George Bush served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001
to 2009. He was the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being sworn
in as President on January 20, 2001.
Bush is the eldest son of 41st U.S. President George H. W. Bush and
Barbara Bush. After graduating from Yale University, Bush worked in his
family's oil businesses. He married Laura Welch in 1977 and unsuccessfully ran
for the United States House of Representatives shortly thereafter. He later
co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball team before defeating Ann Richards to
become Governor of Texas in 1994. In a close and controversial election, Bush
was elected President in 2000 as the Republican candidate, receiving a majority
of the electoral votes, but losing the popular vote to then Vice President Al
Gore.
Eight months into Bush's first term as President, the September 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks occurred, and Bush announced a global War on Terrorism,
ordered an invasion of Afghanistan that same year and an invasion of Iraq in
2003. In addition to national security issues, President Bush promoted policies
on the economy, health care, education and social security reform. He signed
into law broad tax cuts, the No Child Left Behind Act and Medicare prescription
drug benefits for seniors. His tenure saw a national debate on immigration and
social security.
Bush successfully ran for re-election against Democratic Senator John
Kerry in 2004, garnering 50.7% of the popular vote to his opponent's 48.3%.
After his re-election, Bush received increasingly heated criticism from some
sources. In 2005, the Bush administration dealt with widespread criticism over
its handling of Hurricane Katrina. In December 2007, the United States entered
the second-longest post-World War II recession, and his administration took
more direct control of the economy, enacting multiple economic stimulus
packages. Though Bush was a popular president for much of his first term, his
popularity declined toward the end of his second term to a near-record low. He
holds the record for the highest ever approval rating as well as one of the
lowest ever of an American President.
Born July 6, 1946, his primary personality traits are represented by the
Chinese Zodiac elemental animal sign, the Fire Dog. The Dog is perhaps the most
pessimistic sign in the Chinese zodiac. When he fails to solve the problems of
the world he might become bitter and cynical. When it comes to individual
people, he is usually slow to form judgments; however, there often is a narrow
mindedness to his way of thinking. He tends to see things in black and white.
And, when he makes a judgment, he tenaciously clings to his ideas and rarely
changes his mind.