Presidency of George W. Bush

Presidency of George W. Bush
43rd President of the United States of America
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20 2001
Vice President	Dick Cheney
Preceded by	Bill Clinton
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Personal details
Born	(1946-07-06) July 6, 1946 New Haven, Connecticut
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Laura Bush
Residence	Crawford, Texas
Occupation	Businessman (Oil, Baseball), President of the United States
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 re-elected 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

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Major issues of Presidency

State of the Union Addresses

Main article: President Bush's speeches

• First inaugural address (20 January 2001)
• Second inaugural address (20 January 2005)
• 2001 address (not officially a State of the Union address) (27 February 2001)
• 2002 State of the Union address (29 January 2002)
• 2003 State of the Union address (28 January 2003)
• 2004 State of the Union address (20 January 2004)
• 2005 State of the Union address (2 February 2005)
• 2006 State of the Union address (31 January 2006)
• 2007 State of the Union address (23 January 2007)

Major acts as President

• Responding to the September 11, 2001 attacks
• Waging the Afghanistan War against the Taliban and Al Qaeda
• Waging the Iraq War
• Establishing the United States Department of Homeland Security
• Establishing the Office Director of National Intelligence
• $1.3 trillion tax cut, tax rebates in 2001
• Establishing prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay
• USA PATRIOT Act
• No Child Left Behind Act
• CAFTA
• Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
• Government Response to Hurricane Katrina

Major treaties signed

• SORT (2002) - better known as the Moscow Treaty, the United States and Russia agreed to limit their nuclear arsenal to 1700–2200 operationally deployed warheads each

Major treaties withdrawn

• ABM Treaty (2002) - limited anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems used in defending areas against missile-delivered nuclear weapons between the United States and Russia
• United Nations Population Fund (2002) - promoted the human right of "reproductive health", that is physical, mental, and social health in matters related to reproduction and the reproductive system.

Major legislation

Legislation signed

2001

• June 7: Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001
• September 18: Authorization for Use of Military Force
• September 28: United States-Jordan Free Trade Area Implementation Act
• October 26: USA PATRIOT Act
• November 28: Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act

2002

• January 8: No Child Left Behind Act
• March 9: Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002
• March 27: Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
• May 13: Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
• July 30: Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
• October 16: Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq
• November 25: Homeland Security Act of 2002

2003

• March 11: Do-Not-Call Implementation Act
• April 30: PROTECT Act of 2003 (Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act) (see also Age of consent)
• May 27: United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003
• May 28: Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003
• September 3: United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
• September 3: United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
• November 5: Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003
• December 3: Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003
• December 8: Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
• December 16: Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM)

2004

• April 1: Unborn Victims of Violence Act (Laci and Conner’s Law)
• July 17: United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
• August 3: United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act

2005

• February 18: Class Action Fairness Act of 2005
• April 20: Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005
• August 2: Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
• August 8: Energy Policy Act of 2005
• August 10: Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005 (SAFETEA)
• October 26: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act

2006

• January 11: United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
• March 9: USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act
• July 27: Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act
• August 17: The Pension Protection Act of 2006
• September 30: Iran Freedom and Support Act
• October 4: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007
• October 17: Military Commissions Act of 2006
• October 26: Secure Fence Act of 2006

Legislation vetoed

President Bush has vetoed four pieces of legislation to date:

• July 19, 2006: Stem Cell Research Enactment Act of 2006
• May 1, 2007: H.R. 1591, U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007
• June 20, 2007: Stem Cell Research Enactment Act of 2007
• October 3, 2007: State Children's Health Insurance Program Expansion H.R. 976

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 Dick 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 made by loyal subordinates.Template:GW Bush cabinet infobox

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". Mary Peters, a Republican, was nominated and confirmed to succeed him as Transportation Secretary.

Advisors and other officials

• Deputy Secretary of Defense – Paul Wolfowitz (2001–2005), Gordon R. England (2005–)
• CIA Director - George Tenet (2001–2004), John E. McLaughlin (acting, 2004), Porter J. Goss (2004–2006), Michael Hayden (2006–)
• FBI Director - Louis Freeh (2001), Thomas J. Pickard (acting, 2001), Robert S. Mueller (2001–)
• National Security Advisor - Condoleezza Rice (2001–2005), Stephen Hadley (2005–)
• Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan - Meghan O'Sullivan (?–2007), Douglas Lute (2007–)
• Ambassador to the United Nations - John Negroponte (2001–2004), John Danforth (2004); John R. Bolton (2005–2006), Zalmay Khalilzad (2007–)
• FCC Chairman - Michael Powell (2001–2005), Kevin Martin (2005–)
• Deputy White House Chief of Staff - Joe Hagin (2001–), Joshua B. Bolten (2001–2003), Harriet Miers (2003–2004), Karl Rove (2005–2007), Joel Kaplan (2006–)
• Director of National Intelligence - John Negroponte (2005–2007), John Michael McConnell (2007–)
• White House Counsel - Alberto R. Gonzales (2001–2005), Harriet Miers (2005–2007), Fred Fielding (2007–)
• White House Press Secretary - Ari Fleischer (2001–2003), Scott McClellan (2003–2006), Tony Snow (2006–2007), Dana Perino (2007-)
• Assistant to the President – I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby (2001–2005)
• Advisor - Karen Hughes (2001–2002) Appointed in 2005 to rank of Ambassador and Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the State Department.
• Personal aide (body man) - Blake Gottesman (2000–2006)

Supreme Court nominations and appointments

Main article: Bush Supreme Court candidates

Bush nominated the following people to the Supreme Court of the United States:

• John Roberts – 2005, was first nominated for Associate Justice replacing Sandra Day O'Connor; after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Bush nominated him for the position of Chief Justice. Confirmed: 78-22
• Harriet Miers – 2005, was nominated upon the elevation of John Roberts as the Chief Justice. Her nomination was later withdrawn.
• Samuel Alito – 2006, nominated in 2005 upon the withdrawal of Harriet Miers. Confirmed: 58-42

Federal Reserve appointment

On October 24, 2005, Bush nominated Ben Bernanke to succeed Alan Greenspan as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. The Senate Banking Committee recommended Bernanke's confirmation by a 13-1 voice vote on November 16, 2005. With the full Senate's approval on January 31, 2006 by another voice vote, Bernanke was sworn in on February 1, 2006.

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.

Environmental record

Since 1999, 30 major power companies have raised $6.6 million for President Bush and the Republican National Committee. The Bush administration does act in favor of the environment in some situations. In 2003, the EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman announced new standards for emissions of diesel-powered vehicles such as tractors and bulldozers. The heads of state are meeting to finalize a long-term goal for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and to establish strong and transparent systems for measuring progress.

Controversy

Bush's presidency has been characterized by the unitary executive theory, which is 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 Dick 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.

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 for US citizens 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. 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."

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 9/11, 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."

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".

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.

Gallery

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See also

• George W. Bush's first term to second term cabinet reorganization
• Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration
• At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA