3 War with Iraq

Soon after Afghanistan, the Bush administration began announcing that they had discovered that there were weapons of mass destruction (or WMDs) in the country of Iraq. The description of these weapons ranged from chemical to nuclear weapons. The administration supported their claim with intelligence documents as well as aerial photography. Saddam Hussein, president of Iraq, was cast as a ruthless dictator and a threat to the world and his own people as long as he remained in power -- especially with access to WMDs. Very little attention was payed to the fact that the United States had supplied Iraq with weapons during the 1980s, and Hussein had been on the CIA's payroll prior to the Persian Gulf War.

After unsuccessfully attempting to gain approval from the United Nations, the United States invaded Iraq, begining a conflict there that continues on to this day, entitled "Operation Iraqi Freedom".

Bush drew criticism for preemptively attacking a country that had never attacked the United States or threatened to, as well as for disregarding the opinion of the UN, and diverting attention away from capturing Osama Bin Laden and others responsible for the 9/11 attacks and essentially disregarding his "war on terror" initative. When asked during a press conference in March of 2002 about what he was doing to capture Osama Bin Laden, the president remarked "You know, I just don't spend that much time on him"[1] startling some Americans, who believed that the president was no longer working in their best interests.

On May 2, 2003, from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, in front of a huge banner that read "Mission Accomplished", Bush declared that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended." This move also drew criticism, as many American troops were and still are fighting and dying in Iraq.

Later that year, on November 27, the president made a surprise visit to Iraq to share Thanksgiving dinner with the troops in an effort to raise low morale. He spent two hours eating with troops in Baghdad airport before returning to the US. The visit was kept top secret, and even the troops had no idea he was coming. Most media saw this as a potentially dangerous political stunt. However, the trip went over without incident.

A few weeks later, December 13, Saddam Hussein, the now deposed president of Iraq, was found and captured by US forces. Pictures of the now bearded former leader, looking severly dazed, being poked and proded by medical examiners circulated in newspapers and on the internet around the world further demoralizing him. This was a definite boost to the Bush presidency and most Americans were glad that Hussein had been found and captured.

By the summer of 2004 no WMDs had been found in the country of Iraq. In May of 2004, Bush's approval rating had fallen to 46%. By then, George W. Bush had become one of the most hated or loved public figures in recent memory. Some said that the WMDs were a lie to get access to oil reserves in Iraq, and Bush had commited young Americans lives for financial gain. Others felt that the president had adequate reason to attack, and that he truly believed there were WMDs there, and was acting in the best interest of the United States. These disagreements led to a deep division in the country, and fueled a renewed interest in politics that had long been dormant or nonexistent in many Americans.

4 Build-up to re-election

It was these intense conflicts of interest that fueled the fire for the 2004 election . During his campaign, Bush's platform did not change from that of the 2000 election in any significant way, although he added his success in fighting the war on terror and preventing another attack like that of 9/11. His Democratic opponent John Kerry, was cast as soft and said to "flip-flop" or change opinions on issues for political gain, while Bush was portrayed as rigid and unyielding in his views. The campaign was bitterly fought, and each candidate was accused of attacking the other in some form or another almost on a daily basis. The polls remained neck-and-neck most of the way to the election. The only time either candidate was significantly ahead in the polls was after their political parties' conventions. After the the Republican's convention most polls showed an eleven point lead for President Bush, which kept dwindling as time went on. Despite outcrys by law enforcement agencys across the country, Bush allowed the Federal Assault Weapons Ban to sunset on September 13, this did not substantially effect his aproval rating postively or negatively, but went virtually unnoticed. Polls were very close to dead even by the first presidential debate on September 30, 2004.

During the three presidential debates, reactions to Bush's performance were mixed. He was said to have scowled during the first debate several times, which he later made light of. Most media sources agree that he lost the first two debates. But by the third debate, he had noticeably straightened up and appeared as firm and confident as he had during past performances. The third debate came out as a tie, although many still disagree. It has been suggested that the president might have been wearing a wire, or ear peice of some kind during the debates. These claims are highly speculative and based on pictures taken during the debate of Bush's back, and an apparent "bulge" clearly visible running down his back. No investigation was ever conducted of the claims, and most agree that if the president had been coached through an electronic device his performances would probably have been better. Some technical problems with this scenario have been brought as well. More details of the mysterious bulge

On the eve of Election Day, most polls and mass media outlets predicted that John Kerry would win the presidency. Exit polls also reflected this projection. However, as polling centers closed and votes began processing, it became clear that Bush and Kerry were winning the same states that were won by their parties in 2000. Unfortunately for Kerry, Bush managed to win swing states Florida (by 400,000 as opposed to 537 margin in 2000) and Ohio (by 136,000). He won his re-election bid by 34 electoral votes (Bush-286, Kerry-252). The next afternoon John Kerry conceded his candidacy. During a speech that same day Bush outlined what he hoped to do in his second term and stated his humbleness in gaining a mandate from the American people for the first time, since he didn't win the popular vote the last time. Bush received the most popular votes since Ronald Reagan's re-election in 1984, getting over 3.5 million more votes than Kerry. The passion for this election and its campaign resulted in a record voter turn out, and resurgence in the common American's interest in politics. The results were extreme relief from Bush supporters, and deep sadness from Kerry supporters. It was said by many that for Bush to have a successful 2nd term he must bridge this growing gap between Americans, and win over his opponents supporters. However, with a majority in both houses of Congress and the prospect of appointing three new Supreme Court Justices, getting his policies past swiftly will likely not be met with much opposition.

See also: 2004 U.S. presidential election controversy

5 Post-election

Cabinet Reshuffling

Within a week after the election, several members of Bush's cabinet announced their resignation. First to leave were Attorney General John Ashcroft and Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans. A week later several more announced their plans to resign: Secretary of State Colin Powell, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Education Secretary Rod Paige, and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Bush selected White House Counsel Alberto R. Gonzales for Attorney General and Condoleezza Rice for Secretary of State; their confirmation hearings will likely occur in January 2005. The two nominations are both historical for minorities in their own right. Rice would be the only African American women to serve as Secretary of State, while Gonzales would become the first Hispanic Attorney General. Despite the historical implications of their nominations, both of them have drawn criticism for actions they took while in their previous government positions, and are not overwhelmingly popular on either side of the political aisle. Gonzales's nomination has already angered some Bush supporters because some of his rulings as a Supreme Court justice in Texas could be considered pro-abortion, while most Republicans (including Bush himself) are against abortion. Confirmation hearings for Rice will be held December 6, 7 or 8 but the actual vote will not be held until after the new congress is sworn in in late January. Gonzale's confirmation hearing dates have not yet been set.

Aside from these two historic and somewhat controversial nominations, Bush nominated Domestic Policy Adviser Margaret Spellings to replace Paige as Education Secretary. She was one of the principal authors of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Democratic senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska is expected to be nominated as secretary of Agriculture. He would be the second Democrat in the Bush Cabinet, along with Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. If Nelson takes the position, it could potentially lead to an increased majority of Republicans in the Senate since Nebraskan Republican governor Mike Johanns would choose Nelson's replacement.

Stephen Friedman , top economic adviser to President Bush announced November 23 that he too will be leaving to return to the private sector in New York.

Intelligence Reform

As part of the recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, congress had planned to pass a major intelligence reform bill in the summer of 2004. However, the bill was slowed down mainly by disagreements between the Republicans in congress. Armed Services Committee Chariman Rep. Duncan Hunter from California didn't like the bill because it moves too much control over intelligence operations and budgets from the military to a new national intelligence director. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin wants the bill changed to stop states from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. The Bush administration, however, continues to push for the intelligence reform bill, going along with his "war on terror" initiative. At the end of the congressional year Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert pulled the bill from the floor November 20 after running into the opposition. Some say that congressional Republican leaders and Bush going head to head is the first sign of dissention within the Republican ranks, and speculate that they are no longer as united as they were while trying to get the president reelected. The bill could have passed solely with Democratic votes, but the Republican supporters of the bill did not want to give Democrats the victory of such an important bill.

6 Controversial bills

On December 13 2001 Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act. The act is supposed to improve public schools by holding them more accountable for their students' success. There has been much debate over the effectiveness of the act and criticism of it's real implications. Also, Congress has been extremely slow to fully fund the act (many have criticized the bill as being an unfunded mandate ). However, Bush remains optimistic and has pointed to the act as proof of his support for education.

Based on Bush's Clear Skies Initiative, the Clear Skies Act of 2003 was written and introduced on February 27, 2003. It is supposed to reduce air pollution as well as other forms of pollution. However, the bill is strongly opposed by most conservationalists because it actually reduces regulations and has the potential to cause more pollution. All of the bill's sponsors are members of the Republican Party. It has yet to be passed.

By far, the PATRIOT Act is the most controversial act Bush has passed. While only one congressman ( Russ Feingold) opposed the bill at first inception, many Democrats and Republicans have criticized the bill as being utilized immorally (to imprison foreigners without due process, for example). Nonetheless, most of the thousand-odd page bill contains, as its supporters note, non-controversial methods by which federal agencies can communicate with each other more efficiently; there are only a few sections that are disputed (the "sneak-and-peek" searches, more liberal search warrant laws, and so on).

7 See also

• George W. Bush's second term as president of the United States
• George W. Bush main article

George W. Bush

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