President George W. Bush: Foreign and Domestic Policy. Bush clan: history and reasons for success

George Walker Bush - 43rd President of the United States- was born July 6, 1946 in New Haven (Connecticut). President of the United States from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2009.

George Walker Bush Jr. was born to retired Naval Aviation pilot George Herbert Walker Bush and Barbara Bush. George was the first son in the family, in 1949 Pauline was born (she died in 1953 from leukemia), in 1953 - Jeb, in 1955 - Neil, in 1956 - Marvin, and in 1959 - Dorothy. George's grandfather, Prescott Sheldon Bush 1952-1963 was a senator from Connecticut.

Bush Jr. spent his childhood in Midland, Texas. After George finished 7th grade, his family moved to Houston. There, Bush attended Kincaid Private School for two years to prepare for university. He began his education at the Phillips Academy. In 1968 he received a bachelor's degree in history from Yale University, where he performed poorly, but was popular.

In 1968 - 1973 served in the National Guard. He was an F-102 pilot with the Texas Air National Guard.

In 1973 - 1975 He studied at Harvard Business School and received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Then he returned to the Midland, where he worked in the oil industry until 1986. Several times he actively participated in the election campaigns of his father, was his adviser. In 1977, he ran for the US House of Representatives. In 1989, together with several partners, he bought the famous Texas Rangers baseball club.

On November 8, 1994, Bush became governor of Texas. In this post, he gained a reputation as an effective politician who knew how to cooperate with the opposition, advocated a more active role for the church (of various denominations) in social work, and won the support of many prominent state Democrats. On November 3, 1998, he was re-elected governor with a record high number of votes and became the first Texas governor to be elected to a second term immediately after the first. He was criticized by Democrats in Texas and other states for signing several death warrants to convicts while he was governor.

In 1999, Bush decided to run for President of the United States. In one of the most controversial presidential elections in US history, on November 7, 2000, after a count and recount and five weeks of legal battles, Bush defeats Democratic nominee Al Gore. During the campaign, Bush played up the details of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in every possible way, which brought him success. He became the second president in US history (after John C. Adams) to hold this post after his father. Bush also holds another record (along with the same Adams Jr. and two more presidents of the 19th century: Rutherford Hayes and Benjamin Harrison) - the candidate who won the majority of electoral votes, but lost in terms of the number of votes received by citizens (by more than 0.5 million people). ).

In his inaugural address, Bush promised to reform Social Security as well as cut the tax burden. Bush's cabinet consisted of politicians of various trends and views, from liberals to hard conservatives. In February 2001, the president introduced a federal budget ($1.96 trillion) that included tax cuts, increased spending on education and the military. The same period saw the first signs of a recession in the US economy. Despite the criticism, Congress passed a massive $1.35 trillion tax cut program in June 2001.

In April 2001, the Bush administration had to negotiate arduous negotiations with China for the release of pilots forced to land spy planes on Chinese soil. At the end of the same year, bioterrorism swept across the United States, several envelopes with anthrax were sent to offices. In 2001, George W. Bush announced the speedy creation of a full-fledged missile defense system, and a year later he outlined the so-called "Axis of Evil". Bush also froze further research projects in the field of genetics.

As a result of the events of September 11, 2001, about 3,000 people died. The Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden accused of organizing these attacks, according to the US intelligence services, was hiding in Afghanistan, and the US administration demanded that the Taliban extradite him. The answer to the refusal was Bush's words: "We will smoke them out of their holes ... and bring them to justice or deliver justice to them." As a result of active diplomatic efforts and military preparations, the United States managed to create an unprecedented coalition for military operations in Afghanistan, and by the end of 2001, with the support of airstrikes and American units, a mujahideen group called the Northern Alliance took control of Afghanistan and created a national government. unity, and the main forces of the Taliban were defeated.

To combat terrorism in the United States, the Office of Homeland Security was created, which received practically unlimited rights in relation to persons suspected of terrorism. In December 2001, the US announced its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which did not cause serious condemnation from Moscow.

In 2003, Bush launched an attack on Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime. The pretext for the war was Bush's statement about the presence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, which allegedly hides from UN inspectors, and Saddam's links with Al-Qaeda. Many of the countries that supported the invasion of Afghanistan found the evidence presented by the US unconvincing and refused to side with the US in the war. Despite the fact that the United States once again demonstrated its military power, breaking the resistance of regular Iraqi troops within a few weeks, the war received a very ambiguous assessment from the world community and the US population. Further events, which showed the impotence of the American administration in Iraq in the face of a wave of terrorist acts organized by opponents of the presence of the US and other powers in the country, and an increase in crime, sharply lowered Bush's rating on the eve of new elections. In addition, official and unofficial statements began to appear that the United States did not have any reliable evidence of Iraq's WMD and Saddam's ties with Al-Qaeda at the start of the war and the invasion of Iraq was Bush's political adventure, in order to increase its internal rating , which fell as a result of his unsuccessful economic policies, allowing American oil companies to extract oil in Iraq, providing large contracts for the production of weapons to private corporations for the needs of the US army in Iraq.

On November 2, 2004, he won the presidential election over the Democratic Party candidate, junior senator from Massachusetts - John Kerry.

A new blow to Bush's image was the flooding in New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina in late August - early September 2005, when 80% of the city was flooded; due to the fact that insufficient measures were taken to evacuate the city in time before the hurricane, the number of victims amounted to several hundred people. Before the hurricane, New Orleans residents were encouraged to move out of the city, but a significant portion of the population did not have sufficient funds to do so. In November 2006, the Republicans suffer a crushing defeat in the midterm elections.

In 2007, Bush was an active supporter of the deployment of US missile defense elements in Eastern Europe, and also advocated the early entry of Georgia and Ukraine into NATO.

On December 14, 2008, at a press conference in Baghdad, journalist Muntazar al-Zeidi tried to hit George W. Bush with his boots, throwing them towards the podium. None of them hit George Bush, who, after the end of the conference, regarded the incident as "fun", but in Iraq this is considered the greatest insult to both the person and the person himself. The trick was accompanied by verbal insults to the American president. Later, the journalist was arrested and beaten in prison. During the examination, the shoes were destroyed, the presence of explosives and other substances was never revealed. On March 12, 2009, the court sentenced Muntadar al-Zeydi to three years in prison, but he was released on September 11, 2009 for good behavior.

Although Bush was a popular president during his first term, his popularity steadily declined in his second term. In 2009, he was succeeded as president by Barack Obama. Bush returned to Texas, is currently engaged in social activities, and is also writing a book.

Articles from Wikipedia- free encyclopedia.

The full name of the 43rd President of the United States is George Walker Bush. He is the eldest son of the 41st President. His date of birth is 07/06/1946. Place of birth - Connecticut, New Haven.

Childhood

George's early childhood was spent in the Texas city of Midland. He also graduated from the 7th grade, after which the family moved to Houston, where the boy studied at the Kincaid private school for another two years. Parents believed that here the son would be better prepared for entering the university. Then there was still study at the Phillips Academy and Yale University, where he became a bachelor.

Youth

For several years, young Bush was in the military, in aviation, piloting aircraft. After serving in the army, he became a student at Harvard Business School, studied there for two years and received a master's degree in business administration. Steps into politics The next step is the oil business. It was at this time that George began to gradually approach politics: he helped his father in preparation for the elections. And already in 1977 he himself ran for Congress.

In 1994, he successfully won the election and became the governor of Texas. He worked in this post seriously and fruitfully, so four years later he was re-elected.

President of the U.S.A

On November 7, 2000, Republican George W. Bush won the presidential race against Democrat Al Gore, and became the 23rd president of America. Experienced politicians with different convictions worked in his team. This gave him the opportunity to more objectively assess situations, weigh compromises for decision making.

A little over a year later, he presented a state budget with tax cuts, increased spending on the army and education. At the same time, symptoms of an economic downturn began to appear in the country. Under Bush Jr., America continued to build up weapons, in particular, this concerns the creation of a full-fledged and unique anti-missile defense. The president was also surprised by the initiative in the field of medicine - studies and experiments related to stem cells were banned.

Fight against terrorism

The tragic day of September 11, 2001 made the whole world shudder and reassess the reality of the threat of international terrorism. Then almost three thousand people died in Manhattan, and the entire planet saw the horrific footage of this terrorist attack. The culprit of this tragedy was called Osama bin Laden and declared him the number one terrorist.

The Afghan Taliban, who sheltered bin Laden, was defeated by American troops, after which Afghanistan came under the control of the Northern Alliance, that is, the Mujahideen. The US response to the world-shattering terrorist attack was immediate: the Office of Security was created, endowed with undivided rights in the course of preventive measures to combat terrorism, including unprecedented powers over those who were suspected of such activities.

The situation also entailed such a political step as the termination of the ABM (anti-missile defense) Treaty with Moscow, to which the Kremlin reacted with understanding and without much objection.

War in Iraq

Like his father, Bush Jr. turned his attention to Iraq, and in 2003 America entered into a new conflict with that country. The President said that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction that are being hidden from the UN. The elimination of Saddam Hussein's regime, which was a threat to world security, was the main goal of this operation. Subsequently, Iraq was overwhelmed by a war of terrorism, which the United States was unable to stop. Bush Jr.'s authority as president has somewhat faded in the eyes of voters.

Second term of the presidency

But, despite this, he again won the election, beating his rival John Kerry, and in 2004 took over for a second presidential term. On May 10, 2005, Bush was visiting Georgia and unexpectedly became the target of an assassination attempt: a certain Vladimir Harutyunyan threw a grenade at him, which, fortunately, did not explode.

Republicans in America, meanwhile, were gradually losing their ratings. This became clear in the mid-term elections at the end of 2006. At that time, Bush began to speak in favor of deploying American missiles in the countries of Eastern Europe, and approving the intentions of Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO.

Then he entered the Air National Guard, served in Texas and Alabama until his dismissal in November 1974.

He received a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University in 1975. Then he returned to the Midland, engaged in the oil and energy business.

In 1977, he ran for the US House of Representatives. In 1988, he participated as an adviser in the presidential campaign of his father, George W. Bush.

In 1989, together with several partners, he bought the Texas Rangers baseball club, which they managed for the next five years.

In 1994, Bush Jr. was elected governor of Texas, in this post he gained a reputation as an effective manager who knew how to cooperate with the opposition. In 1998 he was re-elected for a second term with a record high number of votes. He became the first governor of Texas to serve two consecutive 4-year terms.

In June 1999, George W. Bush announced his candidacy for the election of the President of the United States. His opponent in the 2000 election was US Vice President Al Gore.

Participants in the presidential race received almost equal support from voters. Decisive were the results of the elections in the state of Florida, whose governor was the brother of George W. Bush - Jeb. The automated counting of votes gave Bush the upper hand, but the gap between the contenders was negligible, which gave reason to talk about the possibility of a technical error. Florida District Court ruled for a manual recount. A five-week process of legal wrangling ended with a ruling by the US Supreme Court, which decided to complete a manual recount in the state of Florida. Thus, Bush was recognized as the winner of the Florida elections.

On January 20, 2001, George W. Bush took office as President of the United States. For the second time in American history, the son of a president became the owner of the White House (John Quincy Adams, elected the sixth president in 1824, was the son of John Adams, the second president of the United States).

As President of the United States, Bush Jr. pursued a policy of lowering taxes, increasing appropriations for education and defense. In foreign policy, he continued the course of previous administrations to ensure the leading role of the United States in the world. After the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, the priorities of the American president shifted towards ensuring security within the United States and combating international terrorism. As part of the fight against terrorism, Bush Jr. began military operations in Afghanistan in October 2001 and in Iraq in March 2003.

In the 2004 presidential election, Bush ran against Democratic Senator John Kerry. Bush narrowly won with more than 51% of the vote.

The last years of George W. Bush's presidency were marked by an unprecedented low level of popular support for him, which was due to failures in foreign policy and economic difficulties.

On January 20, 2009, Bush Jr. returned to Texas. In 2010, his memoir Decision Points was published.

In 1977, George W. Bush married Laura Welch. In 1981, the couple had twin daughters Barbara and Jenna.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

In Milton, Massachusetts.

Father - Prescott Sheldon Bush - an influential figure in the Republican Party, was a partner in the New York firm "Brown, Brothers, Harriman and Company", and from 1952 to 1963 - a senator from the state of Connecticut. Mother - Dorothy Walker - from the New York banking clan of Walkers.

George Bush spent his childhood in Greenwich, Connecticut.

In 1936 he entered the prestigious military school - Phillips Academy in Andover (Massachusetts). Upon graduation in June 1942, six months after the US entered World War II, he was enlisted in the Navy.

After completing a ten-month flight training course, on June 9, 1943, Bush received a junior officer rank and became the youngest naval pilot.

George W. Bush flew 58 sorties in the Southwest Pacific war zone. On September 2, 1944, Bush's plane was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft guns, and he, having ordered the crew to leave the plane, himself jumped with a parachute. All crew members survived, except for one. On the water, the pilots were picked up by sailors from an American submarine. For participation in the hostilities, George W. Bush was awarded the Navy Officer's Cross and three combat medals.

George Bush Sr. opened an account on the popular social network Twitter.

The first message that the former American leader left in the microblogging service concerned a memorial service for former President Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

George Bush is one of the most famous politicians in the history of America. Becoming the forty-third president of the United States, he was remembered for a series of controversial decisions, but still remained part of the great history of his country. Our today's hero, like any other person associated with politics, has been and will always remain a controversial personality not only in the CIS countries, but also in the United States of America itself. That is why in our biographical article we will deliberately set aside all issues related to the assessment of the policy of the former US leader, and focus on unknown episodes in the life of George W. Bush.

Early years, childhood and the family of George W. Bush

Our today's hero was born into a family without which it is already difficult to imagine the world of American politics. His father, former naval aviation pilot George W. Bush, served as President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Mom Barbara Bush is still one of the most respected first ladies in American history. The grandfather of our today's hero and younger brother Jeb, who in different years held the posts of senator and governor in the US political system, were also connected with politics. Perhaps that is why George W. Bush could hardly really distance himself from the world of politics.

Despite the fact that the future president happened to be born in the town of New Haven in the state of Connecticut, most of his life was spent in the state of Texas. George graduated from elementary school in Midland and then moved with his family to the larger, busier Houston, where he continued his studies at Kincaid Private School. After that, in the life of the future president there was a period of study at the Philips Academy, as well as the prestigious Yale University. In both universities, our today's hero studied rather averagely, but he was popular among students because of his innate openness.

In the period from 1968 to 1973, George served in the US Army, where he became known as a talented pilot. After returning home, Bush continued his studies at Harvard, where he received a master's degree in business administration.

During the 1980s, George W. Bush worked in the oil industry and also participated as an activist in his father's election campaigns. In parallel with this, in 1977, our today's hero himself made an attempt to break into the House of Representatives of the American Congress, but at that time he failed to gain the required number of votes. Despite this, the politician has always remained one of the prominent figures in the Republican Party of America.

10 incidents with George Bush

In the late eighties, George W. Bush also became known as a sports manager. In 1989, he acquired the Texas Rangers baseball club along with several of his business partners. Subsequently, our today's hero showed great attention to the life of the team and participated in solving most pressing issues.

Career in politics, George W. Bush - President of the United States

In November 1994, George W. Bush was elected governor of Texas with 53.5% of the vote. While in this position, the politician gained a reputation as an effective manager, as well as a person who is able to compromise with the opposition. It is noteworthy that at a certain period of time, even some representatives of the Democratic Party admitted their sympathy for George W. Bush. Thanks to this, in November 1998, the politician was again re-elected as the leader of the state of Texas, gaining a record number of votes in the elections. It was during this period that George W. Bush was talked about as one of the brightest figures in the Republican Party, as well as a likely candidate for the presidency.

In the end, it all happened. Having won the intra-party primaries, the politician got the opportunity to take part in the presidential elections. In November 2000, George W. Bush took on Democrat Al Gore for a seat in the White House. From this little war, the Republican politician emerged victorious. However, the election campaign was not without scandals. After the announcement of the results in Texas, unaccounted ballot boxes in support of Al Gore were suddenly discovered. In addition, George's brother Jeb Bush was accused of foul play, who, taking advantage of the position of Florida's governor, put pressure on the local Democratic headquarters.

Shoes thrown at George Bush

As a result, only after a five-week series of trials, George W. Bush still managed to become president of the United States. It is noteworthy that in terms of the total number of votes cast for him, George W. Bush lost to his opponent (by almost half a million). However, he won by the number of electoral votes cast for him (representatives of the so-called electoral college), who, according to the US Constitution, have the right to choose the president.

As head of the United States, George W. Bush was remembered as a supporter of the idea of ​​tax cuts, as well as an ardent fighter against global terrorism. It was during the Bush presidency that the United States sent troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, which was a reaction to the terrible terrorist attack in New York on September 11th.

During the first presidential term, the electoral rating of our today's hero was very high. Thanks to this, George Bush managed to be re-elected for a second term. However, after that, the level of its support began to slowly fall.

In 2009, the politician left the White House, giving way to Barack Obama.

George Bush's career outside of politics

After leaving politics, George W. Bush published a book of his memoirs, which very soon became a bestseller in the US and some other countries. It is noteworthy that there are also references to the ex-president in the register of ... US film actors. Bush's filmography includes more than 200 (!) Films. In almost every one of them, the "actor" plays himself. Documentary films predominate among the films. However, there are a lot of feature films in Bush's filmography.

In 2014, our today's hero and his longtime opponent Al Gore will appear in the docudrama Mad As Hell, starring Kevin Spacey.

George Bush's personal life

In 1977, the politician married a simple girl named Laura Welch (now Laura Bush). The wife of George Bush worked as a teacher and librarian. Subsequently, she left her job and became involved in social activities.

Today the couple has two children - twin daughters Jenna and Barbara.