George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States began at noon on January 20, 2005 and is due to expire with the swearing-in of the 44th President of the United States at noon, Washington, D.C. time, on January 20, 2009.
Stated Goals
Bush's stated goals for his second term:
- Major changes to the federal tax code
- Limits on medical malpractice lawsuits (tort reform and non-economic damages caps)
- Reform of Social Security
- Possible amnesty for many illegal aliens living and working in the United States
- Continuation of the occupation of Iraq
- Continue to fight the War on Terror
- Strengthen public education, particularly through the continuation of the No Child Left Behind Act
- Expand college affordability programs
Inauguration
More than $40 million was raised for the inauguration from donations by private sponsors such as Home Depot, Bank of America Corp., Bristol-Myers Squibb and Ford Motor Co. The money was to be spent on parties, parades, and other celebrations before and after the actual inauguration. Donors received special tickets and privileged seating at the events. While Bill Clinton's second inauguration in 1997 cost $42.7 million, Bush drew some criticism for planning such an extravagant celebration. [1]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated the inaugural events as a National Special Security Event (NSSE). The designation provided additional security measures and a higher number of security personnel. Bush was surrounded by Secret Service officers and police on all sides of the procession from the Capitol to the White House and snipers were positioned on top of buildings. Due to the tight security measures the most significant threat to materialise was a snowball thrown at Dick Cheney's limousine. However there were many protestors and at least one fire, but this did not threaten the safety of the event in any significant way. Bush remained in his own limousine until he reached the last leg of the journey down Pennsylvania Avenue, where, as is traditional, he got out of his car and walked the rest of the way. The inauguration was the most heavily secured inauguration in the history of the United States.
First 100 days
George W. Bush began his second term as a result of a hard-fought campaign that sharply divided the American people. He is the sixteenth president to win a full second term. He had a majority of his party, the Republicans, in both the House and Senate, unusual for a second term president. Also unusual for a second term president, he had a low approval rating of 49% [2].
The first month of Bush's second term was mainly consumed with debate over one of his stated goals, partial privatization of Social Security. So far the plan calls to give younger workers the option of redirecting some payroll taxes into their own private account. Current retirees and those soon to retire would see little change, but opponents of Social Security reform contend that later retirees would receive lower benefits. Congress' budget analysts estimated that the program's trust funds would be depleted in 2052, and something had to be done now to save the program. Republicans even argued that the trust fund had already been spent for other purposes with no plan to pay it back and that Social Security would run out of funds by 2018. However, Democrats accused the President and other Republicans of creating a Social Security scare, and that the program was not in as much danger as the Republicans had claimed.
On February 2 Bush delivered the first State of the Union Address of his second term. He discussed his plans for partially privatizing Social Security, receiving jeers from Democrats and applause from Republicans. He chastised Iran as the "primary state sponsor of terror" and promised Iranian reformists the backing of the US, and warned Syria to stop supporting terrorists as well. He encouraged Egypt and Saudi Arabia to do more to foster democracy as part of the United States' highest ideal in the War on Terror: "America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world ... Our aim is to build and preserve a community of free and independent nations, with governments that answer to their citizens, and reflect their own cultures. And because democracies respect their own people and their neighbors, the advance of freedom will lead to peace." A regular device of recent State of the Union Addresses is to use special guests to illustrate points. This address included an embrace between the parents of a Marine killed in Iraq, and an Iraqi woman who took part in the recent Iraqi election, 11 years after her own father was murdered by Saddam Hussein's intelligence services.
Bush did have a legislative success in February when the Congress passed and he signed the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005. Similar bills had been stalled by filibusters in his first term.
President's Trip to Europe
President Bush began his crucial European tour on February 20 in hopes of repairing the sour relations between Europe and the U.S. His five day trip began in Brussels and concluded in Slovakia where he met with virtually every prominent politician on the continent: Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schröder, Viktor Yushchenko, Tony Blair, Silvio Berlusconi, members of the European Council, NATO heads of states, and completed with Vladimir Putin [3] After Brussels, President Bush stopped in Mainz, Germany, where he dined with U.S. troops based near Wiesbaden. Bush ultimately arrived for the conclusive Slovakia Summit for a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Bush's celebrated arrival to Slovakia — marking the first time a sitting U.S. President visited Slovakia — was greeted by Slovakian Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda and President Ivan Gašparovič.
Bush continued to warm relations with critical allies following the trip, notably through meetings with new leaders Stephen Harper of Canada in March and Angela Merkel of Germany in January.
Energy Plan
On April 15, Bush called for an energy plan to be developed by Congress. After lengthy negotiations between the House and Senate, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed. Although it included large subsidies for the oil, coal, nuclear, and natural gas industries and weakened many environmental protections, Bush touted the provisions that maintained a wind tax credit and some conservation and efficiency incentives. Despite pressure from Bush and Alaska's powerful senators, environmentalists were able to keep drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge out of the bill. Bush signed it into law on August 8.
2005 Events
In 2005 President Bush's agenda suffered several setbacks. His Social Security reform plan proved unpopular with the majority of the public and his nomination of John Bolton to the UN was stalled by Congressional Democrats for months before a recess appointment. Furthermore, poll ratings of his job performance and honesty have steadily dropped, primarily due to the ongoing conflict in Iraq, and now stand at the lowest point of his presidency.
The Iraq War persisted unabated during a year in which Iraq underwent revolutionary democratic reforms. True to a Bush campaign promise, on January 30 Iraq held its first general election since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in which the Iraqi people voted on representatives for the Iraqi National Assembly. On December 15 Iraqis elected the first permanent assembly under the Constiution of Iraq, which was ratified on October 15. Yet as Bush extolled Iraq's political progress, conditions on the ground had yet to improve.
During a visit to the Republic of Georgia on May 10, 2005 there was an attempt to assassinate Bush by Vladimir Arutinian, whose live grenade failed to detonate after hitting a girl and landing in the large crowd 19 metres from the podium where he was delivering a speech.
In mid July, his and Vice President Richard Cheney's chief political advisors, Karl Rove and Lewis Libby, came under fire for revealing the identity of a covert CIA agent to reporters in the Plame affair. Libby was subsequently indicted on multiple counts of perjury, false statements, and obstruction in this case. In November Bush ordered that his staff take mandatory briefings on ethical behavior and handling of classified information.
In the summer of 2005, during what was termed a 'working vacation' at his ranch in Texas, Bush faced further scrutiny for the war in Iraq. Cindy Sheehan, mother of an American casuality in Iraq, had led a protest in Bush's hometown of Crawford, Texas, sparking assembly in the town by both supporters and detractors of the war.
Bush then left his ranch two days early following criticism of a slow and inadequate response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama in late August 2005. On August 30 2005, Bush received additional criticism when photographed playing a guitar he was presented with by country singer Mark Wills during a speech at California's Naval Base Coronado. The administration also faced mounting complaints about the ongoing occupation of Iraq, which some saw as draining much needed manpower and resources needed in the United States during disasters. Bush also faced criticism from fiscal conservatives and those who felt the disaster relief efforts came too late when Bush signed into law a flurry of legislation, including the Flexibility for Displaced Workers Act, Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005, [4] QI, TMA, and Abstinence Programs Extension and Hurricane Katrina Unemployment Relief Act of 2005 [5], Second Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising From the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005 [6], Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising From the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005 [7], and the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 [8]. Some pundits observed that these recovery activities illustrated Bush's compassionate conservatism, giving opportunties to the needy through a public works overhaul that included emergency aid and incentives to work. In a vague answer to his critics, on September 13, shortly after Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Michael Brown, with whom the Bush administration feuded in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, resigned on September 12, Bush said on September 13, "[T]o the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility." [9]
Bush has seen success in his nominations to the Supreme Court and Federal Reserve. After Sandra Day O'Connor's July 1 announcement of her retirement, Bush nominated D.C. Circuit judge John Roberts to take her seat. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died on September 3, however, and on September 5 Bush withdrew Roberts's associate justice nomination to instead have him considered for the vacant chief justice seat, with O'Connor agreeing to stay on the Supreme Court until the confirmation of her replacement; the Senate confirmed Roberts's nomination on a 78-22 vote on September 29. On October 3 Bush nominated White House Counsel Harriet Miers to replace O'Connor, but following controversy over her judicial and conservative credentials, on October 27 Miers asked Bush to withdraw her nomination, which he did later that day. On October 31, 2005 Bush nominated Third Circuit judge Samuel Alito to replace O'Connor. Alito was confirmed on January 31, 2006 on a 58-42 vote. Bush's choice to replace Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke, however, won relatively smooth confirmation. Following Bush's October 24 nomination of Bernanke, the Senate Banking Committee recommended Bernanke's confirmation by a 13-1 voice vote on November 16. The full Senate confirmed Bernanke on January 31, 2006 by another voice vote, and Bernanke was sworn in on February 1.
2006 Events
2006 is another trying year for Bush. Growing unrest and uncertainty over international crises, especially the Iraq War, with little domestic relief, have taken their toll on Bush's approval rating, which, coupled with Congress' own poor rating, partially because of Republican congressmen's role in the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal, threatens trouble for his party's majority in the United States Congress in the mid-term elections.
Despite political reforms, the war in Iraq has largely morphed from a Sunni-led insurgency against U.S. invasion and subsequent occupation into a stage of massive sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites over control of the country. Ibrahim al-Jaafari, elected the first post-invasion Prime Minister of Iraq in the December 2005 legislative election, faced opposition from Sunnis and Kurds for failing to reduce violence and deliver services. Iraqi leaders called for his resignation and the Bush administration also put implicit pressure on al-Jaafari to step down. On April 22, 2006, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, with the White House's support, named Nouri al-Maliki prime-minister delegate. Al-Maliki presented his Council of Ministers of Iraq to National Assembly of Iraq on May 20; the seats of Interior Minister and Defense Minister were not permanently filled until June 8. Bush praised this accomplishment as well as the death of Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi on June 7. Although al-Zarqawi's death seems to have reduced terrorist attacks in the war-torn country, following the confirmation of what the Bush administration calls a "national unity government" tensions between Sunnis and Shiites have intensified despite al-Maliki's national reconciliation plan, presented on June 25. As the U.S.-led coalition turns over security to Iraqi security forces, critics charge the Shiite-controlled Defense Ministry with working with Iran and the death squads that have ravaged the war-torn country; critics also blame al-Maliki, who on stepping into office promised to crack down on militias, for aiding the violence or otherwise failing to stem it. the situation grew so separate Sunnis made a turnaround in pleaing for help from the U.S. military. Despite the security crackdown in Baghdad begun on June 14 dubbed Operation Forward Together, Iraq continues to edge toward the brink of civil war, as the Pentagon acknowledged on August 3. [10]
Meanwhile, the war in Afghanistan has festered. In response to the ongoing Taliban insurgency, the U.S.-led coalition launched Operation Mountain Thrust from about May 15 to July 31. With NATO forces assuming control of the region on August 1, violence continues to wage and American forces remain in the eastern provinces. Also, the February arrest of Abdul Rahman, a convert from Islam to Christianity, offered a sobering look at Afghanistan's stunted social and democratic reforms. Although the Afghan court, under international pressure, notably including that from the Bush administration, turned over the case to prosecutors on March 26 and released Rahman on March 27, the arrest exhibited a lingering conflict between the Constitution of Afghanistan's recognition of freedom of religion, albeit limited, and its inclusion of the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence, which stipulates the death penalty for apostasy.
With the U.S. tied up in these wars, the remaining countries of the Axis of Evil, Iran and North Korea, have forced the world and namely the Security Council to formulate a response. Iran has drawn international attention through what has been called the Iranian nuclear crisis, announcing on April 11 that it had enriched uranium and on August 26, five days before the Security Council's August 31 deadline for Iran to abandon its nuclear program or risk facing ecnonomic and political sanctions, inaugurated a heavy-water nuclear reactor. North Korea launched missile tests on July 5, an issue yet to be adequately addressed. Further complicating matters, Hamas' refusal to comply with the demand of the U.S., Israel, and the European Union to disarm, recognize Israel, and denounce terror following the group's winning a majority of seats in the January Palestinian legislative election and the return to violence between it and Israel months later inflamed the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and detracted from the road map for peace, which was first proposed by Bush.
The illegal immigration problem also continues to consume growing attention. In response to the massive immigration protests following bill H.R. 4437 and the subsequent intense debate within and beyond Congress, Bush proposed sweeping legislation that would include a guest-worker program, path to citizenship, and border security. This plan has created a rift between the President and fellow Republicans in Congress as both parties look to frame the illegal immigration issue to their advantage in the fall elections. On May 15 he announced that he would dispatch the National Guard to the United States-Mexico border as an immediate solution.
With Bush's backing, the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment was subjected to rigorous debate in Congress. With a 49-48 short of the 60 required for a cloture motion in the Senate, on June 7 the amendment failed to pass.
In July 2006 Bush used his first Presidential veto to reject federal funding for stem cell research. This year continued to be a political problem for President Bush, where questions over Iraq's future erupted. Also, the President started to emerge from his low approval rating polls, which, coupled with Congress' own poor rating, threatens trouble for the Republican majority in the United States Congress in the fall elections.
A few of Bush's measures designed to strengthen national security have come under mounting opposition and pressure to reform. Senator Arlen Specter, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the American Bar Association have led challenges to the administration over its stance on the NSA warrantless wiretapping program and its practice of issuing signing statements. In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld the Supreme Court rebuffed the administration on the issue of detainee rights, ruling the military commissions at the Guantánamo Bay detainment camp illegal.
The warfare between Israel and Lebanon disturbed the attention on the Iranian nuclear crises. President Bush supported the Israelis on the basis that Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization started the fight and Israel has the right to defend itself and live in peace. To this end, Bush and Secretary of State Rice have resisted U.N. and international efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire, desiring a sustaining resolution to the conflict and not a return to the status quo. Bush and Rice demand an international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon as a precondition to the end of the fighting, and repeat that Iran and Syria must stop funding or ortherwise sponsoring Hezbollah. This strong stance has created a rift among Arab leaders, especially Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt due to domestic pressure to support Hezbollah. The issue also created a breakage between some European allies, especially France, although United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, unanimoulsy approved on August 11 to end the fighting and approved respectively by the Lebanese and Israeli governments on August 12 and August 13, was based on a draft initially proposed by the United States and France.
Approaching the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, on August 23, President Bush met with Rockey Vaccarella, a St. Bernard's Parish resident and Katrina survivor who drove his FEMA trailer to the White House to thank the President for providing mobile homes to victims.