George W Bush

George Walker ( “Dubya”) Bush (born 6 July 1946) was the 43rd president of the United States, serving from 2001 to 2009.

The eldest son of President George H. W. Bush, he was the governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.

In the 2000 presidential election, he defeated Democratic incumbent vice president Al Gore, but lost the popular vote after a narrow, contested Electoral College win, which was upheld by the Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore, which stopped a recount in Florida.

In his first term, Bush signed a major tax-cut program and an education-reform bill (the No Child Left Behind Act) and pushed for socially conservative efforts such as restrictions on same-sex marriage.

The September 11 attacks in 2001 decisively reshaped his administration, resulting in the start of the “war on terror” and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to overthrow the Taliban, destroy al-Qaeda, and capture Osama bin Laden.

He signed the Patriot Act to authorise surveillance of suspected terrorists. He also ordered the 2003 invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s regime, falsely claiming it possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and had ties with al-Qaeda.

In 2004, Bush was re-elected president in a close race, beating Democratic opponent John Kerry and winning the popular vote.

During his second term, Bush sought major changes to Social Security and immigration laws, with both efforts failing in Congress.

He was widely criticised for his administration’s handling of Hurricane Katrina and revelations of torture against detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Amid his unpopularity, the Democrats regained control of Congress in the 2006 elections.

In January 2007, Bush launched a surge of troops in Iraq, and as his presidency came to a close, the country experienced a financial crisis that led to the Great Recession.

On 14 December 2008, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw both of his shoes at Bush during a press conference in Baghdad. Bush was not injured, having ducked the pair of shoes, but White House press secretary Dana Perino received a bruise on her face after being hit by a microphone boom knocked over by security.

Al-Zaidi received a three-year prison sentence, which was reduced to one year. He was released early for good behaviour.

Bush was criticised internationally and targeted by the global anti-war and anti-globalisation movements for his administration’s foreign policy, and views of him within the international community were more negative than those of most previous American presidents.

George W Bush left office in 2009 as one of the most unpopular US presidents and returned to Texas, where he maintained a low public profile.