George W. Bush's first term as President of the United States

George W. Bush's first term as president of the United States began January 20, 2001 and ended January 20, 2005, with the beginning of his second term as president.

First eight months in office

During the Election of 2000, both houses of Congress were almost split evenly between the Republican and Democratic parties. In the first few months, the president enacted few policies, and his approval ratings were not high. In April of 2001, a U.S. military spy plane was forced to land at a Chinese military airport. The incident was one of the first major international challenges that the new administration faced. During this period, The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 was drafted, passed, and enacted under his direction. This act changed the way taxes were paid, and also introduced changes to retirement and pension plans amongst senior citizens. The most public aspect of this act resulted in most Americans getting a check in the mail from the IRS as "reconciliation" for paying too many taxes.

Handling of the aftermath of 9/11

September 11, 2001, eight months after Bush had taken office, terrorists hijacked and flew airplanes into iconic buildings in the United States, specifically the World Trade Center in New York City, and The Pentagon, located in Washington, D.C. This attack has come to be known as 9/11. On the evening of September 11, 2001, the president declared a war on terror. As a result, President Bush's approval rating soared to 85%, his highest approval rating ever.

Bush's first policy-related response to 9/11 came on October 8, 2001, when, during a speech to Congress, he announced the creation of the Office of Homeland Security and appointed Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania as its director. This was the first executive-level office to be created since 1988, when President Reagan appointed a head to the The Department of Veterans Affairs. The stated goal of the Homeland Security office was, "to develop and coordinate the implementation of a comprehensive national strategy," and, "to secure the United States from terrorist threats or attacks." The department's most public accomplishment came on March 12, 2002, with the unveiling of the Homeland Security Advisory System. This system was a color-coded scale created to illustrate the probable level of threat currently posed by terrorists, based on various intelligence reports. The "terror alert" level was and still is posted on a daily basis.

Bush's military response to the terrorist attacks began in October of 2001, with the deployment of 11,000 troops to invade Afghanistan. The invasion was supported by Australia, The United Kingdom, and The Northern Alliance. The stated goal of the invasion was to overthrow the Taliban government, an Islamic fundamentalist group thought to be harboring Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization blamed (and later claiming responsibility) for the 9/11 attacks.

The Taliban described Bin Laden as their guest, and refused to place him in United States custody. Some contemplators of the issue currently believe, however, that bin Laden was hiding out of the reach of the Taliban in the mountains of Afghanistan. The Taliban were overthrown in Afghanistan, and a United States approved government was installed. Unfortunately, the majority of Al-Qaeda members, including Osama Bin Laden, escaped and some are still active to this day. Some have criticized the president for not sending enough troops into Afghanistan to accomplish the manhunt, but others disagree.

During this time the Bush administration was successful in freezing Al-Qaeda funds and shutting down many training camps for new members. The US has also captured many Al-Qaeda leaders and members in the ensuing months, but Osama Bin Laden remains at large.

Invasion of Iraq

In the fall of 2002, during his State of the Union Address, Bush set forth what has come to be known as the Bush Doctrine. Although the doctrine was technically used for justifying the invasion of Afghanistan, it was not clearly stated until the address. Simply put, because of the "new world" we live in, and the reality of massive terrorist attacks orchestrated by organizations that exist in multiple places all over the world, the United States no longer has the luxury of thinking of the world as exclusively made up of sovereign nations. Because of this, the United States would now implement a policy of preemptive strike (or attacking without provocation or imminent threat, ostensibly to prevent an expected attack) against any nation it saw as a threat, a complete reversal of United States foreign policy. The United States now intended to take every measure necessary to remain the only military super power in the world. He also outlined what he called the Axis of Evil, three nations that were posing a threat and the United States would not hesitate attacking. These nations were Iraq, North Korea, and Iran. The 2002 State of the Union Address was a major turning point for the Bush Administration and a reorientation of the goals of the United States.

The Bush administration began announcing that "We have conclusive evidence that Saddam Hussein posesses weapons of mass destruction" (quote from Donald Rumsfield). The description of these weapons ranged from chemical to nuclear weapons. The administration supported their claim with intelligence documents as well as aerial photography. (The intelligence documents were later discovered to be a college student's paper on the earlier Iraq war, and the aerial photography was an inconclusive photograph of a truck.) Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq, was described as a threat to the world and his own people as long as he remained in power -- especially with an arsenal of WMDs. Changes in the political arena, especially since the 1980's when the United States supplied Saddam with some conventional weapons and other assistance during the Iran Iraq War, were due in no small part to a increasingly hardline stance that Saddam had imposed on Iraq and his subjects, and his invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

After unsuccessfully attempting to gain approval from the United Nations, the United States United States and the "coalition of the willing" invaded Iraq, in 2003. The operation was called by the Bush Administration 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].

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 Coalition forces were and still are fighting in Iraq.

The group charged with finding the WMD'S was the Iraq Survey Group (here after ISG) made up of 1,200 members of British and American experts. October 3 they released their Interim report. In this report they stated that they had found some "WMD related material" but no actual WMDS. It invoked suspicion that Iraq had been cheating the United Nations weapons inspectors and had had plans of returning to making WMDs at some later date possibly when the UN sanctions had been lifted.

On November 27, 2003 the president made a surprise visit to Iraq to share Thanksgiving dinner with the troops. 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. 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. This was a definite boost to the Bush presidency and most Americans were glad that Hussein had been found and captured.

On January 23, 2004, David Kay resigns as head of the ISG. His reason for resigning was that he didn't believe WMDs would ever be found.

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. Then on September 30 2004 the ISG released the Duelfer Report, its final report, confirming David Kay's assertion that there were no WMDs in Iraq. Some said that the WMDs were a lie to get access to oil reserves in Iraq, and Bush had committed 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. see Build-up to re-election.

In January 2005 the ISG announced the conclusion of its search. They stated that they had failed to find WMDs.

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 outcries by law enforcement agencies across the country, Bush allowed the Federal Assault Weapons Ban to sunset on September 13; this did not substantially affect his approval rating, 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 earpiece 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 119,000). 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 turnout, 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 second term, he must bridge this growing gap between Americans, and win over his opponent's supporters. However, with a majority in both houses of Congress and the prospect of appointing three new Supreme Court Justices, getting his policies passed swiftly will likely not be met with much opposition.

Cabinet Reshuffling

see George W. Bush's first term to second term cabinet reorganization

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. On November 30 Bush was quoted as saying: "I want a bill, let's see if I can say it as plainly as I can: I am for the intelligence bill." 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.

On December 10 an agreement was finally reached on the language of the bill, and it was approved by the senate in an 89-2 vote. The bill forced intelligence and law enforcement agencies to share information. It calls for a minimum federal standard for state drivers licenses and for Homeland Security to set a standard for identification used to board airplanes. The bill created a new federal counterterrorism centre and a new, and very controversial, intelligence director who will have strong budgetory control. However, the complexity of the bill's language could lead to confusion over the director's exact powers. Bush was credited with pressuring Congress to pass the bill before the end of the year. He signed the bill into law on December 17, but has not named a candidate for the director's position. It was called, by some, the largest legislation overhaul in 50 years.

Time Person of the Year

On December 19, 2004, Time chose George W. Bush for its annual Person of the Year issue. Time gives the award to "the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse," and said they gave to it Bush "for sticking to his guns (literally and figuratively), for reshaping the rules of politics to fit his 10-gallon-hat leadership style and for persuading a majority of voters this time around that he deserved to be in the White House for another four years." Bush was also Person of the Year in 2000 and his father received the title 1990.

Response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake

The president was beginning his post-Christmas vacation at his Crawford, Texas ranch when he was informed of the devastating earthquake. The first estimates of the damage were 22,000 people killed and 6 Americans. Bush said the quake was a "terrible loss of life and suffering". A $15 million dollar aid package was put together to help the Asian countries suffering from the devastation. Immediately after, the U.S. and other Western nations were criticised first by the U.N. and then by The New York Times for not giving enough and being "stingy". They also claimed that this was half as much as Republicans were planning to spend on inauguration festivities; however, that money would all come from private donors. The New York Times also criticised Bush for waiting three days to express his condolences to the countries hit by the quake.

Further criticism pointed to undelivered relief funds for the 2003 Earthquake in Iran and also that foreign aid money makes up less than one quarter of one percent of the United States budget. As further details of the devastation were revealed, Bush stepped up U.S. relief efforts to $35 million USD in response and sent his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and Secretary of State Colin Powell to Southern Asia to assess the damage. After Japan announced they were pledging the largest amount of any country so far ($500 million USD), and the death count was firmly stated as around 150,000, Bush increased the United States aid package again to $350 million USD, the second largest contribution. On January 3 2005, the president named his two immediate predecessors, Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush, to head up a major campaign to gather private funding to assist the tsunami victims. They would assist in "Asking Americans to donate directly to reliable charities already providing help to tsunami victims" said Bush. He also emphasized the great need for private relief funding.

Contracts with Armstrong Williams

On January 6 it was discovered that the Department of Education had paid The Graham Williams Group, a company run by columist and commentator Armstrong Williams $240,000 to:

Regularly mention the No Child Left Behind Act in columns and during broadcasts
Create one minute "reads" with Education Secretary Rod Paige to be used as ads on radio during 2004 and do not mention that they are government funded
Creating a video promotion for No Child Left Behind that appears to be a news story but never indicates that the report was funded by taxpayer dollars
For Armstrong to interview Paige and other department officals for television.

The Education Department, through the Ketchum public relations firm, arranged with Williams to use contacts with America's Black Forum, a group of black broadcasters and journalists, "to encourage the producers to periodically address" No Child Left Behind. Williams also persuaded Steve Harvey to have Paige appear twice on his syndicated radio show. The department already paid Ketchum $700,000 to rate journalists on how positively or negatively they report on No Child Left Behind. It is questionable wether or not this agreement was legal since congress prohibited the use of propaganda. The Education Department stated that the contract was "permissible use of taxpayer funds under legal government contracting procedures" and it was an attempt to educate poor and minority communitys about the benifits of the law. Williams claims that he felt the contract was a way for him to promote something that he truly beleived in, although he regretted his desicion to participate. He is one of the leading African American conservative commentators in the United States and a former aid to Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas. It has been suggested that the department chose Armstrong, rather than another conservative commentator (such as Rush Limbaugh) because of his minority based audiences. Since the story has been uncovered Williams's newspaper syndicate, Tribune Media Services, has canceled his column, and one television network has dropped his program pending an investigation. The Government Accountability Office has already twice ruled that the Bush administrations use of prepackaged videos to promote medicare and drug policy is "covert propaganda" because their videos do not state that they are creations funded by the United States government.

Bills Passed

Although many bills passed during Bush's first term, there are several that he spearheaded and tend to draw a picture of his general ideology and the shape of his first term. Here is a list of these bills and the dates they were passed.

USA PATRIOT Act - October 26, 2001
No Child Left Behind Act - December 13 2001
Clear Skies Act - February 27, 2003