George W. Bush

George W. Bush first assumed office as the 43d president of the United States in January of 2001 and is set to complete his second term in January of 2009.

He was elected as a Republican over Democrat Al Gore in a controversial election in 2000. In that election, he lost on the general votes, but won the Electoral College election, due to 500 ballots difference in Florida. His victory in Florida was corroborated by the 5-4 Supreme Court decision Bush v. Gore. He was re-elected over his opponent, Senator John Kerry in 2004, winning 51% of the votes and a 3 million majority. Prior to his presidency he was governor of Texas (1994-2001), and served as an aide to his father, President George H.W. Bush.

Important markers during his administration included the September 11th terrorist attack, the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the expansion of NATO to the Russian border, the midterm election gains of 2002, the midterm loss of Congress in the 2006 elections, improved relations with India, the passage of the PATRIOT Act, the No Child Left Behind education act, repeated large-scale tax cuts, the economic recovery, the boom in real estate, the debate on illegal immigration, the handling of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster, the U.S. Attorneys dismissal scandal, and the appointments of conservatives to the federal judiciary and Federal Reserve chairmanship. Intense controversy in 2007 focused on the war in Iraq, with the Democrats uniting in opposition. Bush will be ineligible for the presidential election in 2008 due to a two-term limit in the United States Constitution.