George W Bush BiographyGeorge W Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, was raised in Texas from the age of two. He was born on July 6, 1946, to his father, former President George H W Bush and his mother, Barbara Bush. George had a younger brother, Jeb Bush, who would later become governor of Florida. Politics was a family business and George W’s Grandfather Prescott Bush, was a U.S. senator. George W Bush married Laura Bush and they had twin daughters named Jenna and Barbara.
After graduating from Yale University where he studied history, Bush entered the Air National Guard and then went on to Harvard Business School. He was successful in the oil industry in his home state of Texas. It’s well known that George was arrested in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol when he had been socializing with Australian tennis star John Newcombe.
In 1986 Bush went through some changes. He stopped drinking and became a Born Again Christian. His religious regeneration came after meeting Reverend Billy Graham. Bush moved to Washington two years later to assist his father in his campaign for the presidency. His colleagues in the campaign were Lee Atwater and Doug Wead. A year later, the younger Bush bought into the Texas Rangers baseball franchise, and was hands-on in running the team. During this period, the Rangers signed the pitcher Nolan Ryan.
Focusing on politics again, George W Bush was elected as governor for Texas and served from 1995 to 2000. Bush succeeded Bill Clinton as U.S. President in 2001, having defeated Democrat Al Gore in a close, controversial election that many consider flawed. Bush appointed Colin Powell as secretary of state, Donald Rumsfeld as secretary of defense, and Dick Cheney as vice president. Bush was re-elected in 2004, against his opponent Senator John Kerry. Arnold Schwarzenegger helped him in his second campaign.
Bush was initially a popular president but his popularity declined during his second term. His stand against terrorism was supported, as was his opposition to Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. But opponents criticize his right wing social policies and his handling of the continuing problems in Iraq and the Middle East. Bush had a good relationship with many world leaders, especially the United Kingdom's Prime Minister at that time, Tony Blair. Bush also enjoyed a productive dialogue with Russian leader at that time, Vladimir Putin, and helped to bring about communication between Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon. Democrat, Senator Edward Kennedy give his support to Bush’s initiative to give more financial aid to low-income schools.
When criticism came, it was been hard hitting. Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore made Fahrenheit 9/11, a stab at President Bush, which received critical acclaim and commercial success. It portrayed George W Bush as incompetent at best. At MSNBC, Joe Scarborough presented a show titled Is Bush An Idiot? The world of entertainment became divided over Bush and his policies, as did the American people. He had compliments paid him by Britney Spears and Dennis Miller, and suffered scathing attacks from Martin Sheen and Richard Dreyfuss. Bush’s approval ratings plummeted to an all time historical low, leaving the 2008 elections up for grabs by either party. The 2008 presidential elections saw George being followed into The White House by America's first black president, Barack Hussein Obama and although the country looked to him to fulfill his election policies, his ability to secure the American people from recession conditions in early 2009.
Along with George W Bush's track record for the capture and death of Saddam Hussein, his years of growth and prosperity in the USA, it is widely expected that history will show that during his presidency he made the USA more secure from terrorist attacks than is currently known. YUDDY |
