# George W. Bush George Walker Bush (b. July 6, 1946) is the **43rd President of the United States** (January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009) and the **46th Governor of Texas** (January 17, 1995 – December 21, 2000). The eldest son of 41st President [[George H.W. Bush]], Bush is a member of the political dynasty that also includes his brother Jeb Bush (43rd Governor of Florida, 2016 presidential candidate) and grandfather Prescott Bush (Connecticut Senator). Bush's presidency was substantially defined by **three transformative events**: the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks eight months into his first term; the October 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and March 2003 invasion of Iraq that together constituted what came to be called the "Global War on Terror"; and the September 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers and subsequent financial crisis that consumed the final months of his presidency. Bush left office in January 2009 with a Gallup approval rating of 34% — among the lowest of any outgoing president in modern polling — but his public standing has recovered somewhat in the post-presidency as his reputation has been reassessed against subsequent political developments. Bush matters for the KB for three reasons. First, he is the **principal 21st-century figure of institutional Republican politics before the Trump takeover** — the Bush-era Republican coalition (neoconservative foreign policy, [[Chicago School]] economics, religious-right social policy, Wall Street-friendly regulatory posture) is the institutional Republicanism that Trump's 2015-2016 campaign substantially broke with. Understanding the Bush-era coalition is necessary for understanding what the Trump movement was reacting against. Second, his **2003 [[Iraq War]] decision** — made on the combination of WMD intelligence (subsequently shown to be substantially incorrect), neoconservative strategic theory (principally articulated by Wolfowitz, Cheney, Bolton, and the AEI cluster), and a post-9/11 political environment receptive to aggressive counterterrorism posture — is one of the most consequential foreign-policy decisions of the post-Cold-War era, producing effects (Iraqi destabilization, Iranian regional expansion, Islamic State emergence, U.S. public opinion's durable skepticism of military interventions) that continue to shape the 2020s strategic environment. Third, his **post-presidency role** as a senior institutional-Republican elder statesman who has publicly distanced himself from Trump-era politics without directly confronting them — Bush did not endorse Trump in 2016, 2020, or 2024; he has attended Trump inaugurations but made notably cool public comments; he has remained consistently engaged with specific policy initiatives (immigration reform, HIV/AIDS in Africa through PEPFAR, veterans' issues) while declining to be a political-movement figure — is a documentary case study in how Bush-era institutional Republicans have navigated the Trump realignment. ## Background - Born July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut - Eldest son of George H.W. Bush (41st U.S. President) and Barbara Bush - Grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas - BA from Yale University (1968, history; member of Skull and Bones) - Served in the Texas [[Air National Guard]] (1968-1974) during the [[Vietnam War]] - MBA from Harvard Business School (1975) - Worked in the Texas oil industry (Arbusto Energy, Spectrum 7, Harken Energy) through the 1980s with mixed results - Managing general partner of the Texas Rangers baseball team (1989-1998) - 46th Governor of Texas (January 17, 1995 – December 21, 2000) - 43rd President of the United States (January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009) - Married Laura Welch since November 5, 1977; twin daughters Barbara and Jenna - Became a born-again Christian in 1985 and stopped drinking alcohol on his 40th birthday in 1986 - Based in Dallas, Texas, since 2009 ## Pre-Presidential Career Bush's pre-political business career was uneven, with multiple oil-industry ventures producing mixed financial results before the 1989 acquisition of the Texas Rangers baseball team (which subsequently produced a substantial personal-wealth gain when the team was sold in 1998). The Rangers tenure positioned Bush as a public figure and was the platform for his 1994 gubernatorial campaign. Bush defeated popular incumbent Democratic Governor Ann Richards in 1994 (53-46%), becoming Texas's 46th Governor. His two-term gubernatorial tenure (1995-2000) established his policy profile: education reform (the basis for No Child Left Behind), tort reform, tax cuts, and the rhetoric of "compassionate conservatism" that became his 2000 presidential campaign framing. ## [[2000 Presidential Election]] Bush's 2000 presidential campaign against Vice President Al Gore is one of the most documented American presidential elections. Key elements: - **Primary**: Bush secured the Republican nomination principally against [[John McCain]] after the bitter February 2000 South Carolina primary (characterized by aggressive anti-McCain tactics including push-polling about McCain's adopted daughter) - **General election**: Close race throughout, with Bush benefiting from Gore's decision to run at some distance from [[Bill Clinton]] (Clinton's personal unpopularity from the 1998 impeachment vs. his still-strong economic record) - **Election night (November 7, 2000)**: Multiple networks called Florida first for Gore, then for Bush, then retracted both calls; the election remained undecided pending Florida's recount - **Florida recount**: 36-day process featuring manual recounts, hanging chads, and legal battles - **[[Bush v. Gore]] (December 12, 2000)**: U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to halt Florida's recount, effectively awarding the election to Bush - **Final result**: Bush won the [[Electoral College]] 271-266 despite losing the popular vote by 543,895 (48.4%-47.9%) *Bush v. Gore* is one of the landmark Supreme Court cases of the modern era and has been consistently controversial in subsequent constitutional-law analysis. [[Ted Cruz]] served on the Bush *Bush v. Gore* litigation team as a Bush campaign lawyer. ## First Term (2001-2005) ### Pre-9/11 Bush's first eight months in office included: - **Tax cuts**: The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 ($1.35 trillion over ten years) - **No Child Left Behind**: Bipartisan education reform legislation (signed January 2002) - **Stem cell research executive order (August 2001)**: Limited federal funding for stem cell research to existing cell lines ### September 11, 2001 The September 11 terrorist attacks fundamentally transformed Bush's presidency: - **Morning of September 11, 2001**: Bush was visiting an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida when informed of the attacks; the "My Pet Goat" reading image became iconic - **September 14, 2001**: Bush's bullhorn speech at Ground Zero ("I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon") became one of the defining images of the post-9/11 period - **September 20, 2001 joint session of Congress**: Bush delivered the framework speech of the War on Terror - **Approval ratings**: Bush's approval reached 90% in Gallup's September 21-22, 2001 poll — the highest in Gallup's history ### Afghanistan War (October 2001-) The U.S. and coalition invasion of Afghanistan began October 7, 2001. The Taliban government was removed within two months; the subsequent two-decade war continued under Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden until the August 2021 withdrawal. ### [[USA PATRIOT Act]] (October 2001) The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act was signed on October 26, 2001, substantially expanding federal surveillance and counter-terrorism authorities. ### Iraq War (March 2003-) The March 20, 2003 invasion of Iraq was preceded by: - **2002 public argument**: Bush and senior officials (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell) made the public case that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction - **October 2002 Iraq War Resolution**: Congress authorized the use of military force - **January 2003 State of the Union**: The controversial "sixteen words" about Iraqi uranium procurement from [[Niger]] - **February 5, 2003**: Secretary of State Colin Powell's UN Security Council presentation - **March 20, 2003**: Invasion began The subsequent Iraq War was the defining foreign-policy event of Bush's presidency: - No WMD stockpiles were found after the invasion - The occupation produced a prolonged insurgency that peaked in 2006-2007 - The January 2007 "surge" of 20,000 additional troops eventually reduced violence - The war produced ~4,500 American military deaths, an estimated 100,000-200,000+ Iraqi deaths, and approximately $2 trillion in total cost ### 2004 Re-election Bush defeated Democrat [[John Kerry]] 50.7%-48.3% in November 2004, the first Republican to win a popular-vote majority since 1988. ## Second Term (2005-2009) ### Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) The federal response to [[Hurricane Katrina]] (landfall August 29, 2005; catastrophic New Orleans flooding) was a political disaster for the Bush administration. The "Heckuva job, Brownie" comment about FEMA Director Michael Brown and the [[Air Force]] One flyover image became lasting political symbols. ### Supreme Court Nominations Bush nominated [[John Roberts]] as Chief Justice (confirmed September 2005) and [[Samuel Alito]] as Associate Justice (confirmed January 2006), providing the Court with a durable conservative majority. ### PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) Launched in 2003 and reauthorized in 2008, PEPFAR is a comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment program for Africa that is widely credited with saving millions of lives. PEPFAR has been Bush's most consistently praised policy legacy across political perspectives. ### 2008 Financial Crisis The September 2008 financial crisis consumed Bush's final months: - September 15, 2008: Lehman Brothers bankruptcy - September 16, 2008: Federal Reserve emergency AIG loan - September 29, 2008: House defeated initial TARP legislation (Dow fell 778 points) - October 3, 2008: Emergency Economic Stabilization Act passed, authorizing the $700 billion TARP - October-November 2008: Bush administration deployed TARP to stabilize financial institutions Bush left office in January 2009 with the Dow at 8,281 (down from 14,198 in October 2007) and unemployment rising rapidly. ## Post-Presidency (2009-) Bush's post-presidency has been notably private by modern presidential standards: - **George W. Bush Presidential Center (Dallas)**: Opened April 2013 - **Painting**: Bush took up oil painting; published *Portraits of Courage* (2017) featuring paintings of veterans - **Declined political endorsements**: Did not endorse [[Mitt Romney]] (2012), Trump (2016, 2020, 2024), or Biden; did make brief comments supportive of John McCain - **Limited public commentary**: Notable cool-but-not-confrontational public comments about Trump-era politics - **Continued engagement**: Active on specific policy initiatives including PEPFAR, immigration reform, and veterans' issues - **January 2021 Capitol attack response**: Issued a statement calling it a "sickening and heartbreaking sight" ## Connection to the KB Ecosystem - **[[Dick Cheney]]**: Vice President; principal figure in the administration's foreign-policy decision-making. - **[[Donald Rumsfeld]]**: Secretary of Defense (2001-2006); principal Iraq War architect. - **[[Karl Rove]]**: Senior political adviser; "Bush's brain." - **[[John Bolton]]**: Under Secretary of State and UN Ambassador; principal neoconservative figure in the administration. - **[[Condoleezza Rice]]**: National Security Advisor (2001-2005), Secretary of State (2005-2009). - **[[American Enterprise Institute]]**: The neoconservative foreign-policy cluster was substantially AEI-centered. - **[[Ted Cruz]]**: Worked on Bush's 2000 campaign and *Bush v. Gore* litigation team; later served in the administration. - **[[Jeb Bush]]**: Brother; 43rd Florida Governor; 2016 presidential candidate. - **[[George H. W. Bush]]**: Father; 41st U.S. President. - **Bush-era institutional Republicanism**: Bush represents the institutional Republican coalition that the Trump movement substantially broke with. ## Notable Quotes - [[Karl Rove - reality-based community]] — the famous "we create our own reality" / "history's actors" passage from Ron Suskind's October 2004 *NYT Magazine* article on the Bush presidency. Spoken by an unnamed senior aide; widely but disputedly attributed to Rove. - [[George W. Bush - rare in history yet common in our country]] — 2001 First Inaugural, after Bush v. Gore; peaceful transfer is "rare in history, yet common in our country." Featured in [[Presidents on the Peaceful Transfer of Power]]. ## See Also - [[Dick Cheney]] - [[Donald Rumsfeld]] - [[Karl Rove]] - [[John Bolton]] - [[George H. W. Bush]] - [[Jeb Bush]] ## Notable Quotes - [[George W. Bush - the great American tradition of the melting pot]] — 2006 Oval Office immigration address, the last Republican presidential defense of the melting pot to the nation. Featured in [[Presidents on the Nation of Immigrants]].