismisses lawsuit on spying program |publisher=Reuters |date=[[July 6]] [[2007]] |url= http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0642400020070706 |accessdate = 2007-09-02}}</ref> On [[January 17]], [[2007]], Attorney General Alberto Gonzales informed U.S. Senate leaders that the program would not be reauthorized by the president, but would be subjected to judicial oversight.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/AG_letter_to_Senate_leaders_regarding_FISC_decision_and_conclusion_of_Terrorist_Surveillance_Program |title=Letter from the AG to the Senate leaders}}</ref>
On [[October 17]], [[2006]] Bush signed into law the [[Military Commissions Act of 2006]],<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 = Associated Press |date=[[September 28]] [[2005]]| work= USA Today}}</ref> a bill passed in the wake of the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]'s decision on ''[[Hamdan v. Rumsfeld]]'',<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/opinion/28thu1.html?ex=1317096000&en=3eb3ba3410944ff9&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss |title=Rushing Off a Cliff" |work=The New York Times |date=[[September 28]], [[2006]]}}</ref> which allows the U.S. government the ability to prosecute [[unlawful enemy combatants]] by military commission rather than the standard trial. The bill also denies them access to ''[[habeas corpus]]'' and, while barring torture of detainees, allows the president to determine what constitutes torture.<ref name="detainee" />
On [[March 8]], [[2008]], Bush [[veto]]ed [http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2082.ENR: H.R. 2082], a bill that would have expanded Congressional oversight over the intelligence community and banned the use of [[waterboarding]] as well as other forms of enhanced interrogation techniques, saying that "[t]he bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/08/bush.torture.ap/|title=Bush vetoes bill banning waterboarding|publisher=[[CNN]]|accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref>
President Bush has consistently stated that the United States does not torture. Bush can authorize the CIA to use the simulated-drowning method under extraordinary circumstances.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-torture7feb07,1,3156438.story|work=The Los Angeles Times|accessdate=2008-05-30|author=Miller, Greg|title=Waterboarding is legal, White House says|date=[[February 7]], [[2008]]}}</ref> The CIA once considered certain enhanced interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, legally permissible.<ref name="cbs-waterboard">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/08/national/main3807334.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_3807334 |title=Cheney Defends U.S. Use Of Waterboarding |accessdate=2008-05-01 |date=2008-02-08 |publisher=CBS News}}</ref> The CIA has exercised the technique on certain key terrorist suspects and were given permission to do so from a memo from the Attorney General. While the Army Field Manual argues "that harsh interrogation tactics elicit unreliable information",<ref name="cbs-waterboard"/> the Bush administration states that these enhanced interrogations have "provided critical information" to preserve American lives.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/05/india.terrorism|title=CIA admit 'waterboarding' al-Qaida suspects|publisher=www.guardian.co.uk|accessdate=2008-02-21|last=Tran|first=Mark}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aclu.org/safefree/torture/34747prs20080401.html|title=Secret Bush Administration Torture Memo Released Today In Response To ACLU Lawsuit |publisher=American Civil Liberties Union|accessdate=2008-05-11}}</ref>
====Hurricane Katrina====
{{main|Political effects of Hurricane Katrina}}
One of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, [[Hurricane Katrina]], struck early in Bush’s second term. 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>{{cite news |author=Knabb, Richard D; Rhome, Jamie R.; Brown, Daniel P |date=[[December 20]] [[2005]] |title=Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Katrina: 23–30 August 2005 |publisher=National Hurricane Center}}</ref>
[[Image:Hurricane Katrina President Bush with New Orleans Mayor.jpg|thumb|left|Bush shakes hands with [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]] Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] on [[September 2]], [[2005]] after viewing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.]]
Bush declared a state of emergency in [[Louisiana]] on [[August 27]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html |title=Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana |publisher=The White House]] |date=[[August 27]], [[2005]]}}</ref> and in [[Mississippi]] and [[Alabama]] the following day;<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050828.html |title=Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Mississippi |publisher=The White House |date=[[August 28]], [[2005]]}}; {{cite web |url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050828-3.html |title=Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Alabama|publisher=The White House |date=[[August 28]], [[2005]]}}</ref> he authorized the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] (DHS) and [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (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 = p.57 | isbn = 978-0-465-01761-4 }}</ref> The eye of the hurricane made landfall on [[August 29]], and New Orleans began to flood due to levee breaches; later that day, Bush declared that a major disaster existed in Louisiana,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050829-2.html |title=Statement on Federal Disaster Assistance for Louisiana |publisher=The White House |date=[[August 29]] [[2005]]}}</ref> officially authorizing FEMA to start using federal funds to assist in the recovery effort. On [[August 30]], Department of Homeland Security Secretary [[Michael Chertoff]] declared it "an incident of national significance,"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050831-2.html |title=Press Gaggle with Scott McClellan |date=[[August 31]], [[2005]] |publisher=The White House |accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref> triggering the first use of the newly created [[National Response Plan]]. Three 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, 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
| work = USA Today |date= [[September 3]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-01-09}}</ref>
As the disaster in New Orleans intensified, critics claimed that the president was misrepresenting his administration's role in what they saw as a flawed response. Leaders attacked the president for having appointed perceived incompetent leaders to positions of power at FEMA, notably [[Michael D. Brown]];<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.billingsgazette.com/newdex.php?display=rednews/2005/09/06/build/nation/38-brown.inc |title=FEMA director Brown singled out by critics of federal response |work=Washington Post]] |date=[[September 6]], [[2005]] |author=Spencer S. Hsu and Susan B. Glasser}}</ref> it was also argued that the federal response was limited as a result of the [[Iraq War]]<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, Associated Press|date=[[August 30]] [[2005]] | work = Army Times}}</ref> and President Bush himself did not act upon warnings of floods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/katrinatranscript-0828.pdf |format=PDF |pages= Page 6 |title=Transcript, Presidential Videoconference Briefing |date=[[August 28]] [[2005]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/katrinatranscript-0828.pdf |format=PDF |pages= Page 5 |title=Transcript, Presidential Videoconference Briefing |date=[[August 28]] [[2005]]}}</ref><ref>"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." George W. Bush to [[Diane Sawyer]], ''[[Good Morning America]]'', [[September 1]] [[2005]].</ref> Bush responded to mounting criticism by accepting full responsibility for the federal government's failures in its handling of the emergency.<ref name = "tpm" />
====Midterm dismissal of U.S. attorneys====
{{main|Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy}}
During Bush's second term, a controversy arose over the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s midterm dismissal of seven [[United States Attorney]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uspolitics.about.com/od/electionissues/i/attorney_firing.htm |title=The Firing Of US Attorneys - Nefarious Or Business As Usual? |accessdate=2007-10-09 |last=Gill |first=Kathy |date=[[2007-03-22]] |publisher=About.com}}</ref> The White House maintains the U.S. attorneys were fired for poor performance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070307/oppose07.art.htm |title=They lost my confidence |accessdate=2007-10-09 |author=Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales |date=[[2007-03-07]]}}</ref> Attorney General [[Alberto Gonzales]] would later resign over the issue, along with other senior members of the Justice Department.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/27/AR2007082700372.html |title=Embattled Gonzales Resigns |accessdate=2007-10-09 |last=Eggen |first=Dan |coauthors=Michael Fletcher |date=[[2007-08-28]] |publisher=[[Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite |title=[[s:Gonzales' Resignation Letter|Gonzales' Resignation Letter]] |accessdate=2007-10-09 |author=[[Alberto Gonzales]] |date=2007-08-26 |publisher=United States Department of Justice |quote=Please accept my resignation as Attorney General of the United States, effective September 17, 2007.}}</ref> The [[United States House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]] issued subpoenas for advisors [[Harriet Miers]] and [[Josh Bolten]] to testify regarding this matter, but Bush directed Miers and Bolten to not comply with those subpoenas, invoking his right of [[Executive privilege|Executive Privilege]]; Bush has maintained that all of his advisers are protected under a broad Executive Privilege protection to receive candid advice. The Justice Department has determined that the president's order was legal.<ref>[http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-32236820080301 Mukasey won't pursue contempt probe of Bush aides], Reuters ([[2008-03-01]]).</ref> In November 2007, the chairman of the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]], [[Patrick Leahy]] (VT-D), stated that the Executive Privilege claim was strange considering "the President had no involvement in these firings."
Although Congressional investigations have focused on whether the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] and the [[Executive Office of the President|White House]] were using the U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage, no official findings have been released. On [[March 10]], [[2008]], the Congress filed a federal lawsuit to enforce their issued subpoenas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/03/house-judiciary-panel-files-civil.php|title=House judiciary panel files civil lawsuit to enforce Miers, Bolten subpoenas|accessdate=2008-05-30|date=[[March 10]], [[2008]]|author=Porter, Patrick|publisher=Jurist Legal News and Research}}</ref>
====Public views and perception====
{{main|Criticism of George W. Bush|Public perception of George W. Bush}}
{{see also|Movement to impeach George W. Bush|Fictionalized portrayals of George W. Bush}}
[[Image:George W Bush approval ratings.svg|thumb|right|{{legend|#4A7EBB|approve}}
{{legend|#BE4B48|disapprove}}
{{legend|#98B954|unsure}}
[[Gallup]]/''[[USA Today]]'' Bush [[public opinion polling]] from February 2001 to May 2008. Blue denotes approve, red disapprove, and green unsure. Large increases in [[approval rating|approval]] followed the [[September 11]] attacks, the beginning of the [[2003 Iraq conflict]], and the capture of [[Saddam Hussein]].]]
Bush began his presidency with [[approval rating]]s near 50%.<ref name=ApprovalRatingsOverTime>{{cite web
| url = http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/hsrun.exe/Roperweb/PresJob/PresJob.htx;start=HS_fullresults?pr=Bush| title = Job Performance Ratings for President Bush| accessdate = 2006-09-09| author = Roper Center| year = 2006}}</ref> Following the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], Bush gained an approval rating of greater than 85%, maintaining 80–90% approval for four months after the attacks. Since then, his approval ratings and approval of his handling of domestic and foreign policy issues have steadily dropped. Bush has received heavy criticism for his handling of the [[Iraq War]], his [[Political effects of Hurricane Katrina|response to Hurricane Katrina]], and to the [[Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse]], [[NSA warrantless surveillance]] of terrorists or individuals suspected of involvement with terrorist groups, [[Scooter Libby]]/[[Plamegate]], and [[Guantanamo Bay detainment camp]] controversies.<ref name="Unchecked and Unbalanced">{{cite news | last = Kakutani | first = Michiko | title = Unchecked and Unbalanced|work=The New York Times| date = [[July 6]], [[2007]]|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/books/06book.html?pagewanted=all | accessdate = 2007-06-07}}</ref> Additionally, critics have decried his frequent use of [[signing statement (United States)|signing statements]], contending that they are unconstitutional.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://judiciary.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?id=1969&wit_id=5482 |title=Testimony of Bruce Fein, United States Senate |date=[[June 27]] [[2006]]}}</ref>
The minority of Americans currently support Bush, citing his steadfast support for the Iraq War{{Fact|date=July 2008}}. A [[March 13]], [[2008]] poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reported that 53% of Americans — a slim majority — believe that "the U.S. will ultimately succeed in achieving its goals" in Iraq.<ref name="cbs up">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/13/politics/politico/main3933699.shtml|publisher=CBS|title=Support For Iraq War Highest Since 2006|accessdate=2008-05-29|date=[[March 13]], [[2008]]}}</ref> That figure is up from 42 percent in September 2007 and the highest it has been since 2006.<ref name="cbs up"/>
In the 2004 elections, 95–98% of the Republican electorate approved of him. This support has since somewhat waned, however, due mostly to a minority of Republicans' frustration with him on issues of spending, illegal immigration, and Middle Eastern affairs.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-02-15-rice-request_x.htm| title = Republicans criticize Rice over Bush Mideast policy| accessdate = 2006-09-09| author = Associated Press |date=[[February 15]] [[2006]]}}</ref>
Bush's approval rating has been below the 50% mark in AP-Ipsos polling since December 2004.<ref Name="Taipei Times">{{cite news |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/03/10/2003351719 |title=Bush's job approval rating creeps up in AP-Ipsos poll |work=Taipei Times |date=[[March 10]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-04-27}}</ref> Polls conducted in 2006 showed an average of 37% approval ratings for Bush;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm |title=President Bush—Overall Job Rating |work= Polling Report |accessdate=2007-04-27}}</ref> the lowest for any second term president in this point of term since [[Harry S. Truman]] in March 1951, when his approval rating was 28%,<ref Name="Taipei Times" /><ref>{{cite news |author=Silva, Mark |url= http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2007/03/bushs_secondter.html |title=Bush's second-term slump |work=Chicago Tribune |date=[[March 7]] [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-04-27}}</ref> which contributed to what Bush called the "thumping" of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] in the [[United States general elections, 2006|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> Throughout 2007, Bush's approval rating hindered in the mid-thirties percentile,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/ |title=President Bush Job Approval |accessdate=2007-10-09 |publisher=RealClearPolitics.}}</ref> although in a ''Reuters'' poll of [[October 17]], [[2007]], Bush received a lower approval rating of 24%,<ref name="Reuters Poll">{{cite web |url= http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1624620720071017?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews |title=Voters unhappy with Bush and Congress |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> the lowest point of his presidency.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/popularity.php?pres=43&sort=time&direct=ASC&Submit=DISPLAY| title =Presidential Job Approval for Harry Truman| accessdate = 2008-03-15| publisher =The American Presidency Project }}</ref> In response to the numbers, during a [[February 10]], [[2008]] interview on ''[[Fox News Sunday]]'' Bush stated, "I frankly don't give a damn about the polls".<ref name="Fox News">{{cite web |url= http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330234,00.html |title=Transcript: President Bush on 'FOX News Sunday' |publisher=Fox News |date=[[February 11]] [[2008]]}}</ref> By April 2008, Bush's disapproval ratings were the highest ever recorded in the 70-year history of the [[Gallop poll]] for any president, with 69% of those polled disapproving of the job Bush was doing as president and 28% approving.<ref name='USAToday 2008-04-21-bushrating'>{{cite news | first=Susan | last=Page | coauthors= | title=Disapproval of Bush breaks record | date= | url =http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-04-21-bushrating_N.htm | work =USA Today | accessdate = 2008-04-23 |}}</ref>
Many professional historians have regarded Bush's presidency as below average, according to several surveys. A 2006 [[Siena College]] poll found that 744 professors of history judged Bush's presidency as follows: Great: 2%; Near Great: 5%; Average: 11%; Below Average: 24%; Failure: 58%;<ref name ="Siena_2006">[http://www.siena.edu/uploadedFiles/Home/Parents_and_Community/06_may_expert_bush_release.pdf Experts: Bush Presidency Is A Failure; Little Chance To Improve Ranking] (PDF). Siena Research Institute. May 1, 2006; retrieved 6 June 2008</ref> other polls conducted by the [[History News Network]] (HNN) resulted in similar outcomes. The historian who organized the HNN polls caveated the results: "It is in no sense a scientific sample of historians. The participants are self-selected, although participation was open to all historians. Among those who responded are several of the nation’s most respected historians, including Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize winners."<ref name="HNN08poll">McElvaine, Robert S. [http://hnn.us/articles/48916.html "HNN Poll: 61% of Historians Rate the Bush Presidency Worst".] 1 April 2008; retrieved 6 June 2008</ref> In response to the "worst president" accusations,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/profile/story/9961300/the_worst_president_in_history |title=The Worst President in History| accessdate = 2007-05-18 |year = 2006 |work = [[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22070368-28737,00.html |title = Defending the home front| accessdate = 2007-07-14 |year = 2007 |work = [[The Australian]]}}</ref> Bush said, "to assume that historians can figure out the effect of the Bush administration before the Bush administration has ended is... in my mind... not an accurate reflection upon how history works."<ref name="Fox News"/>
Calls for Bush's [[impeachment]] have been made by various groups and individuals, with their reasons usually centering on the [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://writ.corporate.findlaw.com/dean/20051230.html |title=George W. Bush as the New Richard M. Nixon: Both Wiretapped Illegally, and Impeachably |author=John W. Dean |date=[[December 30]] [[2005]] |accessdate=2007-04-14}}</ref> the Bush administration's justification for the war in Iraq,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.alternet.org/story/16434 |title=A Firm Basis for Impeachment |author=Robert Scheer |date=[[July 18]] [[2003]] |accessdate=2007-04-14}}</ref> and alleged violations of the [[Geneva Conventions]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0308-33.htm |title=Grounds for Impeachment|author=Matthew Rothschild |publisher=CommonDreams.org |date=[[2006-03-08]] |accessdate=2007-04-14}}</ref> Most polls have shown a plurality of Americans do not support impeachment.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2005/12/third_of_americans_want_bush_impeached/|title=Rasmussen Poll: Third of Americans Want Bush Impeached|author=Joyner, James|accessdate=2008-05-29|publisher=OutsideTheBeltway.com, OTB Media|date=[[December 12]], [[2005]]}}</ref> [[Dennis Kucinich]], a Democrat from [[Ohio]], introduced articles of impeachment on the floor of [[United States Congress|Congress]] against President Bush on [[June 9]], [[2008]].<ref name="PelosisTable">{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25068638/ |title=Rep. Kucinich introduces Bush impeachment resolution |accessdate=2008-06-10 |date=2008-06-10 |publisher=AP/MSNBC}}</ref>{{Dead link|date=July 2008}} [[Speaker of the House|House Speaker]] [[Nancy Pelosi]] has said, however, that impeachment is "off the table".<ref name="PelosisTable"/>
Bush's intellectual capacity has been satirized by the media,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/19/AR2006081900568_pf.html| title = Pundits Renounce The President | accessdate = 2006-09-11| last = Baker| first = Peter|date=[[August 20]] [[2006]]| work=The Washington Post}}</ref> comedians, and other politicians.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=401414| title = Blair 'feels betrayed by Bush on Lebanon'| accessdate = 2006-09-11| last = Walters| first = Simon|date=[[August 19]] [[2006]] | work=The Daily Mail}}; {{cite web| url = http://www.csbsju.edu/uspp/Election/bush011401.htm| title = Bush gets bad rap on intelligence| accessdate = 2006-10-09|date= [[January 14]] [[2001]]| work = The St. Cloud Times }}</ref> Detractors tended to cite linguistic errors made by Bush during his public speeches, which are colloquially termed as [[Bushism]]s.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/nov/04/uselections2000.usa5| title = Bush, in his own words | accessdate = 2006-10-09| author = Jacob Weisberg |date= [[November 4]] [[2000]]| publisher = The Guardian}}</ref>
In 2000 and again in 2004, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine named George W. Bush as its [[Person of the Year]], a title awarded to someone who the editors believe "for better or for worse, … has done the most to influence the events of the year."<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998831,00.html |title = Person of the Year |author=Nancy Gibbs | accessdate = 2008-03-19 | year = 2000| work = TIME Magazine}}; {{cite web| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1009814-1,00.html |title = Person of the Year |author=Nancy Gibbs and John F. Dickerson | accessdate = 2008-03-19| year = 2004 | work = TIME Magazine}}</ref>
Within the [[United States Military]], the president was strongly supported at one time.<ref name="military support">{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-10-03-bush-troops_x.htm|title=Troops in survey back Bush 4-to-1 over Kerry|accessdate=2008-05-09|author=Moniz, Dave|date=[[October 3]], [[2004]]|work=USA Today}}</ref> In the 2004 elections, 73% of military personnel said that they would vote for Bush with 18% for Kerry.<ref name="military support"/> According to Peter Feaver, a [[Duke University]] political scientist who has studied the political leanings of the U.S. military, members of the armed services supported Bush because they found him more likely to prosecute the War in Iraq than Kerry.<ref name="military support"/>
In late June 2008, The New York Times reported that the ''[[Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco]] is planning to ask voters here to change the name of a prize-winning water treatment plant on the shoreline to the [[George W. Bush Sewage Plant]]''.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/washington/25rename.html An Honor That Bush Is Unlikely to Embrace]</ref>.
===Foreign policy===
{{main|Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration}}
[[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]]]]
During his campaign for election as president, Bush's foreign policy platform included support for a stronger economic and political relationship with [[Latin America]], especially [[Mexico]], and a reduction of involvement in "[[nation building]]" and other small-scale military engagements. The administration pursued a [[national missile defense]].<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/abmt/news/010501bush.html|title = President Bush Speech on Missile Defense |publisher = [[Federation of American Scientists]] |date= [[2001-05-01]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref> Bush was president on [[September 11]], [[2001]], when [[September 11, 2001 attacks|terrorists hijacked passenger aircraft and flew them into the World Trade Center]], killing roughly 3,000 people. In response, Bush launched the [[War on Terror]], invading [[Afghanistan]] and later [[Iraq]].
Bush began his second term with an emphasis on improving strained relations with [[Europe]]an nations. He appointed long-time adviser [[Karen Hughes]] to oversee a global public relations campaign. Bush lauded the pro-democracy struggles in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and [[Ukraine]]. In March 2006, he visited [[India]], leading to renewed ties between the two countries, particularly in areas of [[nuclear energy]] and counter-terrorism cooperation.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060302-5.html| title = U.S.-India Joint Statement | date=[[March 2]] [[2006]]| publisher = The White House | accessdate = 2006-09-28 }}</ref> Midway through Bush's second term, it was questioned whether Bush was retreating 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=[[April 24]] [[2005]] | work = The Washington Post}}</ref>
====September 11, 2001====
[[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]]]]
The [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11 terrorist attacks]] were a major turning point in Bush's presidency. That evening, he addressed the nation 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 [[World Trade Center site|Ground Zero]], meeting with [[Mayor]] [[Rudy Giuliani]] and firefighters, police officers, and volunteers. Bush addressed the gathering via a 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010914-9.html|date=[[September 14]] [[2001]]|title=President Bush's remarks to police, firemen, and rescue workers}}</ref>}}
In a [[September 20]] [[2001]] speech, Bush condemned [[Osama bin Laden]] and [[Al-Qaeda]], and issued an ultimatum to the [[Taliban]] regime in Afghanistan, where bin Laden was operating, 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>
====War on Terrorism====
{{main|War on Terrorism}}
After [[September 11]], Bush announced a global [[War on Terrorism]]. The Afghan Taliban regime was not forthcoming with Osama bin Laden, so Bush ordered the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|invasion of Afghanistan]] to overthrow the Taliban regime.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/ |date=[[September 20]] [[2001]]|title=President Bush's address to joint session of Congress}}</ref> In his [[January 29]] [[2002]] [[State of the Union]] address, he asserted that an "[[axis of evil]]" consisting of [[North Korea]], [[Iran]], and [[Iraq]] was "arming to threaten the peace of the world" and "pose[d] a grave and growing danger".<ref name=sotu2002>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html Presidential State of the Union Address [[January 29]] [[2002]]]</ref> The Bush Administration proceeded to assert a right and intention to engage in [[preemptive war]], also called [[preventive war]], in response to perceived threats.<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]]. The broader "War on Terror", allegations of an "axis of evil", and, in particular, the doctrine of preemptive war, began to weaken the unprecedented levels of international and domestic support for 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>
Some national leaders alleged abuse by U.S. troops and called for the U.S. to shut down detention centers in [[Guantanamo Bay detainment camp|Guantanamo Bay]] and elsewhere. Dissent from, and criticism of, Bush's leadership in the War on Terror increased as the war in Iraq expanded.<ref>{{cite book |last= Cumings |first= Bruce |authorlink= |coauthors= Ervand Abrahamian, Moshe Ma'oz |title= Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran, and Syria |publisher= New Press |year= 2006 |isbn= 978-1-59558-038-2 }}</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]] expressed the combined opinion of the United States' own intelligence agencies, concluding that the Iraq War had become the "[[cause celebre]] for [[jihad]]ists" and that jihad movement was growing.<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|War in Afghanistan (2001–present)}}
[[Image:GW Bush and Hamid Karzai in Kabul 2006-03-01.jpg|thumb|left|President George W. Bush and President [[Hamid Karzai]] of [[Afghanistan]] appear together in 2006 at a joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in [[Kabul]].]]
On [[October 7]], [[2001]], U.S. and Australian forces initiated bombing campaigns that led to the arrival on [[November 13]] of [[Afghan Northern Alliance|Northern Alliance]] troops in [[Kabul]]. The main goals of the war were to defeat the [[Taliban]], drive [[al Qaeda]] out of Afghanistan, and capture key al Qaeda leaders. In December 2001, the Pentagon reported that the Taliban had been defeated<ref name="taliband">{{cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE3DC173FF932A25751C1A9679C8B63|accessdate=2008-05-31|date=[[December 11]], [[2001]]|author=Shanker, Tom and Eric Schmitt|work=The New York Times|title=A Nation Challenged; Military Campaign; Taliban Defeated, Pentagon Asserts, but War Goes On}}</ref> but cautioned that the war would go on to continue weakening Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders.<ref name="taliband"/> Later that month the [[United Nations|UN]] had installed the [[Afghan Interim Authority]] chaired by [[Hamid Karzai]].<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 = [[2006-02-03]]|accessdate = 2007-01-13}}</ref>
Efforts to kill or capture al Qaeda leader [[Osama bin Laden]] failed as he escaped a battle in December 2001 in the mountainous region of [[Tora Bora]], which the Bush Administration later acknowledged to have 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 = 2007-01-11 |date= [[2002-04-17]] | publisher = [[Washington Post]]}}</ref> Bin Laden and al Qaeda's number two leader, [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]], as well as the leader of the Taliban, [[Mohammed Omar]], remain at large.
Despite the initial success in driving the Taliban from power in [[Kabul]], 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> In 2006 the [[Taliban insurgency]] appeared larger, fiercer, and better organized than expected, with large-scale allied offensives such as [[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 = [[United States Department 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 a result, President Bush commissioned 3,500 additional troops to the country in March 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/10/AR2007031001397.html|work=The Washington Post|accessdate=2008-05-31|author=Baker, Peter|date=[[March 11]], [[2007]]|page=A11|title=Additional Troop Increase Approved}}</ref>
====Iraq====
{{main|Iraq War}}
Beginning with his [[January 29]], [[2002]] State of the Union address, Bush began publicly focusing attention on Iraq, which he labeled 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 name=sotu2002> In the latter half of 2002, CIA [[National Intelligence Estimate|reports]] contained assertions of [[Saddam Hussein]]'s intent of reconstituting nuclear weapons programs, not properly accounting for Iraqi [[biological warfare|biological]] and [[chemical warfare|chemical weapons]], and that some Iraqi missiles had a range greater than allowed by the UN sanctions.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.cia.gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/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><ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB129/index.htm The National Security Archive at George Washington University]</ref> Claims that the Bush Administration manipulated or exaggerated the threat and evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities would eventually become a major point of criticism for the president.<ref>Judis, John B. and Ackerman, Spencer, “The Selling of the Iraq War”, ''[[The New Republic]]'', June 2003.</ref><ref>Hersh, Seymour M., "The Stovepipe", ''[[The New Yorker]]'', [[October 27]] [[2003]].</ref>
In late 2002 and early 2003, Bush urged the United Nations to enforce Iraqi [[disarmament]] mandates, precipitating a [[Iraq disarmament crisis|diplomatic crisis]]. In November 2002, Hans Blix and [[Mohamed ElBaradei]] led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, but were forced to depart the country 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 but dropped the bid for UN approval due to vigorous opposition from several countries.<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>
[[Image:George W. Bush walks with Ryan Phillips to Navy One.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.]]
The war effort was joined by more than 20 other nations (most notably the [[United Kingdom]]), 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]] and the Iraqi military was quickly defeated. The capital, [[Baghdad]], fell on [[April 9]], [[2003]]. On [[May 1]], Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. The initial success of U.S. operations increased his popularity, but the U.S. and allied forces faced a growing insurgency led by sectarian groups; Bush's "[[Mission Accomplished]]" speech would later be criticized as premature.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101031006/ Mission Not Accomplished] [[Time Magazine]]</ref>
From 2004 through 2007, the situation in Iraq deteriorated further, with some observers arguing that the country was engaged in a full scale [[Iraq civil war|civil war]].<ref>{{cite news|title = Colin Powell says Iraq in a 'civil war'|url = http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/29/powell.iraq/index.html|publisher = [[CNN]]|date = [[2006-11-29]]|accessdate = 2007-02-17}}</ref> Bush's policies met with criticism, including demands domestically to set a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. The 2006 report of the bipartisan [[Iraq Study Group]] led by [[James Baker]], concluded that the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating". While Bush admitted that there were strategic mistakes made in regards to the stability of Iraq,<ref>{{cite news |author = Times Online |coauthors = agencies|url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article764622.ece |title = Bush: we went to war on faulty intelligence |publisher = [[Times Online]] |date= [[2005-12-14]] |accessdate = 2006-06-30}}</ref> 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|publisher=[[Bloomberg.com]]}}</ref>
[[Image:Bush al-Maliki handshake.jpg|thumb|President Bush shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister [[Nouri al-Maliki]].]]
In January 2005, free, democratic elections were held in Iraq for the first time in fifty years.<ref name="iraq votes">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.main/index.html|title=Sporadic violence doesn't deter Iraqi voters|publisher=CNN|date=[[January 31]], [[2005]]|accessdate=2008-05-31}}</ref> According to Iraqi National Security Advisor [[Mowaffak al-Rubaie]], "This is the greatest day in the history of this country."<ref name="iraq votes"/> Bush praised the event as well, saying that the Iraqis "have taken rightful control of their country's destiny."<ref name="iraq votes"/> This led to the election of [[Jalal Talabani]] as [[President of Iraq|President]] and [[Nouri al-Maliki]] as [[Prime Minister|Prime Minister of Iraq]]. A referendum to approve a constitution in Iraq were held in October 2005, supported by the majority [[Shiites]] and many [[Kurds]].<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Fox News|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,173349,00.html|title=Iraq Constitution Passes in Referendum|date=[[October 25]], [[2005]]|accessdate=2008-05-31|work=Associated Press}}</ref>
On [[January 10]], [[2007]] Bush addressed the nation from the [[Oval Office]] regarding the situation in Iraq. In [[wikisource:Presidential Speech Regarding Iraq, January 10 2007|his speech]] he announced a [[Iraq troop surge of 2007|surge of 21,500 more troops for Iraq]], as well as a job program for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and US$1.2 billion for these programs.<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> On [[May 1]], [[2007]], Bush used his [[veto]] for only the second time in his presidency, rejecting a congressional bill setting a deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.<ref>Stolberg, Sheryl Gay and Jeff Zeleny, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/washington/02policy.html?hp Bush Vetoes Bill Tying Iraq Funds to Exit], The New York Times, [[May 1]], [[2007]].</ref> Five years after the invasion, Bush called the debate over the conflict "understandable" but insisted that a continued U.S. presence there is crucial.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/18/bush.iraq/index.html Bush on anniversary: War in Iraq must go on], ''[[CNN]]'', [[March 19]], [[2008]].</ref>
In March 2008 Bush praised the Iraqi government's "bold decision" to launch the [[Battle of Basra (2008)|Battle of Basra]] against the [[Mahdi Army]], calling it "a defining moment in the history of a free Iraq".<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/28/iraq.main/index.html Baghdad on lockdown as rockets, bombs fly], ''CNN'', [[March 28]], [[2008]].</ref> He said he will carefully weigh recommendations from his commanders General [[David Petraeus]] and Ambassador [[Ryan Crocker]] about how to proceed after the military buildup ends in the summer of 2008. He also praised the Iraqis' legislative achievements, including a pension law, a revised de-Baathification law, a new budget, an amnesty law and a provincial powers measure that, he said, sets the stage for the [[Iraqi governorate elections, 2008]].<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/27/bush.iraq/index.html Bush: Baghdad's move against Shiite militias a 'bold decision'], ''[[CNN]]'', [[March 27]], [[2008]].</ref>
In June 2008 the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Senate Intelligence Committee]] released a report stating that President Bush and other top officials incorrectly stated the reasons for invading Iraq.<ref>[http://intelligence.senate.gov/080605/phase2a.pdf Official report] released by the Select Committee on Intelligence, June 2008.</ref>
====North Korea====
{{main|United States-North Korea relations}}
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."<ref name=sotu2002 /> Within months, "both countries had walked away from their respective commitments under the [[Agreed Framework between the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea|U.S.-DPRK Agreed Framework of October 1994]]."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Summer/art1-su3.htm |title= Pollack, Jonathan. "The United States, North Korea, and the End of the Agreed Framework." ''Naval War College Review'', Summer 2003, Vol. LVI, No. 3. |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Summer/art1-su3.htm |archivedate=2006-08-18}}</ref> North Korea's [[October 9]] [[2006]] [[2006 North Korean nuclear test|detonation]] of a nuclear device further complicated 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."<ref name=sotu2002 /> 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.<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061009.html President's Statement on North Korea Nuclear Test]</ref> On [[May 7]], [[2007]], North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear reactors immediately pending the release of frozen funds held in a foreign bank account. This was a result of a series of three-way talks initiated by the [[United States]] and including [[China]].<ref>{{cite news | author =[[Associated Press]] | url = http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270397,00.html | title = North Korea Ready to Shut Down Reactor 'Immediately' | publisher =[[Fox News Channel|FOXNews.com]] |date= [[2007-05-07]] | accessdate = 2007-08-18}}</ref> On [[September 2]], [[2007]], North Korea agreed to disclose and dismantle all of its nuclear programs by the end of 2007.<ref>{{cite news|title = U.S.: North Korea agrees to shut down nuke facilities| author = [[Associated Press]]|publisher=[[CNN]] date = [[2007-09-02]]|url = http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/02/koreas.nuclear.ap/index.html|accessdate = 2007-09-02}}</ref>
====Syria====
President Bush has been supportive of expanding economic sanctions on [[Syria]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Bush expands sanctions on Syria | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7244088.stm | publisher = [[BBC News]] | accessdate = 2008-02-16 }}</ref> In early 2007, the [[U.S. Treasury]] Department, acting on a June 2005 [[executive order]], froze American bank accounts of Syria's Higher Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Electronics Institute, and National Standards and Calibration Laboratory. Bush's order prohibits Americans from doing business with these institutions suspected of helping spread [[weapons of mass destruction]]<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/04/america/NA_GEN_US_Terror_Financing.php "U.S. Treasury moves to clamp down on Syrian entities accused of spreading weapons"], International Herald Tribune online edition, [[January 4]], [[2007]]. Retrieved [[February 17]], [[2008]].</ref> and being supportive of terrorism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/rm/2003/25778.htm|publisher=U.S. Department of State|accessdate=2008-05-31|title=Syria and Terrorism|date=[[October 30]], [[2003]]}}</ref> Under separate executive orders signed by Bush in 2004 and later 2007, the Treasury Depertment froze the assets of two Lebanese and two Syrians, accusing them of activities to "undermine the legitimate political process in Lebanon" in November 2007. Those designated included: [[Assaad Halim Hardan]], a member of [[Lebanon]]'s parliament and chief of the Syrian Socialist National Party central political bureau; [[Wi'am Wahhab]], a former member of Lebanon's parliament; [[Hafiz Makhluf]], a colonel and senior official in the [[Syrian General Intelligence Directorate]] and a cousin of Syrian President [[Bashar al-Assad]]; and [[Muhammad Nasif Khayrbik]], identified as a close adviser to Assad.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/05/america/NA-GEN-US-Lebanon-Syria.php "U.S. announces sanctions to combat Syrian influence on Lebanon"], International Herald Tribune online edition, [[November 5]], [[2007]]. Retrieved [[February 17]], [[2008]].</ref>
====Foreign perceptions====
[[Image:2006 Musharaff at the White House.jpeg||right|thumb|President Bush with President [[Pervez Musharraf]] of the [[Islamic Republic of Pakistan]] in late 2006.]]
President Bush has been criticized internationally and targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalization campaigns, particularly for his administration's foreign policy.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Die außenpolitischen Positionen der Parteien im Bundestagswahlkampf 2002|year=2002|author=M. Overhaus, S. Schieder|journal=Politik im Netz|volume 3|url=http://www.deutsche-aussenpolitik.de/daparchive/dateien/2002/01300.pdf|language=[[German language|German]]|format=PDF}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=CBC News|url=http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/realitycheck/americans.html|title=Was the American ambassador meddling in a Canadian election?|publisher=CBC.ca Reality Check Team|date=[[2005-12-14]]|accessdate = 2006-09-23}}</ref> Views of him within the international community are more negative than previous American presidents, with [[France]]<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-02-13-france-usat_x.htm "French see Bush as the ugly American"]</ref> largely opposed to what he advocates and public opinion in [[United Kingdom|Britain]], an American ally since World War II, largely against him.
Bush was described as having especially close personal relationships with [[Tony Blair]] and [[Vicente Fox]], although formal relations were sometimes strained.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/02/AR2006030201431.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns Keeping the U.S. at Bay, Mexican Presidential Candidate Looks to Move Past Fox's Failures] Marcela Sanchez ([[March 3]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/15/deathpenalty/main518772.shtml Mexico's President Snubs Bush, Vicente Fox Cancels Visit To Bush Ranch To Protest Execution] ([[August 15]] [[2002]]).</ref><ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/nov/11/uk.usa Row over Bush security as Blair defends visit] Ewen MacAskill, Hugh Muir, and Julian Borger in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], [[The Guardian]] ([[November 11]] [[2003]]).</ref> Both Bush and Tony Blair were nominated for the [[Nobel Peace Prize]]s in 2002<ref>{{cite web|date=[[February 5]], [[2002]]|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/feb/05/politics.labour|title=Shoulder to shoulder, Blair and Bush nominated for peace prize|publisher=[[Guardian]]|accessdate=2008-02-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=[[February 5]], [[2002]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1801773.stm|title=Nobel nomination for Bush and Blair|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=2008-02-12}}</ref> and in 2004,<ref>{{cite web|date=[[March 9]], [[2004]]|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200403/09/eng20040309_136930.shtml|title=What's the meaning of Bush & Blair nominated as candidates for Nobel Peace Prize?|publisher=English People Daily|accessdate=2008-02-12}}</ref> although neither won the award. Other leaders, such as Afghan president [[Hamid Karzai]],<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/world/asia/26afghan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin "Afghan Leader Criticizes U.S. on Conduct of War"]</ref> Ugandan president [[Yoweri Museveni]],<ref>[http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article5951 SudanTribune article : Uganda’s president criticizes Bush administration’s handling of war in Iraq]</ref> Spanish president [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]],<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/mar/16/usa.iraq Spanish leader accuses Bush and Blair | World news | The Guardian]</ref> and Venezuelan president [[Hugo Chávez]],<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/sep/21/usa.venezuela Chávez attacks 'devil' Bush in UN speech|World news|The Guardian<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> have openly criticized the president. Later in Bush's presidency, tensions arose between himself and [[Vladimir Putin]], which has led to a cooling of their relationship.<ref name=LeeryofPutin>{{cite web|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20060721-9999-1n21usrussia.html|title=Bush, White House now leery of Putin as Russian turns back on democracy|accessdate=2006-09-09|author=Condon, George E. Jr.|date=[[2006-07-21]]|publisher=San Diego Union Tribune}}</ref>
During the Bush presidency, attitudes towards the United States and the American people have become less favorable around the world.<ref>[http://pewglobal.org/commentary/display.php?AnalysisID=1019 Pew Global Attitudes project (1)] [http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?PageID=825 (2)]</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globescan.com/news_archives/bbcpoll.html|title=In 18 of 21 Countries Polled, Most See Bush’s Reelection as Negative for World Security|accessdate=2006-09-24|date=2004|publisher=[[BBC World Service]] and [[Program on International Policy Attitudes]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/04/world/main604135.shtml|title=Polls: World Not Pleased With Bush|accessdate=2006-09-24|date=[[March 4]] [[2004]]|publisher=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>
[[Image:John Paul II George W. Bush Medal of Freedom 2004.jpg|thumb|left|President Bush presents the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] to [[Pope]] [[John Paul II]] during a visit to the [[Apostolic Palace|Vatican]], June 2004]]
A March 2007 survey of Arab opinion conducted by Zogby International and the [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]] found that Bush is the most disliked leader in the Arab world. More than three times as many respondents registered their dislike for Bush as for the second most unpopular leader, [[Ariel Sharon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldpoliticsreview.com/Article.aspx?id=594|title=Middle East Opinion: Iran Fears Aren't Hitting the Arab Street |author=Peter Kiernan | date=[[March 1]], [[2007]]|publisher=World Politics Review Exclusive}}</ref>
The [[Pew Research Center]]'s 2007 Global Attitudes poll found that out of 47 countries, a majority of respondents expressed "a lot of confidence" or "some confidence" in Bush in only nine countries: [[Israel]], [[India]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Ghana]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Kenya]], [[Mali]], [[Nigeria]], and [[Uganda]].<ref name="pew research">{{cite web|date=[[June 27]], [[2007]]|publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]|url=http://pewglobal.org/reports/pdf/256topline.pdf|title=Pew Global Attitudes Project: Spring 2007, Survey of 47 Publics, Final 2007 Comparative Topline|accessdate=2007-07-17|format=PDF}}</ref>
During a June 2007 visit to [[Albania]] Bush was greeted enthusiastically. The mostly Islamic [[Eastern Europe]]an nation with a population of 3.6 million has troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan and the country's government is highly supportive of American foreign policy.<ref name="albania">{{cite web|date=[[June 10]], [[2007]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6738055.stm|title=Bush greeted as hero in Albania|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=2007-12-16}}</ref> A huge image of the President now hangs in the middle of the capital city of [[Tirana]] flanked by Albanian and American flags.<ref>{{cite web|date=[[June 10]], [[2007]]|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10919634|publisher=[[National Public Radio|NPR]]|title=Bush Gets Warm Reception in Albania|accessdate=2007-12-16}}</ref> The Bush administration's support for the independence of Albanian-majority [[Kosovo]], while endearing him to the [[Albanians]], has troubled U.S. relations with [[Serbia]], leading to the February 2008 torching of the U.S. embassy in [[Belgrade]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/23/serbia.kosovo/index.html|title=Serbia: U.S. to blame for violence|publisher=CNN|date=2008-02-24}}</ref>
====Assassination attempt====
On [[May 10]], [[2005]], in [[Tbilisi]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Vladimir Arutyunian]] threw a live hand grenade toward the podium where Bush was giving a speech at [[Freedom Square, Tbilisi|Freedom Square]]. Georgian President [[Mikhail Saakashvili]] was seated nearby. It landed in the crowd about {{convert|65|ft|m|0}} from the podium after hitting a girl, but it did not detonate. Arutyunian was arrested in July 2005, confessed, and was convicted and given a life sentence in January 2006.<ref>{{cite news|coauthors=Chilcote|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/01/11/georgia.grenade/index.html|title=Bush grenade attacker gets life|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=[[2006-01-11]]|accessdate=2007-01-03}}</ref>
====Other matters====
[[Image:Red Sea Summit in Aqaba.jpg|right|thumb|Bush, [[Mahmoud Abbas]], and [[Ariel Sharon]] meet at the Red Sea Summit in [[Aqaba]], [[Jordan]], [[June 4]], [[2003]]]]
The Bush administration withdrew U.S. support for several international agreements, including the [[Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty]] (ABM) with [[Russia]]. Bush emphasized a careful approach to the conflict between [[Israel]] and the [[Palestinian]]s; he denounced [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] leader [[Yasser Arafat]] for alleged support of violence, but sponsored dialogs between prime ministers [[Ariel Sharon]] and [[Mahmoud Abbas]]. Bush supported Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and lauded the democratic elections held in Palestine after Arafat's death.
Bush also expressed U.S. support for the defense of [[Taiwan]] following the stand-off in April 2001 with the [[People's Republic of China]] over the [[Hainan Island incident]], when an [[EP-3E]] [[spy plane]] collided with a [[Chinese Air Force]] [[jet]], leading to the detention of U.S. personnel. In 2003–2004, Bush authorized U.S. military intervention in [[Haiti]] and [[Liberia]] to protect U.S. interests.
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 US$15 billion for this effort—US$3 billion per year for five years—but requested less in annual budgets.<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|work=The Huffington Post|date=[[January 29]] [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-06-30}}</ref>
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|work=The Washington Post|date=[[June 2]] [[2005]]|accessdate=2006-07-25}}</ref> Bush said that an international [[peacekeeping]] presence was critical in Darfur, but opposed referring the situation to the [[International Criminal Court]].
On [[June 10]], [[2007]], he met with Albanian Prime Minister [[Sali Berisha]] and became the first president to visit Albania.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/world/europe/10cnd-prexy.html?hp|title=Bush is Greeted Warmly in Albania|author=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|work=The New York Times|date=[[10 June]] [[2007]]}}</ref> Bush has voiced his support for the [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|independence]] of [[Kosovo]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/world/02/19/0219kosovo.html|title=U.S., major European nations recognize Kosovo's independence|author=Robert Wielaard, AP |date=[[February 19]], [[2008]]}}</ref>{{Dead link|date=July 2008}}
===Supreme Court appointments===
{{main|George W. Bush Supreme Court candidates}}
George W. Bush appointed [[John G. Roberts]] as [[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]] in 2005 and [[Samuel Alito]] as an [[Associate Justice]] in 2006. Bush nominated John Roberts to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] after the death of Chief Justice [[William Rehnquist]]. He was confirmed by the Senate on [[September 29]], [[2005]]. Following the announcement of the retirement of Justice [[Sandra Day O'Connor]], Bush nominated White House Counsel [[Harriet Miers]] to succeed O'Connor on [[October 3]], [[2005]]. However, Miers withdrew her nomination on [[October 27]] after facing significant opposition. After Miers's withdrawal, Bush nominated another federal appellate judge, Samuel Alito, as his new choice to replace O'Connor. Alito was confirmed as the 110th Supreme Court Justice on [[January 31]], [[2006]].
==See also==
*[[List of Presidents of the United States]]
*[[Electoral history of George W. Bush]]
*[[List of United States Presidential names#George W. (Walker) Bush|George W. Bush's nicknames]]
==References==
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{{reflist|3}}
==External links==
{{Sisterlinks|George W. Bush|s=Author:George Walker Bush}}
*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/ Official White House web site]
*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/gwbbio.html Official White House biography]
*{{cite web |url=http://www.gop.com/About/Bio.aspx?id=1 |title= Republican National Committee biography |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070414215908/http://www.gop.com/About/Bio.aspx?id=1 |archivedate=2007-04-14}}
*[http://www.presidentprofiles.com/Kennedy-Bush/Bush-George-W.html Comprehensive Presidential profile by Nicholas D. Kristof]
*[http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=CNIP9043 Project Vote Smart information]
*[http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/gwbush Extensive essay on George W. Bush and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the Miller Center of Public Affairs]
*{{imdb name|0124133}}
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