George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush ; born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States. He served as the forty-sixth Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being sworn in as President on January 20, 2001. His current term will end at noon (ET) on January 20, 2009.[3]

Bush is the eldest son of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush. After graduating from Yale University, Bush worked in his family’s oil businesses. Shortly after marrying his wife, Laura, he unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1978. He later co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball team before defeating Ann Richards to become Governor of Texas in 1994. In a close and controversial election, Bush was elected to the Presidency in 2000 as the Republican candidate, receiving a majority of the electoral votes but narrowly losing the popular vote.

As President, Bush’s main policies have largely focused on foreign policy and the economy. He has enacted large tax cuts, the No Child Left Behind Act,[4] and his tenure has seen a national debate on immigration.[5] After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Bush announced a global War on Terrorism, ordered an invasion of Afghanistan that same year, and an invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Bush ran for re-election against the Democratic Party’s nominee, Senator John Kerry, in 2004. Though Kerry debated Bush’s handling of the Iraq War and domestic issues,[6] Bush was re-elected on November 2, garnering 50.7% of the popular vote to his opponent’s 48.3%. [7]

After his re-election, Bush received increasingly heated criticism.[8][9][10] During his two terms, he has earned both the highest and the lowest domestic approval ratings of American Presidents.