The G. W.
By: Zachary Atticus Gile
Biography I
- George Walker Bush was born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut.
- President Bush is still alive today.
- His parents are former President Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush .
- George grew up in Houston and Midland, Texas.
Education
Until the 7th grade Bush went to different public schools in Midland, Texas. He then attended The Kinkai Prep School for the next two years. He finished out high school at Bush finished high school at Phillips Academy, a all-male boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts. At Phillips Academy he played basketball and during his senior year he was the head cheerleader. Bush attended Yale University from 1964 to 1968, graduating with an B.A. in history. He is a of the Skull and Bones society. He went to Harvard Business school and is the only President to have a M.B.A.
Biography II
In May 1968, Bush was commissioned into the Texas Air National Guard, and he was honorably discharged from the Air Force Reserve on November 21, 1974. He married Laura Bush on November 5, 1977. On November 25, 1981, Laura Bush gave birth to fraternal twin, Barbara and Jenna Bush.
Early Career
In 1978 Bush ran for the House of Representatives from Texas' 19th District and lost by 6000 votes to Kent Hence. Bush moved his family to Washington, D.C. in 1988 to help work on his farther's campaign for the U.S. presidency, he served as a campaign adviser. After the successful campaign he bought a share in the Texas Rangers, and in about ten years turned his $800,000 investment into over $15 million. Bush ran for Governor of Texas and his four main themes were: Welfare reform, tort reform, crime reduction, and education improvement. He won the election by 53.5% and one of his first actions as governor he signed a bill that allowed Texans to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons. He won his reelection in 1998 by 69%, and becoming the first governor to be elected two times in a row with four year terms. In 2000 he decided to seek the Republican presidential nomination.
Campaign Slogans
In 2000
- Compassionate Conservatism
- Leave no Child Behind
- Real Plans for Real People
- Reformer With Results
In 2004
- Yes, America Can!
Elections
In 2000 Bush won 29 states, including Florida. How close it was led to a recount and later went to the Supreme Court. In the case of Bush v. Gore the Court reversed a Florida Supreme Court decision ordering a third count, and stopped an ordered statewide hand recount based on the argument that the use of different standards among Florida's counties violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In a third count the machine that Bush won Florida by 537 votes.
In 2004 Bush won 31 states receiving 286 electoral votes, he also won an outright majority of the popular vote, 50.7% to his opponent's 48.3%. The last President to win an outright majority of the popular vote was Bush's father in the 1988 election.
Presidency
Bush took office in March of 2001. After 9/11 Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban. Bush also ordered an invasion of Iraq and Saddam Hussein thinking that they were hiding Weapons of Mass Destruction. US troops occupied Iraq and in 2003 Saddam was captured. (Saddam Hussein's Execution) An important bill that he passed was the No Child Left Behind Act. President Bush signed 56 pieces of legislation, and vetoed 5. Two of those both had to do with stem cell research. President Bush received a big slap in the face when in May 21, 2001 his Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 veto was overruled by congress. After he 9/11 attacks Bush's approval rating was around 90%, but when he left office he was at 33%. In October of 2008 he hit an all time low of around 23%.
Members of Cabinet
Secretary of State:Colin Luther Powell (2001-05) Condoleezza Rice (2005-09)Secretary of the Treasury:Paul O'Neill (2001-02) John W. Snow (2003-06) Henry M. Paulson, Jr. (2006-09)Secretary of Defense:Donald H. Rumsfeld (2001-06) Robert M. Gates (2006-09)Attorney General:John Ashcroft (2001-05) Alberto Gonzales (2005-07) Michael Mukasey (2007-09)Secretary of the Interior:Gale Norton (2001-06) Dirk Kempthorne (2006-09)Secretary of Agriculture:Ann Veneman (2001-05) Mike Johanns (2005-07) Ed Schafer (2008-09)Secretary of Commerce:Don Evans (2001-05) Carlos Gutierrez (2005-09)Secretary of Labor:Elaine Chao (2001-09)Secretary of Health and Human Services:Tommy G. Thompson (2001-05) Michael O. Leavitt (2005-09)Secretary of Housing and Urban Development:Mel Martinez (2001-04) Alphonso Jackson (2004-08) Steve Preston (2008-09)Secretary of Transportation:Norman Y. Mineta (2001-06) Mary E. Peters (2006-09)Secretary of Energy:Spencer Abraham (2001-05) Samuel W. Bodman (2005-09)Secretary of Education:Roderick R. Paige (2001-05) Margaret Spellings (2005-09)Secretary of Veterans Affairs:Anthony Principi (2001-05) R. James Nicholson (2005-07) James B. Peake (2007-09)Secretary of Homeland Security:Tom Ridge (2003-2005) Michael Chertoff (2005-09)
Major Achievements
- Biggest Tax Cut in American History
- Signed the Biggest Expansion of Entitlement Program Since the Great Society
- His Administration Prevented a Meltdown of the U.S. Financial System in the 2008 Fall
Goofs
- Led the U.S. to a conflict with Iraq on wrong intelligence reports
- Weakest Economic Performance Since Herbert Hoover
- U.S. Government Failed to Secure Afghanistan
Is He Electable Today?
I say yes. Unlike some other presidents that would be coming back anywhere from like 20-200ish years Bush knows whats going on in the world today, he wouldn't have to get caught up on everything that has happened and have to learn how to live in this new day of age like for example, George Washington would have to do. Also even though it might have been controversial Bush made no hesitation to go into Afghanistan and Iraq. He didn't waste a lot of time making that decision, he did what he thought was right.
Random Fact/Story
George W. Bush is an active mountain biker. My dad told me a story that a friend of his told him. My dad's friend was mountain biking by Lake Grapevine when she sees President Bush and her sister is a big fan of his. President Bush is talking to a bunch of people and when she got a chance she told him that she would loved to meet him but she was in the hospital because she was very ill with cancer. After hearing that President Bush asked if he could have her sisters number so he could call her.
Sources
- Heitschmidt, Traci. "George W. Bush." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.
"Presidential Campaign Slogans." Presidential Campaign Slogans. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
"Politics Blog." Politics Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
"George W. Bush." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Mar. 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
My Father