George Walker Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, is one of the most consequential and widely discussed American political figures of the 21st century. His presidency was defined by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, major tax cuts, education reform, and the financial crisis that unfolded during his final year in office.
\nBorn into one of America\u2019s most prominent political families, Bush followed a path from Texas businessman and governor to the White House, where he served two terms from 2001 to 2009.
\nBut his story goes far beyond politics. It is a story of family expectations, personal struggles, faith, leadership during a national tragedy, controversial decisions, and a post-presidential life that took him in a surprisingly different direction.
\nHere is a detailed look at George W. Bush\u2019s life, career, family, presidency, and what he has done since leaving office.<\/p>\n
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Although he was born in Connecticut, Texas became the place that shaped much of his personality and future career. His family moved to Midland, Texas, in 1948, where his father pursued opportunities in the oil business.
\nGrowing up, George W. Bush experienced both the advantages and expectations associated with a prominent family. His grandfather, Prescott Bush, served as a U.S. senator from Connecticut, and his father would eventually become vice president and president of the United States.Bush had five siblings: Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Dorothy, and Pauline Robinson, known as Robin. Robin died of leukemia in 1953, when George was seven years old. Her death deeply affected the Bush family.As a young man, George was known for his outgoing personality, humor, and interest in sports. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, before enrolling at Yale University.At Yale, he studied history and graduated with a bachelor\u2019s degree in 1968. He later attended Harvard Business School, earning a Master of Business Administration in 1975.His education at Yale and Harvard placed him among a generation of American political and business leaders who attended elite universities, but his early career would take him back to Texas rather than directly into Washington politics.<\/p>\n
After graduating from Yale in 1968, Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard and trained as a fighter pilot.He served in the Air National Guard from 1968 to 1973, including assignments in Texas and Alabama. He was trained to fly the F-102 Delta Dagger, an interceptor aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force. His military service took place during the Vietnam War, although he did not serve in combat in Vietnam.His military record later became a subject of political debate during his presidential campaigns, particularly concerning the circumstances of his service and the Vietnam-era draft After completing his MBA, Bush returned to Midland and entered the oil and gas industry.He established and worked with several energy-related businesses. Like many oil entrepreneurs in Texas during the 1970s and 1980s, he experienced both opportunities and financial setbacks as energy prices fluctuated.In 1988, he participated in his father\u2019s presidential campaign. That experience introduced him more directly to national political strategy, campaign organization, and the Republican Party.A year later, in 1989, Bush and a group of investors purchased the Texas Rangers baseball franchise.His involvement with the Rangers brought him greater public recognition in Texas. He served as managing general partner and became a familiar figure to baseball fans in the state.The team\u2019s ownership group later sold the franchise in 1998, generating a substantial financial return for its investors.This combination of business experience, family political connections, and growing public visibility helped prepare Bush for his first major electoral campaign.<\/p>\n
One of the most important personal relationships in Bush\u2019s life has been his marriage to Laura Welch Bush.<\/p>\n
George and Laura met in Midland, Texas, through mutual friends. Laura was a teacher and librarian, and the two married on November 5, 1977.<\/p>\n
They had twin daughters, Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Welch Bush, on November 25, 1981.<\/p>\n
Laura Bush became a central presence throughout her husband\u2019s political career. During his presidency, she focused on education, literacy, libraries, and women\u2019s rights, and she maintained a public role distinct from her husband\u2019s political agenda.<\/p>\n
Their daughters grew up partly in the public eye, especially during their father\u2019s presidential campaigns and years in the White House. Both pursued careers outside electoral politics.<\/p>\n
Jenna Bush Hager became a television personality and author, while Barbara Bush became involved in public health and nonprofit work.<\/p>\n
The Bush family has generally maintained a private approach to family life after leaving the White House, although George and Laura have continued to make public appearances together.<\/p>\n
Their long marriage and family life have remained important parts of Bush\u2019s public identity.<\/p>\n
In 1994, George W. Bush challenged Democratic Governor Ann Richards in one of the most closely watched gubernatorial races in the country.<\/p>\n
Bush campaigned on a platform that emphasized education reform, welfare changes, limits on lawsuits, tax reductions, and criminal justice.<\/p>\n
On November 8, 1994, he won the election and became the 46th governor of Texas.<\/p>\n
He took office in January 1995.<\/p>\n
Bush\u2019s years as governor helped establish the political identity he would later carry into his presidential campaign. He promoted what he described as \u201ccompassionate conservatism,\u201d combining traditional Republican ideas about limited government and personal responsibility with programs aimed at education and social problems.<\/p>\n
During his governorship, Bush worked with a Texas legislature that included influential members of both political parties.<\/p>\n
His administration pursued changes in public education, taxes, welfare policy, civil litigation, business policy, and criminal justice.<\/p>\n
His popularity in Texas grew substantially.<\/p>\n
In 1998, Bush won reelection with 68.6 percent of the vote, becoming the first Texas governor to win consecutive four-year terms.<\/p>\n
By then, speculation about a presidential campaign was growing.<\/p>\n
Bush possessed several political advantages.<\/p>\n
He was governor of one of the nation\u2019s largest states.<\/p>\n
He had demonstrated an ability to attract support beyond the Republican Party\u2019s traditional base in Texas.<\/p>\n
And his family name was already known throughout the United States.<\/p>\n
His father had served as president from 1989 to 1993, but George W. Bush worked to develop a political identity of his own.<\/p>\n
Soon, he would attempt something few presidential children in modern American history had accomplished.<\/p>\n
He would try to follow his father into the White House.<\/p>\n
George W. Bush formally entered the race for president and emerged as the Republican nominee in 2000.<\/p>\n
His principal opponent in the general election was Democratic Vice President Al Gore, who had served for eight years under President Bill Clinton.<\/p>\n
Bush selected former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney as his running mate.<\/p>\n
The campaign focused heavily on taxes, education, Social Security, Medicare, the role of the federal government, and the direction the country should take after the Clinton years.<\/p>\n
But nothing about the campaign prepared Americans for how close the final result would become.<\/p>\n
On election night, November 7, 2000, the race came down largely to Florida.<\/p>\n
The margin separating Bush and Gore there was extraordinarily small.<\/p>\n
Recounts, disputes over ballots, and legal challenges followed.<\/p>\n
For weeks, Americans did not know with certainty who would become the next president.<\/p>\n
The controversy eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
After the recount dispute ended, Bush was awarded Florida\u2019s electoral votes and secured the presidency.<\/p>\n
The official Electoral College result was 271 votes for Bush and 266 for Gore, with one District of Columbia elector abstaining.<\/p>\n
Gore, however, received more votes nationwide in the popular vote.<\/p>\n
The election remained politically controversial, but constitutionally the result was settled.<\/p>\n
On January 20, 2001, George W. Bush was inaugurated as the 43rd president of the United States.<\/p>\n
At the time, few people could have imagined how dramatically his presidency would change within eight months.<\/p>\n
On the morning of September 11, 2001, President Bush was visiting Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida.<\/p>\n
While he was there, the United States came under attack.<\/p>\n
Hijacked commercial airplanes struck the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
A fourth hijacked aircraft, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members resisted the hijackers.<\/p>\n
Nearly 3,000 people were killed.<\/p>\n
The attacks immediately transformed Bush\u2019s presidency and U.S. foreign and national-security policy.<\/p>\n
Images from that morning became some of the defining images of the early 21st century.<\/p>\n
Bush was sitting in a classroom when White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card approached him and quietly informed him that a second aircraft had struck the World Trade Center and that America was under attack.<\/p>\n
Bush remained in the classroom briefly before leaving to receive security briefings and address the developing crisis.<\/p>\n
Later that day, he returned to Washington.<\/p>\n
The president addressed the nation from the Oval Office that evening.<\/p>\n
In the days that followed, the Bush administration began developing a broad response that became known as the \u201cWar on Terror.\u201d<\/p>\n
The United States demanded that Afghanistan\u2019s Taliban government turn over al-Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden, and dismantle terrorist training operations.<\/p>\n
When those demands were not met to the satisfaction of the U.S. government, American and allied forces began military operations in Afghanistan in October 2001.<\/p>\n
The Taliban government was rapidly removed from national power, although the conflict itself would continue for many years.<\/p>\n
The attacks also produced major changes inside the United States.<\/p>\n
Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act, expanding federal counterterrorism and surveillance authorities.<\/p>\n
The federal government also underwent a major reorganization that included the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n
Supporters argued that stronger security powers were necessary to prevent another large-scale terrorist attack.<\/p>\n
Critics raised concerns about privacy, civil liberties, detention policies, surveillance, and the scope of executive power.<\/p>\n
Those debates would continue long after Bush left office.<\/p>\n
Afghanistan became the first major military conflict of the Bush presidency.<\/p>\n
The immediate objective was to disrupt al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban government that had provided sanctuary to its leadership.<\/p>\n
American forces worked alongside Afghan groups and international allies.<\/p>\n
The Taliban government collapsed quickly.<\/p>\n
But establishing a stable Afghan political system proved far more difficult.<\/p>\n
Osama bin Laden escaped capture during the Bush presidency and was ultimately killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011, during the presidency of Barack Obama.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Bush increasingly argued that the United States had to confront potential threats before they developed into attacks on American territory.<\/p>\n
That philosophy became an important part of what came to be called the Bush Doctrine.<\/p>\n
In his January 2002 State of the Union address, Bush identified Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as an \u201caxis of evil,\u201d arguing that regimes seeking weapons of mass destruction could represent a serious threat in the post-9\/11 world.<\/p>\n
Attention increasingly turned toward Iraq.<\/p>\n
And that decision would become one of the most debated parts of Bush\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n
Iraq was ruled by Saddam Hussein, whose government had fought against a U.S.-led coalition during the 1991 Gulf War.<\/p>\n
The Bush administration argued that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, had violated United Nations obligations, and posed an unacceptable security risk.<\/p>\n
The administration also discussed alleged connections between Iraq and terrorism, although the nature and significance of those claims became heavily disputed.<\/p>\n
After months of international diplomacy and political debate, a U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq in March 2003.<\/p>\n
Baghdad fell within weeks.<\/p>\n
Saddam Hussein\u2019s government collapsed.<\/p>\n
In December 2003, U.S. forces captured Hussein near Tikrit. He was later tried by an Iraqi court and executed in 2006.<\/p>\n
But the expected stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction were not found.<\/p>\n
That fact became central to the controversy surrounding the war.<\/p>\n
The conflict also evolved into a prolonged insurgency and sectarian struggle.<\/p>\n
Thousands of American service members were killed during the Iraq conflict, while Iraqi military personnel and civilians also suffered extensive casualties.<\/p>\n
Arguments over the decision to invade Iraq became increasingly intense in the United States and internationally.<\/p>\n
Supporters of the administration emphasized the removal of Saddam Hussein and efforts to establish an elected Iraqi government.<\/p>\n
Critics argued that the intelligence used to justify the invasion had been deeply flawed and questioned the planning for Iraq after Saddam\u2019s government fell.<\/p>\n
The Iraq War would remain one of the defining and most contested elements of Bush\u2019s presidential record.<\/p>\n
Although foreign policy dominated much of Bush\u2019s presidency after September 11, his administration also pursued an ambitious domestic agenda.<\/p>\n
One of his earliest priorities was reducing federal taxes.<\/p>\n
Congress enacted major tax cuts in 2001 and again in 2003.<\/p>\n
Bush argued that allowing Americans to keep more of their income would encourage economic activity and investment.<\/p>\n
Supporters credited the cuts with providing economic stimulus and reducing tax burdens.<\/p>\n
Critics argued that they disproportionately benefited higher-income households and contributed to larger federal budget deficits.<\/p>\n
Education was another major priority.<\/p>\n
On January 8, 2002, Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law.<\/p>\n
The legislation increased federal requirements for school testing and accountability and required states to measure student performance against academic standards.<\/p>\n
The law initially attracted substantial bipartisan support.<\/p>\n
Over time, however, teachers, state officials, parents, and policymakers increasingly debated its reliance on standardized testing and the consequences imposed on schools that failed to meet performance targets.<\/p>\n
Healthcare also became part of Bush\u2019s domestic legacy.<\/p>\n
His administration supported the creation of a prescription-drug benefit under Medicare, significantly expanding the federal program\u2019s role in helping older Americans pay for medications.<\/p>\n
One part of Bush\u2019s presidency that received substantial bipartisan support was his administration\u2019s effort to fight HIV\/AIDS internationally.<\/p>\n
In his 2003 State of the Union address, Bush announced the President\u2019s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, better known as PEPFAR.<\/p>\n
The original proposal committed $15 billion over five years to HIV\/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care, particularly in heavily affected countries. Congress subsequently authorized the program.<\/p>\n
PEPFAR continued under later administrations.<\/p>\n
By its 20th anniversary in 2023, the U.S. State Department reported that programs supported through PEPFAR had helped save approximately 25 million lives worldwide.<\/p>\n
The initiative became one of the most enduring international programs associated with the Bush presidency.<\/p>\n
Despite intense political divisions over Iraq and the War on Terror, Bush sought a second term in 2004.<\/p>\n
His Democratic opponent was Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, a Vietnam War veteran.<\/p>\n
National security, Iraq, terrorism, healthcare, the economy, and social issues all played major roles in the campaign.<\/p>\n
This time, unlike in 2000, there was no prolonged recount battle determining the outcome.<\/p>\n
Bush won reelection with approximately 50.7 percent of the popular vote compared with Kerry\u2019s 48.3 percent.<\/p>\n
He also won 286 electoral votes to Kerry\u2019s 251.<\/p>\n
Bush began his second term in January 2005.<\/p>\n
But the following four years would bring a different set of challenges.<\/p>\n
One of the greatest domestic crises of Bush\u2019s second term came in August 2005.<\/p>\n
Hurricane Katrina devastated areas along the Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n
New Orleans suffered catastrophic flooding after failures in the city\u2019s levee and flood-protection system.<\/p>\n
Images of stranded residents, overwhelmed emergency facilities, damaged neighborhoods, and delayed assistance shocked the country.<\/p>\n
The response involved local, state, and federal authorities, and investigations later examined failures across multiple levels of government.<\/p>\n
The Bush administration faced particularly intense criticism over the speed and effectiveness of the federal response.<\/p>\n
Katrina became an important moment in public perceptions of Bush\u2019s second term and raised broader questions about disaster preparedness and federal emergency management.<\/p>\n
At the same time, conditions in Iraq deteriorated.<\/p>\n
Sectarian violence increased dramatically.<\/p>\n
Bombings, insurgent attacks, and fighting between armed groups made political stabilization extremely difficult.<\/p>\n
By 2006, public debate in the United States over the war had intensified significantly.<\/p>\n
In early 2007, Bush announced a new strategy that included deploying additional American troops to Iraq.<\/p>\n
The policy became known as the \u201csurge.\u201d<\/p>\n
The additional forces were accompanied by changes in counterinsurgency strategy and cooperation with local Iraqi groups.<\/p>\n
Security conditions later improved in several areas, although historians and analysts continue to debate the relative importance of the surge, changing Iraqi political dynamics, local alliances, and other factors.<\/p>\n
Bush remained committed to the war despite declining public support.<\/p>\n
It was a decision that would shape assessments of his presidency for decades.<\/p>\n
Then came another historic crisis.<\/p>\n
During Bush\u2019s final year in office, the American financial system entered its most serious crisis since the Great Depression.<\/p>\n
Years of problems in the housing and mortgage markets contributed to mounting losses across financial institutions.<\/p>\n
Major companies collapsed or came close to failure.<\/p>\n
In September 2008, investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.<\/p>\n
Financial markets plunged.<\/p>\n
Credit markets froze.<\/p>\n
Fear spread through the global economy.<\/p>\n
The Bush administration and Federal Reserve took extraordinary measures intended to prevent a broader collapse of the financial system.<\/p>\n
The administration supported the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, which Congress authorized to stabilize financial institutions and markets.<\/p>\n
The intervention was controversial.<\/p>\n
Many Americans questioned why the federal government was providing extraordinary assistance to financial institutions while ordinary households faced foreclosures, unemployment, and declining savings.<\/p>\n
Administration officials argued that allowing the financial system to collapse could produce even more severe economic consequences.<\/p>\n
The crisis continued into the next administration and contributed to a deep recession.<\/p>\n
It meant that Bush would leave office during a period of significant economic uncertainty.<\/p>\n
The 2008 presidential election was won by Democratic Senator Barack Obama.<\/p>\n
On January 20, 2009, Bush attended Obama\u2019s inauguration and officially completed eight years as president.<\/p>\n
He was 62 years old.<\/p>\n
After decades spent around politics\u2014from his father\u2019s campaigns to the Texas governor\u2019s mansion and finally the presidency\u2014Bush largely withdrew from day-to-day partisan political activity.<\/p>\n
He and Laura returned to Texas.<\/p>\n
Unlike some former presidents, Bush generally avoided becoming a constant commentator on his successor.<\/p>\n
Instead, his post-presidential life gradually developed around several very different interests.<\/p>\n
One of them surprised many Americans.<\/p>\n
Painting.<\/p>\n
After leaving office, Bush began seriously studying painting.<\/p>\n
What started as a private hobby eventually became a significant part of his public post-presidential identity.<\/p>\n
He painted landscapes, animals, self-portraits, world leaders, immigrants, military veterans, and others whose stories interested him.<\/p>\n
One of his best-known projects became Portraits of Courage<\/em>.<\/p>\n The collection featured paintings of American military veterans who had served after September 11.<\/p>\n The accompanying book presented their portraits and stories, while Bush used the project to draw attention to veterans and the challenges some faced while returning to civilian life.<\/p>\n The contrast was striking.<\/p>\n A man whose presidency had been dominated by war was now spending hours quietly working with brushes and oil paint.<\/p>\n But veterans remained closely connected to his post-presidential work.<\/p>\n Bush also established his presidential center in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n The George W. Bush Presidential Center includes his presidential library and museum as well as the George W. Bush Institute.<\/p>\n Through the institute, Bush and Laura have supported work involving veterans, global health, economic opportunity, education, democracy, leadership, and other policy areas.<\/p>\n Programs focused on military veterans have been especially visible.<\/p>\n Bush has participated in events intended to help post-9\/11 veterans transition into civilian employment and education and address health and well-being challenges.<\/p>\n He has also remained involved in discussions about global health and democracy.<\/p>\n One of the defining relationships in Bush\u2019s life was his bond with his father, George H. W. Bush.<\/p>\n They were only the second father and son, after John Adams and John Quincy Adams, to both serve as presidents of the United States.<\/p>\n Their presidencies were very different.<\/p>\n George H. W. Bush entered office near the end of the Cold War.<\/p>\n George W. Bush entered office in a period of relative peace but soon confronted the September 11 attacks and the conflicts that followed.<\/p>\n Despite inevitable political comparisons, the younger Bush frequently expressed affection and admiration for his father.<\/p>\n George H. W. Bush died on November 30, 2018, at the age of 94.<\/p>\n At the funeral at Washington National Cathedral, George W. Bush delivered a deeply personal eulogy.<\/p>\n Near the conclusion, his voice broke with emotion as he spoke about his father not simply as a president, statesman, or war veteran, but as a parent.<\/p>\n It was a rare public moment in which the political dynasty faded into the background and the relationship between a son and his father took center stage.<\/p>\n Family remained central to Bush\u2019s life after the presidency.<\/p>\n He and Laura settled in Texas and became grandparents as their daughters built families and careers of their own.<\/p>\n Jenna Bush Hager developed a career in television, journalism, and publishing.<\/p>\n Barbara Pierce Bush pursued work in global health and nonprofit leadership.<\/p>\n George W. Bush, who had once been photographed in the Oval Office meeting world leaders and military commanders, increasingly appeared publicly as a father and grandfather.<\/p>\n That transition represented another stage in a life that had repeatedly changed direction.<\/p>\n Oil businessman.<\/p>\n Baseball executive.<\/p>\n Governor.<\/p>\n President.<\/p>\n Wartime commander in chief.<\/p>\n Former president.<\/p>\n Author.<\/p>\n Painter.<\/p>\n Grandfather.<\/p>\n Assessments of George W. Bush\u2019s presidency remain contested.<\/p>\n The September 11 attacks and the government\u2019s response transformed American national-security policy.<\/p>\n The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq affected millions of people and shaped U.S. foreign policy for years afterward.<\/p>\n The Iraq invasion remains particularly debated because the weapons stockpiles that formed a major part of the public case for war were not found.<\/p>\n His domestic record included major tax reductions, education reform, Medicare prescription-drug coverage, expanded security institutions, and other significant policy changes.<\/p>\n His administration also launched PEPFAR, which continued through successive administrations and became a major component of U.S. global health policy.<\/p>\n Then there was the 2008 financial crisis, which erupted during his final year and required extraordinary government intervention.<\/p>\n These events make Bush difficult to understand through any single episode.<\/p>\n His presidency encompassed national trauma, war, domestic policy changes, humanitarian initiatives, political controversy, and economic crisis.<\/p>\n Different historians, policymakers, veterans, Americans, and people abroad have reached sharply different conclusions about those decisions and their consequences.<\/p>\n Even decades after his first presidential campaign, George W. Bush has remained involved in selected public causes while generally staying outside everyday electoral politics.<\/p>\n His interest in painting has also continued.<\/p>\n In September 2026, the George W. Bush Presidential Center announced another major painting project.<\/p>\n A forthcoming book titled The Call of Freedom: Portraits of Political Prisoners and Dissidents<\/em> is scheduled for publication in March 2027, accompanied by an exhibition at the Bush Center.<\/p>\n The project features Bush\u2019s paintings and stories of political dissidents and prisoners from around the world.<\/p>\n It represents an unusual continuation of a public life that began in a political dynasty but repeatedly moved in unexpected directions.<\/p>\n George W. Bush entered the White House expecting to focus heavily on domestic issues such as education, taxes, and government reform.<\/p>\n Eight months later, history changed the direction of his presidency.<\/p>\n September 11 transformed his administration.<\/p>\n Afghanistan and Iraq defined much of the international debate surrounding it.<\/p>\n Domestic reforms changed education, taxes, healthcare, and national security.<\/p>\n The financial crisis defined his final months in office.<\/p>\n And after leaving Washington, he exchanged the daily pressures of the Oval Office for a quieter life centered on family, public-service initiatives, veterans\u2014and a paintbrush.<\/p>\n More than two decades after the September 11 attacks, debates over the decisions made during his presidency continue.<\/p>\n That may ultimately be one of the most important realities of George W. Bush\u2019s story.<\/p>\n His presidency did not simply occupy eight years of American history.<\/p>\n Many of the arguments, institutions, wars, security policies, and international programs associated with those years continued shaping the United States long after he left the White House.<\/p>\n By 2026, George W. Bush had reached another significant moment in his post-presidential life. By this stage of his life, painting was no longer simply a private hobby for George W. Bush. When American forces entered Afghanistan in October 2001, few could have predicted that U.S. military involvement there would extend across four presidential administrations. Few decisions associated with George W. Bush have generated more debate than the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Presidential histories are often written using enormous numbers. There is something unusual about becoming a former president. The George W. Bush Presidential Center opened in Dallas in 2013. Long before Bush became president, another transformation had taken place in his life. Being George H. W. Bush\u2019s son opened doors. Barbara Bush died on April 17, 2018. When George H. W. Bush died on November 30, 2018, America prepared for the funeral of a former president. Another transformation was happening at the same time. One of the more interesting features of former presidential life is how relationships can change once elections are over. Every president eventually confronts a reality he cannot control. Perhaps no image better captures Bush\u2019s unusual post-presidential journey than the paintbrush. On July 6, 2026, George W. Bush turned 80 years old. Bush\u2019s painting also continued beyond veterans and September 11. George W. Bush\u2019s biography spans several different Americas. How will George W. Bush ultimately be remembered? To understand George W. Bush\u2019s life outside politics, it is important to understand Laura Bush. Barbara and Jenna Bush were nineteen years old when their father became president. During Bush\u2019s presidency, one Texas property became internationally recognizable. Before politics made George W. Bush internationally famous, baseball helped make him publicly recognizable in Texas. From outside the White House, presidents can appear enormously powerful. No presidency belongs to one person alone. One of the most consequential moments before the Iraq invasion occurred on February 5, 2003. Condoleezza Rice held an especially important position in Bush\u2019s administration. Political decisions can be reversed. In 2004, photographs emerged showing U.S. military personnel abusing and humiliating detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Another controversial legacy of the post-September 11 era involved the detention facility at Guant\u00e1namo Bay, Cuba. Presidents influence American law long after leaving office through their appointments to the federal judiciary. Immigration occupied an interesting position in Bush\u2019s political career.17. The George W. Bush Presidential Center<\/h2>\n
18. His Relationship With His Father<\/h2>\n
19. Laura, Barbara, Jenna and the Next Generation<\/h2>\n
20. How History Continues to Examine His Presidency<\/h2>\n
21. A New Chapter Still Being Written<\/h2>\n
22. Twenty-Five Years After September 11<\/h2>\n
\nSeptember 11, 2026, marked twenty-five years since the terrorist attacks that transformed his presidency and changed the United States.
\nFor Bush, the anniversary was inevitably personal.
\nHe had entered the White House in January 2001 expecting an administration focused heavily on education, taxes, Social Security, and other domestic priorities.
\nLess than eight months later, he became a wartime president.
\nA quarter-century afterward, the images remained embedded in American history:
\nThe burning towers.
\nThe damaged Pentagon.
\nThe wreckage of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.
\nBush sitting inside an elementary-school classroom when Chief of Staff Andrew Card whispered that America was under attack.
\nAnd three days later, Bush standing amid the ruins of the World Trade Center with his arm around retired firefighter Bob Beckwith.
\nThose moments became inseparable from Bush\u2019s public identity.
\nIn September 2026, the George W. Bush Presidential Center organized commemorative programming marking the 25th anniversary.
\nOn September 9, Bush participated in A Legacy of Service: America at the 25th Anniversary of 9\/11<\/em>, including a conversation with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about the attacks and their continuing impact on American life.
\nBush and Laura Bush also planned commemorative appearances in New York, including Ground Zero and meetings connected with first responders and their families.
\nBut Bush commemorated the anniversary in another way as well.
\nHe painted.<\/p>\n23. Sixteen Paintings and Memories of September 11<\/h2>\n
\nIt had become another way through which he told stories.
\nFor the 25th anniversary of September 11, Bush created sixteen new works of art.
\nThe collection, titled Remembering 9\/11<\/em>, was displayed at the George W. Bush Presidential Museum during September 2026.
\nAccording to the Bush Center, the paintings were intended to reflect on courage, sacrifice, and resilience associated with the attacks and their aftermath.
\nIt was an extraordinary contrast with the Bush the world had known in 2001.
\nThen, television cameras followed him into military briefings, meetings with national-security officials, speeches before Congress, and visits to troops.
\nTwenty-five years later, some of those memories were being expressed on canvas.
\nIt also illustrated how dramatically his public life had changed after leaving office.
\nPresidents never completely escape their presidencies.
\nEvery former president carries decisions, achievements, controversies, tragedies, and unfinished debates into retirement.
\nFor Bush, September 11 remained at the center of that history.
\nBut there was another side to the story.
\nSeptember 11 was followed by decisions whose consequences lasted for decades.<\/p>\n24. The Long Shadow of Afghanistan<\/h2>\n
\nBush began the war.
\nBarack Obama inherited it.
\nDonald Trump negotiated an agreement with the Taliban concerning U.S. withdrawal.
\nJoe Biden oversaw the final American military withdrawal in 2021.
\nBy then, George W. Bush had been out of office for more than twelve years.
\nThe Taliban returned to national power as the Afghan government collapsed during the withdrawal.
\nFor historians examining Bush\u2019s presidency, Afghanistan therefore presents a complicated question.
\nThe initial military operation removed the Taliban government that had sheltered al-Qaeda.
\nBut the mission subsequently expanded into a much longer effort involving counterterrorism, security, reconstruction, and attempts to establish sustainable Afghan political institutions.
\nThose efforts produced achievements as well as enormous costs and ultimately failed to prevent the Taliban\u2019s return to power.
\nBush\u2019s original decision consequently cannot be examined only through the events of 2001.
\nIts consequences stretched far beyond his presidency.
\nThe same was even more true of Iraq.<\/p>\n25. Iraq and the Question That Followed Bush Into Retirement<\/h2>\n
\nThe Bush administration publicly emphasized concerns about Saddam Hussein\u2019s government, United Nations obligations, terrorism, and suspected weapons of mass destruction.
\nAmerican and coalition forces quickly overthrew Saddam\u2019s government.
\nBut the large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction expected before the invasion were not found.
\nThen came insurgency.
\nSectarian violence.
\nAbu Ghraib.
\nPolitical instability.
\nAmerican and coalition casualties.
\nAnd enormous Iraqi suffering and displacement.
\nThe arguments surrounding the war did not disappear when Bush left Washington.
\nSupporters of the decision have emphasized the brutality of Saddam Hussein\u2019s dictatorship and the establishment of an elected political system after his removal.
\nCritics have emphasized the intelligence failures, the absence of the expected WMD stockpiles, the human and financial costs, and failures in planning for post-invasion Iraq.
\nHistorians continue examining the documentary record and the consequences.
\nBush himself has continued to defend aspects of his decisions while also acknowledging that mistakes were made during the war.
\nIt is one reason his presidency continues to generate intense historical debate.<\/p>\n26. The Human Cost Behind Presidential Decisions<\/h2>\n
\nTroop deployments.
\nBudgets.
\nElection results.
\nEconomic growth.
\nCasualty figures.
\nApproval ratings.
\nBut behind those numbers are individual lives.
\nBush has spent significant portions of his post-presidential years interacting with military veterans.
\nFor him, the relationship with those who served during the wars launched under his administration became an important feature of life after the White House.
\nHe visited wounded veterans.
\nHe painted them.
\nHe wrote about them.
\nHe participated in programs focused on helping veterans transition to civilian life.
\nHis Portraits of Courage<\/em> project presented paintings and stories of military veterans.
\nThe project reflected an important theme in Bush\u2019s retirement:
\nWhatever historians ultimately conclude about the wars themselves, the former president continued emphasizing his personal respect for the people who carried out the military missions ordered during his presidency.
\nThe relationship between presidents and the troops they send into conflict is one of the heaviest responsibilities attached to the office.
\nFor Bush, that relationship did not end on January 20, 2009.<\/p>\n27. Life Without the Presidency<\/h2>\n
\nFor eight years, Bush had lived at the center of an enormous institution.
\nA motorcade waited whenever he traveled.
\nSecret Service agents surrounded him.
\nMilitary officers carried the communications equipment necessary for a president to respond to a national emergency.
\nEvery morning brought classified intelligence.
\nEvery sentence could become international news.
\nThen suddenly, another person occupied the Oval Office.
\nBush returned to Texas.
\nThe daily rhythm changed.
\nHe began riding his mountain bike more frequently.
\nHe spent time at his ranch.
\nHe wrote.
\nHe painted.
\nHe attended baseball games.
\nHe spent more time with Laura, his daughters, and eventually his grandchildren.
\nBut becoming a private citizen again did not mean becoming an ordinary citizen.
\nFormer presidents continue receiving Secret Service protection.
\nTheir public appearances attract attention.
\nTheir words can generate headlines.
\nAnd their presidential records remain subjects of constant reassessment.
\nBush appeared comfortable with a quieter role.
\nHe generally avoided offering a running commentary on every decision made by subsequent presidents.
\nInstead, much of his public activity moved through the George W. Bush Presidential Center.<\/p>\n28. The Bush Presidential Center and Preserving History<\/h2>\n
\nIts museum preserves artifacts and exhibits related to Bush\u2019s presidency, while the Bush Institute works on contemporary policy and leadership issues.
\nBy 2026, the Center continued hosting exhibitions, educational programs, public discussions, and initiatives involving veterans, global health, economic opportunity, democratic institutions, and other subjects.
\nVisitors can encounter replicas and recreations associated with Bush\u2019s White House years.
\nBut presidential libraries serve a larger purpose than celebrating individual presidents.
\nThey preserve documents that researchers can use to examine administrations critically.
\nOver time, as records become available and scholars conduct new research, interpretations of presidencies can change.
\nBush\u2019s historical reputation is therefore not fixed.
\nNor is the reputation of almost any president.
\nEach generation tends to ask different questions.<\/p>\n29. The Personal Transformation Behind the Public Figure<\/h2>\n
\nAs a younger man, Bush acknowledged that he drank heavily.
\nHe stopped drinking alcohol in 1986, the day after his 40th birthday.
\nBush has described faith as important to his personal development and decision to change his life.
\nWhatever political interpretations people attach to his religious language, the personal change itself became an important part of the story he told about his adulthood.
\nWithin less than a decade of giving up alcohol, he was elected governor of Texas.
\nSeveral years after that, he was president.
\nThat trajectory\u2014from businessman struggling to establish himself independently of his famous family to governor and then president\u2014became central to his political biography.
\nIt also affected the way Bush often talked about second chances, responsibility, faith, and personal transformation.<\/p>\n30. Living in the Shadow of a Famous Name<\/h2>\n
\nIt also created expectations.
\nBefore George W. Bush ever ran for president, his family already occupied an extraordinary position in American politics.
\nHis grandfather Prescott Bush had served in the U.S. Senate.
\nHis father had been a congressman, ambassador, CIA director, vice president, and president.
\nHis younger brother Jeb became governor of Florida.
\nGeorge W. therefore spent much of his adult life surrounded by political expectations and comparisons.
\nYet his political style differed noticeably from his father\u2019s.
\nGeorge H. W. Bush had spent decades building a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 through Washington institutions and foreign-policy positions.
\nGeorge W. Bush built his political career largely from Texas.
\nHis speech patterns were different.
\nHis campaign style was different.
\nHis public personality was different.
\nAnd the historical circumstances each man encountered as president were radically different.
\nThe father presided over the final phase of the Cold War.
\nThe son became president at the beginning of what would be called the War on Terror.<\/p>\n31. Saying Goodbye to His Mother<\/h2>\n
\nShe was 92.
\nTo the public, Barbara had been a first lady known for her white hair, direct manner, humor, and advocacy for literacy.
\nTo George W. Bush, she was simply his mother.
\nHer death began an especially emotional year for the Bush family.
\nOnly months later, George H. W. Bush died.
\nFor George W., losing both parents within the same calendar year closed an enormous chapter of his life.
\nThe political dynasty remained.
\nThe presidential libraries remained.
\nThe history books remained.
\nBut the family structure in which George W. Bush had spent more than seventy years had fundamentally changed.<\/p>\n32. The Final Farewell to George H. W. Bush<\/h2>\n
\nGeorge W. Bush prepared to bury his father.
\nAt Washington National Cathedral, he delivered the eulogy.
\nHe described his father\u2019s character, humor, friendships, public service, and devotion to family.
\nThen came the closing moments.
\nThe former president standing at the lectern was no longer primarily speaking as the 43rd president about the 41st.
\nHe was a son speaking about his father.
\nHis composure broke as he reached the end.
\nIt was one of the most emotional public moments of George W. Bush\u2019s life.
\nFor decades, politics had connected father and son.
\nNow politics seemed almost irrelevant.<\/p>\n33. Becoming a Grandfather<\/h2>\n
\nBush became a grandfather.
\nFor someone whose adult life had included oil companies, baseball ownership, political campaigns, wars, economic crises, and the presidency, grandparenthood offered something entirely different.
\nHis daughters Barbara and Jenna had grown from children in Texas into adults with families and careers.
\nJenna became widely known through television and publishing.
\nBarbara pursued nonprofit and global-health work.
\nTheir father was no longer responsible for running the United States.
\nHe could simply be \u201cGrandpa.\u201d
\nPhotographs and interviews from his later years often showed a noticeably more relaxed man than the president Americans remembered from the tense years after September 11.
\nThat does not erase the history.
\nBut it reveals another side of the person who lived through it.<\/p>\n34. When Political Rivals Become Friends<\/h2>\n
\nBush developed an especially visible friendship with former President Bill Clinton.
\nTheir political families had once been rivals.
\nClinton defeated George H. W. Bush in the 1992 presidential election.
\nGeorge W. Bush later entered the White House after Clinton.
\nYet the two former presidents eventually worked together on humanitarian initiatives, including disaster-relief fundraising.
\nBush also developed a warm public relationship with Michelle Obama.
\nImages of the two exchanging greetings\u2014and sometimes candy\u2014at major public events attracted attention precisely because they represented something different from the harshness often associated with partisan politics.
\nSuch friendships did not mean political disagreements disappeared.
\nRather, they illustrated how relationships between former political opponents can evolve outside electoral competition.<\/p>\n35. The Weight of Presidential Legacy<\/h2>\n
\nHistory continues without him.
\nGeorge W. Bush could make decisions while he occupied the Oval Office.
\nHe could defend them afterward.
\nHe could write memoirs.
\nHe could give interviews.
\nHe could establish a presidential center.
\nBut he could not determine how future generations would interpret his presidency.
\nThat judgment remains contested and changes as additional evidence and historical distance accumulate.
\nSeptember 11 alone would guarantee Bush a major place in American history.
\nAdd Afghanistan.
\nIraq.
\nTax cuts.
\nNo Child Left Behind.
\nMedicare Part D.
\nPEPFAR.
\nHurricane Katrina.
\nThe 2008 financial crisis.
\nThe expansion of federal national-security institutions.
\nThe result is a presidency with consequences that extended far beyond January 2009.<\/p>\n36. The President Who Became an Artist<\/h2>\n
\nPresidents spend their careers communicating through speeches.
\nBush eventually began communicating through portraits.
\nHe painted veterans.
\nImmigrants.
\nWorld leaders.
\nAnd, by 2026, memories connected to September 11.
\nThe Bush Center said his Remembering 9\/11<\/em> exhibition contained sixteen new paintings and ran during September 2026.
\nThe timing was significant.
\nTwenty-five years earlier, Bush had stood on rubble at Ground Zero.
\nNow he was painting images connected with the people and memories of that day.
\nHistory had not disappeared.
\nHe had simply found another way to engage with it.<\/p>\n37. George W. Bush at 80<\/h2>\n
\nIt represented another remarkable milestone.
\nHe had been 54 when he entered the White House.
\nHe was 55 when September 11 occurred.
\nHe was 62 when he left office.
\nNow nearly a quarter-century separated the elderly former president from the relatively young president who had faced the cameras after America came under attack.
\nTime changes the way political figures are viewed.
\nPeople who experienced Bush\u2019s presidency as adults remember the arguments in real time.
\nYounger generations increasingly encounter him through textbooks, documentaries, archives, museums, and online footage.
\nThat transition\u2014from contemporary politician to historical figure\u2014is already well underway.
\nYet Bush remains alive to participate in discussions surrounding his own history.<\/p>\n38. A New Artistic Project<\/h2>\n
\nIn September 2026, the Bush Center announced The Call of Freedom: Portraits of Political Prisoners and Dissidents<\/em>, a collection combining his paintings with stories of people who had confronted authoritarian governments.
\nAn exhibition was scheduled to open at the Bush Center in March 2027. The Center\u2019s current event calendar lists it as running from March 9, 2027, into January 2028.
\nOnce again, the former president was using art to return to themes that had appeared throughout his political career.
\nFreedom.
\nDemocracy.
\nHuman dignity.
\nPolitical repression.
\nPeople can and do disagree sharply over how Bush applied those ideas while president.
\nHis post-presidential work nevertheless shows that they remain subjects he publicly emphasizes.<\/p>\n39. The Story Is Bigger Than One Presidency<\/h2>\n
\nHe was born immediately after World War II.
\nHe grew up during the early Cold War.
\nHe came of age during Vietnam.
\nHe entered business during the turbulent energy markets of the 1970s and 1980s.
\nHe watched his father become president as the Soviet Union approached collapse.
\nHe became president at the beginning of a new century.
\nThen September 11 changed everything.
\nHe led the country into wars whose consequences continued long after his presidency.
\nHe left office during a global financial crisis.
\nAnd he spent retirement watching later presidents confront consequences connected to decisions made during his administration.
\nThat is why the Bush story cannot be reduced to a single election, speech, war, or controversy.
\nIt stretches across generations.<\/p>\n40. The Final Question History Has Not Yet Answered<\/h2>\n
\nThere is no single settled answer.
\nFor some Americans, the defining memory remains his leadership immediately after September 11.
\nFor critics, the Iraq War and the failures surrounding the intelligence and aftermath of the invasion dominate assessments of his presidency.
\nOthers emphasize PEPFAR, education policy, tax policy, national-security changes, Hurricane Katrina, or the financial crisis.
\nHistorians will continue examining all of them.
\nThat is how presidential history works.
\nRecords are opened.
\nDocuments are studied.
\nParticipants publish memoirs.
\nNew generations ask different questions.
\nConsequences that were impossible to see at the moment of a decision become clearer decades later.
\nGeorge W. Bush\u2019s place in history therefore remains a continuing subject of study rather than a closed verdict.
\nBut one fact is already clear.
\nThe world in which George W. Bush entered the White House on January 20, 2001, was profoundly different from the world he left behind eight years later.
\nAnd many of the decisions made during those eight years continued to influence American foreign policy, national security, public institutions, and political debate long after he returned home to Texas.
\nToday, the man who once sat behind the Resolute Desk spends much of his public post-presidential life far removed from the daily pressures of Washington.
\nHe is a husband.
\nA father.
\nA grandfather.
\nA former president.
\nAn author.
\nAnd, unexpectedly, a painter.
\nIn September 2026, twenty-five years after the day that permanently transformed his presidency, sixteen of his paintings were displayed at his presidential museum to commemorate September 11.
\nThe president who once had to speak to a frightened nation was now revisiting those memories with a brush and canvas.
\nIt is an unusual final chapter.
\nBut it is not yet the end.
\nGeorge W. Bush\u2019s life continues.
\nAnd so does the historical debate surrounding the decisions of America\u2019s 43rd president.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n41. Laura Bush \u2014 The Woman Beside Him Through Every Chapter<\/h2>\n
\nTheir personalities were noticeably different.
\nGeorge was often energetic, competitive, talkative, and comfortable teasing the people around him.
\nLaura was generally quieter and more reserved in public.
\nShe had worked as a teacher and librarian.
\nBooks and education were central interests long before she entered political life.
\nWhen they met in Midland, Texas, in 1977, neither could have known where their marriage would eventually take them.
\nThey married later that year.
\nYears afterward, Laura would accompany George through campaigns, the Texas governor\u2019s mansion, two presidential elections, September 11, two wars, political controversies, and finally life after Washington.
\nBut she did more than simply stand beside him.
\nAs first lady, Laura developed her own public priorities.
\nLiteracy and education remained central.
\nShe promoted reading programs and libraries and helped establish the National Book Festival with the Library of Congress.
\nShe also became increasingly involved with global health and issues affecting women internationally.
\nHer public role became especially significant in discussions involving women in Afghanistan after the Taliban government was removed from national power in 2001.
\nFor George W. Bush, however, Laura\u2019s importance was also deeply personal.
\nThe presidency can isolate the person holding the office.
\nEvery decision is examined.
\nEvery mistake becomes public.
\nEvery crisis arrives at the president\u2019s desk.
\nInside that environment, family can become one of the few places where the president is not simply \u201cMr. President.\u201d
\nLaura had known George before the governor\u2019s mansion.
\nBefore Air Force One.
\nBefore the Secret Service motorcade.
\nBefore the Oval Office.
\nAnd when those things disappeared, she was still there.<\/p>\n42. The Twins Who Suddenly Became Presidential Daughters<\/h2>\n
\nThat placed them in an unusual position.
\nThey were young adults trying to build their own identities while their father occupied perhaps the most scrutinized political office in the world.
\nAlmost overnight, ordinary mistakes could become national news.
\nSecret Service agents were part of everyday life.
\nPhotographers followed them.
\nTabloids discussed them.
\nLate-night comedians made jokes about them.
\nThe twins experienced some public controversies during their father\u2019s first term, particularly involving underage drinking.
\nFor most teenagers or college students, such incidents might remain relatively private.
\nFor presidential daughters, they became headlines.
\nAs they grew older, however, Barbara and Jenna increasingly established lives independent of their father\u2019s presidency.
\nJenna became a teacher, author, journalist, and television personality.
\nBarbara became involved in global health and nonprofit work.
\nTheir lives also gave George and Laura something they had never experienced during the White House years.
\nGrandchildren.
\nThe man who had once received national-security briefings before breakfast could now spend time reading to children and enjoying family gatherings far from the Oval Office.<\/p>\n43. Crawford \u2014 The Other White House<\/h2>\n
\nPrairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas.
\nBush purchased the property before becoming president and frequently traveled there while in office.
\nBecause presidents never completely leave their responsibilities behind, Crawford sometimes became a temporary center of American government.
\nForeign leaders visited.
\nNational-security meetings occurred.
\nReporters gathered nearby.
\nSecret Service personnel protected the property.
\nBush cleared brush, rode his bicycle, and spent time outdoors.
\nThe contrast with Washington was considerable.
\nThe White House was formal.
\nCrawford was deliberately less so.
\nBush often seemed comfortable presenting himself as a Texan who preferred ranch clothes and outdoor work to Washington ceremony.
\nThe ranch became so closely associated with him that journalists sometimes referred to it as the \u201cWestern White House.\u201d
\nYet even there, the presidency followed him.
\nClassified information still arrived.
\nMilitary operations continued.
\nInternational crises did not wait for vacations to end.
\nThere is no true vacation from being president of the United States.<\/p>\n44. A President Who Loved Baseball<\/h2>\n
\nHis association with the Texas Rangers was more than a small line on his r\u00e9sum\u00e9.
\nBush loved the sport.
\nAs managing general partner of the Rangers ownership group, he frequently attended games and interacted with fans.
\nBaseball offered something politics rarely could.
\nClear rules.
\nA defined field.
\nA winner and loser at the end.
\nPresidential decisions were rarely so simple.
\nOne of the most memorable intersections between Bush, baseball, and the presidency came shortly after September 11.
\nOn October 30, 2001, Bush traveled to Yankee Stadium in New York for Game 3 of the World Series.
\nThe country remained anxious about additional attacks.
\nSecurity was extraordinary.
\nBefore throwing the ceremonial first pitch, Bush wore a bulletproof vest beneath his jacket.
\nHe walked onto the field and threw a strike.
\nThe moment became symbolic for many Americans watching at the time.
\nIt was not important because of the baseball itself.
\nIt was important because a frightened country was attempting to return to ordinary public life.<\/p>\n45. The Pressure Hidden Behind the Presidency<\/h2>\n
\nThey command the armed forces.
\nThey meet world leaders.
\nThey sign legislation.
\nThey address millions of people.
\nBut presidential power comes with another reality.
\nThe president receives information most people will never see.
\nPotential terrorist threats.
\nMilitary casualty reports.
\nIntelligence warnings.
\nEconomic dangers.
\nNatural disasters.
\nDiplomatic crises.
\nDecisions can affect millions of people, and sometimes there is no option without serious consequences.
\nBush frequently described the importance of making decisions and then refusing to become paralyzed by political criticism.
\nSupporters interpreted this quality as decisiveness.
\nCritics sometimes interpreted the same characteristic as stubbornness, particularly regarding Iraq.
\nThat contrast demonstrates how the same presidential trait can be evaluated differently depending on the consequences of a decision.
\nA president who changes course can be described as flexible\u2014or inconsistent.
\nA president who refuses can be described as principled\u2014or inflexible.
\nHistory often determines which interpretation becomes more persuasive.
\nFor Bush, those arguments continue.<\/p>\n46. The People Inside the Bush White House<\/h2>\n
\nBush surrounded himself with several figures who became major characters in the political history of the early 2000s.
\nVice President Dick Cheney was one of the most influential.
\nCheney had extensive Washington experience before joining the ticket, having previously served as White House chief of staff, congressman, and secretary of defense.
\nCondoleezza Rice initially served as Bush\u2019s national security adviser and later became secretary of state.
\nColin Powell served as secretary of state during Bush\u2019s first term.
\nDonald Rumsfeld served as secretary of defense during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq until his resignation in 2006.
\nKarl Rove became one of Bush\u2019s best-known political advisers.
\nWhite House Chief of Staff Andrew Card was the man who whispered the news of the second World Trade Center attack into Bush\u2019s ear on September 11.
\nEach played a different role.
\nAnd each became part of the debates surrounding the administration\u2019s decisions.
\nUnderstanding the Bush presidency therefore requires examining not only Bush himself but also the advisers, agencies, military commanders, legislators, allies, and opponents who influenced events.<\/p>\n47. Colin Powell and the United Nations<\/h2>\n
\nSecretary of State Colin Powell addressed the United Nations Security Council.
\nHe presented the U.S. government\u2019s case concerning Iraq\u2019s alleged weapons programs and its compliance with international obligations.
\nPowell\u2019s reputation as a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff gave the presentation considerable weight.
\nBut important intelligence claims used to support the case for war later proved inaccurate.
\nPowell subsequently expressed regret about the speech and described it as a lasting mark on his record.
\nThe episode became one of the clearest examples of how intelligence failures surrounding Iraq affected the reputations of officials throughout the Bush administration.
\nIt also illustrated something larger.
\nGovernments often make decisions under uncertainty.
\nBut when those decisions involve war, errors can produce consequences that last generations.<\/p>\n48. Condoleezza Rice and a Historic Appointment<\/h2>\n
\nShe served as national security adviser during his first term.
\nIn 2005, she became secretary of state.
\nRice was the first Black woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state.
\nShe had a close professional relationship with Bush and became one of the administration\u2019s principal voices on foreign policy.
\nHer tenure included diplomacy involving Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, the Middle East, Russia, and other major international issues.
\nYears after leaving government, Rice and Bush continued appearing together at events connected with the Bush Presidential Center.
\nTheir relationship provides another example of how many of Bush\u2019s White House relationships continued well beyond January 2009.<\/p>\n49. The Decisions Presidents Cannot Take Back<\/h2>\n
\nTaxes can be changed.
\nRegulations can be rewritten.
\nPrograms can be replaced.
\nBut some decisions cannot truly be undone.
\nWar belongs in that category.
\nOnce military forces enter another country, history begins moving in directions that no president can completely control.
\nBush could order the invasion of Iraq.
\nHe could not determine every consequence that followed.
\nSaddam Hussein\u2019s government fell rapidly.
\nWhat followed was far less predictable.
\nLooting.
\nInsurgency.
\nSectarian violence.
\nPolitical struggles.
\nTerrorist organizations.
\nCivilian suffering.
\nMilitary casualties.
\nAttempts at democratic government.
\nRegional consequences.
\nThe experience demonstrated the enormous difference between defeating a government militarily and constructing a stable political order afterward.
\nThat distinction became central to later assessments of the Iraq War.<\/p>\n50. Abu Ghraib and a Damaging Scandal<\/h2>\n
\nThe images caused international outrage.
\nThey damaged the United States\u2019 reputation and became propaganda material for American adversaries.
\nBush condemned the abuse and said those responsible did not represent the values of the United States.
\nInvestigations and prosecutions followed, and several American military personnel were convicted.
\nBut the scandal raised broader questions about detention practices, military oversight, interrogation policies, and accountability during the War on Terror.
\nFor an administration that frequently described the conflicts in moral terms involving freedom and democracy, Abu Ghraib created a particularly damaging contradiction.
\nThe photographs became another enduring image of the Iraq conflict.<\/p>\n51. Guant\u00e1namo Bay and the Debate Over Presidential Power<\/h2>\n
\nThe Bush administration began holding terrorism suspects there in 2002.
\nThe government argued that detention and interrogation were necessary parts of preventing additional attacks and gathering intelligence.
\nCivil-liberties organizations, lawyers, international organizations, and critics challenged aspects of the detention system and the legal framework surrounding it.
\nQuestions reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
\nThe disputes involved fundamental issues:
\nWhat legal rights did detainees possess?
\nHow should suspected enemy combatants be treated?
\nHow far could presidential authority extend during an unconventional conflict against terrorist organizations?
\nThose debates continued after Bush left office.
\nLike Afghanistan and Iraq, Guant\u00e1namo demonstrated how policies created during an emergency can survive long after the emergency\u2019s first phase has passed.<\/p>\n52. Bush and the Supreme Court<\/h2>\n
\nGeorge W. Bush appointed two justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.
\nJohn G. Roberts Jr. became chief justice in 2005.
\nSamuel A. Alito Jr. joined the Court in 2006.
\nBoth remained on the Supreme Court more than two decades later.
\nThat longevity demonstrates one of the presidency\u2019s most enduring powers.
\nPresidents serve limited terms.
\nFederal judges can serve for decades.
\nAs a result, judicial appointments can continue affecting constitutional law long after the president who selected the judges has returned to private life.
\nBush also appointed numerous judges to lower federal courts.
\nTheir influence became another long-term component of his presidential legacy.<\/p>\n53. Immigration \u2014 An Unfinished Bush Priority<\/h2>\n
\nAs governor of Texas, Bush had considerable experience with issues involving the U.S.-Mexico border and Hispanic communities.
\nAs president, he supported comprehensive immigration reform that included stronger border enforcement while also creating a pathway toward legal status for many undocumented immigrants already living in the United States.
\nIn 2007, Bush supported a bipartisan immigration proposal in Congress.
\nThe effort failed.
\nThe defeat demonstrated the political difficulty surrounding immigration reform.
\nYears later, immigration remained one of the most contentious issues in American politics.
\nBush continued speaking publicly about immigration after leaving office and published a collection of painted portraits and stories of immigrants in his 2021 book Out of Many, One<\/em>.
\nThe project again connected his post-presidential painting with an issue he had confronted as a politician.<\/p>\n54. Africa and an Often Overlooked Part of His Presidency<\/h2>\n