George W. Bush - Life and Background

• Born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 6, 1946 to former president George H. W. Bush (41st President) and his wife Barbara.
• Prescott Bush, his grandfather was a U.S. Senator in Connecticut, and his own father was former Vice President and President.
• Attended public schools in Midland, Texas before transferring to The Kinkaid School in Houston. Finished his High School at Phillips Academy, an all male boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts.
• Was a baseball player and the head cheerleader.
• Was the President of his college fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon at Yale.
• Graduated with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in history at Yale University.
• Earned a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.
• Commissioned into the Texas Air National Guard for two years of active-duty service, then later into the Alabama Air National Guard.
• Was alleged to be favored for his father’s political standing.
• Was honorably discharged in 1974, the end of his six-year obligation.
• Met Laura Welch, a school teacher and librarian, and married her after three months of dating.

• Had fraternal twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, who graduated from University of Texas and Yale in 2004.
• Began a series of oil companies he named Bush Exploration, but was hurt by decrease in oil prices.
• Worked on his father’s campaign for the Presidency in 1988 as advisor and as a liaison to the media.
• Bought a share in the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989.
• Was inspired to run for Governorship in Texas in 1994 by brother Jeb, who ran for the governorship of Florida and was elected to two consecutive terms.

George W. Bush - Election

During Bush’s first term as governor of Texas, many saw his potential to be a future president of the United States, and during his second term, speculation increased. In June 1990, Bush announced that he was to be a candidate for Presidency for the Republican Party. He ran with other candidates like John McCain, Alan Keyes, Steve Forbes, Gary Bauer, Orrin Hatch, Elizabeth Dole, Dan Quayle, Pat Buchanan, Lamar Alexander, John Kasich, and Robert C. Smith. Eventually, the contest narrowed down to John McCain and George W. Bush. Bush expressed that he was a conservative who was compassionate, promoting the increase of the size of the US Armed Forces, the improvement of education, the support of minorities and the cutting of taxes. Although he was primarily losing to McCain, his campaign soon gained momentum and overcame McCain. However, he wasn’t winning yet, he had yet to defeat Democrat Vice President Al Gore. Bush continued campaigning, criticizing the Democrat over gun control and taxes.

On November 7, 2000, Bush won popularity in 29 states, one of which was Florida. The count of votes in Florida were so close that they recounted it, and the results stayed in courts for about a month before it was finally raised to the Supreme Court. It turned out that Bush had won the vote in Florida by about 537 votes out of 6 million. Bush won the election wining 271 electoral votes, while Al Gore won 266.

On January 20, 2001, George Walker Bush was sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States.

Bush's ran for re-election in 2004, confident with broad support from the Republican Party and the fact that there were no major threats to him. Kenneth Mehlman was his campaign manager, using the political strategy conjured by Karl Rove. In his re-election, Bush portrayed more interest and commitment to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He and the Republican party also supported a shift in policy concerning the ban of abortion and same-sex marriage called the USA Patriot Act, as well as a reform in Social Security, and plan to fight against Global Warming. The Bush campaign fought against the Democrats, especially Senator of Massachusetts, John Kerry, who emerged as Bush's main opponent. The Democrats harshly criticized Bush on issues regarding the war in Iraq, lack of increase in employment, and the downfall of the economy. In return, Bush's campaign attacked Kerry on the issue regarding the war in Iraq as well. They portrayed him as indecisive due to contradictory statements, lacking vision that would lead to success, and a liberal who would raise taxes and increase the size of the federal government.

The effects of this clash resulted in the narrowest victory ever for Presidential campaign, beating Woodrow Wilson's margin of 3.1% against Charles Even Hughes in 1916. Bush won 31 out of 50 states with 286 electoral votes, a margin of 2.5% of victory. Thus, Bush served for another term as the President of the United States.

George W. Bush - Foreign Policy and Affairs

At the beginning of his presidency, George Bush mainly focused on domestic issues. After September 11, 2001, Bush's priorities shifted to more foreign affairs. The World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks greatly wounded the nation and Bush comforted the people saying,

"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".  

The United States earned the sympathy of many nations and supported Bush on his declaration of War on Terrorism. The president struggled to capture Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and inferior leaders, leading America into the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War. This became known as the Bush Doctrine. The Bush doctrine gives the United States the right to secure itself against countries that harbor and or give aid to terrorist groups. US Troops overthrew the Aghanistan Taliban regime and provoked democracy in Iraq, but never captured Osama bin Laden, who escaped.

George Bush claims that his main goal is to keep the peace, an element that is earned. To him, the foundation of peace is a strong, capable, and modern American military. He is observed to make frequent use of the US forces to achieve as his morals urge him to. Bush claims however that it is only when the US or it allies are threatened, and if he can win and exit. His foreign policies are done "with a touch of iron driven by American interests and values". He wants to build peace, which calls for strong alliances, expansion of trade, and confident diplomacy. Bush uses his his military to ensure freedom, which is one of his biggest priorities

The President believes that America should act as the leader as a country whose values are freedom, justice, and equality. Leading with humility but projecting great strength, America should empower other countries to help them become great nations. However, Bush has a certain preference for democratic countries than for the those with dictators. He refuses to shake the hand of Fidel Castro, pledging to ensure freedom in Cuba by keeping authority. He however welcomes Latin American democracies, promising to be a friend to them. During Bush's presidency, the United States improved relations with other nations, including Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, India, Panama, etc. Bush was criticized on many things but for his relations with other countries especially as the United Nations leader, he was praised.

George W. Bush - Domestic Policy and Affairs

George W. Bush swore in as the 43rd President of the United States on January 20, 2001. Despite being newly elected, Bush faced opposition in Congress for the reforms he promoted during his campaigns. One of the these reforms was a $1.35 Trillion Tax Cut Program, one of the largest cuts in history, arguing that "the surplus is not the government's money, the surplus is the people's money". He believed that the tax cut would stimulate the economy and create jobs. Those who oppose him argued that it would only result to budget deficit and hurt Social Security. Still, Bush held public meetins across the nation to increase public support, and by 2003, although job growth did not change, economy began to improve. However, as time progressed, the United States entered a post-World War II recession. The GDP and median household income decreased. Poverty, unemployment and national debts increased. Many remarked that the situation became the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Although Bush did not have much success on his economic plan, his educational reform worked better. Congress supported and approved his plans to improve education. In 2002 Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, an act to close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind.. This act was meant to measure and close the gap between rich and poor student performance, provide options parents with students in low-performance schools, and target more federal funding to low-income schools. Despite critics who remark that it was underfunded, the act proved to be successful. Many students in the United States provesd to perform significantly better on literacy and math. As this improved, Bush turned his attention to more environmental matters.

During his Presidency, Bush was struck with problems of global warming and environmental hazards. He opposed a protocol by the United Nations called the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol was a collaboration to achieve "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system". In its place, Bush proposed the Clear Skies Act, an amendment to the Clean Air Act. It aims to reduce air pollution by using emissions trading programs. Many opposed, arguing that it allowed more pollution than was already permitted and therefore defeated the purpose. Congress did not approve and the Clear Skies Act was rejected.

George W. Bush - Legacy

The legacy of George W. Bush will no doubt be the topic of dispute of many historians and scholars for many years. As Bush was succeeded by Barack Obama, he is honored that Obama will choose to keep some of his policies. Although he did not exactly improve the economy or the environment, his act to step up and comfort his own people as well as defend the people of other nations will forever be remembered. If he is not appreciated during his lifetime, it will come later, when pages of history are written for him. He currently resides in Texas, enjoying a normal life, writing his memoirs, and still not resting. Even if he is no longer president, Bush continues to serve his country through the George W. Bush Presidential Center. His services and efforts are yet to contribute to his legacy as the 43rd President of the United States of America.