George W. Bush

Guide Note: Republican George W. Bush is the 43rd president of the United States. He will leave office in January of 2009. Bush's father, George H. W. Bush, was the 41st President. They are the second father and son to both be elected to the office, after John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

Early Life

George W. Bush is the first child of George and Barbara Bush. He was raised largely in Midland and Houston, Texas. During the Vietnam War, Bush entered the Texas Air National Guard, and was discharged in 1973 to attend Harvard Business School. By most accounts, it was during this era when he first started to struggle with alcoholism and substance abuse.

Career in Business

After graduation, Bush married Laura Welch and entered the oil industry, heading up several companies, including Arbusto Energy. After his father won the presidency, Bush became a part-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team and served as a managing general partner. It was during this time that Bush became a born-again Christian and overcame the addictions that had plagued him for much of his life.

Texas Governor

Bush assumed office as Governor of Texas on January 17 of 1995, beating favored incumbent Ann Richards. Though Texas' legislature is essentially a parliamentary system, vesting little genuine power with the governor, Bush still managed to push through the largest tax cut in the state's history and a number of other policies, including the support for faith-based charitable organizations that would become a key to his first term agenda as President. 152 executions were performed in Texas during Bush's six-year term, the most of any governor in recent U.S. History.

2000 Election

Bush's main competition during the Republican primaries came from current Republican front-runner in the 2008 Election, Senator John McCain. After winning the primary, Bush faced off against outgoing Vice President Al Gore while still serving as Texas governor. His eventual victory against Gore was among the most contested and controversial in the nation's history, requiring an extensive vote recount by hand in Florida that was eventually halted by the Supreme Court decision Bush v. Gore. The eventual tally put Bush ahead of Gore by 537 votes in Florida, giving him the state and thus the presidency.

Presidency

Bush's Presidency has become, in some ways, defined by a few major events. He had been president only 8 months before the 9/11 attacks on New York City and The Pentagon. Shortly thereafter, he initiated the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Among Bush's major domestic policies are the Patriot Act, expanding the authority of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a series of significant tax cuts designed to stimulate the economy (but which were accused of favoring the wealthy) and a failed attempt to reform the Social Security system through the use of private accounts.

Bush has also made controversial decisions surrounding stem cell research, the use of domestic surveillance to foil terrorist plots and a guest worker program to stem the tide of illegal immigration.

Though many conservatives continue to celebrate his legacy, and Bush himself has theorized that history will look kindly on some of his more difficult, complicated decisions, the ongoing wars started on his watch and a variety of failures - including the administration's slow reaction to the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina and its poor record on environmental issues - have earned him a reputation as a failed president, as well as some of the lowest poll numbers since the presidency of Richard Nixon. A Rolling Stone article in 2006 suggested he may be the "Worst President in U.S. History," and the title in some ways has stuck.

Fast Facts:

Born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 6, 1946
Son of 41st President George H. W. Bush
Former co-owner of the Texas Rangers
Governor of Texas, 1995-2000
Spouse: Laura Bush
Vice-President: Dick Cheney
Compensation: $400,000 per year

Did you mean: George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush's father? | Bush, the British rock band?
Also try: The Bush Administration | Mahalo's Guide to United States presidents | Laura Bush, his wife

The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site of the White House: President George W. Bush
Official Site: George W. Bush Presidential Library
Wikipedia: George W. Bush
The Avalon Project: Papers of George W. Bush
Miller Center: George W. Bush
WashingtonPost.com: "Reaching for a Place in History" (January 27, 2008)
- - "Bush is admittedly so unpopular that even Republican presidential candidates rarely mention him, preferring instead to compare themselves to the GOP's great icon, Ronald Reagan."
Video: President Bush's Post-9/11 Speech (Time: 4:23)