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• Republican George W. Bush was the 43rd president of the United States. He left 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.

  On April 17, 2009, a judge ruled that Bush should be deposed in a lawsuit which challenges the planned future site of the George W. Bush Library on the Southern Methodist University campus. Two former condo owners sued the university, claiming they were bullied into selling their land and not clearly notified on what would be built on the site.Salon.com: Judge rules Bush can be deposed over library suit (April 17, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 6, 1946
  2. Son of 41st President George H. W. Bush
  3. Former co-owner of the Texas Rangers
  4. Governor of Texas, 1995-2000
  5. Spouse: Laura Bush
  6. Daughters: Jenna Hager, Barbara Bush
  7. Vice-President: Dick Cheney
  8. Compensation: $400,000 per year
  9. Gave his farewell speech to the country on live television on January 15, 2009.Reuters: Bush to make farewell speech on Thursday (January 12, 2009)
  10. February 20, 2009: George W. and Barbara Bush moved into their new residence in a Dallas, Texas suburb*Huffington Post: Bush Moves Into New Dallas Home (February 20, 2009)

• 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 abuseCNN: Bush Acknowledges 1976 DUI (November 2000)Salon: Did Bush Drop out of the National Guard to Avoid Drug Testing? (February 6, 2004).

• 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 termCBS News: Bush Faces Off With Texas Over Execution (October 7, 2007), the most of any governor in recent U.S. history.

• Presidency

  Bush's presidency has become, in some ways, defined by a few major events. He had been president only eight 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 wealthyNew York Times: Tax Cuts Offer Most for Very Rich, Study Says January 8, 2007)) 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.

• Bush's Last Act

  It is a White House tradition for the departing president to leave a note for the incoming president in the Oval Office. Bush was reported to have left a note for Barack Obama in the top drawer of the desk. On January 20, 2009, Bush's White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said the note was similar to "what he's said since election night about the fabulous new chapter President-elect Obama is about to start, and that he wishes him the very best."Associated Press: Bush Leaves Note in Oval Office Desk for Obama (January 20, 2009)

• Legacy

  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."Rolling Stone: The Worst President in History? (April 21 2006)

• Bush on Religion

  In an interview with ABC television on December 8, 2008,President Bush said that the Bible is "probably not" literally true and that evolution is compatible with the theory that God created the world.

  • "I think that God created the Earth, created the world; I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don't think it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution," he told ABC television."Raw Story: Bush: Bible 'probably not' literally true

• Criticism

  During the final years of Bush's second term, ex-aides began to speak publicly their criticism of his presidency. In March, 2008, Scott McClellan's memoirs were published, accusing the administration of manipulating facts in order to gain war momentum prior to the Iraq war.USA Today: Ex-Bush aide's criticisms stun... (May 29, 2008) In December 2008, other former aides characterized the president as "clueless" and compared him to Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin. Palin received poor reviews by some during her run on the Republican ticket because she did not appear well-read or overly informed on current issues.Daily News: Clueless W was just like Palin... (December 30, 2008). Still other former aides speculated that the public backlash from the government's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was the "final nail" in the political coffin - separating the president from the popular opinion of the people.Associate Press: Ex-Aides Say Bush Never Recovered... (December 30, 2008)

• Advice to Obama

  While speaking to Larry King on an interview for CNN, Bush warned Barack Obama not to become an "economic forecaster" once he is inaugurated as president. When Larry King asked whether Obama's dire predictions of the economy in 2009 were the right message to send, Bush said "I don't think so. I think he can say it's going to be a tough period, but to predict what the economy is going to do ... it is going to be bad. How bad? How long? What he ought to be saying—and I know he feels this way -- is he's going to take the steps he thinks are necessary to get us back on the road to recovery and we will recover."CNN.com: Bush: President's priority is preventing attack

• Book

  Bush revealed in an interview on March 18, 2009, that he is writing a book titled Decision Points which focuses on the former president's "personal and presidential choices." The book is scheduled for release in 2010 by Crown.LA Times: Former President Bush gives early details about his coming book (March 19, 2009)

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