George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States
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George W. Bush's second term as President of the United States began at noon on January 20, 2005 and is expected to end with the swearing-in of the 44th President of the United States at noon, Washington, D.C. time, on January 20, 2009.
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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
Over $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. Bush drew some criticism for planning such an extravagant celebration during a time of war and natural disaster.
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 all the 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 there 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 and waved the rest of the way. This street was possibly the most heavily guarded area in the world at that moment. 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% [1].
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. 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 prolific 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 [2] 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.
Energy Plan
On April 15, Bush called for an energy plan to be developed by Congress. Bush said that the energy bill that will end up on his desk must encourage conservation, production at home in environmentally sensitive ways and diversify the US energy supply by developing alternative sources of energy like ethanol or biodiesel. Plans to tap into oil found in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have been working their way through the U.S. Congress and approval was given by the Senate while in the House the discussion is still ongoing.[3]
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.
In mid July, his chief political advisor, Karl Rove, came under fire for allegedly revealing the identity of a covert CIA agent.
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 New Orleans and Mississippi in September 2005. The administration faced mounting complaints about the ongoing occupation of Iraq, which was seen as draining much needed manpower and resources needed in the United States during disasters.
Bush has seen success in his nomination and confirmation of the now, Chief Justice John Roberts, to the Supreme Court of the United States, in September of 2005. However, his October nomination to the Supreme Court of Harriet Miers was controversial and this furore eventually resulted in the withdrawal of Miss Miers' nomination.
See also
- George W. Bush's first term as President of the United States
- George W. Bush's Main Article
- President of the United States
