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User:FD950/sandbox6

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Early life

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Bush was born at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut.[1][2] Bush grew up in Midland, Texas. He went to a high school called Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and graduated in 1964.[3][4] He went to school at Yale University from 1964 until he graduated in 1968,[5][6] with a bachelor's degree in history.[7] He joined the Texas Air National Guard in 1968[8][9] (part of the United States National Guard) during the Vietnam War and became a fighter pilot but did not fight in the war. He left the Texas Air National Guard in 1973.[10] In 1975 Bush earned an MBA from Harvard University.[7]

 
Bush as an infant with his parents, 1947

On November 5, 1977, Bush married Laura Welch.[11] In 1978, Bush tried to get elected to Congress in West Texas, but lost. After that, he ran some oil companies and was one of the owners of the Texas Rangers baseball team. He thought about trying to become the commissioner of Major League Baseball, but went into politics instead.[12] Bush is a Methodist.[13] In 1994, he was elected to be Governor of Texas,[14] defeating incumbent Democratic Governor Ann Richards.[7]

2000 presidential election

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Further information: 2000 United States presidential election

Bush ran against then-Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 United States presidential election.[15] More than 100 million people voted on November 7, 2000.[16] But the election was very close. When they began counting the votes, it became clear that whoever got the most votes in the state of Florida would win the election. But there were many issues with the ballots in Florida. Gore sued to get Florida to count the votes again. For more than a month no one knew who won the election. The Supreme Court made a decision to stop recounting votes.[17] Gore decided to accept his loss on December 13 and Bush was declared the winner.[18]

Presidency, 2001–09

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First term, 2001–05

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Bush was first sworn in as president on January 20, 2001.

Education reform bill

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Bush being sworn in as president, January 2001

While he was President, George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law.[19] It was an education reform bill.

Bush was the first President of the United States to deliver a speech in both Spanish and in English.[20]

Medicare reform

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He added Part D to Medicare,[21] which gives older people free medicine if they cannot afford it.

Tax policy

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Bush passed a $1.3 trillion tax cut also signed very large tax cuts (many of them were for the middle and lower class) during his presidency.

Abortion

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Bush did not approve of abortion.[22] In 2004, he signed the Unborn Victims Of Violence Act[23] which made it so that if a pregnant woman is murdered, her murderer can also be charged with killing the fetus that the woman was carrying.[24]

Hainan Island incident (2001)

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On April 1, 2001, an American spy plane crashed in China. Bush peacefully negotiated the release of the plane crew.[25]

September 11 attacks

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Main article: September 11 attacks

 
Bush at Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks

On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by terrorists. The terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center and damaged a part of the Pentagon. Because of this, President Bush declared a War on Terrorism.[26]

 
Bush delivers a eulogy at Ronald Reagan's state funeral, June 2004

Bush tried to do many things to stop another terrorist attack from happening. He ordered an invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.[27] He did this because the leaders of Afghanistan were helping Osama bin Laden, who was responsible for attacking America on September 11, 2001. Almost ten years later, on May 2, 2011 bin Laden was killed on orders of President Barack Obama. The war in Afghanistan has not ended yet. Bush asked Congress to do more to stop terrorism. As a result, Congress passed a law that created the Department of Homeland Security, a government department which tries to prevent terrorist attacks from happening. It also responds to emergencies such as floods or diseases.

He signed the Patriot Act (which allowed the government to listen to people's phone calls so it can track down terrorists which try to communicate with each other).[28]

Invasion of Iraq (2003)

Main article: 2003 invasion of Iraq

The United States Congress gave Bush the permission to invade Iraq if its government did not cooperate with the weapons inspectors.[29] After Saddam Hussein refused to cooperate with the United Nations weapons inspectors,[30] Bush decided to invade Iraq in 2003 with several allies.[31] Saddam Hussein was removed from power, and Iraq turned into a democracy. Over 100,000 people were killed in this war.

2004 re-election campaign

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Further information: 2004 United States presidential election

Bush ran for re-election in the 2004 presidential election. His opponent was Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, a Democrat.[32]

Bush won the election

Second term, 2005–09

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Main article: Second inauguration of George W. Bush

 
Bush giving his inaugural address at his second inauguration, January 2005

Bush was sworn in as president once again on January 20, 2005 at the United States Capitol Building.

Hurricane Katrina

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Main article: Hurricane Katrina

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina (the most destructive hurricane in American history) happened.[33] It caused over 1800 deaths and caused billions of dollars of destruction. George W. Bush signed several acts into law which would help Hurricane Katrina victims.

 
Bush with President of Russia Vladimir Putin, 2007

Iraq War

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In the Iraq War, no weapons of mass destruction were found, and the Bush administration was criticized for being wrong about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction. Bush added more American troops to Iraq (which was called "the surge") to speed up the war. The surge was successful, and in result, Iraq had less violence.

Great Recession

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Although the economy was doing very well during much of his presidency, in early 2008, the economy was slowing down. Bush signed a bill into law which would gave $600 to every American citizen, hoping that people would go out and spend the money so that it would prevent a recession (a bad economy) from happening.

Later in 2008, the stock market crashed and the country fell into its worst recession since the Great Depression. Bush helped create a $700 billion dollar bailout, which would give money to corporations (large businesses) to prevent them from being bankrupt and to try to prevent the recession from getting worse.

2008 presidential election

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Main article: 2008 United States presidential election

Bush publicly supported Republican candidate John McCain during the 2008 presidential election,[34] but Barack Obama won the election.[35] During the last few days he was president, Bush gave his farewell address. He was succeeded by Barack Obama on January 20, 2009.

Post-presidency, 2009-present

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Bush with all living former presidents, including his father George H. W. Bush, and then-president-elect Barack Obama, January 2009

After his presidency, Bush stayed away from the spotlight and did not want much attention. He said that he was not going to criticize President Obama.[34] He began to build his presidential library in 2010.[36] It was open to the public in 2013.

 
Bush with Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, January 2013

After over a year and a half of saying little in public, in November of 2010, Bush appeared on several television interviews and released a book called Decision Points. The book focuses on fourteen big decisions he made in congress, including quitting drinking, running for president, Hurricane Katrina, invading Iraq, and his response to the financial meltdown in 2008.

On May 2, 2011, President Obama called Bush, who was at a restaurant with his wife, to inform him that Osama bin Laden had been killed.[37] The Bushes joined the Obamas in New York City to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At the Ground Zero memorial, Bush read a letter that President Abraham Lincoln wrote to a widow who lost five sons during the Civil War.[38]

On August 6, 2013, Bush was successfully treated for a coronary artery blockage with a stent. The blockage had been found during an annual medical examination.[39]

References

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  1. ↑ Greenstein, Fred I. The George W. Bush Presidency: An Early Assessment The Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore Maryland 2003 page 2
  2. ↑ Marquez, Heron George W. Bush 2007 Twenty-First Century Books a division of Lerner Publishing Group Minneapolis Minnesota page 104
  3. ↑ Cite error: The named reference nndb.com was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  4. ↑ Bush, George W. Bush Decision Points Random House New York 2010 pages 11-13
  5. ↑ Kalb, Marvin, Deborah Kalb Haunting Legacy: Vietnam and the American Presidency from Ford to Obama Brookings Washington DC 2011 page 187
  6. ↑ Aikman, David A Man of Faith: The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush W. Publishing Group a division of Thomas Nelson Inc. Nashville Tennessee 2004 page 41
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-11-01. Retrieved 2009-11-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ Cohen, Daniel George W. Bush: The Family Business The Millbrook Press Inc. Brookfield Connecticut page 12
  9. ↑ Burgan, Michael George W. Bush Profiles of the Presidents Compass Point Books Minneapolis Minnesota page 13
  10. ↑ Stecker, Frederick The Podium, the Pulpit, and the Republicans: How Presidential Candidates Use Religious Language in American Political Debate ABC Clio Publishing Santa Barbara California 2011 page 53
  11. ↑ Andersen, Christopher George and Laura: Portrait of an American Marriage Avon Books New York New York 2002 page 150
  12. ↑ Schmidt, Michael (October 13, 2010). "George W. Bush Is Back in the Rangers Front Row - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. New York: NYTC. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
  13. ↑ "The last Methodist president". Archived from the original on 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  14. ↑ Rountree, Clark George W. Bush: A Biography ABC Clio Publishing Santa Barbara California 2011 page xxi
  15. ↑ Bush, George W. Decision Points Random House New York pages 67-78
  16. ↑ Scaros, Constantinos E. Understanding the Constitution Jones and Bartlett Publishers LLC 2011 page 4
  17. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-08-20. Retrieved 2009-08-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ↑ Rountree, Clark George W. Bush a Biography ABC Clio Publishing Santa Barbara California 2011 page xxii
  19. ↑ Bush, George W. Bush Decision Points Random House New York page 307
  20. ↑ Interesting Facts about George W. Bush at Buzzle.com
  21. ↑ Frolik, Lawrence A. The Law of Later Life Health Care and Decision Making American Bar Association 2006 page 15
  22. ↑ Bush, George W. Decision Points Random House New York pages 112-113
  23. ↑ "President Bush Signs Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov.
  24. ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,115189,00.html
  25. ↑ Swansbrough, Robert H. Test by Fire: The War Presidency of George W. Bush Palgrave MacMillan New York New York 2008 pages 79-80
  26. ↑ Atkins, Stephen E The 9/11 Encyclopedia ABC Clio Publishing Santa Barbara California 2011 page 210
  27. ↑ Shmitt, Steffen W. ; Mark C Shelley; Barbara A Bardes American Government and Politics Today 2010-2011 Wadsworth Political Science Boston Massachusetts page 232
  28. ↑ Bush, George W. Decision Points Random House New York page 160-162
  29. ↑ Kushner, Harvey W. Encyclopedia of Terrorism Sage Publications page 178
  30. ↑ Ofori, Nuku A World System in Flux: The Rise of Modern World Empire and its Significance in the Modern World System ProQuest LLC Ann Arbor Michigan 2009 pages 135-136
  31. ↑ Lansford, Tom 9/11 and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Chronology and Reference Guide ABC Clio Publishing Santa Barbara California 2012 page 235
  32. ↑ Bush, George W. Bush Decision Points Random House New York 2010 page 120, page 296
  33. ↑ Ouellette, Jeanine Dennis Feltgen Hurricane Katrina ABDO Publishing Company Edina Minnesota 2008 page 94
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "MSN - Outlook, Office, Skype, Bing, Breaking News, and Latest Videos". www.msn.com.
  35. ↑ "Obama: 'This is your victory' - CNN.com". edition.cnn.com.
  36. ↑ Press, Associated. "Construction to begin on George W. Bush presidential library Tuesday; protests expected". cleveland.com.
  37. ↑ Franke-Ruta, Garance (May 13, 2011). "When Bush Got the Bin Laden Call (While Eating a Souffle)". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  38. ↑ "Presidents Obama and Bush commemorate 9/11 anniversary". CNN. September 11, 2011.
  39. ↑ "George W. Bush has heart surgery". USA Today. Retrieved August 6, 2013.

Other websites

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  Media related to FD950/sandbox6 at Wikimedia Commons


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