George W. Bush (1946- ) 43rd president of the United States (2000 - 2008)

George W. Bush is the 43rd president of the United States. He was born in Connecticut in 1946, but grew up in Midland, Texas, the son of America's 41st president. Bush graduated from Yale University in 1968 and served as a fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. In 1975, Bush received a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University before moving back to Texas and working in the energy industry.

In 1988, Bush worked on his father's presidential campaign before assembling a group that bought the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989. In 1994, Bush was elected governor of Texas and was re-elected for a second term in 1998. In 2000, George W. Bush ran for president and defeated his Democrat opponent Al Gore in the closest, and most controversial, election in American history. On September 11, 2001, soon after Bush started his presidency, terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Centers in New York City, the Pentagon, and in a field 100 miles from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, resulting in the deaths of over 3,000 people. Bush promptly declared a war on terrorism, and sent thousands of American troops into Afghanistan (the supposed refuge of terrorists) to destroy the illegitimate government known as the Taliban. Successful in Afghanistan, Bush next set his sights on Iraq (a supposed nuclear threat). Although American soldiers have been successful in occupying the region, the war remains extremely unpopular throughout the world, and nuclear weapons have not been found.

Bush has proven to be on of the nation's most unpopular presidents, particularly in his second term. Concerns about the Iraq War, the thousands of deaths of American soldiers, the weakening economy, and rising costs have contributed to his poor approval rating.