George W. Bush: Difference between revisions

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 In the latter half of 2002, CIA [[National Intelligence Estimate|reports]] contained assertions of [[Saddam Hussein]]'s intent of reconstituting nuclear weapons programs, not properly accounting for Iraqi [[Biological warfare|biological]] and [[Chemical warfare|chemical weapons]], and that some Iraqi missiles had a range greater than allowed by the UN sanctions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/iraq_wmd/Iraq_Oct_2002.htm |title=Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs |date=October 2002 |publisher=[[CIA]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911171932/https://www.cia.gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/iraq_wmd/Iraq_Oct_2002.htm |archive-date=September 11, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB129/index.htm |title=CIA Whites Out Controversial Estimate on Iraq Weapons |publisher=The National Security Archive |date=July 9, 2004 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623070452/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB129/index.htm |url-status=live |archive-date=June 23, 2009 }}</ref> Contentions that the Bush Administration manipulated or exaggerated the threat and evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities would eventually become a major point of criticism for the president.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/67019/the-first-casualty|title=The First Casualty|last1=Ackerman|first1=Spencer|date=June 30, 2003|magazine=The New Republic|access-date=November 17, 2019|last2=Judis|first2=John B.|issn=0028-6583|archive-date=January 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121035818/https://newrepublic.com/article/67019/the-first-casualty|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Hersh, Seymour M., "The Stovepipe", ''[[The New Yorker]]'', October 27, 2003.</ref>
-In late 2002 and early 2003, Bush urged the United Nations to enforce Iraqi [[disarmament]] mandates, precipitating a [[Iraq disarmament crisis|diplomatic crisis]]. In November 2002, [[Hans Blix]] and [[Mohamed ElBaradei]] led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, but were advised by the U.S. to depart the country four days prior to the U.S. invasion, despite their requests for more time to complete their tasks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-17-inspectors-iraq_x.htm |agency=[[Associated Press]] |title=U.S. advises weapons inspectors to leave Iraq |work=USA Today |date=March 17, 2003 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=August 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825014028/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-17-inspectors-iraq_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The U.S. initially sought a [[UN Security Council]] resolution authorizing the use of military force but dropped the bid for UN approval due to vigorous opposition from several countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/chapterVII.htm |title=Enforcement Measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter |access-date=September 1, 2008 |date=February 13, 2003 |work=[[United Nations Charter]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/chapterVII.htm |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref> The Bush administration's claim that the Iraq War was part of the War on Terror had been [[Criticism of the war on terror|questioned and contested]] by political analysts.<ref>Williams, Shirley. "[https://www.theguardian.com/comment/story/0,3604,1072390,00.html The seeds of Iraq's future terror] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429020623/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/oct/28/iraq.politics |date=April 29, 2021 }}"</ref>
+In late 2002 and early 2003, Bush urged the United Nations to enforce Iraqi [[disarmament]] mandates, precipitating a [[Iraq disarmament crisis|diplomatic crisis]]. In November 2002, [[Hans Blix]] and [[Mohamed ElBaradei]] led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, but were advised by the U.S. to depart the country four days prior to the U.S. invasion, despite their requests for more time to complete their tasks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-17-inspectors-iraq_x.htm |agency=Associated Press |title=U.S. advises weapons inspectors to leave Iraq |work=USA Today |date=March 17, 2003 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=August 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825014028/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-17-inspectors-iraq_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The U.S. initially sought a [[UN Security Council]] resolution authorizing the use of military force but dropped the bid for UN approval due to vigorous opposition from several countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/chapterVII.htm |title=Enforcement Measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter |access-date=September 1, 2008 |date=February 13, 2003 |work=[[United Nations Charter]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/chapterVII.htm |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref> The Bush administration's claim that the Iraq War was part of the War on Terror had been [[Criticism of the war on terror|questioned and contested]] by political analysts.<ref>Williams, Shirley. "[https://www.theguardian.com/comment/story/0,3604,1072390,00.html The seeds of Iraq's future terror] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429020623/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/oct/28/iraq.politics |date=April 29, 2021 }}"</ref>
 More than 20 nations (most notably the United Kingdom) designated the "[[Multi-National Force – Iraq|coalition of the willing]]" joined the United States<ref>{{cite news |first=Steve |last=Schifferes |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2862343.stm |title=US names 'coalition of the willing' |work=BBC News |date=March 18, 2003 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2862343.stm |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref> in invading Iraq. They launched the invasion on March 20, 2003. The Iraqi military was quickly defeated. The capital, [[Baghdad]], fell on April 9, 2003. On May 1, Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. The initial success of U.S. operations increased his popularity, but the U.S. and allied forces faced a growing insurgency led by sectarian groups; Bush's "[[Mission Accomplished]]" speech was later criticized as premature.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101031006/|title=Mission Not Accomplished|last=Monsivais|first=Pablo M.|date=October 6, 2003|magazine=Time|access-date=June 23, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101031006/|archive-date=February 25, 2008}}</ref> From 2004 until 2007, the situation in Iraq deteriorated further, with some observers arguing that there was a full-scale [[Sectarian violence in Iraq (2006–07)|civil war in Iraq]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Colin Powell says Iraq in a 'civil war' |url=http://www.truth-out.org/archive/item/67163:colin-powell-says-iraq-in-a-civil-war |publisher=[[Truthout]] |date=November 28, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211072616/http://www.truth-out.org/archive/item/67163%3Acolin-powell-says-iraq-in-a-civil-war |archive-date=February 11, 2007 |access-date=February 17, 2007 }}</ref> Bush's policies met with criticism, including demands domestically to set a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. The 2006 report of the bipartisan [[Iraq Study Group]], led by [[James Baker]], concluded that the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating". While Bush admitted there were strategic mistakes made in regard to the stability of Iraq,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article764622.ece |title=Bush: we went to war on faulty intelligence |work=The Times |location=UK |date=December 14, 2005 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-date=February 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211072616/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article764622.ece }}</ref> he maintained he would not change the overall Iraq strategy.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/images/20061021_d-0072-515h.html |title=President George W. Bush speaks during a video teleconference with Vice President Dick Cheney, on screen, and military commanders |date=October 21, 2006 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=February 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211072616/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/images/20061021_d-0072-515h.html |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bush Reviews Iraq War Strategy as Violence Mounts (Update3) |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=at9X1Z7oilgY |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |date=October 21, 2006 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211072616/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=at9X1Z7oilgY |archive-date=February 11, 2007}}</ref> According to [[Iraq Body Count]], some 251,000 Iraqis have been killed in the civil war following the U.S.-led invasion, including at least 163,841 civilians.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iraqbodycount.org/ |title=Iraq Body Count |access-date=September 18, 2016 |archive-date=March 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306030957/https://www.iraqbodycount.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
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 ==== North Korea condemnation ====
 {{Main|North Korea–United States relations}}
-Bush publicly condemned [[Kim Jong-il]] of North Korea and identified North Korea as one of three states in an "[[axis of evil]]". He said that "the United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons."<ref name=sotu2002 /> Within months, "both countries had walked away from their respective commitments under the U.S.–DPRK [[Agreed Framework]] of October 1994."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Summer/art1-su3.htm|title=The United States, North Korea, and the End of the Agreed Framework|last=Pollack|first=Jonathan D.|publisher=Naval War College Review|date=Summer 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Summer/art1-su3.htm|archive-date=August 18, 2006|volume=LV I|issue=3}}</ref> North Korea's October 9, 2006, [[2006 North Korean nuclear test|detonation]] of a nuclear device further complicated Bush's foreign policy, which centered for both terms of his presidency on "[preventing] the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world".<ref name=sotu2002 /> Bush condemned North Korea's position, reaffirmed his commitment to "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula", and said that "transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States", for which North Korea would be held accountable.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061009.html |title=President Bush's Statement on North Korea Nuclear Test |date=October 9, 2006 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822122622/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061009.html |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref> On May 7, 2007, North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear reactors immediately pending the release of frozen funds held in a foreign bank account. This was a result of a series of three-way talks initiated by the United States and including China.<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/north-korea-ready-to-shut-down-reactor-immediately |title=North Korea Ready to Shut Down Reactor 'Immediately' |publisher=Fox News |date=May 7, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509020138/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C270397%2C00.html |archive-date=May 9, 2007 }}</ref> On September 2, 2007, North Korea agreed to disclose and dismantle all its nuclear programs by the end of 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S.: North Korea agrees to shut down nuke facilities |agency=Associated Press |publisher=CNN |date=September 2, 2007 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/02/koreas.nuclear.ap/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070917103449/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/02/koreas.nuclear.ap/index.html |archive-date=September 17, 2007 }}</ref> By May 2009, North Korea had restarted its nuclear program and threatened to attack South Korea.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCurry |first=Justin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/27/north-korea-threat-attack-south |work=The Guardian |location=UK |title=North Korea restarts nuclear reactor and threatens to attack south |date=May 27, 2009 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528094725/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/27/north-korea-threat-attack-south |archive-date=May 28, 2009 }}</ref>
+Bush publicly condemned [[Kim Jong-il]] of North Korea and identified North Korea as one of three states in an "[[axis of evil]]". He said that "the United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons."<ref name=sotu2002 /> Within months, "both countries had walked away from their respective commitments under the U.S.–DPRK [[Agreed Framework]] of October 1994."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Summer/art1-su3.htm|title=The United States, North Korea, and the End of the Agreed Framework|last=Pollack|first=Jonathan D.|publisher=Naval War College Review|date=Summer 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Summer/art1-su3.htm|archive-date=August 18, 2006|volume=LV I|issue=3}}</ref> North Korea's October 9, 2006, [[2006 North Korean nuclear test|detonation]] of a nuclear device further complicated Bush's foreign policy, which centered for both terms of his presidency on "[preventing] the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world".<ref name=sotu2002 /> Bush condemned North Korea's position, reaffirmed his commitment to "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula", and said that "transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States", for which North Korea would be held accountable.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061009.html |title=President Bush's Statement on North Korea Nuclear Test |date=October 9, 2006 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822122622/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061009.html |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref> On May 7, 2007, North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear reactors immediately pending the release of frozen funds held in a foreign bank account. This was a result of a series of three-way talks initiated by the United States and including China.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/north-korea-ready-to-shut-down-reactor-immediately |title=North Korea Ready to Shut Down Reactor 'Immediately' |publisher=Fox News |date=May 7, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509020138/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C270397%2C00.html |archive-date=May 9, 2007 }}</ref> On September 2, 2007, North Korea agreed to disclose and dismantle all its nuclear programs by the end of 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S.: North Korea agrees to shut down nuke facilities |agency=Associated Press |publisher=CNN |date=September 2, 2007 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/02/koreas.nuclear.ap/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070917103449/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/02/koreas.nuclear.ap/index.html |archive-date=September 17, 2007 }}</ref> By May 2009, North Korea had restarted its nuclear program and threatened to attack South Korea.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCurry |first=Justin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/27/north-korea-threat-attack-south |work=The Guardian |location=UK |title=North Korea restarts nuclear reactor and threatens to attack south |date=May 27, 2009 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528094725/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/27/north-korea-threat-attack-south |archive-date=May 28, 2009 }}</ref>
 On June 22, 2010, Bush said, "While South Korea prospers, the people of North Korea have suffered profoundly," adding that communism had resulted in dire poverty, mass starvation, and brutal suppression. "In recent years," he went on to say, "the suffering has been compounded by the leader who wasted North Korea's precious few resources on personal luxuries and nuclear weapons programs."<ref>{{cite news |last=Park |first=Joseph |url=http://continentalnews.net/2010/06/24/george-w-bush-delivers-message-at-korean-war-prayer-meeting-in-seoul-892.html |work=Continental News |location=France |title=George W. Bush Delivers Message At Korean War Prayer Meeting In Seoul |date=June 22, 2010 |access-date=June 24, 2010 |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822122622/http://continentalnews.net/2010/06/24/george-w-bush-delivers-message-at-korean-war-prayer-meeting-in-seoul-892.html }}</ref>
@@ Line 438: / Line 438: @@
 Within the United States armed forces, according to an unscientific survey, the president was strongly supported in the 2004 presidential elections.<ref name="military support">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-10-03-bush-troops_x.htm |title=Troops in survey back Bush 4-to-1 over Kerry |access-date=May 9, 2008 |last=Moniz |first=Dave |date=October 3, 2004 |work=USA Today}}</ref> While 73 percent of military personnel said they would vote for Bush, 18 percent preferred his Democratic rival, [[John Kerry]].<ref name="military support" /> According to [[Peter Feaver]], a [[Duke University]] political scientist who has studied the political leanings of the U.S. military, members of the armed services supported Bush because they found him more likely than Kerry to complete the War in Iraq.<ref name="military support" />
-Bush's approval rating surged to 74 percent at the beginning of the [[Iraq War]], up 19 points from his pre-war rating of 55 percent.<ref>{{cite news |title=Modest Bush Approval Rating Boost at War's End |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2003/04/18/modest-bush-approval-rating-boost-at-wars-end/ |work=[[Pew Research Center]] |date=April 18, 2003}}</ref> Bush's approval rating went below the 50 percent mark in [[Associated Press|AP]]-[[Ipsos]] polling in December 2004.<ref name="Taipei Times">{{cite news |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/03/10/2003351719 |title=Bush's job approval rating creeps up in AP-Ipsos poll |newspaper=Taipei Times |date=March 10, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=June 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613223621/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/03/10/2003351719 }}</ref> Thereafter, his approval ratings and approval of his handling of domestic and foreign policy issues steadily dropped. After his re-election in 2004, Bush received increasingly heated criticism from across the political spectrum<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=May 5, 2006 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12643666 |title=Republican right abandoning Bush |publisher=[[NBC News]] |access-date=June 23, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184608,00.html|title=Illegal Immigration, Unchecked Spending Siphon Conservatives From GOP Base|last=Vlahos|first=Kelley B.|date=February 13, 2006|access-date=May 11, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304202422/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C184608%2C00.html|archive-date=March 4, 2009|publisher=[[Fox News]]}}</ref><ref name="Baker">Baker, Kevin, {{cite news|url=http://www.americanheritage.com/content/second-term-blues|title=Second-Term Blues: Why Have Our Presidents Almost Always Stumbled after Their First Four Years?|date=Aug–Sep 2006|work=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613010021/http://www.americanheritage.com/content/second-term-blues|archive-date=June 13, 2011}}</ref> for his handling of the [[Iraq War]], his [[Political effects of Hurricane Katrina|response to Hurricane Katrina]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/425822/609550 |title=Katrinagate fury spreads to US media |publisher=[[TVNZ]] |date=September 7, 2005 |access-date=March 16, 2010 |archive-date=July 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090717043601/http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/425822/609550 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Mike M. |last=Ahlers |publisher=CNN |date=April 14, 2006 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/14/fema.ig/index.html |title=Report: Criticism of FEMA's Katrina response deserved |access-date=March 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425041656/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/14/fema.ig/index.html |archive-date=April 25, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/hurricaneprep_05-09-06.html|title=Online NewsHour Update: Amid Widespread Criticism, Government Prepares for Next Hurricane Season|date=May 9, 2006|publisher=[[PBS]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812084219/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/hurricaneprep_05-09-06.html|archive-date=August 12, 2010|access-date=March 16, 2010}}</ref> and to the [[Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse]], [[NSA warrantless surveillance]], the [[Plame affair]], and [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]] controversies.<ref name="Unchecked and Unbalanced">{{cite news |last=Kakutani |first=Michiko |title=Unchecked and Unbalanced |work=The New York Times |date=July 6, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/books/06book.html |archive-date=July 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721082028/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/books/06book.html }}</ref>
+Bush's approval rating surged to 74 percent at the beginning of the [[Iraq War]], up 19 points from his pre-war rating of 55 percent.<ref>{{cite news |title=Modest Bush Approval Rating Boost at War's End |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2003/04/18/modest-bush-approval-rating-boost-at-wars-end/ |work=[[Pew Research Center]] |date=April 18, 2003}}</ref> Bush's approval rating went below the 50 percent mark in [[Associated Press|AP]]-[[Ipsos]] polling in December 2004.<ref name="Taipei Times">{{cite news |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/03/10/2003351719 |title=Bush's job approval rating creeps up in AP-Ipsos poll |newspaper=Taipei Times |date=March 10, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=June 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613223621/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/03/10/2003351719 }}</ref> Thereafter, his approval ratings and approval of his handling of domestic and foreign policy issues steadily dropped. After his re-election in 2004, Bush received increasingly heated criticism from across the political spectrum<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=May 5, 2006 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12643666 |title=Republican right abandoning Bush |publisher=[[NBC News]] |access-date=June 23, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184608,00.html|title=Illegal Immigration, Unchecked Spending Siphon Conservatives From GOP Base|last=Vlahos|first=Kelley B.|date=February 13, 2006|access-date=May 11, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304202422/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C184608%2C00.html|archive-date=March 4, 2009|publisher=[[Fox News]]}}</ref><ref name="Baker">Baker, Kevin, {{cite news|url=http://www.americanheritage.com/content/second-term-blues|title=Second-Term Blues: Why Have Our Presidents Almost Always Stumbled after Their First Four Years?|date=Aug–Sep 2006|work=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613010021/http://www.americanheritage.com/content/second-term-blues|archive-date=June 13, 2011}}</ref> for his handling of the [[Iraq War]], his [[Political effects of Hurricane Katrina|response to Hurricane Katrina]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/425822/609550 |title=Katrinagate fury spreads to US media |publisher=[[TVNZ]] |date=September 7, 2005 |access-date=March 16, 2010 |archive-date=July 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090717043601/http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/425822/609550 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Mike M. |last=Ahlers |publisher=CNN |date=April 14, 2006 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/14/fema.ig/index.html |title=Report: Criticism of FEMA's Katrina response deserved |access-date=March 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425041656/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/14/fema.ig/index.html |archive-date=April 25, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/hurricaneprep_05-09-06.html|title=Online NewsHour Update: Amid Widespread Criticism, Government Prepares for Next Hurricane Season|date=May 9, 2006|publisher=[[PBS]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812084219/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/hurricaneprep_05-09-06.html|archive-date=August 12, 2010|access-date=March 16, 2010}}</ref> and to the [[Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse]], [[NSA warrantless surveillance]], the [[Plame affair]], and [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]] controversies.<ref name="Unchecked and Unbalanced">{{cite news |last=Kakutani |first=Michiko |title=Unchecked and Unbalanced |work=The New York Times |date=July 6, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/books/06book.html |archive-date=July 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721082028/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/books/06book.html }}</ref>
 Amid this criticism, the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] regained control of Congress in the [[2006 midterm elections]]. Polls conducted in 2006 showed an average of 37 percent approval ratings for Bush,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm |title=President Bush – Overall Job Rating |work=Polling Report |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913124937/http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm |archive-date=September 13, 2008 }}</ref> the lowest for any second-term president at that point in his term since Harry S. Truman in March 1951 (when Truman's approval rating was 28 percent),<ref name="Taipei Times" /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2007/03/bushs_secondter.html |title=Bush's second-term slump |last=Silva |first=Mark |work=The Swamp |date=March 7, 2007 |access-date=April 27, 2007 |archive-date=April 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422082820/http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2007/03/bushs_secondter.html }}</ref> which contributed to what Bush called the "thumping" of the Republican Party in the 2006 elections.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 8, 2006 |first=Steve |last=Holland |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-elections-bush-idUSN0747831720061108 |title=Bush admits Republicans took a "thumping" |work=Reuters |archive-date=April 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415020025/https://www.reuters.com/article/2006/11/08/us-usa-elections-bush-idUSN0747831720061108 |url-status=live }}</ref> Throughout most of 2007, Bush's approval rating hovered in the mid-thirties;<ref>{{cite web |title=President Bush Job Approval |access-date=September 1, 2008 |url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/ |publisher=RealClearPolitics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080827165022/http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/ |archive-date=August 27, 2008 }}</ref> the average for his entire second term was 37 percent, according to Gallup.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/116500/presidential-approval-ratings-george-bush.aspx |title=George W. Bush Presidential Job Approval |access-date=July 12, 2012 |newspaper=Gallup |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402045152/http://www.gallup.com/poll/116500/presidential-approval-ratings-george-bush.aspx |archive-date=April 2, 2009 }}</ref>
@@ Line 477: / Line 477: @@
 Since leaving office, Bush has kept a relatively low profile.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/08/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5072127.shtml |title=Laura Bush Discusses Her Husband's Low Profile |access-date=June 8, 2009 |date=July 28, 2009 |publisher=CBS News |first=Prerana |last=Swami |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611194732/http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/08/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5072127.shtml |archive-date=June 11, 2009 }}</ref> Bush has spoken in favor of increased global participation of women in politics and societal matters in foreign countries.<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=dcwlvlgllBo|title=George W. Bush – Decision Points|date=June 1, 2011|last=Bradway|first=Adam|via=YouTube|place=Michigan|access-date=November 20, 2019|quote=I believe women will lead the democracy movement in the Middle East.{{spaces}}... Women are going to lead the democracy movement, mark my words.{{spaces}}... We want to empower women and encourage women and to develop civil societies so women can benefit.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.c-span.org/video/?320904-2/usafrica-leaders-summit-spousal-program-part-2 |title=U.S. – Africa Leaders Summit Spousal Program, Part 2 |location=Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. |work=C-SPAN |last=Bush |first=George W. |date=August 6, 2014 |access-date=April 10, 2015 |quote=The success of any nation is impossible without the political participation, the economic empowerment, the education, and health, of women.{{spaces}}... Taking care of women, is good politics.{{spaces}}... The first ladies ought to be ambassadors as well.}}</ref>
-In March 2009, he delivered his first post-presidency speech in [[Calgary]], Alberta,<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=March 17, 2009 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna29743567 |title=Bush says Obama 'deserves my silence{{'-}} |access-date=June 23, 2009 |publisher=MSNBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518200336/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29743567/ |archive-date=May 18, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Allen |title=Bush promises not to attack Obama |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20160.html |work=[[Politico]] |date=March 18, 2009 |access-date=March 18, 2009 |archive-date=March 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319130849/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20160.html |url-status=live }}</ref> appeared via video on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' during which he praised U.S. troops for earning a "special place in American history",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/2100-501368_162-5083805.html|title=Troops in Iraq hailed by Bush on 'Colbert Report{{'-}}|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=June 5, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104054910/http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-501368_162-5083805.html|archive-date=November 4, 2013|publisher=[[CBS News]]|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> and attended the funeral of Senator [[Ted Kennedy]].<ref name="pols">{{cite news |url=http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20090830funeral_mass_unites_pols/ |date=August 30, 2009 |title=Funeral mass unites pols |last=Weir |first=Richard |work=[[Boston Herald]] |access-date=August 30, 2009 |archive-date=September 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922022813/http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20090830funeral_mass_unites_pols/ }}</ref> Bush made his debut as a motivational speaker on October 26 at the "Get Motivated" seminar in Dallas.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jordan |first=Mary |date=October 26, 2009 |title=Bush's first stand on a new podium |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102603185_pf.html |url-access=limited |access-date=November 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224180115/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102603185_pf.html |archive-date=February 24, 2021}}</ref> In the aftermath of the [[2009 Fort Hood shooting|Fort Hood shooting]] on November 5, 2009, the Bushes paid an undisclosed visit to the survivors and the victims' families the day following the shooting, having contacted the base commander requesting that the visit be private and not involve press coverage.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/george-w-bush-secretly-visits-fort-hood-victims/ |title=George W. Bush Secretly Visits Fort Hood Victims |date=November 7, 2009 |access-date=November 18, 2009 |first=Bill |last=Sammon |publisher=Fox News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111201141/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/07/george-w-bush-secretly-visits-fort-hood-victims/ |archive-date=November 11, 2009 }}</ref>
+In March 2009, he delivered his first post-presidency speech in [[Calgary]], Alberta,<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=March 17, 2009 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna29743567 |title=Bush says Obama 'deserves my silence{{'-}} |access-date=June 23, 2009 |publisher=MSNBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518200336/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29743567/ |archive-date=May 18, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Allen |title=Bush promises not to attack Obama |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20160.html |work=[[Politico]] |date=March 18, 2009 |access-date=March 18, 2009 |archive-date=March 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319130849/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20160.html |url-status=live }}</ref> appeared via video on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' during which he praised U.S. troops for earning a "special place in American history",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/2100-501368_162-5083805.html|title=Troops in Iraq hailed by Bush on 'Colbert Report{{'-}}|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=June 5, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104054910/http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-501368_162-5083805.html|archive-date=November 4, 2013|publisher=[[CBS News]]|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> and attended the funeral of Senator [[Ted Kennedy]].<ref name="pols">{{cite news |url=http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20090830funeral_mass_unites_pols/ |date=August 30, 2009 |title=Funeral mass unites pols |last=Weir |first=Richard |work=[[Boston Herald]] |access-date=August 30, 2009 |archive-date=September 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922022813/http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20090830funeral_mass_unites_pols/ }}</ref> Bush made his debut as a motivational speaker on October 26 at the "Get Motivated" seminar in Dallas.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jordan |first=Mary |date=October 26, 2009 |title=Bush's first stand on a new podium |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102603185_pf.html |url-access=limited |access-date=November 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224180115/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102603185_pf.html |archive-date=February 24, 2021}}</ref> In the aftermath of the [[2009 Fort Hood shooting|Fort Hood shooting]] on November 5, 2009, the Bushes paid an undisclosed visit to the survivors and the victims' families the day following the shooting, having contacted the base commander requesting that the visit be private and not involve press coverage.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/george-w-bush-secretly-visits-fort-hood-victims/ |title=George W. Bush Secretly Visits Fort Hood Victims |date=November 7, 2009 |access-date=November 18, 2009 |first=Bill |last=Sammon |publisher=Fox News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111201141/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/07/george-w-bush-secretly-visits-fort-hood-victims/ |archive-date=November 11, 2009 }}</ref>
-Bush released his memoirs, ''[[Decision Points]]'', on November 9, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |last=Italie |first=Hillel |date=October 7, 2010 |title=George W. Bush's memoir, 'Decision Points', to have print run of 1.5M copies |newspaper=USA Today |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2010-10-07-bush-memoir_N.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602010830/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2010-10-07-bush-memoir_N.htm |archive-date=June 2, 2022}}</ref> During a pre-release appearance promoting the book, Bush said he considered his biggest accomplishment to be keeping "the country safe amid a real danger", and his greatest failure to be his inability to secure the passage of [[Social Security reform]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bush promotes book in Chicago |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2010/10/21/bush-promotes-book-in-chicago/ |date=October 21, 2010 |first=Becky |last=Schlikerman |access-date=February 22, 2011 |work=Chicago Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511153640/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-10-21/news/ct-met-bush-visit-20101021_1_decision-points-book-plastic-bag |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> He also made news defending his administration's enhanced interrogation techniques, specifically the [[waterboarding]] of [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]], saying, "I'd do it again to save lives."<ref>{{cite news |title={{-'}}I'd do it again' former President Bush tells Grand Rapids crowd about waterboarding terrorists |work=[[The Grand Rapids Press]] |url=http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/06/id_do_it_again_former_presiden.html |date=June 2, 2010 |first=Ted |last=Roelofs |access-date=June 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605035834/http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/06/id_do_it_again_former_presiden.html |archive-date=June 5, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
+Bush released his memoirs, ''[[Decision Points]]'', on November 9, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |last=Italie |first=Hillel |date=October 7, 2010 |title=George W. Bush's memoir, 'Decision Points', to have print run of 1.5M copies |newspaper=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2010-10-07-bush-memoir_N.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602010830/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2010-10-07-bush-memoir_N.htm |archive-date=June 2, 2022}}</ref> During a pre-release appearance promoting the book, Bush said he considered his biggest accomplishment to be keeping "the country safe amid a real danger", and his greatest failure to be his inability to secure the passage of [[Social Security reform]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bush promotes book in Chicago |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2010/10/21/bush-promotes-book-in-chicago/ |date=October 21, 2010 |first=Becky |last=Schlikerman |access-date=February 22, 2011 |work=Chicago Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511153640/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-10-21/news/ct-met-bush-visit-20101021_1_decision-points-book-plastic-bag |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> He also made news defending his administration's enhanced interrogation techniques, specifically the [[waterboarding]] of [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]], saying, "I'd do it again to save lives."<ref>{{cite news |title={{-'}}I'd do it again' former President Bush tells Grand Rapids crowd about waterboarding terrorists |work=[[The Grand Rapids Press]] |url=http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/06/id_do_it_again_former_presiden.html |date=June 2, 2010 |first=Ted |last=Roelofs |access-date=June 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605035834/http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/06/id_do_it_again_former_presiden.html |archive-date=June 5, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 In 2012, he wrote the foreword of ''[[The 4% Solution: Unleashing the Economic Growth America Needs]]'', an economics book published by the [[George W. Bush Presidential Center]].<ref name="lubbockfourpercent">Jamie Stengle, [http://lubbockonline.com/texas/2012-07-18/bush-institute-launches-book-economic-growth Bush institute launches book on economic growth], ''Lubbock Avalanche-Journal'', July 18, 2012</ref><ref name="soniasmithfourpercent">{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Sonia |date=July 17, 2017 |title=George W. Bush's Armchair Economic Advice |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/george-w-bushs-armchair-economic-advice/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513170207/https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/george-w-bushs-armchair-economic-advice/ |archive-date=May 13, 2021 |access-date=July 15, 2022 |website=Texas Monthly |language=en}}</ref> He also presented the book at the [[Parkland Memorial Hospital]] in Dallas, Texas.<ref name="booktvfourpercent">{{cite web |title=Book Discussion on ''The 4% Solution'' |url=http://www.c-span.org/video/?307337-1/book-discussion-4-solution |publisher=[[C-SPAN]] |access-date=April 26, 2015 |date=July 17, 2012 |quote=Contributors to ''The 4% Solution'' lay out a plan to achieve a four percent economic growth rate, which they argue is necessary to restore America's economic health. The discussion was moderated by James Glassmen, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, which put out the book. President George W. Bush, who wrote the foreword to the book, made opening remarks. This book launch event was held at the Old Parkland Hospital in Dallas.}}</ref> Bush did not physically appear in that year's [[2012 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]] (where [[Mitt Romney]] obtained the party's nomination for president), instead appearing in a videotape, in which he –alongside his father and immediate family– explains his motives to support Romney.<ref>{{cite news |last=Weigel |first=David |title=Where Is George W. Bush? |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/08/rnc-the-gop-has-erased-almost-all-mention-of-george-w-bush-from-the-convention-in-tampa.html |date=August 30, 2012 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}</ref>