Presidency of George W. Bush

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George Walker Bush
43rd President of the United States of America
Assumed office
January 20 2001
Vice PresidentDick Cheney
Preceded byBill Clinton
Succeeded byIncumbent
Personal details
Born (1946-07-06) July 6, 1946 (age 77)
New Haven, Connecticut
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLaura Bush
ResidenceCrawford, Texas
OccupationBusinessman (Oil,Baseball)
Signature

The Presidency of George W. Bush, also known as the George W. Bush Administration, began on his inauguration on January 20, 2001 as the 43rd and current President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former United States President George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush was elected president in the 2000 general election. Bush was reelected in 2004 as president.

Bush's term is scheduled to end at noon on January 20th, 2009, when the administration of the 44th President, to be elected in November 2008, is to take office.

Overview

Although he lost the popular vote, meaning that more people voted for Gore than him, the Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore gave Bush the highly debated election. As President, Bush pushed through a $1.3 trillion tax cut program and the No Child Left Behind Act, the largest unfunded Federal Mandate in the history of the United States, and has also pushed for socially conservative efforts such as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and faith-based welfare initiatives.

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Bush declared a global War on Terrorism and ordered an invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban, destroy Al-Qaeda and to capture Osama bin Laden in October 2001. In March 2003, Bush received a mandate from the U.S. Congress to lead an invasion of Iraq, asserting that Iraq was in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1441.[1]

Running as a self-described "war president" in the midst of the Iraq War,[2] Bush won re-election in 2004[3] and his presidental campaign against Senator John Kerry, was successful despite controversy over Bush's prosecution of the Iraq War and his handling of the economy.[4][5] After his re-election, Bush received increasingly heated criticism, even from former allies. His domestic popularity decreased[6] due to the war and other issues such as the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy and record budget deficits affecting the administration.

Major issues of Presidency

Major legislation

Legislation signed

Administration and Cabinet

Bush's cabinet has included figures that were prominent in past administrations, notably former Secretary of State Colin Powell who had served as United States National Security Advisor under Ronald Reagan. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had served as White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense under Gerald Ford; Rumsfeld's successor, Robert Gates, served as Director of Central Intelligence under George H.W. Bush. Vice President Richard Cheney served as Secretary of Defense under George H. W. Bush.

Bush places a high value on personal loyalty and, as a result, his administration has high message discipline. He maintains a "hands-off" style of management that he believes prevents him from being tangled by intricacies that hinder sound decision-making. "I'm confident in my management style. I'm a delegator because I trust the people I've asked to join the team. I'm willing to delegate. That makes it easier to be President," he said in an interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC in December of 2003. Critics allege, however, that Bush is willing to overlook mistakes[10] made by loyal subordinates.

There has been only one non-Republican present in Bush's cabinet: Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, the first Asian American cabinet secretary, who had previously served as Secretary of Commerce under Bill Clinton, is a Democrat. Mineta resigned from Bush's cabinet on July 7, 2006 to pursue "other challenges".[11] Mary Peters, a Republican, was nominated and confirmed to succeed him as Transportation Secretary.

First Term (2001-2005)

Main article: George W. Bush's first term as President of the United States

Second Term (2005-Present)

Main article: George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States

Political philosophy

The guiding political philosophy of the Bush administration has been termed neoconservative. The specific elements of neoconservative leadership have been itemized in policy papers by members of the Project for a New American Century, and is represented in the editorial perspective of the political journal the Weekly Standard. Administration officials chosen from the membership of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC) began with the selection of the candidate for vice president, Dick Cheney. Others included Richard Armitage, Zalmay Khalilzad, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Richard Perle, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz.

In 1998, following perceived Iraqi unwillingness to co-operate with UN weapons inspections, members of the PNAC, including former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz, wrote to President Bill Clinton urging him to remove Saddam Hussein from power using US diplomatic, political and military power.

In September 2000, the PNAC issued a report entitled Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategies, Forces, and Resources For A New Century, proceeding "from the belief that America should seek to preserve and extend its position of global leadership by maintaining the preeminence of U.S. military forces." The group stated that when diplomacy or sanctions fail, the United States must be prepared to take military action. The PNAC argued that the Cold War deployment of forces was obsolete. Defense spending and force deployment must reflect the post-Cold War duties that US forces are obligated to perform. Constabulary duties such as peacekeeping in the Balkans and the enforcement of the No Fly Zones in Iraq put a strain upon, and reduced the readiness of US forces. The PNAC recommended the forward redeployment of US forces at new strategically placed permanent military bases in Southeast Europe and Southeast Asia. Permanent bases would ease the strain on US forces, allowing readiness to be maintained and the carrier fleet to be reduced. Furthermore, PNAC advocated that the US-globalized military should be enlarged, equipped and restructured for the "constabulary" roles associated with shaping the security in critical regions of the world.[12]

Controversy

Bush's presidency has been characterized by a vigorous defense of "executive privilege", evidenced in such acts as signing Executive Order 13233, which suspends the release of presidential papers, tight control of Congressional inquiries into White House officers such as in the 9/11 Commission's interviews with Condoleezza Rice, Bush and Richard B. Cheney, and the generally high level of coordination between the White House, Congressional Republicans and Senate Republicans in both of Bush's terms. Many commentators have claimed that deference to executive privilege was one of the principal considerations in Bush's administration, when he proposed his three nominations for the Supreme Court, and appointed John R. Bolton to the United Nations.[13][14]

Policies of the Bush administration have been criticized for subverting elements of the Constitution, violating treaty obligations, failing to prevent the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and obstructing justice. The suspension of habeas corpus was reversed by the Supreme Court in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507 (2004). Domestic spying has included undercover infiltration of political organizations with no suspected terrorist affiliations, telephone surveillance without a warrant, and the Carnivore program for internet surveillance. The policy of holding enemy combatants in a legal status outside of either due process of criminal prosecution nor the Geneva conventions for prisoners of war created a legal limbo without a process for adjudication or appeal. The extraordinary rendition of an innocent citizen of Canada, to Syria, caused an international incident involving kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment and torture.[15] The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, stated in a white paper that "President Bush's constitutional vision is, in short, sharply at odds with the text, history, and structure of our Constitution, which authorizes a government of limited powers."[16]

Ellen Mariani, widow of Louis Neil Mariani, killed in the September 11 attacks, has charged George W. Bush, et al., because "Defendant GWB has not been forthright and honest with regard to his administration's pre-knowledge of the potential of the "911" attacks" (Mariani v. Bush, Case number 03-5273, United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania). Former White House chief counter-terrorism advisor Richard A. Clarke has criticized both the failure to prevent the attacks of 911, and the response to them in both domestic and foreign policy, in his book Against All Enemies.

The Union of Concerned Scientists published a report, Scientific Integrity in Policymaking, in March of 2004 that criticized the unprecedented "manipulation, suppression, and misrepresentation of science by the Bush administration ... World renowned scientific institutions such as that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health take decades to build a team of world-class scientific expertise and talent. But they can be severely damaged in short order by the scientifically unethical behavior such as that displayed by the current administration."[17]

Third Way issued a new report on September 5 2006 analyzing the Bush administration’s record on national security. The report was released at a press conference in the Capitol with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, retired General Wesley Clark, Assistant Minority Leader Dick Durbin, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Carl Levin, and founding Third Way Co-Chair Senator Thomas Carper. In The Neo Con: The Bush Defense Record by the Numbers, Third Way analyzed available data across seven key national security indicators: Iraq, terrorism (broadly defined), Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, the condition of the American military, and China. The report finds that the numbers lead to an indisputable conclusion that incompetence and a failed strategy have "helped lead us to this dangerous situation".[18]

On May 19, 2007, former President Jimmy Carter described the Bush's foreign policy as the "worst in history."[19] and the Bush Administration responded, calling Carter 'increasingly irrelevant'.

On July 3, 2007, MSNBC anchor and host of Countdown Keith Olbermann, in the aftermath of Bush's commutation of the prison sentence of Scooter Libby, called for the resignations of both Mr. Bush and Vice-President Cheney. [20]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ Powell, Colin (February 5, 2003). "U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Addresses the U.N. Security Council". Whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 2006-05-25.
  2. ^ "Transcript for Feb. 8th". MSNBC. 2004-02-08. Retrieved 2006-09-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ 2004 Presidential Election Results
  4. ^ 13 October 2004 "The Third Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate" transcript
  5. ^ CNN's exit poll showed Terrorism (19%) and Iraq (15%) as the third and fourth most important issues behind Moral Values (22%) and the Economy (20%) "CNN - U.S. President / National / Exit Poll / Election 2004"
  6. ^ Pollingreport.com - PRESIDENT BUSH – Overall Job Rating in recent national polls
  7. ^ Bush, George W. (2002-05-14). "President Signs Farm Bill". White House. Retrieved 2006-09-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ Bush, George W. (2002-08-17). "President Bush Signs H.R. 4, the Pension Protection Act of 2006". White House. Retrieved 2006-09-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ Bush, George W. (2006-10-04). "President's Statement on H.R. 5441, the "Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007"". White House. Retrieved 2006-10-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Eleanor (2004-05-28). "Gen. Sanchez Gets Promoted". Retrieved 2007-04-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Wilber, Del Quentin (2006-06-24). "Lone Democrat in Bush Cabinet Is Departing". Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
  12. ^ "Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New Century" (PDF). Project for the New American Century. September 2000. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  13. ^ Baker, Peter (2005-08-02). "Privilege at Stake With Nominees". Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
  14. ^ Kiely, Kathy (2005-10-04). "Senators look for best angle on Miers". USA Today. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
  15. ^ Mayer, Jane (2005-02-14). "Outsourcing Torture: The secret history of America's "extraordinary rendition" program". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  16. ^ Healy, Gene (2006-05-01). "Power Surge: The Constitutional Record of George W. Bush". The Cato Institute. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  17. ^ Numerous Prominent Signatories. "Scientific Integrity in Policymaking". Union of Concerned Scientists. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ^ Sharon Burke and Harlan Geer. "The Neo Con: The Bush Defense Record by the Numbers". Third Way. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ^ http://www.nwanews.com/adg/National/190544/
  20. ^ Keith Olbermann. "Bush, Cheney Should Resign". MSNBC. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)


See also

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