Presidency of George W. Bush

2022-12-21T19:33:14Z

2600:4040:76A0:2500:69E7:C0A:800E:4464: Just published a comprehensive piece.

{{short description|U.S. presidential administration from 2001 to 2009}}
{{For timeline|Timeline of the George W. Bush presidency}}
{{Distinguish|text=that of his father, the [[Presidency of George H. W. Bush]]}}
{{Infobox administration
| image = George-W-Bush.jpeg
| name = Presidency of George W. Bush
| term_start = January 20, 2001
| term_end = January 20, 2009
| president_link = President of the United States
| cabinet = ''[[#Administration|See list]]''
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| seat = [[White House]]
| election = {{hlist|[[2000 United States presidential election|2000]]|[[2004 United States presidential election|2004]]}}
| predecessor = [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|Bill Clinton]]
| successor = [[Presidency of Barack Obama|Barack Obama]]
| archive_url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/
| library_url=http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/
}}
{{George W. Bush series}}
[[George W. Bush]]'s tenure as the [[List of presidents of the United States|43rd]] [[president of the United States]] began with [[First inauguration of George W. Bush|his first inauguration]] on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] from [[Texas]] and the eldest son of [[George H. W. Bush]], took office following a narrow victory over [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] incumbent vice president [[Al Gore]] in the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]]. Four years later, in the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential election]], he defeated Democrat nominee [[John Kerry]] to win re-election. Bush was succeeded by Democrat [[Barack Obama]], who won the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]].

A decisive event reshaping his administration was the [[September 11 attacks|terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001]]. In its aftermath, [[United States Congress|Congress]] created the [[United States Department of Homeland Security]] and Bush declared a [[War on Terror|global war on terrorism]]. He ordered an [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|invasion of Afghanistan]] to overthrow the [[Taliban]], destroy the terrorist group [[al-Qaeda]], and capture [[Osama bin Laden]]. He also signed the controversial [[Patriot Act]] in order to authorize surveillance of suspected terrorists. In 2003, Bush ordered an [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]], alleging that the [[Saddam Hussein]] regime possessed [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction]]. Intense criticism came when neither WMD stockpiles nor evidence of an [[Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda link allegations|operational relationship with al-Qaeda]] were found. Before 9/11, Bush had pushed through a $1.3 trillion [[Bush tax cuts|tax cut program]] and the [[No Child Left Behind Act]], a major education bill. He also pushed for [[social conservatism|socially conservative]] efforts, such as the [[Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act]] and [[White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives|faith-based welfare initiatives]]. Also in 2003, he signed the [[Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act]], which created [[Medicare Part D]].

During his second term, Bush reached multiple [[free trade agreement]]s and successfully nominated [[John Roberts]] and [[Samuel Alito]] to the [[U.S. Supreme Court|Supreme Court]]. He sought major changes to [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] and immigration laws, but both efforts failed. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continued, and in 2007 he launched a [[Iraq War troop surge of 2007|surge of troops in Iraq]]. The Bush administration's response to [[Hurricane Katrina]] and the [[dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy]] came under attack, with a drop in his approval ratings. A [[financial crisis of 2007-2008|global meltdown in financial markets]] dominated his last days in office as policymakers looked to avert a major economic disaster, and he established the [[Troubled Asset Relief Program]] (TARP) to buy toxic assets from financial institutions.

At various points in his presidency, Bush was among both the most popular and unpopular presidents in U.S. history. He received the highest recorded approval ratings in the wake of the September 11 attacks, but also one of the lowest such ratings during the [[2007–2008 financial crisis]]. Although public favorability of Bush has improved since he left office, his presidency has generally been [[Historical rankings of presidents of the United States|rated as below-average]] by scholars.

==2000 election==
{{Main|George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign|2000 United States presidential election}}
{{Further|2000 United States elections|2000 Republican Party presidential primaries|2000 Republican National Convention}}
[[File:ElectoralCollege2000.svg|thumb|right|The 2000 electoral college vote]]
[[File:President Bill Clinton and President-Elect George W. Bush shake hands during their meeting in the Oval Office.jpg|thumb|Outgoing President [[Bill Clinton]] and President-elect George W. Bush in the [[Oval Office]] on December 19, 2000]]

The oldest son of [[George H. W. Bush]], the 41st president of the United States, [[George W. Bush]] emerged as a presidential contender in his own right with his victory in the [[1994 Texas gubernatorial election]]. After winning re-election by a decisive margin in the [[1998 Texas gubernatorial election]], Bush became the widely acknowledged front-runner in the race for the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nomination in the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]]. In the years preceding the 2000 election, Bush established a stable of advisers, including [[supply-side economics]] advocate [[Lawrence B. Lindsey]] and foreign policy expert [[Condoleezza Rice]].<ref name="mann317"/> With a financial team led by [[Karl Rove]] and [[Ken Mehlman]], Bush built up a commanding financial advantage over other prospective Republican candidates.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 5–6</ref> Though several prominent Republicans declined to challenge Bush, Arizona senator [[John McCain]] launched a spirited challenge that was supported by many moderates and [[War hawk|foreign policy hawks]]. McCain's loss in the South Carolina primary effectively ended the [[2000 Republican Party presidential primaries|2000 Republican primaries]], and Bush was officially nominated for president at the [[2000 Republican National Convention]]. Bush [[2000 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection|selected]] former secretary of defense [[Dick Cheney]] as his running mate; though Cheney offered little electoral appeal and had health problems, Bush believed that Cheney's extensive experience would make him a valuable governing partner.<ref name="mann317">Mann (2015), pp. 31-37</ref>

With President [[Bill Clinton]] term-limited, the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] nominated Vice President [[Al Gore]] for president. Bush's campaign emphasized their own candidate's character in contrast with that of Clinton, who had been embroiled in the [[Lewinsky scandal]]. Bush held a substantial lead in several polls taken after the final debate in October, but the unearthing of Bush's 1976 DUI arrest appeared to sap his campaign's momentum. By the end of election night, Florida emerged as the key state in the election, as whichever candidate won the state would win the presidency. Bush held an extremely narrow lead in the vote by the end of election night, triggering an automatic [[2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida|recount]]. The Florida Supreme Court ordered a partial manual recount, but the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] effectively ordered an end to this process, on equal protection grounds, in the case of ''[[Bush v. Gore]]'', leaving Bush with a victory in both the state and the election. Though Gore narrowly won a plurality of the nationwide popular vote, Bush won the presidential election with 271 [[United States Electoral College|electoral votes]] compared to Gore's 266. In the concurrent [[2000 United States elections|congressional elections]], Republicans retained a narrow majority in the House, but lost five seats in the Senate, leaving the partisan balance in the Senate at fifty Republicans and fifty Democrats.<ref name="Mann, pp. 35-42">Mann (2015), pp. 35-42</ref>

==Administration==
{{See also|Presidential transition of George W. Bush}}
[[File:George W. Bush Cabinet 2008.jpg|right|upright=1.2|thumb|President George W. Bush and his cabinet in 2008]]
{{Infobox U.S. Cabinet
| align = right
| Name = Bush
| President = [[George W. Bush]]
| President start = 2001
| President end = 2009
| Vice President = [[Dick Cheney]]
| Vice President start = 2001
| Vice President end = 2009
| State = [[Colin Powell]]
| State start = 2001
| State end = 2005
| State 2 = [[Condoleezza Rice]]
| State start 2 = 2005
| State end 2 = 2009
| Treasury = [[Paul H. O'Neill]]
| Treasury start = 2001
| Treasury end = 2002
| Treasury 2 = [[John W. Snow]]
| Treasury start 2 = 2003
| Treasury end 2 = 2006
| Treasury 3 = [[Henry Paulson]]
| Treasury start 3 = 2006
| Treasury end 3 = 2009
| Defense = [[Donald Rumsfeld]]
| Defense start = 2001
| Defense end = 2006
| Defense 2 = [[Robert Gates]]
| Defense start 2 = 2006
| Defense end 2 = 2009
| Justice = [[John Ashcroft]]
| Justice start = 2001
| Justice end = 2005
| Justice 2 = [[Alberto Gonzales]]
| Justice start 2 = 2005
| Justice end 2 = 2007
| Justice 3 = [[Michael Mukasey]]
| Justice start 3 = 2007
| Justice end 3 = 2009
| Interior = [[Gale Norton]]
| Interior start = 2001
| Interior end = 2006
| Interior 2 = [[Dirk Kempthorne]]
| Interior start 2 = 2006
| Interior end 2 = 2009
| Agriculture = [[Ann Veneman]]
| Agriculture start = 2001
| Agriculture end = 2005
| Agriculture 2 = [[Mike Johanns]]
| Agriculture start 2 = 2005
| Agriculture end 2 = 2007
| Agriculture 3 = [[Ed Schafer]]
| Agriculture start 3 = 2008
| Agriculture end 3 = 2009
| Commerce = [[Donald Evans]]
| Commerce start = 2001
| Commerce end = 2005
| Commerce 2 = [[Carlos Gutierrez]]
| Commerce start 2 = 2005
| Commerce end 2 = 2009
| Labor = [[Elaine Chao]]
| Labor start = 2001
| Labor end = 2009
| Health and Human Services = [[Tommy Thompson]]
| Health and Human Services start = 2001
| Health and Human Services end = 2005
| Health and Human Services 2 = [[Mike Leavitt]]
| Health and Human Services start 2 = 2005
| Health and Human Services end 2 = 2009
| Housing and Urban Development = [[Mel Martínez]]
| Housing and Urban Development start = 2001
| Housing and Urban Development end = 2004
| Housing and Urban Development 2 = [[Alphonso Jackson]]
| Housing and Urban Development start 2 = 2004
| Housing and Urban Development end 2 = 2008
| Housing and Urban Development 3 = [[Steve Preston]]
| Housing and Urban Development start 3 = 2008
| Housing and Urban Development end 3 = 2009
| Transportation = [[Norman Mineta]]
| Transportation start = 2001
| Transportation end = 2006
| Transportation 2 = [[Mary E. Peters|Mary Peters]]
| Transportation start 2 = 2006
| Transportation end 2 = 2009
| Energy = [[Spencer Abraham]]
| Energy start = 2001
| Energy end = 2005
| Energy 2 = [[Samuel Bodman]]
| Energy start 2 = 2005
| Energy end 2 = 2009
| Education = [[Rod Paige]]
| Education start = 2001
| Education end = 2005
| Education 2 = [[Margaret Spellings]]
| Education start 2 = 2005
| Education end 2 = 2009
| Veterans Affairs = [[Anthony Principi]]
| Veterans Affairs start = 2001
| Veterans Affairs end = 2005
| Veterans Affairs 2 = [[Jim Nicholson (Secretary of Veterans Affairs)|Jim Nicholson]]
| Veterans Affairs start 2 = 2005
| Veterans Affairs end 2 = 2007
| Veterans Affairs 3 = [[James Peake]]
| Veterans Affairs start 3 = 2007
| Veterans Affairs end 3 = 2009
| Homeland Security = [[Tom Ridge]]
| Homeland Security start = 2003
| Homeland Security end = 2005
| Homeland Security 2 = [[Michael Chertoff]]
| Homeland Security start 2 = 2005
| Homeland Security end 2 = 2009
| Environmental Protection = [[Christine Todd Whitman]]
| Environmental Protection start = 2001
| Environmental Protection end = 2003
| Environmental Protection 2 = [[Mike Leavitt]]
| Environmental Protection start 2 = 2003
| Environmental Protection end 2 = 2005
| Environmental Protection 3 = [[Stephen L. Johnson|Stephen Johnson]]
| Environmental Protection start 3 = 2005
| Environmental Protection end 3 = 2009
| Management and Budget = [[Mitch Daniels]]
| Management and Budget start = 2001
| Management and Budget end = 2003
| Management and Budget 2 = [[Joshua Bolten]]
| Management and Budget start 2 = 2003
| Management and Budget end 2 = 2006
| Management and Budget 3 = [[Rob Portman]]
| Management and Budget start 3 = 2006
| Management and Budget end 3 = 2007
| Management and Budget 4 = [[Jim Nussle]]
| Management and Budget start 4 = 2007
| Management and Budget end 4 = 2009
| Trade = [[Robert Zoellick]]
| Trade start = 2001
| Trade end = 2005
| Trade 2 = [[Rob Portman]]
| Trade start 2 = 2005
| Trade end 2 = 2006
| Trade 3 = [[Susan Schwab]]
| Trade start 3 = 2006
| Trade end 3 = 2009
| National Drug Control = [[John P. Walters|John Walters]]
| National Drug Control start = 2001
| National Drug Control end = 2009
| Chief of Staff = [[Andrew Card]]
| Chief of Staff start = 2001
| Chief of Staff end = 2006
| Chief of Staff 2 = [[Joshua Bolten]]
| Chief of Staff start 2 = 2006
| Chief of Staff end 2 = 2009
}}

Rejecting the idea of a powerful [[White House Chief of Staff|White House chief of staff]], Bush had high-level officials report directly to him rather than Chief of Staff [[Andrew Card]]. Vice President Cheney emerged as the most powerful individual in the White House aside from Bush himself. Bush brought to the White House several individuals who had worked under him in Texas, including Senior Counselor [[Karen Hughes]], Senior Adviser Karl Rove, legal counsel [[Alberto Gonzales]], and [[White House Office of the Staff Secretary|Staff Secretary]] [[Harriet Miers]].<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 152-156</ref> Other important White House staff appointees included [[Margaret Spellings]] as a domestic policy adviser, [[Michael Gerson]] as chief speechwriter, and [[Joshua Bolten]] and [[Joe Hagin]] as White House deputy chiefs of staff.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 94–95</ref> [[Paul H. O'Neill]], who had served as deputy director of the [[Office of Management and Budget|OMB]] under [[Gerald Ford]], was appointed secretary of the treasury, while former Missouri senator [[John Ashcroft]] was appointed attorney general.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 134-135</ref>

As Bush had little foreign policy experience, his appointments would serve an important role in shaping [[Foreign policy of the United States|U.S. foreign policy]] during his tenure. Several of his initial top foreign policy appointees had served in his [[presidency of George H. W. Bush|father's administration]]; Vice President Cheney had been secretary of defense, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice had served on the National Security Council, and deputy secretaries [[Paul Wolfowitz]] and [[Richard Armitage (politician)|Richard Armitage]] had also served in important roles. Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]] had served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the first president Bush.<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 53-54, 76-77</ref> Bush had long admired Powell, and the former general was Bush's first choice for the position. Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]], who had served in the same position during the [[Presidency of Gerald Ford|Ford administration]], rounded out the key figures in the national security team.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 129-134</ref> Rumsfeld and Cheney, who had served together in the Ford administration, emerged as the leading foreign policy figures during Bush's first term.<ref name="Herring, pp. 938–939">Herring (2008), pp. 938–939</ref>

O'Neill, who opposed the Iraq War and feared that the Bush tax cuts would lead to deficits, was replaced by [[John W. Snow]] in February 2003.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 389-390</ref> Frustrated by the decisions of the Bush administration, particularly the launching of the Iraq War, Powell resigned following the 2004 elections.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 382-383</ref> He was replaced by Rice, while then-deputy national security adviser [[Stephen Hadley]] took Rice's former position.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 417-418</ref> Most of Bush's top staffers stayed on after the 2004 election, although Spellings joined the Cabinet as secretary of education and Gonzales replaced Ashcroft as attorney general.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 278–280, 283</ref> In early 2006, Card left the White House in the wake of the [[Dubai Ports World controversy]] and several botched White House initiatives, and he was replaced by Joshua Bolten.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 363–367</ref> Bolten stripped Rove of some of his responsibilities and convinced [[Henry Paulson]], the head of [[Goldman Sachs]], to replace Snow as secretary of the treasury.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 369–371</ref>

After the 2006 elections, Rumsfeld was replaced by former CIA director [[Robert Gates]].<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 515-517</ref> The personnel shake-ups left Rice as one of the most prominent individuals in the administration, and she played a strong role in directing Bush's second term foreign policy.<ref>Herring (2008), p. 959</ref> Gonzales and Rove both left in 2007 after controversy regarding the dismissal of U.S. attorneys, and Gonzales was replaced by [[Michael Mukasey]], a former federal judge.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 572-575</ref>

===Senior non-cabinet officials and advisers===
* '''[[Senior Advisor to the President]]''' – [[Karl Rove]] (2001–2007), [[Barry Steven Jackson]] (2007–2009)
* '''[[Counselor to the President]]''' – [[Karen Hughes]] (2001–2002), [[Dan Bartlett]] (2002–2007), [[Ed Gillespie]] (2007–2009)
* '''[[United States National Security Advisor|National Security Advisor]]''' – [[Condoleezza Rice]] (2001–2005), [[Stephen Hadley]] (2005–2009)
* '''[[White House Deputy Chief of Staff]]''' – [[Joe Hagin]] (2001–2008), [[Joshua Bolten]] (2001–2003), [[Harriet Miers]] (2003–2004), [[Karl Rove]] (2005–2007), [[Joel Kaplan]] (2006–2009), [[Blake Gottesman]] (2008–2009)
* '''[[White House Communications Director]]''' – [[Karen Hughes]] (2001), [[Dan Bartlett]] (2001–2005), [[Nicolle Wallace]] (2005–2006), [[Kevin Sullivan (communications professional)|Kevin Sullivan]] (2006–2009)
* '''[[White House Counsel]]''' – [[Alberto Gonzales]] (2001–2005), [[Harriet Miers]] (2005–2007), [[Fred F. Fielding|Fred Fielding]] (2007–2009)
* '''[[White House Press Secretary]]''' – [[Ari Fleischer]] (2001–2003), [[Scott McClellan]] (2003–2006), [[Tony Snow]] (2006–2007), [[Dana Perino]] (2007–2009)
* '''Chair of the [[Council of Economic Advisers]]''' – [[Glenn Hubbard (economist)|Glenn Hubbard]] (2001–2003), [[Greg Mankiw]] (2003–2005), [[Harvey S. Rosen]] (2005), [[Ben Bernanke]] (2005–2006), [[Edward Lazear]] (2006–2009)
* '''[[United States Ambassadors to the United Nations|Ambassador to the United Nations]]''' – [[John Negroponte]] (2001–2004), [[John Danforth]] (2004–2005), [[John Bolton]] (2005–2006), [[Zalmay Khalilzad]] (2007–2009)
* '''[[Director of National Intelligence]]''' – [[John Negroponte]] (2005–2007), [[Mike McConnell (U.S. Naval officer)|Mike McConnell]] (2007–2009)
* '''[[Director of the Central Intelligence Agency|CIA Director]]''' – [[George Tenet]] (2001–2004), [[John E. McLaughlin]] (acting, 2004), [[Porter Goss]] (2004–2006), [[Michael Hayden (general)|Michael Hayden]] (2006–2009)
* '''[[Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI Director]]''' – [[Louis Freeh]] (2001), [[Thomas J. Pickard]] (acting, 2001), [[Robert Mueller]] (2001–2009)
* '''[[Federal Communications Commission|FCC Chairman]]''' – [[Michael Powell (attorney)|Michael Powell]] (2001–2005), [[Kevin Martin (FCC)|Kevin Martin]] (2005–2009)

==Judicial appointments==
===Supreme Court===
{{Main|George W. Bush Supreme Court candidates}}
[[File:Official roberts CJ.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Bush appointed [[John Roberts]] as [[Chief Justice of the United States]]]]

After the 2004 election, many expected that the aging Chief Justice [[William Rehnquist]] would step down from the [[United States Supreme Court]]. Cheney and White House Counsel Harriet Miers selected two widely respected conservatives, [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals]] judge [[John Roberts]] and Fourth Circuit judge [[Michael Luttig]], as the two finalists. In June 2005, Justice [[Sandra Day O'Connor]] unexpectedly announced that she would retire from the court, and Bush [[John Roberts Supreme Court nomination|nominated Roberts]] for her position the following month. After Rehnquist died in September, Bush briefly considered elevating Associate Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] to the position of chief justice, but instead chose to nominate Roberts for the position. Roberts won confirmation from the Senate in a 78–22 vote, with all Republicans and a narrow majority of Democrats voting to confirm Roberts.<ref name="smithjudges"/>

To replace O'Connor, the Bush administration wanted to find a female nominee, but was unsatisfied with the conventional options available.<ref name="smithjudges"/> Bush settled on Miers, who had never served as a judge, but who had worked as a corporate lawyer and White House staffer.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 343–345</ref> [[Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination|Her nomination]] immediately faced opposition from conservatives (and liberals) who were wary of her unproven ideology and lack of judicial experience. After Senate Majority Leader [[Bill Frist]] informed Bush that Miers did not have the votes necessary to win confirmation, Miers withdrew from consideration. Bush then [[Samuel Alito Supreme Court nomination|nominated]] [[Samuel Alito]], who received strong support from conservatives but faced opposition from Democrats. Alito won confirmation in a 58–42 vote in January 2006.<ref name="smithjudges">Smith (2016), pp. 427-428, 445-452</ref><ref>James L. Gibson, and Gregory A. Caldeira, "Confirmation politics and the legitimacy of the US Supreme Court: Institutional loyalty, positivity bias, and the Alito nomination." American Journal of Political Science 53.1 (2009): 139-155. [https://pages.wustl.edu/files/pages/imce/jlgibson/ajps2009.pdf online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024235739/https://pages.wustl.edu/files/pages/imce/jlgibson/ajps2009.pdf }}</ref> In the years immediately after Roberts and Alito took office, the [[Roberts Court]] was generally more conservative than the preceding [[Rehnquist Court]], largely because Alito tended to be more conservative than O'Connor had been.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Liptak |first1=Adam |title=Court Under Roberts Is Most Conservative in Decades |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/us/25roberts.html |access-date=February 21, 2019 |newspaper=New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223223927/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/us/25roberts.html |archive-date=February 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Other courts===
{{Further|List of federal judges appointed by George W. Bush|George W. Bush judicial appointment controversies}}
Bush also [[List of federal judges appointed by George W. Bush|appointed]] 62 judges to the [[United States Courts of Appeals]], 261 judges to the [[United States district courts]], and 2 judges to the [[United States Court of International Trade]]. Among them were two future Supreme Court associate justices: [[Neil Gorsuch]] to a seat on the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit|Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit]] in 2006, and [[Brett Kavanaugh]] to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit]] in 2006.

==Domestic affairs==
{{Main|Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration}}

===Bush tax cuts===
{{see also|Economic policy of the George W. Bush administration}}
{| class="wikitable" align="right" style="margin-left:1em; text-align:center"
|+ Federal finances and GDP during the George W. Bush presidency<ref>All figures, except for debt percentage, are presented in billions of dollars. The receipt, outlay, deficit, GDP, and debt figures are calculated for the [[fiscal year#United States|fiscal year]], which ends on September 30. For example, fiscal year 2020 ended on September 30, 2020.</ref>
|-
! Fiscal<br/>Year
! Receipts
! Outlays
! Surplus/<br/>Deficit
! [[Gross domestic product|GDP]]
! Debt as a %<br/>of GDP<ref>Represents the national debt held by the public as a percentage of GDP</ref>

|-
! 2001
| 1,991.1
| 1,862.8
| 128.2
| 10,526.5
| 31.5

|-
! 2002
| 1,853.1
| 2,010.9
| –157.8
| 10,833.7
| 32.7

|-
! 2003
| 1,782.3
| 2,159.9
| –377.6
| 11,283.8
| 34.7

|-
! 2004
| 1,880.1
| 2,292.8
| –412.7
| 12,025.5
| 35.7

|-
! 2005
| 2,153.6
| 2,472.0
| –318.3
| 12,834.2
| 35.8

|-
! 2006
| 2,406.9
| 2,655.1
| –248.2
| 13,638.4
| 35.4

|-
! 2007
| 2,568.0
| 2,728.7
| –160.7
| 14,290.8
| 35.2

|-
! 2008
| 2,524.0
| 2,982.5
| –458.6
| 14,743.3
| 39.4

|-
! Ref.
| colspan=3 | <ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Tables|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/historical-tables/|website=White House|publisher=Office of Management and Budget|access-date=March 4, 2021|at=Table 1.1}}</ref>
| <ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Tables|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/historical-tables/|website=White House|publisher=Office of Management and Budget|access-date=March 4, 2021|at=Table 1.2}}</ref>
| <ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Tables|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/historical-tables/|website=White House|publisher=Office of Management and Budget|access-date=March 4, 2021|at=Table 7.1}}</ref>
|}

Bush's promise to cut taxes was the centerpiece of his 2000 presidential campaign, and upon taking office, he made tax cuts his first major legislative priority. A budget surplus had developed during the [[presidency of Bill Clinton|Bill Clinton administration]], and with the Federal Reserve chairman [[Alan Greenspan]]'s support, Bush argued that the best use of the surplus was to lower taxes.<ref name="smith160161"/> By the time Bush took office, reduced economic growth had led to less robust federal budgetary projections, but Bush maintained that tax cuts were necessary to boost economic growth.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 119–120</ref> After Treasury secretary Paul O'Neill expressed concerns over the tax cut's size and the possibility of future deficits, Vice President Cheney took charge of writing the bill, which the administration proposed to Congress in March 2001.<ref name="smith160161">Smith (2016), pp. 160-161</ref>

Bush initially sought a $1.6 trillion tax cut over a ten-year period, but ultimately settled for a $1.35 trillion tax cut.<ref>Draper (2007), p. 120</ref> The administration rejected the idea of "triggers" that would phase out the tax reductions should the government again run deficits. The [[Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001]] won the support of congressional Republicans and a minority of congressional Democrats, and Bush signed it into law in June 2001. The act lowered the top income tax rate from 39 percent to 35 percent, and it also reduced the [[estate tax]]. The narrow Republican majority in the Senate necessitated the use of the [[Reconciliation (United States Congress)|reconciliation]], which in turn necessitated that the tax cuts would phase out in 2011 barring further legislative action.<ref name = "taxcuts1"/>

After the tax bill was passed, Senator [[Jim Jeffords]] left the Republican Party and began caucusing with the Democrats, giving them control of the Senate. After Republicans re-took control of the Senate during the 2002 mid-term elections, Bush proposed further tax cuts. With little support among Democrats, Congress passed the [[Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003]], which cut taxes by another $350 billion over 10 years. That law also lowered the [[capital gains tax in the United States|capital gains tax]] and [[dividend tax|taxes on dividends]]. Collectively, the [[Bush tax cuts]] reduced federal individual tax rates to their lowest level since [[World War II]], and government revenue as a share of [[gross domestic product]] declined from 20.9% in 2000 to 16.3% in 2004.<ref name = "taxcuts1">Mann (2015), pp. 43-48, Smith, pp. 161-162</ref> Most of the Bush tax cuts were later made permanent by the [[American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012]], though that act rolled back the tax cuts on top earners.<ref name=steinhauer1>{{cite news|last1=Steinhauer|first1=Jennifer|title=Divided House Passes Tax Deal in End to Latest Fiscal Standoff|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/us/politics/house-takes-on-fiscal-cliff.html|access-date=November 13, 2015|work=The New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017081519/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/us/politics/house-takes-on-fiscal-cliff.html|archive-date=October 17, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Contrary to the rhetoric of the Bush administration and Republicans, the budget deficit increased, leaving many to believe the tax cuts were at fault. Statements by President Bush, Vice President [[Dick Cheney]], and Senate Majority Leader [[Bill Frist]] that these tax cuts effectively "paid for themselves" were disputed by the CBPP,<ref name="CBPP2">{{cite web|last=Kogan|first=Richard|author2=Aron-Dine, Aviva|title=Claim that Tax Cuts "Pay for Themselves" is Too Good to Be True|url=http://www.cbpp.org/3-8-06tax.htm|access-date=July 19, 2007|publisher=Center on Budget and Policy Priorities}}</ref> the U.S. Treasury Department and the CBO.<ref>{{cite web|title=Analyzing the Economic and Budgetary Effects of a 10 Percent Cut in Income Tax Rates|url=http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/69xx/doc6908/12-01-10PercentTaxCut.pdf|access-date=March 31, 2011|archive-date=January 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112075107/http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/69xx/doc6908/12-01-10PercentTaxCut.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dynamic Scoring: A Back-of-the-Envelope Guide|url=http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/mankiw/files/dynamicscoring_05-1212.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516190105/http://economics.harvard.edu/faculty/mankiw/files/dynamicscoring_05-1212.pdf|archive-date=May 16, 2008|access-date=March 30, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=A Heckuva Claim|work=washingtonpost.com|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/05/AR2007010501801.html|access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Sebastian Mallaby|title=The Return Of Voodoo Economics|work=washingtonpost.com|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/14/AR2006051400806.html|access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref>

===Education===
[[File:No Child Left Behind Act.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|right|President [[George W. Bush]] signs the [[No Child Left Behind Act]].]]

Aside from tax cuts, Bush's other major policy initiative upon taking office was education reform. Bush had a strong personal interest in reforming education, especially regarding the education of low-income and minority groups. He often derided the "soft bigotry of low expectations" for allowing low-income and minority groups to fall behind.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 113–114</ref> Although many conservatives were reluctant to increase federal involvement in education, Bush's success in campaigning on education reform in the 2000 election convinced many Republicans, including Congressman [[John Boehner]] of Ohio, to accept an education reform bill that increased federal funding.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 163-164</ref> Seeking to craft a bipartisan bill, Bush courted Democratic senator [[Ted Kennedy]], a leading [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] senator who served as the ranking member on the [[United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions|Senate Committee on Health, Education, and Pensions]].<ref name="smith166167"/>

Bush favored extensive testing to ensure that schools met uniform standards for skills such as reading and math. Bush hoped that testing would make schools more accountable for their performances and provide parents with more information in choosing which schools to send their children. Kennedy shared Bush's concern for the education of impoverished children, but he strongly opposed the president's proposed [[school voucher]]s, which would allow parents to use federal funding to pay for private schools. Both men cooperated to pass the [[No Child Left Behind Act]], which dropped the concept of school vouchers but included Bush's idea of nationwide testing. Both houses of Congress registered overwhelming approval for the bill's final version, which Bush signed into law in January 2002.<ref name="smith166167">Smith (2016), pp. 166-167</ref> However, Kennedy would later criticize the implementation of the act, arguing that Bush had promised greater federal funding for education.<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 50-52</ref>

===Surveillance and homeland security===

Shortly after the [[September 11 attacks]], Bush announced the creation of the [[Office of Homeland Security]] and appointed former [[governor of Pennsylvania]] [[Tom Ridge]] its director.<ref>Draper (2007), p. 157</ref> After Congress passed the [[Homeland Security Act]] to create the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] (DHS), Ridge became the first director of the newly created department. The department was charged with overseeing immigration, border control, customs, and the newly established [[Transportation Security Administration]] (TSA), which focused on [[airport security]].<ref name=mann6365/> Though the FBI and CIA remained independent agencies, the DHS was assigned jurisdiction over the [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]], the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service]] (which was divided into three agencies), the [[United States Customs Service]] (which was also divided into separate agencies), and the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]]. The Homeland Security Act represented the most significant departmental reorganization since the [[National Security Act of 1947]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Glass |first1=Andrew |title=Bush creates Homeland Security Department, Nov. 26, 2002 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/26/this-day-in-politics-november-26-1012269 |access-date=February 24, 2019 |publisher=Politico |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225102948/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/26/this-day-in-politics-november-26-1012269 |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On October 26, 2001, Bush signed into law the [[Patriot Act]]. Passed on the president's request, the act permitted increased sharing of intelligence among the [[United States Intelligence Community|U.S. Intelligence Community]] and expanded the government's domestic authority to conduct surveillance of suspected terrorists.<ref name=mann6365/> The Patriot Act also authorized the use of [[roving wiretap]]s on suspected terrorists and expanded the government's authority to conduct surveillance of suspected "[[Lone wolf (terrorism)|lone wolf]]" terrorists.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Diamond |first1=Jeremy |title=Everything you need to know about the Patriot Act debate |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/politics/patriot-act-debate-explainer-nsa/index.html |access-date=February 24, 2019 |publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225102956/https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/politics/patriot-act-debate-explainer-nsa/index.html |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bush also secretly authorized the [[National Security Agency]] to [[NSA warrantless surveillance (2001–07)|conduct warrantless surveillance]] of communications in and out of the United States.<ref name=mann6365>Mann (2015), pp. 63-65</ref>

===Campaign finance reform===

McCain's [[John McCain 2000 presidential campaign|2000 presidential campaign]] brought the issue of [[Campaign finance reform in the United States|campaign finance reform]] to the fore of public consciousness in 2001.<ref name=gitell/> McCain and [[Russ Feingold]] pushed a bipartisan campaign finance bill in the Senate, while [[Chris Shays]] (R-CT) and [[Marty Meehan]] (D-MA) led the effort of passing it in the House.<ref name=gitell/> In just the second successful use of the [[discharge petition]] since the 1980s, a mixture of Democrats and Republicans defied Speaker [[Dennis Hastert]] and passed a campaign finance reform bill.<ref name=ehren>{{cite news|last1=Ehrenfreund|first1=Max|title=The discharge petition's role in the immigration reform debate, explained|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2013/06/29/the-discharge-petitions-role-in-immigration-reform-explained/|access-date=16 October 2015|newspaper=Washington Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005142626/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2013/06/29/the-discharge-petitions-role-in-immigration-reform-explained/|archive-date=5 October 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The House approved the bill with a 240–189 vote,<ref name=barrett/> while the bill passed the Senate in a 60–40 vote, the bare minimum required to overcome the filibuster.<ref name=welch>{{cite news|last1=Welch|first1=William|title=Passage ends long struggle for McCain, Feingold|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washdc/2002/03/21/usat-mccain.htm|access-date=16 October 2015|newspaper=USA Today|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119110217/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washdc/2002/03/21/usat-mccain.htm|archive-date=19 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Throughout the congressional battle on the bill, Bush declined to take a strong position.<ref name=barrett>{{cite news|last1=Barrett|first1=Ted|title=Campaign finance battle moves to Senate|url=http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/02/14/campaign.finance/|access-date=16 October 2015|publisher=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320053814/http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/02/14/campaign.finance/|archive-date=20 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> However, in March 2002, Bush signed into law the [[Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act]], stating that he thought the law would improve the financing system for elections but was "far from perfect."<ref>{{cite news|title=Bush Signs Campaign Finance Reform Law|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/2002/03/27/bush-signs-campaign-finance-reform-law.html|access-date=23 February 2017|publisher=Fox News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223215547/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2002/03/27/bush-signs-campaign-finance-reform-law.html|archive-date=23 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The law placed several limits on political donations and expenditures, and closed loopholes on contribution limits on donations to political candidates by banning the use of so-called "soft money."<ref name="gitell">{{cite magazine|last1=Gitell|first1=Seth|title=Making Sense of McCain-Feingold and Campaign-Finance Reform|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/07/making-sense-of-mccain-feingold-and-campaign-finance-reform/302758/|access-date=17 November 2017|magazine=The Atlantic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616011753/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/07/making-sense-of-mccain-feingold-and-campaign-finance-reform/302758/|archive-date=16 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Portions of the law restricting [[independent expenditure]]s would later be struck down by the Supreme Court in the 2010 case of ''[[Citizens United v. FEC]]''.<ref name="mbai1">{{cite news|last1=Bai|first1=Matt|title=How Much Has Citizens United Changed the Political Game?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/magazine/how-much-has-citizens-united-changed-the-political-game.html|access-date=17 November 2017|newspaper=New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117175734/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/magazine/how-much-has-citizens-united-changed-the-political-game.html|archive-date=17 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Healthcare===
After the passage of the Bush tax cuts and the No Child Left Behind Act, Bush turned his domestic focus to healthcare. He sought to expand [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] so it would also cover the cost of [[prescription drug]]s, a program that became known as [[Medicare Part D]]. Many congressional Democrats opposed the bill because it did not allow Medicare to negotiate the prices of drugs, while many conservative Republicans opposed the expansion of the government's involvement in healthcare. Assisted by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Senate majority leader [[Bill Frist]], Bush overcame strong opposition and won passage of his Medicare bill.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 390-391</ref> In December 2003, Bush signed the [[Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act]], the largest expansion of Medicare since the program's creation in 1965.<ref name="auto">Mann (2015), pp. 88-89</ref>

===Attempted Social Security reform===
{{see also|Social Security debate in the United States}}
[[File:Bush discusses social security in Virginia 2005.jpg|thumb|right|President [[George W. Bush]] discussing [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] in 2005]]

After winning re-election in 2004, Bush made the partial privatization of [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] his top domestic priority.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 295–296</ref> He proposed restructuring the program so that citizens could invest some of the money they paid in [[payroll tax]]es, which fund the Social Security program.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 425-426</ref> The president argued that Social Security faced an imminent funding crisis and that reform was necessary to ensure its continuing solvency.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Prokop|first1=Andrew|title=In 2005, Republicans controlled Washington. Their agenda failed. Here's why.|url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/9/13781088/social-security-privatization-why-failed|access-date=8 April 2017|publisher=Vox|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409021211/http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/9/13781088/social-security-privatization-why-failed|archive-date=9 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Bush expected a difficult congressional battle over his proposal, but, as he put it, "I've got political capital, and I intend to spend it."<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 294–295</ref> Groups like the [[AARP]] strongly opposed the plan, as did moderate Democrats like [[Max Baucus]], who had supported the Bush tax cuts. Ultimately, Bush failed to win the backing of a single congressional Democrat for his plan, and even moderate Republicans like [[Olympia Snowe]] and [[Lincoln Chafee]] refused to back privatization. In the face of unified opposition, Republicans abandoned Bush's Social Security proposal in mid-2005.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 293, 300–304</ref>

===Response to Hurricane Katrina===
[[File:Bush meets Louisiana politicians after Katrina.jpg|thumb|right| [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]] [[Mayor of New Orleans|Mayor]] [[Ray Nagin]], [[Louisiana]] [[Governor of Louisiana|Governor]] [[Kathleen Blanco]], President Bush and Louisiana Senator [[David Vitter]] meet September 2, 2005 in the aftermath of [[Hurricane Katrina]].]]

[[Hurricane Katrina]], one of the largest and most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the United States, ravaged several states along the [[Gulf of Mexico]] in August 2005. On a working vacation at his ranch in Texas, Bush initially allowed state and local authorities to respond to the natural disaster. The hurricane made landfall on August 29, devastating the city of [[New Orleans]] after the [[2005 levee failures in Greater New Orleans|failure of that city's levees]]. Over eighteen hundred people died in the hurricane, and Bush was widely criticized for his slow response to the disaster.<ref name="smith430443">Smith (2016), pp. 430-443</ref> Stung by the public response, Bush removed [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] director [[Michael D. Brown]] from office and stated publicly that "Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government."<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 335–336</ref> After Hurricane Katrina, Bush's approval rating fell below 40 percent, where it would remain for the rest of his tenure in office.<ref name="smith430443"/>

===Proposed immigration reform===
[[File:Bush Addresses the Nation on Immigration Reform.jpg|thumb|right|President [[George W. Bush]] outlining his comprehensive immigration reform proposal in a television address.]]

Although he concentrated on other domestic policies during his first term, Bush supported [[immigration reform]] throughout his administration. In May 2006, he proposed a five-point plan that would increase [[border control|border security]], establish a [[guest worker program]], and create a [[path to citizenship]] for the twelve million [[Illegal immigrant population of the United States|illegal immigrants]] living in the United States. The Senate passed the [[Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006]], which included many of the president's proposals, but the bill did not pass the House of Representatives. After Democrats took control of Congress in the 2006 mid-term elections, Bush worked with Ted Kennedy to re-introduce the bill as the [[Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007]]. The bill received intense criticism from many conservatives, who had become more skeptical of immigration reform, and it failed to pass the Senate.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 582-584</ref>

===Great Recession===
{{see also|2007–2008 financial crisis}}

After years of financial deregulation accelerating under the Bush administration, banks lent [[subprime mortgage]]s to more and more home buyers, causing a [[United States housing bubble|housing bubble]]. Many of these banks also invested in [[credit default swap]]s and [[Derivative (finance)|derivatives]] that were essentially bets on the soundness of these loans. In response to declining housing prices and fears of an impending recession, the Bush administration arranged passage of the [[Economic Stimulus Act of 2008]]. Falling home prices started threatening the financial viability of many institutions, leaving [[Bear Stearns]], a prominent U.S.-based investment bank, on the brink of [[Bank failure|failure]] in March 2008. Recognizing the growing threat of a financial crisis, Bush allowed Treasury secretary Paulson to arrange for another bank, [[JPMorgan Chase]], to take over most Bear Stearn's assets. Out of concern that [[Fannie Mae]] and [[Freddie Mac]] might also fail, the Bush administration put both institutions into [[conservatorship]]. Shortly afterwards, the administration learned that [[Lehman Brothers]] was on the verge of bankruptcy, but the administration ultimately declined to intervene on behalf of Lehman Brothers.<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 126-132</ref>

Paulson hoped that the financial industry had shored itself up after the failure of Bear Stearns and that the failure of Lehman Brothers would not strongly impact the economy, but news of the failure caused stock prices to tumble and froze credit. Fearing a total financial collapse, Paulson and the Federal Reserve took control of [[American International Group]] (AIG), another major financial institution that teetered on the brink of failure. Hoping to shore up the other banks, Bush and Paulson proposed the [[Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008]], which would create the $700 billion [[Troubled Asset Relief Program]] (TARP) to buy [[toxic asset]]s. The House rejected TARP in a 228–205 vote; although support and opposition crossed party lines, only about one-third of the Republican caucus supported the bill. After the [[Dow Jones Industrial Average]] dropped 778 points on the day of the House vote, the House and Senate both passed TARP. Bush later extended TARP loans to U.S. automobile companies, which faced [[Automotive industry crisis of 2008–10|their own crisis]] due to the weak economy. Though TARP helped end the financial crisis, it did not prevent the onset of the [[Great Recession]], which would continue after Bush left office.<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 132-137</ref><ref>Smith (2016), pp. 631-632, 659-660</ref>

===Social issues===
[[File:Richard Cheney 2005 official portrait.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Vice President [[Dick Cheney]]]]

On his first day in office, President Bush reinstated the [[Mexico City policy]], thereby blocking federal aid to foreign groups that offered assistance to women in obtaining [[abortions in the United States|abortions]]. Days later, he announced his commitment to channeling more federal aid to faith-based service organizations, despite the fears of critics that this would dissolve the traditional [[separation of church and state in the United States]].<ref>{{Cite news
|first=Thomas E.
|last=Buckley
|url=http://www.americamagazine.org/gettext.cfm?articleTypeID=1&textID=2601&issueID=411
|title=Church, State and the Faith-Based Initiative
|publisher=America, The National Catholic Weekly
|date=2002-11-11
|access-date=2006-06-30
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060529104322/http://www.americamagazine.org/gettext.cfm?articleTypeID=1&textID=2601&issueID=411
|archive-date=2006-05-29
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news
|first = David
|last = Brancaccio
|url = https://www.pbs.org/now/politics/churchandstate2.html
|title = Faith-based Initiatives
|work = God and Government
|publisher = [[NOW (series)|NOW]], [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]
|date = 2003-09-26
|access-date = 2006-06-30
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060908133933/http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/churchandstate2.html
|archive-date = 2006-09-08
|url-status = live
}}</ref> To further this commitment, he created the [[White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives]] to assist faith-based service organizations.<ref name="millerdomestic1">{{cite web|title=GEORGE W. BUSH: DOMESTIC AFFAIRS|url=https://millercenter.org/president/gwbush/domestic-affairs|website=Miller Center|publisher=University of Virginia|access-date=2017-11-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115201123/https://millercenter.org/president/gwbush/domestic-affairs|archive-date=2017-11-15|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2003, Bush signed the [[Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act]], which banned [[intact dilation and extraction]], an abortion procedure.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Milbank |first1=Dana |title=Bush Signs Ban on Late-Term Abortions Into Effect |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/11/06/bush-signs-ban-on-late-term-abortions-into-effect/22d3c373-ae0a-4e6b-8e3e-a06b040c2ae6/ |access-date=February 22, 2019 |newspaper=Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225044805/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/11/06/bush-signs-ban-on-late-term-abortions-into-effect/22d3c373-ae0a-4e6b-8e3e-a06b040c2ae6/ |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Early in his administration, President Bush became personally interested in the issue of [[stem cell]] research.<ref>Draper (2007), p. 123</ref> The Clinton administration had issued guidelines allowing the federal funding of research utilizing stem cells, and Bush decided to study the situation's ethics before issuing his own executive order on the issue. Evangelical religious groups argued that the research was immoral as it destroyed human [[embryo]]s, while various advocacy groups touted the potential scientific advances afforded by stem cell research.<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 49-50</ref> In August 2001, Bush issued an executive order banning federal funding for research on new stem cell lines; the order allowed research on existing stem cell lines to continue.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 125–126</ref> In July 2006, Bush used his first [[Veto|presidential veto]] on the [[Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act]], which would have expanded [[Federal Government of the United States|federal]] funding of embryonic stem cell research. A similar bill was passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate early in mid-2007 as part of House Speaker [[Nancy Pelosi]]'s [[100-Hour Plan]], but was vetoed by Bush.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stolberg|first1=Cheryl Gay|title=Bush Vetoes Measure on Stem Cell Research|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/21/washington/21stem.html|access-date=8 April 2017|newspaper=New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408172042/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/21/washington/21stem.html|archive-date=8 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

After the Supreme Court struck down a state [[sodomy law]] in the 2003 case of ''[[Lawrence v. Texas]]'', conservatives began pushing for the [[Federal Marriage Amendment]], which would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Bush endorsed this proposal and made it part of his campaign during the 2004 and 2006 election cycles.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 377–379</ref><ref>Scott Dodson, "The Peculiar Federal Marriage Amendment." ''Arizona State Law Journal'' 36 (2004): 783+ [https://repository.uchastings.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2409&context=faculty_scholarship online].</ref> However, President Bush did break from his party in his tolerance of civil unions for homosexual couples.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |title=Bush Says His Party Is Wrong to Oppose Gay Civil Unions |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/26/politics/campaign/bush-says-his-party-is-wrong-to-oppose-gay-civil-unions.html |access-date=2022-11-22 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Franke-Ruta |first=Garance |title=George W. Bush's Forgotten Gay-Rights History |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/07/george-w-bushs-forgotten-gay-rights-history/277567/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bush's gay union stance irks conservatives |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6338458 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>

Bush was staunchly opposed to [[euthanasia]] and supported Attorney General John Ashcroft's ultimately unsuccessful suit against the [[Oregon Death with Dignity Act]].<ref name=OregonEuthanasia>{{Cite news
|first = Kevin
|last = Johnson
|url = https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/04/17/court-suicide.htm
|title = Federal judge backs Oregon suicide law
|publisher = [[USAToday]]
|date = 2002-04-18
|access-date = 2006-06-30
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051123031710/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/04/17/court-suicide.htm
|archive-date = 2005-11-23
|url-status = live
}}</ref> However, while he was governor of [[Texas]], Bush had signed a law giving hospitals the authority to remove [[life support]] from terminally ill patients against the wishes of spouses or parents, if the doctors deemed it as medically appropriate.<ref name=RighttoDie>{{cite news
|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002215324_texaslaw22.html
|title=As governor, Bush signed right-to-die law
|newspaper=[[Seattle Times]]
|access-date=2006-06-30
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060228084150/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002215324_texaslaw22.html
|archive-date=2006-02-28
}}</ref> This perceived inconsistency in policy became an issue in 2005, when Bush signed controversial legislation to initiate federal intervention in the court battle of [[Terri Schiavo]], a comatose [[Florida]] woman who ultimately died.<ref name=Schiavo>{{cite news
|first = Charles
|last = Babington
|author2 = Allen, Mike
|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51402-2005Mar20.html
|title = Congress Passes Schiavo Measure
|newspaper = The Washington Post
|date = 2005-03-21
|access-date = 2006-06-30
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070809122331/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51402-2005Mar20.html
|archive-date = 2007-08-09
|url-status = live
}}</ref>

===Environmental policies===
{{see also|Climate change policy of the George W. Bush administration}}
[[File:Us cabinet mtg.jpg|thumb|right|Cabinet meeting]]

In March 2001, the Bush administration announced that it would not implement the [[Kyoto Protocol]], an international treaty signed in 1997 that required nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The administration argued that ratifying the treaty would unduly restrict U.S. growth while failing to adequately limit emissions from developing nations.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1247518.stm | work=BBC News | title=US blow to Kyoto hopes | date=March 28, 2001 | access-date=May 22, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512181432/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1247518.stm | archive-date=May 12, 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref> The administration questioned the [[scientific consensus on climate change]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Macekura|first=Stephen|title=Environment, Climate, and Global Disorder|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-history-of-america-and-the-world/environment-climate-and-global-disorder/855C9166EF4055A5351254E1FB84D1C0|work=The Cambridge History of America and the World: Volume 4: 1945 to the Present|volume=4|pages=488–511|editor-last=Engerman|editor-first=David C.|publisher=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1017/9781108297554.023|isbn=978-1-108-41927-7|quote=The Bush Administration even questioned the widely accepted scientific evidence that human actions had generated global climate change. For example, a formal EPA report on the environment did not even contain a section on global warming, because the White House refused to back any report that did not include language suggesting “greater uncertainty about [global warming] than the consensus of the scientific community.”|editor2-last=Friedman|editor2-first=Max Paul|editor3-last=McAlister|editor3-first=Melani}}</ref> Bush stated that he believed [[global warming]] is real<ref>{{cite news|title=Interview with President Bush|work=White House Transcript|publisher=Politico|access-date=May 14, 2008|quote=Q. Mr. President, for the record, is global warming real? A. Yes, it is real, sure is.|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10316_Page3.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517115554/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10316_Page3.html|archive-date=May 17, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> and a serious problem, although he asserted that there existed a "debate over whether it's man-made or naturally caused".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/06/20060626-2.html |title=Press Conference |publisher=The White House |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502232627/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/06/20060626-2.html |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> The Bush administration's stance on global warming remained controversial in the scientific and environmental communities. Critics alleged that the administration<ref>{{cite web |publisher=MSNBC |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6341451 |title=NASA Scientist Rips Bush on Global Warming |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=May 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507053351/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6341451 |url-status=dead |df=mdy}}; {{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/17/60minutes/main1415985_page2.shtml |title=60 Minutes: Rewriting the Science |publisher=CBS News |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=April 13, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502232627/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/17/60minutes/main1415985_page2.shtml |url-status=dead |df=mdy}}</ref> misinformed the public and did not do enough to reduce carbon emissions and deter global warming.<ref>{{cite book|title=Hell or High Water|first=Joe|last=Romm|publisher=William Morrow|year=2006|isbn=978-0-06-117212-0|oclc=77537768|url=https://archive.org/details/hellhighwaterglo00romm_0|access-date=2019-08-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025201014/https://archive.org/details/hellhighwaterglo00romm_0|archive-date=2019-10-25|url-status=live}}; Romm calls Bush's "don't rush to judgment" and "we need to ask more questions" stance a classic delay tactic. Part 2.</ref>

On January 6, 2009, President Bush designated the world's largest protected marine area. The Pacific Ocean habitat includes the [[Mariana Trench]] and the waters and corals surrounding three uninhabited islands in the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], [[Rose Atoll]] in American Samoa, and seven islands along the equator.<ref>Suzanne Goldenberg: "[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/jan/06/ocean-conservation-george-bush-pacific Bush designates ocean conservation areas in final weeks as president] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215211708/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/jan/06/ocean-conservation-george-bush-pacific }}" – guardian.co.uk, January 6, 2009</ref>

===Other legislation===
In July 2002, following several [[accounting scandals]] such as the [[Enron]] scandal, Bush signed the [[Sarbanes–Oxley Act]] into law. The act expanded reporting requirements for public companies<ref name="ebumiller">{{cite news|last1=Bumiller|first1=Elizabeth|title=CORPORATE CONDUCT: THE PRESIDENT; Bush Signs Bill Aimed at Fraud In Corporations|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/31/business/corporate-conduct-the-president-bush-signs-bill-aimed-at-fraud-in-corporations.html|access-date=23 February 2017|newspaper=New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227193420/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/31/business/corporate-conduct-the-president-bush-signs-bill-aimed-at-fraud-in-corporations.html|archive-date=27 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Shortly after the start of his second term, Bush signed the [[Class Action Fairness Act of 2005]], which had been a priority of his administration and part of his broader goal of instituting [[tort reform]]. The act was designed to remove most [[class action]] lawsuits from state courts to federal courts, which were regarded as less sympathetic to plaintiffs in class action suits.<ref name="jharris1">{{cite news|last1=Harris|first1=John F.|last2=Branigin|first2=William|title=Bush Signs Class-Action Changes Into Law|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35084-2005Feb18.html|access-date=18 November 2017|newspaper=Washington Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032245/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35084-2005Feb18.html|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Foreign affairs==
{{Main|Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration}}
[[File:Red Sea Summit in Aqaba.jpg|thumb|President of the [[Palestinian Authority]] [[Mahmoud Abbas]], President Bush, and [[Israel]]i Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] in June 2003.]]

===Taking office===

Upon taking office, Bush had little experience with foreign policy, and his decisions were guided by his advisers. Bush embraced the views of Cheney and other [[Neoconservatism|neoconservatives]], who de-emphasized the importance of [[multilateralism]]; neoconservatives believed that because the United States was the world's lone [[superpower]], it could act unilaterally if necessary.<ref name="smith181182"/> At the same time, Bush sought to enact the less [[Interventionism (politics)|interventionist]] foreign policy he had promised during the 2000 campaign.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 128–130</ref> Though the first several months of his presidency focused on domestic issues, the Bush administration pulled the U.S. out of several existing or proposed multilateral agreements, including the [[Kyoto Protocol]], the [[Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty]], and the [[International Criminal Court]].<ref name="smith181182">Smith (2016), pp. 181-182, 193</ref>

===September 11 attacks===
{{see also|Motives for the September 11 attacks|9/11 Commission}}
[[File:President George W. Bush talks on the phone with Vice President Dick Cheney from Air Force One.jpg|thumb|President Bush speaks with Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] aboard [[Air Force One]], September 11, 2001]]
[[File:Remarks from Ground Zero September 14, 2001.webm|thumb|thumbtime=00:11|Bush making remarks from [[World Trade Center site|Ground Zero]] on September 14, 2001]]

Terrorism had emerged as an important national security issue in the Clinton administration, and it became one of the dominant issues of the Bush administration.<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 936, 941</ref> In the late 1980s, [[Osama bin Laden]] had established [[al-Qaeda]], a militant [[Sunni]] [[Islamist]] multi-national organization that sought to overthrow Western-backed governments in [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Jordan]], [[Egypt]], and [[Pakistan]]. In response to Saudi Arabia's decision to begin hosting U.S. soldiers in 1991, al-Qaeda had begun a terrorist campaign against U.S. targets, orchestrating attacks such as the 1998 [[USS Cole bombing]]. During Bush's first months in office, U.S. intelligence organizations [[September 11 intelligence before the attacks|intercepted communications indicating that al-Qaeda was planning another attack]] on the United States, but foreign policy officials were unprepared for a major attack on the United States.<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 939–941</ref> Bush was briefed on al-Qaeda's activities, but focused on other foreign policy issues during his first months in office.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 145–146</ref>

On September 11, 2001, [[al-Qaeda]] [[terrorism|terrorists]] [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacked]] four airliners and flew two of them into the twin towers of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in [[New York City]], destroying both 110-story skyscrapers. Another [[American Airlines Flight 77|plane]] crashed into [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]], and a [[United Airlines Flight 93|fourth plane]] was brought down in Pennsylvania following a struggle between the terrorists and the aircraft's passengers.<ref name="mann5860"/> The attacks had a profound effect on many Americans, who felt vulnerable to international attacks for the first time since the end of the [[Cold War]].<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 941–942</ref> Appearing on national television on the night of the attacks, Bush promised to punish those who had aided the attacks, stating, "we will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them." In the following days, Bush urged the public to renounce hate crimes and discrimination against [[Muslim-American]]s and [[Arab-American]]s.<ref name="mann5860">Mann (2015), pp. 58-60</ref> He also declared a "[[War on Terror]]", instituting new domestic and foreign policies in an effort to prevent future terrorist attacks.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 254-256</ref>

===War in Afghanistan===
{{Further|War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)}}

[[File:Hamid Karzai being greeted by George W. Bush in 2005.jpg|thumb|Bush with Afghanistan President [[Hamid Karzai]]]]

As Bush's top foreign policy advisers were in agreement that merely launching strikes against al-Qaeda bases would not stop future attacks, the administration decided to overthrow [[Afghanistan]]'s conservative [[Taliban]] government, which harbored the leaders of al-Qaeda.<ref name=mann6166>Mann (2015), pp. 61-66</ref> Powell took the lead in assembling allied nations in a coalition that would launch attacks on multiple fronts.<ref>Herring (2008), p. 942</ref> The Bush administration focused especially on courting [[Pakistan]]i leader [[Pervez Musharraf]], who agreed to join the coalition.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 163–164</ref> On September 14, Congress passed a resolution called the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists]], authorizing the president to use the military against those responsible for the attacks. On October 7, 2001, Bush ordered the [[United States invasion of Afghanistan|invasion of Afghanistan]].<ref name=mann6166/>

General [[Tommy Franks]], the commander of the [[United States Central Command]] (CENTCOM), drew up a four-phase invasion plan. In the first phase, the U.S. built up forces in the surrounding area and inserted CIA and special forces operatives who linked up with the [[Northern Alliance]], an Afghan resistance group opposed to the Taliban. The second phase consisted of a major air campaign against Taliban and al-Qaeda targets, while the third phase involved the defeat of the remaining Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. The fourth and final phase consisted of the stabilization of Afghanistan, which Franks projected would take three to five years. The war in Afghanistan began on October 7 with several air and missile strikes, and the Northern Alliance began its offensive on October 19. The capital of [[Kabul]] was captured on November 13, and [[Hamid Karzai]] was inaugurated as the new president of Afghanistan. However, the senior leadership of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, including bin Laden, avoided capture. Karzai would remain in power for the duration of Bush's presidency, but his effective control was limited to the area around Kabul, as various warlords took control of much of the rest of the country.<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 942–943</ref> While the Karzai's government struggled to control the countryside, the Taliban regrouped in neighboring Pakistan. As Bush left office, he considered sending additional troops to bolster Afghanistan against the Taliban, but decided to leave the issue for the next administration.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 249-251, 602-605</ref>

===Bush Doctrine===

After the September 11 attacks, Bush's approval ratings increased tremendously. Inspired in part by the [[presidency of Harry S. Truman|Truman administration]], Bush decided to use his newfound political capital to fundamentally change U.S. foreign policy. He became increasingly focused on the possibility of a hostile country providing [[weapons of mass destruction]] (WMDs) to terrorist organizations.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 166–169</ref> During his early 2002 [[State of the Union Address]], Bush set forth what has become known as the [[Bush Doctrine]], which held that the United States would implement a policy of [[Preemptive war|preemptive military strikes]] against nations known to be harboring or aiding a terrorist organization hostile to the United States.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 277-278</ref> Bush outlined what he called the "[[Axis of Evil]]," consisting of three nations that, he argued, posed the greatest threat to world peace due to their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and potential to aid terrorists. The axis consisted of [[Iraq]], [[North Korea]] and [[Iran]].<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 943–944</ref> Bush also began emphasizing the importance of spreading democracy worldwide, stating in 2005 that "the survival of liberty in our land depends on the success of liberty in other land." Pursuant to this newly-interventionist policy, the Bush administration boosted foreign aid and increased defense expenditures.<ref>Leffler (2011), pp. 34–35</ref> Defense spending rose from $304 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $616 billion in fiscal year 2008.<ref>Leffler (2011), pp. 37–38</ref>

===Iraq===
====Prelude to the war====
{{Further|Rationale for the Iraq War|United Nations Security Council and the Iraq War}}
[[File:Map of Middle East.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Map of the [[Middle East]], including [[Iraq]].]]

During the [[presidency of George H. W. Bush|presidency of his father]], the United States had launched the [[Gulf War]] against [[Iraq]] after the latter invaded [[Kuwait]]. Though the U.S. forced Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait, it left [[Saddam Hussein]]'s administration in place, partly to serve as a counterweight to [[Iran]]. After the war, the [[Project for the New American Century]], consisting of influential neoconservatives like Paul Wolfowitz and Cheney, advocated for the overthrow of Hussein.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 179-180</ref> Iraq had [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|developed biological and chemical weapons]] prior to the Gulf War; after the war, it had submitted to WMD inspections conducted by the [[United Nations Special Commission]] until 1998, when Hussein demanded that all UN inspectors leave Iraq.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 174–175</ref> The administration believed that, by 2001, Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction, and could possibly provide those weapons to terrorists.<ref name="mann72"/> Some within the administration also believed that Iraq shared some responsibility for the September 11 attacks,<ref name="mann72">Mann (2015), pp. 72-75, 78-81</ref> and hoped that the fall of Hussein's regime would help spread democracy in the Middle East, deter the recruitment of terrorists, and increase the security of [[Israel]].<ref name="Herring, pp. 938–939"/>

In the days following the September 11 attacks, hawks in the Bush administration such as Wolfowitz argued for immediate military action against Iraq, but the issue was temporarily set aside in favor of planning the invasion of Afghanistan.<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 61-63</ref> Beginning in September 2002, the Bush administration mounted a campaign designed to win popular and congressional support for the invasion of Iraq.<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 947–949</ref> In October 2002, Congress approved the [[Iraq Resolution]], authorizing the use of force against Iraq. While congressional Republicans almost unanimously supported the measure, congressional Democrats were split in roughly equal numbers between support and opposition to the resolution.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 321-325</ref> Bowing to domestic and foreign pressure, Bush sought to win the approval of the [[United Nations]] before launching an attack on Iraq.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 312-314</ref> Led by Powell, the administration won the November 2002 passage of [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441]], which called on Iraq to dismantle its WMD program.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 330-331</ref> Meanwhile, senior administration officials became increasingly convinced that Iraq did indeed possess WMDs and was likely to furnish those WMDs to al-Qaeda; CIA Director [[George Tenet]] assured Bush that it was a "slam dunk" that Iraq possessed a stockpile of WMDs.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 185–186</ref>

After a [[United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission|U.N. weapons inspections]] team led by [[Hans Blix]], as well as another team led by [[Mohamed ElBaradei]], failed to find evidence of an ongoing Iraqi WMD program, Bush's proposed regime change in Iraq faced mounting international opposition. Germany, China, France, and Russia all expressed skepticism about the need for regime change, and the latter three countries each possessed [[United Nations Security Council veto power|veto power]] on the [[United Nations Security Council]].<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 338-340</ref> At the behest of British prime minister [[Tony Blair]], who supported Bush but hoped for more international cooperation, Bush dispatched Powell to the U.N. to make the case to the Security Council that Iraq maintained an active WMD program.<ref name=smith343345/> Though Powell's presentation preceded a shift in U.S. public opinion towards support of the war, it failed to convince the French, Russians, or Germans.<ref name=smith343345>Smith (2016), pp. 343-345</ref> Contrary to the findings of Blix and ElBaradei, Bush asserted in a March 17 public address that there was "no doubt" that the Iraqi regime possessed weapons of mass destruction. Two days later, Bush authorized Operation [[Iraqi Freedom]], and the [[Iraq War]] began on March 20, 2003.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 353-355</ref>

====Invasion of Iraq====
{{Further|2003 invasion of Iraq}}
[[File:Bush announces Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003.jpg|thumb|President Bush announces the beginning of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]], March 2003]]

U.S.-led coalition forces, led by General Franks, launched a [[2003 invasion of Iraq|simultaneous air and land attack on Iraq]] on March 20, 2003, in what the American media called "[[shock and awe]]." With 145,000 soldiers, the ground force quickly overcame most Iraqi resistance, and thousands of Iraqi soldiers deserted. The U.S. [[Battle of Baghdad (2003)|captured]] the Iraqi capital of [[Baghdad]] on April 9, but Hussein escaped and went into hiding. While the U.S. and its allies quickly achieved military success, the invasion was [[Governmental positions on the Iraq War prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq|strongly criticized by many countries]]; UN secretary-general [[Kofi Annan]] argued that the invasion was a [[Legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq|violation of international law]] and the [[United Nations Charter|U.N. Charter]].<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 356-361</ref>

On May 1, 2003, Bush delivered the "[[Mission Accomplished speech]]," in which he declared the end of "major combat operations" in Iraq.<ref>Draper (2007), pp. 192–196</ref> Despite the [[WMD conjecture in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion of Iraq|failure to find evidence of an ongoing WMD program]]{{efn|No ongoing WMD program was ever found in Iraq,<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Beinart |first1=Peter |title=The Problem With Asking Republicans, 'Would You Have Invaded Iraq?' |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/05/question-iraq-war-rubio-bush/393551/ |access-date=February 22, 2019 |magazine=The Atlantic |date=May 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225161856/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/05/question-iraq-war-rubio-bush/393551/ |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Walcott |first1=John |title=What Donald Rumsfeld Knew We Didn't Know About Iraq |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/iraq-war-wmds-donald-rumsfeld-new-report-213530 |access-date=February 22, 2019 |publisher=Politico |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225103027/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/iraq-war-wmds-donald-rumsfeld-new-report-213530 |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> although the U.S. did discover some chemical weapons that had been produced prior to 1991.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Glenn |title=Iraq WMD: Does the New York Times probe reflect what administration officials claimed? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2014/10/15/iraq-wmd-does-the-new-york-times-probe-reflect-what-administration-officials-claimed/ |access-date=February 22, 2019 |newspaper=Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225044833/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2014/10/15/iraq-wmd-does-the-new-york-times-probe-reflect-what-administration-officials-claimed/ |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} or an [[Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda link allegations|operational relationship between Hussein and al-Qaeda]], Bush declared that the toppling of Hussein "removed an ally of al-Qaeda" and ended the threat that Iraq would supply weapons of mass destruction to terrorist organizations. Believing that only a minimal residual American force would be required after the success of the invasion, Bush and Franks planned for a drawdown to 30,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by August 2003. Meanwhile, Iraqis began looting their own capital, presenting one of the first of many challenges the U.S. would face in keeping the peace in Iraq.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 362-367</ref>

Bush appointed [[Paul Bremer]] to lead the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] (CPA), which was charged with overseeing the transition to self-government in Iraq. In his first major order, Bremer announced a policy of [[de-Ba'athification]], which denied government and military jobs to members of Hussein's [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Ba'ath Party]]. This policy angered many of Iraq's [[Sunni Islam|Sunnis]], many of whom had joined the Ba'ath Party merely as a career move. Bremer's [[Coalition Provisional Authority Order 2|second major order]] disbanded the Iraqi military and police services, leaving over 600,000 Iraqi soldiers and government employees without jobs. Bremer also insisted that the CPA remain in control of Iraq until the country held elections, reversing an earlier plan to set up a transition government led by Iraqis. These decisions contributed to the beginning of the [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)|Iraqi insurgency]] opposed to the continuing U.S. presence. Fearing the further deterioration of Iraq's security situation, General [[John Abizaid]] ordered the end of the planned drawdown of soldiers, leaving over 130,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The U.S [[Capture of Saddam Hussein|captured Hussein]] on December 13, 2003, but the occupation force continued to suffer casualties. Between the start of the invasion and the end of 2003, 580 U.S. soldiers died, with two thirds of those casualties occurring after Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 368-380, 396</ref>

====Continuing occupation====
{{Further|Iraq War|Occupation of Iraq (2003–2011)|Financial cost of the Iraq War}}
{| class="wikitable" align="right" style="margin-left:1em"
|+ Troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan<ref name=nyttrooplevels>{{cite web|title=American Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/06/22/world/asia/american-forces-in-afghanistan-and-iraq.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009113622/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/06/22/world/asia/american-forces-in-afghanistan-and-iraq.html|archive-date=October 9, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|The table shows the number of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan at the beginning of each year.}}
|-
! Year
! [[Iraq War|Iraq]]
! [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|Afghanistan]]
|-
! 2001
| 0
| 0
|-
! 2002
| 0
| 4,067
|-
! 2003
| 0
| 9,600
|-
! 2004
| 108,900
| 13,600
|-
! 2005
| 159,000
| 17,200
|-
! 2006
| 137,000
| 19,700
|-
! 2007
| 137,000
| 26,000
|-
! 2008
| 154,000
| 27,500
|-
! 2009
| 139,500
| 34,400
|}

After 2003, more and more Iraqis began to see the U.S. as an occupying force. The fierce fighting of the [[First Battle of Fallujah]] alienated many in Iraq, while cleric [[Muqtada al-Sadr]] encouraged [[Shia Islam|Shia]] Muslims to oppose the CPA.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 396-399</ref> Sunni and Shia insurgents engaged in a campaign of [[guerrilla warfare]] against the United States, blunting the technological and organizational advantages of the U.S. military.<ref name="auto1">Smith (2016), pp. 479-481</ref> While fighting in Iraq continued, Americans increasingly came to disapprove of Bush's handling of the Iraq War, contributing to a decline in Bush's approval ratings.<ref>Jacobson (2010), pp. 208–209</ref>

Bremer left Iraq in June 2004, transferring power to the [[Iraqi Interim Government]], which was led by [[Ayad Allawi]].<ref name="auto1"/> In January 2005, the Iraqi people [[January 2005 Iraqi legislative election|voted on]] representatives for the [[Iraqi National Assembly]], and the Shia [[United Iraqi Alliance]] formed a governing coalition led by [[Ibrahim al-Jaafari]]. In October 2005, the Iraqis [[2005 Iraqi constitutional referendum|ratified a new constitution]] that created a decentralized governmental structure dividing Iraq into communities of Sunni Arabs, Shia Arabs, and [[Kurds in Iraq|Kurds]]. After a [[December 2005 Iraqi parliamentary election|December 2005 election]], Jafari was succeeded as prime minister by another Shia, [[Nouri al-Maliki]]. The elections failed to quell the insurgency, and hundreds of U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq died during 2005 and 2006. [[Sectarian violence in Iraq (2006–07)|Sectarian violence]] between Sunnis and Shias also intensified following the [[2006 al-Askari mosque bombing]].<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 482-487</ref> In a December 2006 report, the bipartisan [[Iraq Study Group]] described the situation in Iraq as "grave and deteriorating," and the report called for the U.S. to gradually withdraw soldiers from Iraq.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 533-534</ref>

As the violence mounted in 2006, Rumsfeld and military leaders such as Abizaid and [[George W. Casey Jr.|George Casey]], the commander of the [[Multi-National Force – Iraq|coalition forces in Iraq]], called for a drawdown of forces in Iraq, but many within in the administration argued that the U.S. should maintain its troop levels.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 494-496</ref> Still intent on establishing a democratic government in Iraq, the Bush administration rejected a drawdown and began planning for a change in strategy and leadership following the 2006 elections.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 512-515</ref> After the elections, Bush replaced Rumsfeld with Gates, while [[David Petraeus]] replaced Casey and [[William J. Fallon]] replaced Abizaid.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 518-519, 543-544</ref> Bush and his National Security Council formed a plan to "double down" in Iraq, increasing the number of U.S. soldiers in hopes of establishing a stable democracy.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 529-532</ref> After Maliki indicated his support for an increase of U.S. soldiers, Bush announced in January 2007 that the U.S. would send an additional 20,000 soldiers to Iraq as part of a "[[Iraq War troop surge of 2007|surge]]" of forces.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 546-548</ref> Though Senator McCain and a few other hawks supported Bush's new strategy, many other members of Congress from both parties expressed doubt or outright opposition to it.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 549-551</ref>

[[File:Bush al-Maliki handshake.jpg|thumb|right|President Bush and Iraqi [[Prime Minister of Iraq|Prime Minister]] [[Nouri al-Maliki]] shake hands in July 2006]]

In April 2007, Congress, now controlled by Democrats, passed a bill that called for a total withdrawal of all U.S. troops by April 2008, but Bush vetoed the bill.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 576-577</ref> Without the votes to override the veto, Congress passed a bill that continued to fund the war but also included the [[Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007]], which increased the federal [[minimum wage]].<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 578-579</ref> U.S. and Iraqi casualties continuously declined after May 2007, and Bush declared that the surge had been a success in September 2007.<ref name=smith596597>Smith (2016), pp. 596-597</ref> He subsequently ordered a drawdown of troops, and the number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq declined from 168,000 in September 2007 to 145,000 when Bush left office.<ref name=smith596597/> The decline in casualties following the surge coincided with several other favorable trends, including the [[Anbar Awakening]] and Muqtada al-Sadr's decision to order his followers to cooperate with the Iraqi government.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 598-600</ref> In 2008, at the insistence of Maliki, Bush signed the [[U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement]], which promised complete withdrawal of U.S. troops by the end of 2011.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 600-601</ref> The U.S. would [[Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq (2007–2011)|withdraw]] its forces from Iraq in December 2011,<ref name=jlogan>{{cite news|last1=Logan|first1=Joseph|title=Last U.S. troops leave Iraq, ending war|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-withdrawal-idUSTRE7BH03320111218|access-date=November 13, 2015|work=Reuters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011124811/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/18/us-iraq-withdrawal-idUSTRE7BH03320111218|archive-date=October 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> though it later re-deployed soldiers to Iraq to assist government forces in the [[Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)|Iraqi Civil War]].<ref name=bender>{{cite news|last1=Bender|first1=Bryan|title=Obama's Iraq Quagmire|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/iraq-barack-obama-us-military-combat-forces-islamic-state-118842|access-date=November 13, 2015|work=Politico|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117025203/http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/iraq-barack-obama-us-military-combat-forces-islamic-state-118842|archive-date=November 17, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Guantanamo Bay and enemy combatants===
{{Further|Guantanamo Bay detention camp}}
[[File:Camp x-ray detainees.jpg|thumb|upright=.90|Detainees upon arrival at [[Camp X-Ray]], January 2002]]
During and after the invasion of Afghanistan, the U.S. captured numerous members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Rather than bringing the prisoners before domestic or international courts, Bush decided to set up a new system of [[military tribunal]]s to try the prisoners. In order to avoid the restrictions of the United States Constitution, Bush held the prisoners at secret [[Black site|CIA prisons]] in various countries as well as at the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]]. Because the Guantanamo Bay camp is on territory that the U.S. technically leases from [[Cuba]], individuals within the camp are not accorded the same constitutional protections that they would have on U.S. territory. Bush also decided that these "[[enemy combatant]]s" were not entitled to all of the protections of the [[Geneva Conventions]] as they were not affiliated with sovereign states. In hopes of obtaining information from the prisoners, Bush allowed the use of "[[enhanced interrogation techniques]]" such as [[waterboarding]].<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 66-71</ref> The [[Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse|treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib]], a U.S. prison in Iraq, elicited widespread outrage after photos of prisoner abuse were made public.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 384-387</ref>

In 2005, Congress passed the [[Detainee Treatment Act]], which purported to ban [[Torture and the United States|torture]], but in his [[signing statement]] Bush asserted that his executive power gave him the authority to waive the restrictions put in place by the bill.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 465-471</ref> Bush's policies suffered a major rebuke from the Supreme Court in the 2006 case of ''[[Hamdan v. Rumsfeld]]'', in which the court rejected Bush's use of military commissions without congressional approval and held that all detainees were protected by the Geneva Conventions.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 499-501</ref> Following the ruling, Congress passed the [[Military Commissions Act of 2006]], which effectively overturned ''Hamdan''.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 505-507</ref> The Supreme Court overturned a portion of that act in the 2008 case of ''[[Boumediene v. Bush]]'', but the Guantanamo detention camp remained open at the end of Bush's presidency.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 508-509</ref>

===Israel===
{{see also|Israeli–Palestinian conflict}}
[[File:Bush Welcomes Quartet Principals to White House.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|right|President [[George W. Bush]] discussing the Israeli–Palestinian issue with various world leaders.]]

The [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]], ongoing since the middle of the 20th century, continued under Bush. After President Clinton's [[2000 Camp David Summit]] had ended without an agreement, the [[Second Intifada]] had begun in September 2000.<ref name=smith204206/> While previous administrations had tried to act as a neutral authority between the Israelis and Palestinians, the Bush administration placed the blame for the violence on the Palestinians, angering [[Arab]] states such as [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name=smith204206>Smith (2016), pp. 204-206</ref><ref name="sgs">{{cite news|last1=Stolberg|first1=Sheryl Gay|title=Bush and Israel: Unlike his father - Americas - International Herald Tribune|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/02/world/americas/02iht-bush.2363483.html|access-date=8 April 2017|newspaper=New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408172103/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/02/world/americas/02iht-bush.2363483.html|archive-date=8 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> However, Bush's support for a [[two-state solution]] helped smooth over a potential diplomatic split with the Saudis.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 214-215</ref> In hopes of establishing peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, the Bush administration proposed the [[road map for peace]], but his plan was not implemented and tensions were heightened following the victory of [[Hamas]] in the [[2006 Palestinian legislative election|2006 Palestinian elections]].<ref name="gkesslerisrael">{{cite news|last1=Kessler|first1=Glenn|title=Takeover by Hamas Illustrates Failure of Bush's Mideast Vision|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/14/AR2007061402098.html|access-date=8 April 2017|newspaper=Washington Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226171804/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/14/AR2007061402098.html|archive-date=26 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Free trade agreements===
{{see also|United States free-trade agreements|2002 United States steel tariff}}
[[File:Cafta countries.png|right|thumb|upright=1.2|[[CAFTA-DR]] established a free trade are between the United States and several countries in [[Latin America]]]]

Believing that protectionism hampered economic growth, Bush concluded [[free trade agreement]]s with numerous countries. When Bush took office, the United States had free trade agreements with just three countries: Israel, Canada, and Mexico. Bush signed the [[Chile–United States Free Trade Agreement]] and the [[Singapore–United States Free Trade Agreement]] in 2003, and he concluded the [[Morocco-United States Free Trade Agreement]]
and the [[Australia–United States Free Trade Agreement]] the following year. He also concluded the [[Bahrain–United States Free Trade Agreement]], the [[Oman–United States Free Trade Agreement]], the [[Peru–United States Trade Promotion Agreement]], and the [[Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement]]. Additionally, Bush reached free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama, though agreements with these countries were not ratified until 2011.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 585-586</ref>

===NATO and arms control treaties===
In 2002 the [[Anti-Ballistic_Missile_Treaty#United_States_withdrawal|US withdrew]] from the U.S.-Russian [[Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty]].<ref name="wbaca">{{cite news |last1=Boese |first1=Wade |title=Russia Suspends CFE Treaty Implementation |url=https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2008-01/russia-suspends-cfe-treaty-implementation |publisher=Arms Control Association }}</ref> This marked the first time in post-WW2 history that the United States has withdrawn from a major international arms treaty.<ref name=acaabm>{{cite web|title=U.S. Withdrawal From the ABM Treaty: President Bush's Remarks and U.S. Diplomatic Notes|url=http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2002_01-02/docjanfeb02|publisher=Arms Control Association}}</ref> China expressed displeasure at America's withdrawal.<ref name=nyt/> Then newly-elected Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] stated that American withdrawal from the ABM Treaty was a mistake,<ref name=nyt>{{cite news|title=Bush Pulls Out of ABM Treaty; Putin Calls Move a Mistake|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/13/international/bush-pulls-out-of-abm-treaty-putin-calls-move-a-mistake.html|work=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> and subsequently in a 1 March 2018 [[Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly]] announced the development of a series of technologically new missile systems in response to the Bush withdrawal.<ref name=kru18>{{cite web|title=Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly|url=http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957|website=kremlin.ru|language=en}}</ref><ref name=nbcn>[https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/exclusive-putin-denies-cold-war-1174558275948 Exclusive: Putin blames U.S. for arms race, denies 'new Cold War'] NBC News, 1 March 2018.</ref><ref name=nerint>{{Cite journal|title=Beyond Russia's Development of New weapons: Insights From Military Innovation and Emulation Theory|url=https://www.academia.edu/37010220|journal=Boletim de Conjuntura Nerint|language=en|last1=Dall|first1=Augusto César}}</ref> In [[Oliver Stone]]'s 2017 ''[[The Putin Interviews]]'', Putin said that in trying to persuade Russia to accept US withdrawal from the treaty, both Clinton and Bush had tried to convince him of an emerging nuclear threat from [[Iran]].<ref name=ossho>{{cite web |last1=Stone |first1=Oliver |title=The Putin Interviews (Party 2 - 2:10) |url=https://www.sho.com/the-putin-interviews |website=www.sho.com |publisher=Showtime |access-date=12 November 2018}}</ref>

On 14 July 2007, Russia announced that it would suspend implementation of its [[Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe]] obligations, effective after 150 days. This failure can be said to mark the start of the [[Revanchism#Russia|Putinian Revanchism]].<ref name="nticp">{{cite news |title=Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) |url=https://www.nti.org/education-center/treaties-and-regimes/treaty-conventional-armed-forces-europe-cfe/ |publisher=Nuclear Threat Initiative}}</ref>

===Russia===
{{see also|Russia–United States relations}}

Bush emphasized creating a personal relationship with [[Russia]]n president [[Vladimir Putin]] in order to ensure harmonious relations between the U.S. and Russia. After meeting with Putin in June 2001, both presidents expressed optimism regarding cooperation between the two former [[Cold War]] rivals.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 199-203</ref> After the 9/11 attacks, Putin allowed the U.S. to use Russian airspace, and Putin encouraged [[Central Asia]]n states to grant basing rights to the U.S.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 248-249</ref> In May 2002, the U.S. and Russia signed the [[Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty]], which sought to dramatically reduce the nuclear stockpiles of both countries.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 306-307</ref> Relations between Bush and Putin cooled during Bush's second term, as Bush became increasingly critical of Putin's suppression of political opponents in Russia, and they fell to new lows after the outbreak of the [[Russo-Georgian War]] in 2008.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Baker |first1=Peter |title=The Seduction of George W. Bush |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/11/06/the-seduction-of-george-w-bush/ |magazine=Foreign Policy |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225161854/https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/11/06/the-seduction-of-george-w-bush/ |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Iran===
{{Further|Nuclear program of Iran}}

In his 2002 State of the Union Address, Bush grouped Iran with Iraq and North Korea as a member of the "Axis of Evil", accusing Iran of aiding terrorist organizations.<ref name="axis1">{{cite news|title=How Iran Entered the 'Axis'|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tehran/axis/map.html|access-date=15 November 2017|publisher=PBS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120234029/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tehran/axis/map.html|archive-date=20 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2006, Iran re-opened three of its nuclear facilities, potentially allowing it to begin the process of building a nuclear bomb.<ref name="weismans">{{cite news|last1=Weisman|first1=Steven|last2=Fathi|first2=Nazila|title=Iranians Reopen Nuclear Centers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/11/world/middleeast/iranians-reopen-nuclear-centers.html|access-date=15 November 2017|newspaper=New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115143304/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/11/world/middleeast/iranians-reopen-nuclear-centers.html|archive-date=15 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> After the resumption of the Iranian nuclear program, many within the U.S. military and foreign policy community speculated that Bush might attempt to impose regime change on Iran.<ref name="shersh1">{{cite magazine|last1=Hersh|first1=Seymour M.|title=The Iran Plans|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/04/17/the-iran-plans|access-date=15 November 2017|magazine=New Yorker|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019090505/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/04/17/the-iran-plans|archive-date=19 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2006, the [[United Nations Security Council]] unanimously passed [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737|Resolution 1737]], which imposed sanctions on Iran in order to curb its nuclear program.<ref name="egootman1">{{cite news|last1=Gootman|first1=Elissa|title=Security Council Approves Sanctions Against Iran Over Nuclear Program|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/world/24nations.html|access-date=15 November 2017|newspaper=New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115083202/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/world/24nations.html|archive-date=15 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===North Korea===
{{see also|North Korea–United States relations}}

[[North Korea]] had [[North Korea and weapons of mass destruction|developed weapons of mass destruction]] for several years prior to Bush's inauguration, and the Clinton administration had sought to trade economic assistance for an end to the North Korean WMD program. Though Secretary of State Powell urged the continuation of the rapprochement, other administration officials, including Vice President Cheney, were more skeptical of the good faith of the North Koreans. Bush instead sought to isolate North Korea in the hope that the regime would eventually collapse.<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 186-189</ref>

[[North Korean missile test, 2006|North Korea launched missile tests]] on July 5, 2006, leading to [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1695]]. The country said on October 3, "The U.S. extreme threat of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]] and [[international sanctions|sanctions]] and pressure compel the [[North Korea|DPRK]] to conduct a [[nuclear testing|nuclear test]]", which the Bush administration denied and denounced.<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/10/03/nkorea.nuclear/index.html
|title = North Korea pledges to test nuclear bomb
|publisher = [[CNN]]
|date = 2006-10-04
|access-date = 2006-10-16
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061022231456/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/10/03/nkorea.nuclear/index.html
|archive-date = 2006-10-22
|url-status = live
}}</ref> Days later, North Korea followed through on its promise to [[2006 North Korean nuclear test|test nuclear weapons]].<ref>{{cite news
|author = [[NBC News]] and lnews services
|url = http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15287725
|title = U.S. confirms N. Korean blast was radioactive
|publisher = [[NBC News]]
|date = 2006-10-16
|access-date = 2006-10-16
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305095057/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15287725/
|archive-date = 2016-03-05
|url-status = live
}}</ref> On October 14, the Security Council unanimously passed [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718]], sanctioning North Korea for the test.<ref>{{cite news
|author = [[Associated Press]]
|url = http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,220760,00.html
|title = Security Council Unanimously Approves Sanctions on N. Korea
|publisher = [[Fox News Channel]]
|date = 2006-10-14
|access-date = 2006-10-14
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061015222127/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,220760,00.html
|archive-date = 2006-10-15
|url-status = live
}}</ref> In the waning days of his presidency, Bush attempted to re-open negotiations with North Korea, but North Korea continued to develop its nuclear programs.<ref name="kesslernk">{{cite news|last1=Kessler|first1=Glenn|title=Cotton's misguided history lesson on the North Korean nuclear deal|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/03/13/cottons-misguided-history-lesson-on-the-north-korean-nuclear-deal/|access-date=8 April 2017|newspaper=Washington Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112081807/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/03/13/cottons-misguided-history-lesson-on-the-north-korean-nuclear-deal/|archive-date=12 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

===AIDS relief===
Shortly after taking office, Bush pledged $200 million to [[The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria]].<ref name="auto2">Smith (2016), pp. 553-554</ref> Finding this effort insufficient, Bush assembled a team of experts to find the best way for the U.S. reduce the worldwide damage caused by the [[AIDS]] epidemic.<ref name="auto2"/> The experts, led by [[Anthony S. Fauci]], recommended that the U.S. focus on providing antiretroviral drugs to developing nations in Africa and the Caribbean.<ref name="auto2"/> In his State of the Union message in January 2003, President Bush outlined a five-year strategy for global emergency [[AIDS]] relief, the [[President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief]]. With the approval of Congress, Bush committed $15 billion to this effort, which represented a huge increase compared to funding under previous administrations. Near the end of his presidency, Bush signed a re-authorization of the program that doubled its funding. By 2012, the PEPFAR program provided antiretroviral drugs for over 4.5 million people.<ref name="mann9192">Mann (2015), pp. 91-92</ref>

===International trips===
{{main|List of international presidential trips made by George W. Bush}}
[[File:George W Bush Overseas Visits.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Countries visited by President George W. Bush, 2001–2009:
{{legend|#a1a7ef|1 visit}}
{{legend|#737ce8|2 visits}}
{{legend|#4f5ae3|3 visits}}
{{legend|#2533dd|4 visits}}
{{legend|#1a25ac|5 visits}}
{{legend|#111976|6 visits}}
{{legend|#050725|7 or more visits}}
{{legend|#000000|United States}}]]
Bush made 48 international trips to 72 countries (in addition to visiting the [[West Bank]]) during his presidency.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/travels/president/bush-george-w|title= Travels of President George W. Bush|publisher= U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian|access-date= 2016-03-26|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111016043833/http://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/travels/president/bush-george-w|archive-date= 2011-10-16|url-status= live}}</ref>

He visited six [[continent]]s: [[Africa]], [[Asia]], [[Australia (continent)|Australia]], [[Europe]], [[North America]], and [[South America]]. On one of his two trips to [[Sub-Saharan Africa]], he visited three of the poorest countries in the world: [[Liberia]], [[Rwanda]], and [[Benin]]. He was the first sitting president to visit: [[Albania]], [[Bahrain]], Benin, [[Estonia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Iraq]], [[Lithuania]], [[Mongolia]], [[Qatar]], [[Slovakia]], [[Sweden]], and the [[United Arab Emirates]]. Bush also made a secret trip to Iraq on [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day]] 2003 to dine with the troops. His father had made a similar visit to the U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia in 1990. On November 15–20, 2006, Bush made the third round the world presidential flight (after [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Johnson]] and [[Richard M. Nixon|Nixon]]).

The number of visits per country where he travelled are:
* One visit to Albania, [[Argentina]], [[Austria]], Bahrain, Benin, [[Botswana]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Chile]], [[Croatia]], [[Denmark]], [[El Salvador]], Estonia, Georgia, [[Ghana]], [[Guatemala]], [[Hungary]], [[India]], [[Kosovo]], [[Kuwait]], Liberia, Lithuania, Mongolia, [[Netherlands]], [[Nigeria]], [[Pakistan]], [[Panama]], [[Philippines]], [[Portugal]], Qatar, Rwanda, [[Senegal]], Slovakia, [[South Africa]], [[Spain]], Sweden, [[Tanzania]], [[Turkey]], [[Uganda]], [[Ukraine]], United Arab Emirates, [[Uruguay]], [[Vietnam]], and the West Bank
* Two visits to [[Afghanistan]], [[Australia]], [[Belgium]], [[Brazil]], [[Colombia]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Indonesia]], [[Ireland]], [[Israel]], [[Jordan]], [[Latvia]], [[Peru]], [[Romania]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Singapore]], [[Slovenia]], and [[Thailand]]
* Three visits to [[Egypt]], [[South Korea]], and [[Poland]]
* Four visits to [[Canada]], [[China]], [[France]], [[Iraq]], and [[Japan]]
* Five visits to [[Germany]], the [[United Kingdom]], and [[Vatican City]]
* Six visits to [[Italy]] and [[Mexico]]
* Seven visits to [[Russia]]

==Controversies==
{{see also|Political scandals during the George W. Bush Administration}}

===CIA leak scandal===

In July 2005, Bush and Vice President [[Dick Cheney]]'s respective chief political advisers, Karl Rove and [[Scooter Libby|Lewis "Scooter" Libby]], came under fire for revealing the identity of covert [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) [[covert agent|agent]] [[Valerie Plame]] to reporters in the [[Plame affair|CIA leak scandal]].<ref name="smith452455"/> Plame's husband, [[Joseph C. Wilson]], had challenged Bush's assertion that Hussein had sought to obtain uranium from Africa, and a special prosecutor was tasked with determining whether administration officials had leaked Plame's identity in retribution against Wilson.<ref>Draper (2007), p. 309</ref> Libby resigned on October 28, hours after his [[indictment]] by a [[grand jury]] on multiple counts of [[perjury]], false statements, and [[obstruction of justice|obstruction]] in this case. In March 2007, Libby was convicted on four counts, and Cheney pressed Bush to pardon Libby. Rather than pardoning Libby or allowing him to go to jail, Bush commuted Libby's sentence, creating a split with Cheney, who accused Bush of leaving "a soldier on the battlefield."<ref name="smith452455">Smith (2016), pp. 452-455</ref>

===Dismissal of United States attorneys===
{{Main|Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy}}
[[File:George W Bush and Alberto Gonzales.jpg|thumb|President Bush announcing his nomination of Alberto Gonzales as the next U.S. Attorney General, November 10, 2004]]

In December 2006, Bush dismissed eight [[United States Attorney|United States attorney]]s. Though these attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president, the large-scale mid-term dismissal was without precedent, and Bush faced accusations that he had dismissed the attorneys for purely political reasons. During the 2006 elections, several Republican officials complained that the U.S. attorneys had not sufficiently investigated [[electoral fraud|voter fraud]]. With the encouragement of Harriet Miers and Karl Rove, Attorney General Gonzales dismissed eight U.S. attorneys who were considered insufficiently supportive of the administration's policies. Though Gonzales argued that the attorneys had been fired for performance reasons, publicly released documents showed that the attorneys were dismissed for political reasons. As a result of the dismissals and the subsequent congressional investigations, Rove and Gonzales both resigned. A 2008 report by the Justice Department inspector general found that the dismissals had been politically motivated, but no one was ever prosecuted in connection to the dismissals.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 564-575</ref>

==Approval ratings==
[[File:George W Bush approval ratings.svg|thumb|right|{{legend|#4A7EBB|approve}}
{{legend|#BE4B48|disapprove}}
{{legend|#98B954|unsure}}
[[Gallup poll|Gallup]]/''[[USA Today]]'' Bush public opinion polling from February 2001 to January 2009.]]
Bush's [[United States presidential approval rating|approval ratings]] ran the gamut from high to all-time record low. Bush began his presidency with ratings near fifty percent.<ref name=ApprovalRatingsOverTime>{{cite web| url = http://webapps.ropercenter.uconn.edu/CFIDE/roper/presidential/webroot/presidential_rating_detail.cfm?allRate=True&presidentName=Bush| title = Job Performance Ratings for President Bush| access-date = March 9, 2009| author = Roper Center| year = 2009| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090228070412/http://webapps.ropercenter.uconn.edu/CFIDE/roper/presidential/webroot/presidential_rating_detail.cfm?allRate=True&presidentName=Bush| archive-date = February 28, 2009}}</ref> In the time of national crisis following the [[September 11 attacks]], polls showed approval ratings of greater than 85%, peaking in one October 2001 poll at 92%,<ref name=ApprovalRatingsOverTime/> and a steady 80–90% approval for about four months after the attacks.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.usatoday.com/news/polls/tables/live/01132003.htm| title = CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP Poll| date = May 20, 2005| author = [[USA Today]]| access-date = September 8, 2017| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090909034609/http://www.usatoday.com/news/polls/tables/live/01132003.htm| archive-date = September 9, 2009| url-status = live}}</ref> Afterward, his ratings steadily declined as the economy suffered and the [[Iraq War]] initiated by his administration continued. By early 2006, his average rating was averaging below 40%, and in July 2008, a poll indicated a near all-time low of 22%. Upon leaving office the final poll recorded his approval rating as 19%, a record low for any U.S. president.<ref name=ApprovalRatingsOverTime/><ref name="BushJobRatings">{{cite web|url=http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm |title=PRESIDENT BUSH – Overall Job Rating in national polls |author=PollingReport.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913124937/http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm |archive-date=2008-09-13 }}</ref><ref name=autogenerated3>{{Cite news|title=The National Economy |newspaper=americanresearchgroup.com |url=http://americanresearchgroup.com/economy/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125052550/http://americanresearchgroup.com/economy/ |archive-date=January 25, 2009 }}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Elections during the Bush presidency==
{| class="wikitable" align="right" style="margin-left:1em"
|+ [[Party divisions of United States Congresses|Republican seats in Congress]]<ref>Republican seats at the start of each session of Congress. Independents caucusing with the Democratic Party ([[Jim Jeffords]], [[Bernie Sanders]], and [[Joe Lieberman]]) are counted as Democrats for the purposes of this table. Throughout Bush's presidency, there were a total of 100 Senate seats in 435 House seats, so a Republican majority in the Senate required 50 seats (since Republican Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] could provide the [[List of tie-breaking votes cast by the vice president of the United States|tie-breaking vote]]), and a Republican majority in the House required 218 seats (assuming no vacancies).</ref>
|-
! Congress
! Senate
! House
|-
! [[107th United States Congress|107th]]{{efn|name="Congress"|A small portion of the 107th Congress (January 3–19, 2001) took place under President Clinton, and only a small portion of the 111th Congress (January 3–19, 2009) took place during Bush's second term.}}
| '''50'''<ref>In June 2001, [[Jim Jeffords]] left the Republican Party and began caucusing with the Democrats, giving the Democrats a majority.</ref>
| '''221'''
|-
! [[108th United States Congress|108th]]
| '''51'''
| '''229'''
|-
! [[109th United States Congress|109th]]
| '''55'''
| '''231'''
|-
! [[110th United States Congress|110th]]
| 49
| 202
|-
! [[111th United States Congress|111th]]{{efn|name="Congress"}}
| 41
| 178
|}

===2002 mid-term elections===
{{Main|2002 United States elections}}

In the 2002 mid-term elections, Bush became the first president since the 1930s to see his own party pick up seats in both houses of Congress. Republicans picked up two seats in the [[2002 United States Senate elections|Senate elections]], allowing them to re-take control of the chamber.<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 78-79</ref> Bush delivered speeches in several venues in support of his party, campaigning on his desire to remove the administration of Saddam Hussein. Bush saw the election results as a vindication of his domestic and foreign policies.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 329-330</ref>

===2004 re-election campaign===
{{Main|George W. Bush 2004 presidential campaign|2004 United States presidential election}}
{{Further|2004 United States elections|2004 Republican Party presidential primaries|2004 Republican National Convention}}

Bush and his campaign team seized on the idea of Bush as a "strong wartime leader," though this was undermined by the increasingly-unpopular Iraq War.<ref name="auto"/> His conservative policies on tax cuts and several other issues appealed to many on the right, but Bush could also lay claim to some centrist achievements, including No Child Left Behind, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Medicare Part D.<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 92-93</ref> Fearing that he might hurt Bush's re-election chances, Cheney offered to step down from the ticket, but Bush refused this offer, and the two were re-nominated without opposition at the [[2004 Republican National Convention]].<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 383-384</ref> On the advice of pollster [[Matthew Dowd]], who perceived a steady decline in the number of [[swing vote]]rs, the 2004 Bush campaign emphasized turning out conservative voters rather than the persuasion of moderates.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 392-393</ref>

[[File:ElectoralCollege2004.svg|thumb|right|Bush defeated Democrat [[John Kerry]] in the 2004 presidential election.]]

In the [[2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries|2004 Democratic primaries]], Senator [[John Kerry]] of Massachusetts defeated several other candidates, effectively clinching the nomination on March 2. A [[Vietnam War]] veteran, Kerry had voted to authorize the Iraq War but had come to oppose it.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 401-403</ref> The Bush campaign sought to define Kerry as a "flip-flopper" due to his vote on a bill funding the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.<ref>Mann (2015), pp. 96-97</ref> Kerry sought to convince Republican senator John McCain to become [[2004 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection|his running mate]], but chose Senator [[John Edwards]] of North Carolina for the position after McCain rejected the offer.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 404-405</ref> The election saw a major jump in turnout; while 105 million people had voted in 2000, 123 million people voted in 2004. Bush won 50.7% percent of the popular vote, making him the first individual to win a majority of the popular vote since [[1988 United States presidential election]],
while Kerry took 48.3% of the popular vote. Bush won 286 electoral votes, winning Iowa, New Mexico, and every state he won in 2000 except for New Hampshire.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 412-415</ref>

===2006 mid-term elections===
{{Main|2006 United States elections}}

Damaged by the unpopularity of the Iraq War and President Bush, the Republicans lost control of both houses of Congress in the 2006 elections. Republicans were also damaged by various scandals, including the [[Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal]] and the [[Mark Foley scandal]]. The elections confirmed Bush's declining popularity, as many of the candidates he had personally campaigned for were defeated. After the elections, Bush announced the resignation of Rumsfeld and promised to work with the new Democratic majority.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 519-526</ref>

===2008 elections and transition period===
{{Main|2008 United States elections}}
{{Further|2008 United States presidential election|Presidential transition of Barack Obama}}
[[File:ElectoralCollege2008.svg|thumb|right|Democrat [[Barack Obama]] defeated Republican [[John McCain]] in the 2008 presidential election.]]
[[File:President Bush, Barack Obama walking.jpg|thumb|Outgoing President George W. Bush and President-elect [[Barack Obama]] on November 10, 2008]]

Under the terms of the [[Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution|twenty-second amendment]], Bush was ineligible to seek a third term in 2008. Senator John McCain won the [[2008 Republican Party presidential primaries|2008 Republican presidential primaries]], while Democratic senator [[Barack Obama]] of Illinois defeated Senator [[Hillary Clinton]] of New York to win the [[2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries|2008 Democratic presidential primaries]].<ref name="smith634637"/> Obama's victory in the Democratic presidential primaries was due in large part to his strong opposition to the Iraq War, as Clinton had voted to authorize the Iraq War in 2002.<ref>Jacobson (2010), pp. 212–213</ref> McCain sought to distance himself from the unpopular policies of Bush, and Bush appeared only by satellite at the [[2008 Republican National Convention]], making him the first sitting president since [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] to not appear at his own party's convention in [[1968 Democratic National Convention|1968]].<ref name="smith634637">Smith (2016), pp. 634-637</ref>

McCain briefly took the lead in polls of the race taken after the Republican convention, but Obama quickly re-emerged as the leader in polls.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 637-638</ref> McCain's campaign was badly damaged by the unpopularity of the Bush administration and the Iraq War, and McCain's response to the outbreak of a full-blown financial crisis in September 2008 was widely viewed as erratic.<ref>Jacobson (2010), pp. 216–218</ref> Obama won 365 electoral votes and 52.9% of the popular vote. The election gave Democrats unified control of the legislative and executive branches for the first time since the [[1994 United States elections|1994 elections]]. After the election, Bush congratulated Obama and invited him to the White House. With the help of the Bush administration, the [[presidential transition of Barack Obama]] was widely regarded as successful, particularly for a transition between presidents of different parties.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 638-639</ref> During his [[First inauguration of Barack Obama|inauguration]] on January 20, 2009, Obama thanked Bush for his service as president and his support of Obama's transition.<ref>Smith (2016), pp. 652-654</ref>

==Evaluation and legacy==
{{see also|Historical rankings of presidents of the United States}}
[[File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-George W Bush.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Graph of Bush's approval ratings in [[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] polls]]

A 2009 [[C-SPAN]] survey of historians [[Historical rankings of presidents of the United States|ranked]] Bush in 36th place among the 42 former presidents.<ref name=kwalsh>{{cite magazine|last1=Walsh|first1=Kenneth T.|title=Historians Rank George W. Bush Among Worst Presidents|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/history/articles/2009/02/17/historians-rank-george-w-bush-among-worst-presidents|access-date=November 19, 2015|magazine=U.S. News & World Report|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202121702/http://www.usnews.com/news/history/articles/2009/02/17/historians-rank-george-w-bush-among-worst-presidents|archive-date=February 2, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2017 [[C-SPAN]] poll of historians ranked Bush as the 33rd greatest president.<ref>{{cite web|title=Presidential Historians Survey 2017|url=https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2017/?page=overall|website=C-Span|access-date=14 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301043807/https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2017/?page=overall|archive-date=1 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2018 poll of the [[American Political Science Association]]'s Presidents and Executive Politics section ranked Bush as the 30th greatest president.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rottinghaus|first1=Brandon|last2=Vaughn|first2=Justin S.|title=How Does Trump Stack Up Against the Best — and Worst — Presidents?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/19/opinion/how-does-trump-stack-up-against-the-best-and-worst-presidents.html/|access-date=14 May 2018|newspaper=New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190310203020/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/19/opinion/how-does-trump-stack-up-against-the-best-and-worst-presidents.html/|archive-date=10 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Historian Melvyn Leffler writes that the Bush administration's achievements in foreign policy "were outweighed by the administration's failure to achieve many of its most important goals."<ref>Leffler (2011), pp. 38–40</ref>

In summing up evaluations of Bush's presidency, Gary L. Gregg II writes:

<blockquote>The Bush presidency transformed American politics, its economy, and its place in the world, but not in ways that could have been predicted when the governor of Texas declared his candidacy for America's highest office. As president, Bush became a lightning rod for controversy. His controversial election and policies, especially the war in Iraq, deeply divided the American people. Arguably his greatest moment as president was his initial, heartfelt response to the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks. Soon, however, his administration was overshadowed by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. President Bush's place in U.S. history will be debated and reconsidered for many years to come.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gregg II|first1=Gary L.|title=GEORGE W. BUSH: IMPACT AND LEGACY|url=https://millercenter.org/president/gwbush/impact-and-legacy|website=Miller Center|publisher=University of Virginia|access-date=16 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516174215/https://millercenter.org/president/gwbush/impact-and-legacy|archive-date=16 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Andrew Rudalevige has compiled a list of the 14 most important achievements under the Bush administration:<ref>Andrew Rudalevige, "Rating Bush," in Iwan Morgan, and Philip Davies, eds. ''Assessing George W. Bush's Legacy: The Right Man?'' (2010) pp 32-5 at pp 21-22.</ref>
* Major revisions of the tax code, with additional cuts in each of his first six years in office.
* Major educational policy changes and reauthorization of major federal education laws.
* Expansion of Medicare by adding drug coverage.
* Name two justices to the Supreme Court, and 350 judges to lower federal courts.
* Promoted the Partial Birth Abortion Ban.
* Large-scale AIDS and anti-malaria programs especially for Africa.
* Quadrupling the number of countries with free trade agreements.
* Huge bailout of banking system after near collapse of the financial system.
* Created the Department of Homeland Security.
* White House control over federal bureaucracy.
* Patriot Acts which broaden federal law enforcement powers.
* Strengthen presidential discretion on surveillance of terror suspects.
* Military Commissions Act, with special application to Guantánamo Bay prison.
* Overthrow of two hostile regimes – Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

==See also==

{{portal|conservatism}}
* [[Presidency of George H. W. Bush]], his father
* [[George W. Bush Presidential Center]]
* [[Efforts to impeach George W. Bush]]
* [[List of people pardoned by George W. Bush]]
* [[Political effects of Hurricane Katrina]]
* [[Protests against George W. Bush]]
* [[Public image of George W. Bush]]
* [[List of federal political scandals in the United States (21st century)]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

===Works cited===
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Draper |first1=Robert |title=Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush |publisher=Free Press |isbn=978-0743277280 |url=https://archive.org/details/deadcertainpresi00drap }}
* {{cite book|last1=Herring|first1=George C.|title=From Colony to Superpower; U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1776|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-507822-0|url=https://archive.org/details/fromcolonytosupe00herr}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Jacobson |first1=Gary |title=George W. Bush, the Iraq War, and the Election of Barack Obama |journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=207–224 |doi=10.1111/j.1741-5705.2010.03755.x |jstor=23044817}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Leffler |first1=Melvyn P. |title=9/11 in Retrospect: George W. Bush's Grand Strategy, Reconsidered |journal=Foreign Affairs |volume=90 |issue=5 |pages=33–44 |jstor=23041774}}
* {{cite book|last1=Mann|first1=James|title=George Bush|publisher=Times Books|isbn=978-0805093971}}
* {{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Jean Edward|title=Bush|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-1476741192}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Main|Bibliography of George W. Bush}}
{{Refbegin|2}}
'''Academic'''
* Abramson, Paul R., John H. Aldrich, and David W. Rohde. ''Change and Continuity in the 2004 and 2006 Elections'' (2007), 324pp [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0872894150 excerpt and text search]
* Allard, Scott W. "The Changing Face of Welfare During the Bush Administration." ''Publius'' 2007 37(3): 304–332. {{ISSN|0048-5950}}
* {{cite book|last1=Baker|first1=Peter|title=Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House|publisher=Doubleday|ref={{sfnRef|Baker}}}}
* Barilleaux, Ryan, et al. ''Testing the limits: George W. Bush and the imperial presidency'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009).
* Berggren, D. Jason, and Nicol C. Rae. "Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush: Faith, Foreign Policy, and an Evangelical Presidential Style." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly.'' 36#4 2006. pp 606+.
* Brands, Hal, and Peter Feaver. "The case for Bush revisionism: Reevaluating the legacy of America’s 43rd president." ''Journal of Strategic Studies'' 41.1-2 (2018): 234–274. [https://halbrands.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/12___20___2017_The-case-f.pdf online]

* Campbell, Colin, Bert A. Rockman, and Andrew Rudalevige, eds.. ''The George W. Bush Legacy'' Congressional Quarterly Press, 2007, 352pp; 14 essays by scholars [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0872893464 excerpts and online search from Amazon.com]
* Congressional Quarterly. ''CQ Almanac Plus'' highly detailed annual compilation of events in Congress, White House, Supreme Court, summarizing the weekly "Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report". (annual, 2002–2009)
** Congressional Quarterly. ''Congress and the Nation: Volume 12: 2005-2008'' (CQ Press, 2009) [https://archive.org/details/congressnationre0012cong/page/n5/mode/2up online]

* Conlan, Tim and John Dinan. "Federalism, the Bush Administration, and the Transformation of American Conservatism." ''Publius'' 2007 37(3): 279–303. {{ISSN|0048-5950}}
* Corrado, Anthony, E. J. Dionne Jr., Kathleen A. Frankovic. ''The Election of 2000: Reports and Interpretations'' (2001)
* Daynes, Byron W. and Glen Sussman. "Comparing the Environmental Policies of Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush." ''White House Studies'' 2007 7(2): 163–179. {{ISSN|1535-4768}}
* Desch, Michael C. "Bush and the Generals." ''Foreign Affairs'' 2007 86(3): 97–108. {{ISSN|0015-7120}} Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]
* Dobel, J. Patrick. "Prudence and presidential ethics: the decisions on Iraq of the two presidents Bush." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' 40.1 (2010): 57-75. [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/J-Dobel/publication/227947694_Prudence_and_Presidential_Ethics_The_Decisions_on_Iraq_of_the_Two_Presidents_Bush/links/5a84850c4585159152b804f0/Prudence-and-Presidential-Ethics-The-Decisions-on-Iraq-of-the-Two-Presidents-Bush.pdf online]
* Dolan, Chris J., and David B. Cohen. "The War About the War: Iraq and the Politics of National Security Advising in the GW Bush Administration's First Term." ''Politics & Policy'' 34.1 (2006): 30-64. [https://www.academia.edu/download/36019832/P_P_Dolan-Cohen_Article.pdf online]{{dead link|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

* Eckersley, Robyn. "Ambushed: the Kyoto Protocol, the Bush Administration's Climate Policy and the Erosion of Legitimacy." ''International Politics'' 2007 44(2–3): 306–324. {{ISSN|1384-5748}}
* Edwards III, George C. and Philip John Davies, eds. ''New Challenges for the American Presidency'' New York: Pearson Longman, 2004. 245 pp. articles from ''Presidential Studies Quarterly''
* Edwards III, George C. and Desmond King, eds. ''The Polarized Presidency of George W. Bush'' (2007), 478pp; essays by scholars; [https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0199217971 excerpt and online search from Amazon.com]
* Fortier, John C. and Norman J. Ornstein, eds. ''Second-term Blues: How George W. Bush Has Governed'' (2007), 146pp [https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0815728840 excerpt and online search from Amazon.com]
* Graham John D. ''Bush on the Home Front: Domestic Policy Triumphs and Setbacks'' (Indiana University Press, 2010) 425 pages; covers taxation, education, health care, energy, the environment, and regulatory reform.
* Greenstein, Fred I. ed. ''The George W. Bush Presidency: An Early Assessment'' Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003
* Greenstein, Fred I. "The Contemporary Presidency: The Changing Leadership of George W. Bush A Pre- and Post-9/11 Comparison" in ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' v 32#2 2002 pp 387+.
* Gregg II, Gary L. and Mark J. Rozell, eds. ''Considering the Bush Presidency'' Oxford University Press, 2004. 210 pp. British perspectives
* Hadley, Stephen J., et al. eds. ''Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama'' ( Rowman & Littlefield Publishers/Brookings Institution Press. 2023) {{ISBN|978-0-8157-3977-7}} [https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Off-Foreign-Policy-George-Passed/dp/081573977X/ excerpt]
* Hendrickson, Ryan C., and Kristina Spohr Readman, "From the Baltic to the Black Sea: Bush's NATO Enlargement." ''White House Studies.'' (2004) 4#3 pp: 319+.
* Hilliard, Bryan, Tom Lansford, and Robert P Watson, eds. ''George W. Bush: Evaluating the President at Midterm'' SUNY Press 2004
* Holzer, Harold. ''The Presidents Vs. the Press: The Endless Battle Between the White House and the Media--from the Founding Fathers to Fake News'' (Dutton, 2020) pp. 359–376. [https://books.google.com/books?id=siY6EAAAQBAJ&dq=HOLZER+PRESS+Harold&pg=PR15 online]
* Jacobson, Gary C. "The Bush Presidency and the American Electorate" ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' v 33 No.4 2003 pp 701+. * Jacobson, Gary C. "Referendum: the 2006 Midterm Congressional Elections." ''Political Science Quarterly'' 2007 122(1): 1–24. {{ISSN|0032-3195}} Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]
* Maranto, Robert et al. eds. ''The Second Term of George W. Bush: Prospects and Perils'' (2006)
* Milkis, Sidney M. and Jesse H.Rhodes. "George W. Bush, the Party System, and American Federalism." ''Publius'' 2007 37(3): 478–503. {{ISSN|0048-5950}}
* Moens, Alexander ''The Foreign Policy of George W. Bush: Values, Strategy, and Loyalty.'' Ashgate, 2004. 227 pp.
* Morgan, Iwan. ''The Age of Deficits: Presidents and Unbalanced Budgets from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush'' (2009) [https://www.amazon.com/Age-Deficits-Presidents-Unbalanced-Budgets/dp/B0088OZU32/ excerpt]
* Morgan, Iwan, ed. ''Right On?: Political Change and Continuity in George W. Bush's America'' (2006)
* Morgan, Iwan, and Philip John Davies, eds. ''Assessing George W. Bush's Legacy–The Right Man?'' (2010) essays by British experts.
* Murray, Donette, David Brown, and Martin A. Smith, eds. ''George W. Bush's Foreign Policies: Principles and Pragmatism'' (Routledge, 2017).
* Nautré, Zoé. ''U.S. Idealism Meets Reality: Democracy Promotion in the Middle East During the George W. Bush Administration'' (Berlin: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik eV. 2010).
* Rabe, Barry. "Environmental Policy and the Bush Era: the Collision Between the Administrative Presidency and State Experimentation." ''Publius'' 2007 37(3): 413–431. {{ISSN|0048-5950}}
* Rozell, Mark, and Gleaves Whitney, eds. "Religion and the Bush presidency'' (Springer, 2007).
* Sabato, Larry J. ed. ''The Sixth Year Itch: The Rise and Fall of the George W. Bush Presidency'' (2007), experts on the 2006 elections in major states
* Siracusa, Joseph M., and Laurens J. Visser. ''Going to War with Iraq: A Comparative History of the Bush Presidencies'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020).

* Strozeski, Josh, et al. "From Benign Neglect to Strategic Interest: the Role of Africa in the Foreign Policies of Bush 41 and 43." ''White House Studies'' 2007 7(1): 35–51. {{ISSN|1535-4768}}
* {{cite book|last1=Updegrove|first1=Mark K.|title=The Last Republicans: Inside the Extraordinary Relationship between George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush|publisher=Harper|isbn=9780062654120}}
* {{cite book |last1=Warshaw |first1=Shirley Anne |title=The Co-Presidency of Bush and Cheney |publisher=Stanford Politics and Policy |isbn=978-0804758185 |url=https://archive.org/details/copresidencyofbu00wars }}
* Wekkin, Gary D. "George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush: Puzzling Presidencies, or the Puzzle of the Presidency?" ''White House Studies'' 2007 7(2): 113–124. {{ISSN|1535-4768}}
* Wong, Kenneth and Gail Sunderman. "Education Accountability as a Presidential Priority: No Child Left Behind and the Bush Presidency." ''Publius'' 2007 37(3): 333–350. {{ISSN|0048-5950}}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Zelizer|editor1-first=Julian E.|title=The Presidency of George W. Bush: A First Historical Assessment|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=9780691134857}}

'''Reflections on the Bush presidency'''
* Barnes, Fred. ''Rebel-in-Chief: How George W. Bush Is Redefining the Conservative Movement and Transforming America'' (2006)
* Bartlett, Bruce. ''Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy'' (2006)
* Cheney, Dick. ''In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir'' (2011)
* Ferguson, Michaele L. and Lori Jo Marso. ''W Stands for Women: How the George W. Bush Presidency Shaped a New Politics of Gender'' (2007)
* Gerson, Michael J. ''Heroic Conservatism: Why Republicans Need to Embrace America's Ideals (And Why They Deserve to Fail If They Don't)'' (2007), [https://www.amazon.com/dp/006134950X excerpt and text search]
* Greenspan, Alan. ''The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World'' (2007)
* Hayes, Stephen F. ''Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President'' (2007), [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060723467 excerpts and online search]
* Hughes, Karen. ''George W. Bush: Portrait of a Leader'' (2005)
* Mabry, Marcus. ''Twice as Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power'' (2007)
* Moore, James. and Wayne Slater. ''Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential'' (2003)
* Rice, Condoleezza. ''No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington'' (2011)
* Rumsfeld, Donald. ''Known and Unknown: A Memoir'' (2011)
* Suskind, Ron. ''The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill'' (2004), [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743255461 excerpts and online search from Amazon.com]
* [[Bob Woodward|Woodward, Bob]]. ''Plan of Attack'' (2003), [https://www.amazon.com/dp/074325547X excerpt and text search]
* Yamashiro, Daniel K.M. "Religious Influences on Crisis Presidential Decision-Making: A New Belief in the Operational Code Analysis of George W. Bush" (Thesis Harvard U. 2017) [https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/33826499/YAMASHIRO-DOCUMENT-2017.pdf?sequence=1 online].

'''Primary sources'''
* Bush, George W. ''George W. Bush on God and Country: The President Speaks Out About Faith, Principle, and Patriotism'' (2004)
* Bush, George W. ''[[Decision Points]]'' (2010)
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [https://millercenter.org/president/gwbush Miller Center on the Presidency at U of Virginia: George W. Bush], brief articles on Bush and his presidency
* [https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/ George W. Bush White House archives]
* [http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/46308,news-comment,news-politics,high-and-low-points-from-george-w-bushs-8-years-at-the-white-house The Bush Years: High and Low Points] – slideshow by ''[[The First Post]]''
* [http://www.studentpulse.com/keyword/george-w.-bush George W. Bush Presidency] – collection of academic articles on the Bush Presidency.

{{George W. Bush}}
{{US Presidential Administrations}}
{{Republican Party (United States)}}

[[Category:Presidency of George W. Bush| ]]
[[Category:Presidencies of the United States|Bush, George W.]]
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[[Category:2000s in the United States]]
[[Category:2000s in American politics]]
[[Category:2001 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:2009 disestablishments in the United States]]
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Presidency of George W. Bush