George W. Bush

George W. Bush (full name George Walker Bush; born July 6, 1946) is an American Republican politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States. Because his father, George H. W. Bush, was also president, he is often referred to as "the younger Bush"; his brother Jeb Bush served as governor of Florida.

He was governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 and won the 2000 presidential election on the electoral vote. In his first term he signed sweeping tax cuts and the education reform law known as the No Child Left Behind Act, and in 2003 he launched the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The September 11 attacks in 2001 reshaped his presidency: the United States launched the war on terror and created the Department of Homeland Security, and he ordered the invasion of Afghanistan, signed the Patriot Act and, in 2003, ordered the invasion of Iraq on the grounds that it possessed weapons of mass destruction. In 2004 he defeated John Kerry, winning the popular vote as well, to secure a second term.

In his second term he negotiated a number of free trade agreements and appointed John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, but his Social Security and immigration reforms stalled in Congress. His administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina and the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison both drew criticism, and the Democrats retook Congress in 2006. Late in his presidency a financial crisis struck the United States, and his administration and Congress enacted emergency measures including the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

His approval ratings hit record highs after the September 11 attacks, yet he left office as one of the most unpopular presidents in American history. Afterwards he returned to Texas and kept a low profile, and public opinion of him has since improved.