• Location: the office
• Mood: busy
• Music: Pink-"Dear Mister President"

Happy Birthday Dubya

On July 6, 1946 (65 years ago today) George Walker Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the first child of future President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Pierce Bush. He shares the distinction, along with John Quincy Adams, of being the second person to be the child of a President and subsequently become President. (Hmm, there must be a less cumbersome way of saying that, although perhaps cumbersome speech is appropriate, considering who I'm writing about.)



A controversial figure in the eyes of many, Bush graduated from Yale University in 1968 and from Harvard Business School in 1975. He worked in the oil business following graduation. Bush married Laura Welch on November 5, 1977. He ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 1978, losing to Democrat Kent Hance. He later co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball team and in 1994 he ran against and defeated the popular Democrat Ann Richards in the 1994 Texas gubernatorial election.

In a the closest and most controversial election in modern times, Bush was elected President in 2000 as the Republican candidate, defeating Vice President Al Gore. The election was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in the famous decision of Bush v. Gore. The court stopped further recounts and as a result, Bush was awarded Florida's Electoral College votes, giving him a majority despite the fact that Gore received more popular votes overall. Bush was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year 2000 and 2004.

The Bush administration had a controversial start when Bush withdrew the nation from the Kyoto Protocol on global warming. President Bush faced his greatest challenges on September 11, 2001 when a series of terrorist attacks occurred eight months into his first term as president. Bush responded with a global "War on Terror". He ordered an invasion of Afghanistan that same year and an invasion of Iraq in 2003. In addition to national security issues, 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, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, and Medicare prescription drug benefits for seniors.



Bush successfully ran for re-election against Democratic Senator John Kerry in 2004, this time winning a clear majority. In 2005, the Bush Administration was criticezed for its handling of Hurricane Katrina. Bush's popularity declined sharply during his second term.

After leaving office, Bush returned to Texas and purchased a home in a suburban area of Dallas. He is currently a public speaker and has written an autobiography entitled Decision Points. Bush attended every home playoff game for the Texas Rangers 2010 season, including one I attended last August. Accompanied by his father, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for Game 4 of the 2010 World Series on October 31, 2010.