Before assuming the presidency, Bush was an oil businessman and served as Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. He is the son of former President George Herbert Walker Bush and the brother of Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

Personal life, service, and education
George W. Bush was born in New Haven, Connecticut to parents George and Barbara Bush, and grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas. He has four younger siblings: Jeb, Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. A younger sister, Robin, died of leukemia in 1953 at the age of three.

Like his father, Bush was educated at Phillips Academy (Andover) (September 1961–June 1964) and Yale University (September 1964–May 1968). While at Yale he joined Delta Kappa Epsilon (where he was president from October 1965 until graduation), and the Skull and Bones society. He played baseball during his freshman year and rugby during his freshman and senior years. He received a bachelor's degree in history in 1968.

After graduating from Yale, Bush enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard on May 27, 1968 during the Vietnam War, with a commitment to serve until May 26, 1974. He served as an F-102 pilot until 1973 and was twice promoted during his service, first to second lieutenant and then to first lieutenant. In November 1970, Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, the commander of the Texas Air National Guard, recommended that Bush be promoted to first Lieutenant, calling him "a dynamic outstanding young officer" who stood out as "a top notch fighter interceptor pilot." He said that "Lt. Bush's skills far exceed his contemporaries," and that "he is a natural leader whom his contemporaries look to for leadership. Lt. Bush is also a good follower with outstanding disciplinary traits and an impeccable military bearing."

In September 1973 he received permission to end his six-year commitment six months early in order to attend Harvard University. He transferred to inactive reserve status shortly before being honorably discharged on October 1, 1973.

However, political opponents of the Bush administration began to raise questions about his service record in 2000, particularly as to whether he fulfilled his obligations.

Bush entered Harvard Business School in 1973. He was awarded a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1975, making him the first U.S. president to hold an MBA degree.

Bush married Laura Welch in 1977. In 1986, at age 40, he became a born-again Christian, converting from Episcopalian Christianity to his wife's denomination, Methodism. They have twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna Bush, born in 1981.

On Labor Day weekend, September 4, 1976, Bush was pulled over by police near his family's Kennebunkport summer home in Maine. He was arrested and fined $150 and temporary suspension driving privileges in the state for driving under the influence of alcohol. News of the arrest was released five days before the 2000 presidential election by the Kennebunkport police department.

Bush has described his days before his religious conversion as his "nomadic" period and "irresponsible youth". Bush admitted to drinking "too much" in those years. He gave up drinking for good shortly after his 40th birthday celebration. A number of reasons were cited for the change including a 1985 meeting with Rev. Billy Graham. CNN reported during the 2000 campaign that Bush said "I quit drinking in 1986 and haven't had a drop since then."

Bush has addressed the issue of his alleged cocaine abuse on several occasions. The 2000 campaign initially refused to answer on principle, but later Bush told the press that, as a condition of Federal employment, he had signed a form averring he had not taken drugs in the previous seven years. When asked if he could have signed it when his father was president, he paused to think, and then answered that he could have. But Bush refused to answer if he had ever taken cocaine.

Bush is sometimes referred to as Dubya (which is an old Texan variation of "Double U"), a play on his middle initial "W".

Business and political career
In 1978, Bush ran for the U.S. House of Representatives but lost to State Sen. Kent Hance, a Democrat.
Bush began his career in the oil industry in 1979 when he established Arbusto Energy, an oil and gas exploration company he formed in 1977 with leftover funds from his education trust fund and money from other investors. (Actually, Arbusto is Spanish for "shrub", not "bush".) The 1979 energy crisis hurt Arbusto and, after a name change to Bush Exploration Co., Bush sold the company in 1984 to Spectrum 7, another Texas oil and gas exploration firm. Under the terms of the sale, Bush became CEO of Spectrum 7. History was repeated as the oil crisis of 1985-1986 bankrupted Spectrum 7. Spectrum 7 was subsequently saved by a buyout from Harken Energy Corp in 1986 with Bush becoming a director of Harken.

Bush was accused of using insider knowledge when selling stock while serving on the board of directors of Harken Energy Corp. in 1990. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ended a 1992 investigation with a memo stating "it appears that Bush did not engage in illegal insider trading", but noted that the memo "must in no way be construed as indicating that the party has been exonerated or that no action may ultimately result." Critics allege that the investigation was influenced by the fact that Bush's father was President at the time, although no action was taken during Bill Clinton's presidency either. As President, Bush has refused to authorize the SEC to release its full report on the investigation.

After working on his father's successful 1988 presidential campaign, he assembled a group of partners from his father's close friends and in 1989 purchased the Texas Rangers, an Arlington-based Major League Baseball franchise. (Bush later appointed one of these partners, Tom Schieffer to the post of Ambassador to Australia.) Critics expressed concern about the propriety of the purchase, charging use of political influence and favoritism involving a family friend. Bush personally earned US$14.9 million in the 1998 sale of the team (in total, the sale earned US$170 million).

He served as managing general partner of the Rangers until he was elected Governor of Texas on November 8, 1994 over incumbent Democrat Ann Richards. He went on to become, in 1998, the first Texas governor to be elected for two consecutive four-year terms. His tenure in office featured a positive reputation for bipartisan leadership. Among issues attracting national and international attention during his terms was Texas' use of the death penalty, a policy seen in most American constituencies. He signed the death warrants of 152 criminals, including that of Karla Faye Tucker.

In Bush's 2000 presidential election campaign, he campaigned on, among other issues, allowing religious charities to compete on an equal basis for participation in federally funded programs, reducing taxes, promoting the use of education vouchers, supporting oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and restructuring of the armed forces. In foreign policy, he stated he was against using the U.S. armed forces in "nation building" attempts abroad.

Bush became President on January 20, 2001 as the winner of one of the closest general elections in U.S. history, defeating Democratic Vice President Al Gore in 30 of 50 states for a narrow victory by five electoral votes. Gore won a plurality of the nationwide popular vote by approximately 540,000 votes out of 105 million, a margin of barely one-half of one percent. This was the third consecutive presidential election in which no candidate received a majority of the popular vote. It was the first presidential election since the 1888 election in which a candidate lost the popular vote while winning the electoral college vote. The electoral college outcome could have been altered by a difference of only a few hundred (537/2) popular votes in Florida.

The Florida vote, which favored Bush by a tiny margin in the initial count, was heavily contested after concerns were raised about flaws and irregularities in the voting process, and became the subject of a series of contentious court cases. After a Supreme Court decision in mid-December favoring Bush, Gore conceded the election. The election results are still disputed by many, though no longer contested in any legal venue. See U.S. presidential election, 2000.

Presidency
Foreign policy and security

During his campaign, Bush's foreign policy platform included support of a stronger economic and political relationship with Latin America, especially Mexico, and a reduction in involvement in "nation-building" and other small-scale military engagements. However, after the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, the administration focused much more on foreign policy in the Middle East.

Immediately after the attacks, a war was launched against Afghanistan to topple the Taliban, accused of harboring Osama bin Laden. This action had fairly strong international support, and the Taliban government folded quickly after the invasion. However, subsequent nation-building efforts in concert with the United Nations under Hamid Karzai have proved troublesome, and bin Laden was never apprehended nor believed to have been killed. A large contingent of troops and advisors remains in hopes of forming a functional democratic government, a stated goal of the Bush administration. See U.S. invasion of Afghanistan for details.

In 2003, after a long disarmament crisis, a war was launched against Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein, accused of developing weapons of mass destruction. The war proved extremely divisive, with some of the U.S.'s long-term allies strongly opposing it and it being the subject of record protests worldwide. However, with at best only ambiguous support from the United Nations, the war was launched with a coalition of the willing of about forty countries, most notably the United Kingdom. The difficulties in the occupation and implementation of a democracy, the failure to find Saddam's alleged weapons, and claims about information having been allegedly spun or distorted to support the war have all been used to challenge the Bush administration both domestically and from abroad. Nevertheless, Bush states that he still believes it was the right decision, and that a demonstrably brutal tyrant has been overthrown and can no longer threaten the world. See 2003 invasion of Iraq for full coverage.

On December 14, 2001, Bush scrapped the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which had been a bedrock of U.S.-Soviet nuclear stability during the Cold War, arguing it was no longer relevant. Instead, Bush focused resources on a ballistic missile defense system. Although some claim the system is unworkable, there have been numerous successful tests of the system and it is scheduled to start deployment in 2005.

During his first presidential visit to Europe in June 2001, Bush came under harsh criticism from European leaders for his rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, which is aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions that may contribute to global warming. The treaty, however, had already been rejected by the United States Senate on the grounds that it would exempt polluting nations classified as "developing", such as China. Currently, the treaty has not been ratified by the required minimum of nations to put it into force, and it is increasingly unlikely that this will happen.

Bush imposition of a tariff on imported steel was controversial in light of his pursuit of other free market policies, and attracted criticism both from his fellow conservatives and from nations affected. The tariff was later rescinded under pressure from the WTO.

In July of 2002, Bush cut off all U.S. government funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Bush claimed that the UNFPA supported forced abortions and sterilizations in China.

Bush's foreign policy is influenced by the largey inactive neo-conservative think tank Project for the New American Century, many of whose members have prominent positions in the Bush administration. Many would argue that the administration is far more inspired by the Heritage Foundation, and to a lesser degree the Cato Instutute.

Domestic policy

George W. Bush speaks to firefighters on November 4, 2003, as California Governor-Elect Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gov. Gray Davis listen.President Bush has endorsed an amendment to the United States Constitution that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, which would ban same-sex marriage, but leaves open the possibility of civil unions. Bush has tended to be opposed to forms of affirmative action, but expressed appreciation for the Supreme Court's ruling upholding selecting college applicants for purposes of diversity. Although President Bush did meet with the National Urban League, he is the first sitting President not to meet with the NAACP since Herbert Hoover.

President Bush has implemented three tax cuts during his term in office that eliminated the "marriage penalty", the "death tax" and reduced marginal tax rates. These cuts were enacted by Congress with large bipartisan majorities, but were later criticized as regressive give-aways. Bush advocates the partial privatization of Social Security wherein an individual would be free to invest a portion of his Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts.

Bush signed the Medicare Act of 2003, which added prescription drug coverage to Medicare, subsidized companies that sell these drugs, and prohibited the Federal government from negotiating discounts with drug companies.

Of the US$2.4 trillion budgeted for 2005, about US$450 billion are planned to be spent on defense.

In January of 2003, Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, which targets supporting early learning, measures student performance, gives options over failing schools, and ensures more resources for schools. Critics say schools were not given the resources to help meet new standards. Some state governments are refusing to implement provisions of the act as long as they are not adequately funded.

Scientists have repeatedly criticized the Bush administration for reducing funding for scientific research, setting restrictions on stem cell research, ignoring scientific consensus on critical issues such as global warming, and hampering cooperation with foreign scientists by employing deterring immigration and visa practices. In February 2004, over 5,000 scientists (including 48 Nobel Prize winners) signed a statment "opposing the Bush administration's use of scientific advice". They felt that "the Bush administration has ignored unbiased scientific advice in the policy-making that is so important for our collective welfare". Bush's environmental record has been largely criticized by environmentalists, who charge that his policies cater to industry demands to weaken environmental protections.

See also President George Bush Junior Quotes