Bush also sent troops to Iraq in because of rumors that the country was hiding dangerous weapons. People supported the invasion at first, but public opinion split after no weapons were found. The organization is responsible for border security, immigrations and customs, and disaster relief and prevention. But they also keep a close watch over suspected terrorist groups and send warnings if they think the country and its people are in danger.
That way, the government can protect them. Despite losing some support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Bush was reelected as president in after running against Senator John Kerry, a Democrat. During his second term, Bush refocused on domestic issues like education. His No Child Left Behind program created standards every school had to follow to make sure all kids received a good education.
Now that political party had control of both the House and Senate for the first time in 14 years. But determined to win the war on terror, Bush sent more U. And though it did make the region safer for a while, the fighting continued for years after Bush left office. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were expensive. Lasting from late through most of , this period is known as the Great Recession. After leaving the White House in , Bush retired to Texas. Today he and his wife, former First Lady Laura Bush, do outreach through the Bush Institute, part of a center in Dallas that includes his presidential library.
The organization works to improve public education, promote democracy, expand global health, and decrease poverty. Bush also started painting as a hobby—his art has even been displayed in museums. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan. Presidents by Brianna Dumont; revised for digital by Avery Hurt. All rights reserved. Personality Quizzes. Funny Fill-In. As Election Day unfolded, there was no clear winner. The late-night news declared one candidate the winner, then the other the winner.
By early the next morning, Bush had electoral votes and Gore had , with needed to win. After more than a month of recounts and legal maneuvering, the U. Supreme Court decided the election, giving George Bush the victory. In the first two years of his presidency, George W. Bush enjoyed a political majority in both Congressional houses but faced a strongly divided government. At times, his political rhetoric fueled this divide.
His administration prompted further controversy when he announced the U. On September 11, , Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four U. Three of them hit their targets in New York and Washington, D. The war on terror had begun, and President George W. Bush promised the American people that he would do all he could to prevent another terrorist attack.
A comprehensive strategy was formed with the creation of the Homeland Security Department, the Patriot Act and the authorization of intelligence gathering that, for a time, included monitoring international phone calls made by U. The Bush administration also built international coalitions to seek out and destroy Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in Afghanistan, where the ruling Taliban government was said to be harboring Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Hundreds of prisoners were held there as enemy combatants, a classification given by the Bush administration that stated terror detainees were not protected by the Geneva Conventions. As a result, many were subject to enhanced interrogation techniques, which in the opinion of various international organizations, including the Red Cross, amounted to torture.
In September, , the Bush administration announced that the United States would preemptively use military force if necessary to prevent threats to its national security by terrorists or "rogue states" especially any that possessed weapons of mass destruction. Based on what would prove to be inaccurate intelligence reports, the Bush administration successfully obtained a UN Security Council resolution to return weapons inspectors to Iraq.
Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, fell on April 9, , and Bush personally declared an end to major combat operations on May 1, With a power vacuum in place, Iraq soon fell into a sectarian civil war. Bush ran for re-election. Though the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not going well, and his efforts in Social Security reform had met with great resistance, Bush's political core remained supportive, and he was able to win reelection over Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry in the November election.
During his second term, Bush pushed for immigration reform, which received criticism from many conservatives, and eased environmental regulations, which received criticism from many liberals. The Bush administration's poor response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans further pushed down his favorability rating.
In , as George W. Bush entered the final year of his presidency, the country faced enormous challenges. The United States was fighting two foreign wars, and the budget surplus left by the Clinton administration had transformed into a multi-trillion-dollar debt—the effects of military spending, tax cuts, and slow economic growth. In the early fall of , the country was hit with a severe credit crisis that sent the stock market into free fall and led to massive layoffs.
Bush left office in January, , leaving behind much unfinished business and low approval ratings. The country remained politically divided. Bush and his wife settled in Dallas, Texas, where he participated in the building of his presidential library and wrote his memoir "Decision Points. After years of leading a relatively quiet life in Texas, Bush returned to the media spotlight in He was on hand for the opening of the George W. The other living former presidents, including Bill Clinton and Bush's own father, attended the event as did President Barack Obama.
Bush joked that "There was a time in my life when I wasn't likely to be found at a library, much less found one," according to Fox News. Speaking on a more serious note, Bush seemed to defend his time as president. Bush played up to his Texas roots through most of his political life. For both his supporters and detractors, it provided reasons for their support and criticism.
For some, his folksy image and manner suggested he was "not ready for prime time," politically adept, but not a statesman at a time when the country need one. For others, he was perceived as a president of big ideas who eagerly embraced large visions and the risks involved.
Internationally, he has been maligned for his "cowboy diplomacy" in foreign affairs. Following the January presidential inauguration of Barack Obama , Bush left office as a polarizing figure. He and first lady Laura Bush returned to Texas, where they divided their time between homes in Dallas and Crawford. Start your free trial today.
But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. George Herbert Walker Bush , served as the 41st U. He also was a two-term U. Bush, a World War II naval aviator and Texas oil industry executive, began his political career in the George Washington was commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and served two terms as the first U.
The son of a prosperous planter, Washington was raised in colonial Virginia. As a young Laura Bush was an American first lady and the wife of George W.
Bush, 43rd president of the United States. As a former public shool teacher and librarian, Laura Bush championed the causes of education and literacy before and during her time in the White House. As first Much of the legacy of President George W. Bush is wrapped around the war on terror and military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, but what many consider his greatest achievement is a public health effort steeped in humanitarianism that won accolades across the political spectrum As the wife of one president, George H.
Bush , and the mother of another, George W. Bush , Barbara Bush holds a unique position in American political history. Born in , she married at the age of 19 and devoted much her time to raising her five children The longest-lived president in U. George McClellan was a U.
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