George Walker Bush is famous for being the 43rd U.S. president. He was president during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, which led to a declaration of war in 2003.Continue Reading
Bush's presidency began in controversy with a close election that pitted him against the Democratic Party nominee in 2000, Al Gore. Discrepancy in poll results regarding Florida's 25 electoral votes left the country uncertain about whether Bush or Gore had won the election and set about a month of recounts. Ultimately, the Republican Party's nominee, Bush, was declared the winner, despite Gore receiving 543,000 more popular votes in the election.
In what would become one of the biggest controversies of the Bush presidency, it was alleged that terrorists in Iraq held weapons of mass destruction, leading to the full-scale invasion of Iraq and the toppling of Saddam Hussein, its leader. Iraq soon became embattled in civil war, and the U.S. military presence there became a hotly debated source of criticism of the Bush administration.
Bush won reelection in 2004, facing down Democrat Senator John Kerry. His second term was marred by economic problems in the country, leading Bush to encourage the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, a bailout to the banking and housing industries that cost more than $700 billion to American taxpayers.Learn more about US History