President George W. Bush

President George W . Bush : A Pro

George W . Bush is not a very likeable person to many people . He swaggers as he walks , opinionated , firm and intractable . His go-go style though is refreshingly reassuring and had helped him win the presidency by a very close margin in 2000 against Al Gore , former U .S vice president and crusading environmentalist

While he had reportedly said in his youth that he was a person with a name but with no money , George W . Bush have acquired both of that now - with a good

dose of infamy , too . While his father George H . W . Bush was a former US president from 1989 to 1993 , and his grandfather Prescott Bush was a former US senator from Connecticut , the young George has certainly outshone his elders ' illustrious names (Wikipedia , 2007

His name first came into prominence in 1994 when he ran as underdog against incumbent Texas Governor Ann Richards , a popular Democrat who was considered the favorite . The Bush campaign was criticized for allegedly using controversial methods to discredit Richards . After an impressive performance in the debates , however , Bush 's popularity grew He won with a close 52 per cent of the votes , while Richards tallied with 47 (Saletan , 2003

Under his leadership , Bush successfully sponsored legislation for tort reform , increased education funding , set higher standards for schools and reformed the criminal justice system . As a first-time elected public official , he showed signs of his decisive character by allowing the execution of a record of 152 prisoners despite clemency requests He used a budget surplus to push through a 2 billion tax-cut plan , the largest in Texas history , which strengthened his credentials as pro-business

Despite his unswerving support for the death penalty , Bush pioneered faith-based welfare programs by extending government funding and support for religious organizations providing social services such as education alcohol and drug abuse prevention , and reduction of domestic violence He proclaimed June 10 to be Jesus Day ' in Texas as he urged all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need . Bush was criticized for violating the constitutional separation of church and state , but his initiative was popular with most Texans . Four years later , his constituents rewarded him with a 69 percent landslide re-election victory that spurred him to seek the Republican nomination after only a year in office for his second term

In the caucus to choose the Republican bet for President , Bush initially lost to U .S . Senator John McCain of Arizona in the New Hampshire primary , but picked up 11 of the next 16 primaries to effectively clinch the Republican nomination . In one of the highlights of the campaign of a televised Republican presidential debate held in Des Moines , Iowa on Dec . 13 , 1999 , each of the candidates were asked : What political philosopher or thinker do you most identify with and why

Unlike most of the other candidates , Bush answered "Christ , because he changed my heart " Bush 's appeal to religious values seems to have given him some positive points in the general election . In a Gallup survey those who said they "attend church weekly " gave him 56 of their votes in 2000 and 63 of their vote in 2004 (The Gallup Organization 2004-11-05 . Bush 's conservative and religious appeal may have given him an edge in the light of the moral controversy that festered then President Bill Clinton 's final term

The presidential face-off between Bush and Gore , the Democratic nominee on November 7 , 2000 , was a struggle that ended almost on a stalemate in Florida . Gore had already conceded the elections , and then took it back less a hour later when it was declared the results were too close to call . The vote count , which favored Bush , was contested over allegations of irregularities in the voting and tabulation process While the Florida Supreme Court ruled for a statewide hand count , the US Supreme Court saved what could have been an agonizing wait for Bush when it reversed the ruling and stopped the statewide hand count . When the smoke of the electoral fire finally cleared , Bush received 271 electoral votes to Gore 's 266 as a result of the Florida outcome

In the run-off towards his re-election bid 2004 , Bush did not encounter any more challenges in the primaries with most of the Republicans behind him . He had also become very popular because of the decisive and swift course of action he took in response to the 9 /11 tragedy . While Massachusetts Senator and Democratic presidential bet John Kerry attacked Bush on the war in Iraq , perceived excesses of the USA Patriot Act and for allegedly failing to stimulate the economy and job growth the Bush campaign portrayed Kerry as a staunch liberal who would raise taxes and increase the size of government . The Bush campaign continuously criticized Kerry 's seemingly contradictory statements on the war in Iraq , and claimed Kerry lacked the decisiveness and vision necessary for success in the war on terrorism (Fox News Network , 2004 Bush carried 31 of 50 states for a to handily retain the presidency (NewsMax .com , 2004

The highlight of Bush 's presidency , the one that sets it apart from other presidencies , is America 's military incursion into the Middle East , first against Afghanistan to nail down Osama bin Laden , then Iraq to unseat Saddam Hussein . He won both wars , but failed to capture bin-Laden in Afghanistan . During his term , he has won the distinction of winning two wars for America and the infamy earning the wrath of the Muslim world

He has likewise declared his intention to keep American troops in Iraq until his successor decides otherwise . If he would just have his way he wants to send more troops to Iraq to quash insBush 's confrontational stance against Muslim insurgents and the unclear objective of America 's continued stay in Iraq have made leaders of the region wary of U .S . intentions . Resistance movements are mushrooming in the region and are recruiting fresh volunteers in the fight to stop America 's widely perceived plan to colonize the region . They have reported a long list of jihad volunteers waiting to be called to duty and praying to kill as many American soldiers as possible (Aparisim Ghosh , 2005

Bush is unperturbed by all these . He expressed elation over the successful conduct of elections in Afghanistan and Iraq , even sending congratulatory messages to the newly elected leaders of these once rabidly anti-American nations . He believes that it is only through the establishment of a moderate leadership in the region , anchored on the ideals of democratic principles , that state-sponsored terrorism activities could be stopped

However , President Bush openly aggressive anti-terrorism stance and his overall foreign policy have been widely criticized in the international community . Aside from the now infamous Bush principle on preemptive war ' he is also being denounced by environmental and anti-globalization activists . His policies have been the object of debates in national elections from all corners of the globe , including the Philippines in Asia , Canada in North America , and Germany in Europe Bush had been openly condemned by current and former international leaders such as former German chancellor Gerhard Schrtzder , former Canadian prime minister Jean Chrytien , Spanish prime minister Josy Luis Rodriguez Zapatero , Italian prime minister Romano Prodi , former Canadian prime minister Paul Edgar Philippe Martin , and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez . Bush 's unsteadiness as President corresponds to his use of extreme language . He warned the nations of the world : `Either you are with us or against us ' The heads of state of almost all countries had offered aid and sympathy to the American people after 9 /11 . But with this statement Bush effectively brushed aside the solidarity and set his own standards for the world 's behavior (Landau , Saul . 2004

In 2006 , a majority of respondents in 18 of 21 countries surveyed around the world were found to hold an unfavorable opinion of Bush . Respondents indicated that they judged his administration as "negative " for world security (Associated Press , 2004 . A poll conducted in Britain America 's staunchest ally in the war against terror , named Bush the second biggest "threat to world peace " after Bin Laden , topping North Korean president Kim Jong-Il . According to a poll taken in November 2006 , Finns also believed that Bush was the second biggest "threat to world peace " after Osama bin-Laden . Kim Jong-Il came in third in the poll and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Nasrallah came joint fourth

Aside from battling terrorism in the international front and repairing his tarnished image in the international community , Bush is also actively engaged in parrying off charges of corruption , unemployment and high prices , irrational immigration policies , disaster unpreparedness dwindling Social Security funds , and other issues . His latest drawback was losing the majority votes in Congress when the Republicans lost to the Democrats in the majority countdown in 2006

For most middle class and below Americans , Social Security is an important hedge when the time comes when they had to retire . President Bush began his second term by outlining a major initiative to reform Social Security , which was facing record deficit projections beginning in 2005 . Bush made it the centerpiece of his agenda despite contrary beliefs in the media and in the U .S . Congress , which saw the program as the "third rail of politics " a highly sensitive and political issue (The Nation , 2000

In his 2005 State of the Union address , Bush discussed the allegedly impending bankruptcy of the program and lamented the lack of political will to initiate reforms . He proposed before Congress to divert a portion of their Social Security tax (FICA ) into secured investments creating a "nest egg " that he claimed would enjoy steady growth . Despite emphasizing safeguards and remaining open to other plans , Bush 's proposal was criticized for its high cost , and Democrats attacked it as an effort to partially privatize the system , and for leaving Americans open to the whims of the market

In 2001 , President Bush withdrew United States ' support of the Kyoto Protocol , an amendment to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change that seeks to impose mandatory targets for reducing "greenhouse gas " emissions . I oppose the Kyoto Protocol because it exempts 80 percent of the world , including major population centers such as China and India , from compliance , and would cause serious harm to the U .S economy (Bush letter to U .S . senators , 2001 . Scientists believe that carbon dioxide emitted in the burning of fossil fuels has direct causal effect on climate changes resulting from global warming

In 2004 , NASA director James Hansen accused the Administration of misinforming the public by suppressing the scientific evidence of the dangers of greenhouse gases , saying the Bush Administration wanted to hear only scientific results that fit predetermined , inflexible positions ' and edited reports to make the dangers sound less threatening than it really is (New York Times , 2006

President Bush had said that he has consistently noted that global warming is a serious problem but asserted there is a "debate over whether it 's manmade or naturally caused " and maintained that regardless of that debate his administration was working on plans to make America less dependent on foreign oil "for economic and national security reasons " In his 2007 State of the Union Address , President Bush renewed his pledge to work toward diminished reliance on foreign oil by reducing fossil fuel consumption and increasing alternative fuel production while keeping quiet on the issue of the Kyoto Protocol

On a positive note , Bush declared the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a national monument , creating the largest marine reservation to date , with an area of 84 million acres . It is home to 7 ,000 species of fish birds and other marine animals , many of which are specific to only those islands (MSNBC , 2006

CONCLUSION

President Bush is his father 's son , but he is not like his father as some people would want to make it to be . His deep religiosity is not from his family 's religion , but from the family of his wife Laura , whom he met and married when he was already an established businessman at the age of 31 . George Sr . was a statesman and a negotiator . He made a good go-between among leaders of nations , a win-win facilitator between two contending parties to extract a few concessions for America

George Jr . is a hands-on manager , strong-willed and decisive dyed-in-the-wool Texas cowboy and an American patriot . He leaves nothing to chance , uses all means to achieve his objectives . He is not inclined to leave Iraq , if there is uncertainly about its stability that could lead to a resurgence of extremist elements in the country . His objective in Iraq is to establish a strong moderate leadership that would serve as America 's new ally in the region in place of Saudi Arabia , a long-time American ally which has recently turned into a haven for extremist Muslim fundamentalists and jihad volunteers , including Saudi-born bin Laden

Despite reports that more and more Muslim extremists are volunteering for jihad to protest America 's continued presence in Iraq , President Bush is requesting Congress for more funds to increase its military personnel in Iraq to hunt down the terrorists rather their pull out of American troops . He said he will let his successor decide when to leave the region as he insists that it is in the best interest of the United States to remain there . A move by Democrats to set a for the pullout is likely to face a presidential veto as long as Bush remains at the White House

In the home front , President Bush may not have succeeded in adopting new changes in the Social Security law , but his moves had pricked the so-called third rail politics ' which means the issue is now open for discussion and debate . After all , Bush is strongly convinced that funds for Social Security are dwindling and that they should be replenished with secured investments to make it work for the aging American population

On the issues of environment and globalization , President Bush is seen to be crafting a type of globalization marked by aggressive militarism that differs greatly from the cooperative "rules-based " model of international favored by his predecessor Bill Clinton . Basing his foreign policy on military might and U .S . power projection , he has crafted a form of "imperial globalization " that does not sit well with a number of world leaders as well as international activists

At the G8 meeting in Georgia last 2004 , highlights show simmering tensions between the White House and our traditional allies in "Old Europe " whose governments object to Bush 's hawkish worldview and go-it-alone bravado . It is not a question of whether globalization will occur , they say , but what kind of globalization we will have . And the Bush administration 's "America first " attitude has complicated trade negotiations . Bush lukewarm attitude towards the Kyoto Accord has further alienated the United States from many of its former allies as he thumbed down a real effort to address the problem of climate change and global warming because China and India have not yet signed it

Perhaps , no president of the United States has been most hated ' and controversial globally than President Bush . But , so far , it seems not to affect him as he continues to project a unilateral America first policy disdained even by America 's most ardent allies in Europe

Today , America is so bitterly divided , and Bush 's poll ratings are so pathetic , that it takes an effort to recall how successfully he did , at times , to unite the voters who voted for him . After the 9 /11 attacks his popularity soared and approached unanimity . He had a lock on patriotism as support for his war on terror ' turned him into an overnight sensation , an American hero

Then , during the 2004 campaign , the polls strongly indicated that America was evenly divided again as reports from Baghdad indicated a strong guerilla movement that is succeeding in raising the number of American deaths from just over 100 during the war itself to over a thousand and growing . It looked as if Kerry , the underdog , could pull off a victory until it was announced that Bush had won a decisive win to earn his second term in office . A few months after his second inauguration , the rumblings resurfaced as the war in Iraq went bad , with the U .S . obviously not in control of the situation

In 2006 , the Republicans were afraid to be associated with him , but the association was too close to be ignored as the Democrats cornered the majority seats in both houses during the midterm elections . A columnist described him this way , seldom has one man gotten on so many people 's nerves for so many different reasons . Some think he 's a war criminal others think he 's just a boor . He 's miscellaneously annoying , like an unusually smug ax murderer with bad breath who can 't tell a joke and attends a weird church . When you try to put your exasperation into words , you hardly know where to start

But President Bush believes otherwise , perhaps this is just another hump in a roller-coaster ride called the presidency . He will get back his bearing and his good name when he reads about himself in history as a swaggering historian that he really is .REFERENCES

Aparisim Ghosh , 2005 . Inside the Mind of an Iraqi Bomber . Information Clearing House

Associated Press . 2001 . Self-Deprecating Bush Talks to Yale Grads

Bush , George and Adler , Bill . 2004 . The Quotable George W . Bush : A Portrait in His Own Words . Andrews McMeel Publishing . ISBN br

Bush , George . 2002 . Text of a Letter from the President to Senators Hagel , Helms , Craig , and Roberts . Washington DC

CNN .com . 2000 . George W . Bush : Living the Bush Legacy

Editorial , 2000 . The Third Rail of Politics . The Nation

Farrey , Tom (1999-11-01 . A series of beneficial moves . ESPN . Retrieved on 2007-01-21

Fox News Network . 2004 . John Kerry 's Shifting Positions on Iraq War Spending

Heller , Dick (2005-07-25 . Bush got bum rap for Sosa deal . The Washington Times

Landau , Saul . 2004 . George W . Bush : a Man of His Words ? Off the telepromter

MSNBC . 2006 . Bush creates world 's biggest ocean preserve

NewsMax .com . 2004 . Bush First President in 16 Years to Win Popular Majority

Revkin , Andrew C . 2006 . Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him New York Times

omano , Lois , George Lardner Jr . 1999 . Bush 's Life-Changing Year . The Washington Post , 1999-07-25 . Retrieved on 2006-06-27

Saletan , William and Zenilman , Avi . 2003 . Pro : George W . Bush Slate

Sobran , Joe . 2006 . Bush Place in History . Griffith Internet Services .U .N . Security Council . Whitehouse .gov . 2003 . Secretary of State Colin Powell Addresses the U .N . Security Council

Washington Post . 1999 . Bush Wasn 't Always a Front-Runner

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President George W . Bush ...