George Walker Bush (born 6 July 1946) was President of the United States from 20 January 2001 to 20 January 2009, succeeding Bill Clinton and preceding Barack Obama; he previously served as Governor of Texas (R) from 17 January 1995 to 21 December 2000, succeeding Ann Richards and preceding Rick Perry. Bush was a polarizing president, with people from both sides of the political spectrum criticizing his administration. Support for Bush was highest after the 9/11 attacks of 11 September 2001, and Bush launched invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq as a part of his "War on Terror". However, his approval ratings dropped in response to the Iraq War, his handling of Hurricane Katrina, and the start of the Great Recession in 2008.
Biography[]
Bush running for Governor of Texas, 1994
George Walker Bush was born in New Haven, Connecticut on 6 July 1946, the son of George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, as well as the brother of Jeb Bush. He graduated from Yale University in 1968 and from Harvard Business School in 1975, and he established Arbusto Energy in 1977. He later became a member of the board of directors of HKN, Inc., as well as an owner of the Texas Rangers team. Bush ran for Governor of Texas in 1994, the same year as Jeb Bush's gubernatorial run in Florida, and he defeated the incumbent Governor Ann Richards, for re-election. Bush used the budget surplus to push through a $2 billion tax cut, and he permitted Texans to carry concealed firearms and supported alternative energy sources.
President of the United States[]
Bush on Time Magazine's cover, 2000
In 2000, the popular Bush ran for President of the United States as the Republican candidate, branding himself as a "compassionate conservative" and a centrist. He supported bringing integrity and honor back to the White House, increasing the size of the armed forces, cutting taxes, improving education, and aiding minorities. Bush defeated John McCain in the Republican primary before facing the Democratic Party nominee, Al Gore, in the general election. Bush criticized Gore for his views on gun control and taxation, and he won the election after a vote recount in Florida confirmed his victory in the Electoral College (he lost the popular vote).
Bush's ambitious domestic agenda was sidelined as a result of the 9/11 attacks on 11 September 2001, which were carried out by the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda. Four passenger jets were hijacked by terrorists, with two crashing into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, one crashing into the Pentagon, and another crashing into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Bush embarked on a "War on Terror", an international military campaign that included the Afghanistan War in 2001 and the Iraq War in 2003. He also passed broad tax cuts, created a government surveillance program of average American citizens, created the Department of Homeland Security, set high education standards for students, banned partial-birth abortions, gave Medicare prescription drug benefits to seniors, and funded AIDS relief programs.
In 2004, Bush won re-election by defeating Democratic nominee John Kerry, and he received heated criticism for his handling of the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, and other challenges. In 2006, the Democrats regained control of the US Congress, and the USA entered its longest post-World War II recession in December 2007, coming to be known as the "Great Recession". He left office in 2009 and bought a home in Dallas, Texas; in 2010, he published his memoir, and his presidential library was opened three years later. He has been rated 34th in the list of the best presidents of the United States, based on aggregated reviews, making him one of the least favorite presidents.